October in Mystic, the river runs cold under the bascule bridge and the maples on the Groton side let go all at once. Smith's Landscaping is out in it — final cuts taken low, leaves pulled off the turf before they mat, beds edged clean for the winter, trimming tidied around every fence post. A lawn put to bed properly in fall barely needs rescuing come April, which is the whole argument for doing it right. There is a good feeling in the last load of the day, the yard bare and level and ready. Groton in autumn is worth looking at, and so should be the ground under your feet.