This month feels like a rush to get things done — ticking must-do items off a checklist on the fridge door as fall hurries by and the holiday season barrels into sight. Days are growing noticeably shorter and most of us took our last swim of summer a couple of weeks ago. Beyond the Halloween costumes and porch witches in the aisles of the brand-new Target store at Bridgehampton Commons, when it opened its doors to customers with a “soft launch” on Tuesday, the Santa ornaments and Christmas pillows were creeping in.
Top of the list for things to get done immediately this week is to check your voter registration status (which you can do at vote.org in 60 seconds) and, if you’re not registered, get it done this week so you can participate in the important general election on Nov. 3. If you are a U.S. citizen and over the age of 18, you can register online by uploading identification on the New York State Board of Elections website (elections.ny.gov). More of a hassle is registering by mail: You will need to download and print the form from the same website — or pick one up from your local public library or from the dreaded Department of Motor Vehicles — and then mail it quickly so the board of election receives it by Oct. 24. Alternately, you can drop by the D.M.V. in Riverhead on your next Costco run, although it might involve a wait.
Next, put away the barbecue grill, the hammock, and patio umbrella. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted that the Atlantic hurricane season will remain relatively quiet, but, still, you can rest assured that another nor’easter or blizzard is heading our way before too long. You’re not imagining it if you feel like heavy storms have been bringing higher winds: A study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences last year that examined 900 nor’easters from 1940 through 2025 found an increase in maximum sustained winds. Batten down the hatches and remove dead limbs from trees near the house.
Next, if you rely on home-heating oil, get your furnace serviced and fill up that monstrously hungry fuel-oil tank now rather than later: According to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, prices for home heating oil have been above $6 per gallon since September, which is 60 to 80 percent higher than they were last winter. (Thank you to President Trump and his war with Iran. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s last outlook statement, issued on Tuesday, disruptions to Middle Eastern oil production and shipping have pushed up the cost of crude. It’s all about the flow, or lack of it, through the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude — the international benchmark — averaged $114 a barrel in September, up $23 from August alone. Brent averaged $67.99 per barrel in September 2025, so we’ve seen an increase of 68 percent over last year. Ouch.)
Finally, to calm your feelings about all this — the nervous-making midterm elections, the cost of gas and heating your home — we recommend cutting out of work at 5 for a lovely walk on the ocean beach while the light lingers. This week, the weather has been gorgeous, but tick-tock, tick-tock: The clocks will be set back on Nov. 1, only 24 days and counting.