Leaves are falling early. Swamp maples have already begun to turn red. Friends formerly known as freshwater ponds and streams have been renamed mudholes. Lawns, meadows and hayfields share a common crunch. Dirt roads are clouds of dust. In closets around the Island, raincoats and umbrellas are gathering cobwebs. As for rainy day memories — there are none.

The nearly nonstop stretch of dry summer weather has been perfect for summer vacationers and beachgoers this year, less so though for farmers and firefighters who worry about the lack of rain. If the summer had a theme inspired by Kay Thompson’s children’s book Eloise, it would be this: dry, dry, dry.

Meanwhile, with most of Martha’s Vineyard on high fire alert, including in the state forest that covers some five thousand acres in the center of the Island, residents and summer visitors are urged to use extra caution with grills and outdoor fire pits. One spark can cause a blaze, as summer revelers learned this week when a home fireworks display ignited a fast-moving fire in the beach grass in Oak Bluffs.

Thankfully, volunteer firefighters quelled it quickly.

This fall, let’s try to avoid anything worse.