In October the oak woods above Lowell Park let go all at once, and every yard in Dixon inherits a few thousand leaves it never asked for. Raking, blowing, bagging and hauling is half the season's work; the other half is the steady rhythm of summer — mowing on a set day, trimming the corners a mower cannot reach, edging the walk so the line stays honest. Grass here grows hard through June and slows in August heat, and the schedule bends to the lawn rather than the calendar. There is real satisfaction in the final pass of the year, the turf short and swept and put to bed for the cold. Yards from Dixon out to Grand Detour, Franklin Grove and Amboy are on the list.