The "dog days" of summer are upon us! The August heat imposes a slowing down - I can almost feel it in my bones as I will myself to confront the heavy mid-day sun. After a busy June and July, August is a quieter month here at the Wakefield Estate -- and the landscape almost seems to pause as it too takes it slow in the heat. Similar to the dead of winter when all of nature seems to slumber, there is a certain stasis to the landscape in August.The air on these hot afternoons stands still, accentuating the slowness of time. The flowering trees of early summer have long lost their blossoms; the colors that helped distinguish the dogwood from the redbud are gone, leaving a verdant panorama without distinction. But we know better - there is no stasis in nature. Within a month we'll be feeling the chill of autumn nights as the seasons march on. I for one am glad for the changing seasons, for change is what stirs our imaginations.