Summer Wanes

The crickets are telling us that summer is giving way to fall and we must enjoy the final beauties of the season. Relentless heat has made my garden somewhat raggedy, but there are still surprises like this russet sunflower. Back-to-school this year will mean some rough revelations about Plainfield's status and small things like the sight of this flower serve to buoy our spirits while we mull what we can do to make things better.

--Bernice Paglia