Summer has come to full stop as meteorological fall is upon us with blessedly cooler temperatures and life-giving rain. The sky has taken on a violet-tinged hue, embroidered with thready gray-white scudding clouds. Fallen leaves littering the lawn hint at things to come, and soon. A faint maple-syrupy scent wafts on the breeze, the aroma emitted by leaves wet and decaying from rain. A groundhog, bold with youth and inexperience in the ways of the world, strolls up the path, pausing to sample violet leaves under goldenrod skyrockets swaying under weight of native bees and soldier beetles. A deer loiters in the woods, unbothered about being chased out, knowing it will return as soon as the foolish human goes away.

Pots full of blooming impatiens have been eaten down to bare soil. I’m not su

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