October in the Quinebaug lowlands turns the whole town the color of cider, and every lawn in Canterbury disappears under maple and oak by the third week. Getting it back is the work — leaves cleared, beds cut in, edges redrawn, the yard put away tidy before the first hard frost. The rest of the year runs on mowing and trimming, with mulch in spring and a full opening cleanup once the ground thaws out toward Westminster. Properties here sit back off the road behind hayfields and fence lines, so the whole approach shows, not just the patch by the door. Keeping that approach sharp from week to week is the part of the job worth taking pride in.