Down where the land drops toward the river valley below Lyons, the summers come in green and heavy and the shade trees are old ones. Grass under big maples asks for a lighter touch — a notch higher on the deck, a sharp blade, and enough length to hold moisture through the dry stretch in August. We mow and trim on a steady rotation, keep the walk edges cut back, and haul the clippings off with us. Low limbs get lifted up off the yard, and shrubs are trimmed where they crowd a window or a path. Come November the leaves go out in one long push, and the property heads into the cold clear and even.