In Falls Village the Housatonic drops over the ledges at Great Falls — loud with runoff in April, thin and green by August — and the whole town takes its rhythm from that water. Summer up here is short and generous, so lawns get mowed, trimmed, edged and cleaned up while the light lasts. Then the northwest corner does what it does: cold arrives early over Canaan Mountain, and the work turns to plowing driveways, shoveling walks, and spreading salt or sand on the steep spots. Both halves end the same way, with a property that looks cared for from the road. There is something good about being the first vehicle on a Canaan back road at dawn, headlights on new snow, a day's worth of driveways still to open.