October along the Hudson at Waterford turns the east side amber, and the leaves come down all at once when the first hard wind arrives off the water. Lasher's Lawn Care meets that week with fall cleanups: leaves cleared out, beds tidied, lawns given one last level cut before the ground goes hard. The rest of the year is mowing and trimming, week after week, the sort of upkeep nobody notices until it stops. A yard raked out bare in November is a small promise kept to April. Between two rivers, the ground gives a lot back for the trouble taken with it.