One night all the cars were swept away and the street was repaved. The new street looked like a calm river, which was appealing but I would have preferred cobblestones, which can still be found several layers under the asphalt. In the future, according to certain blogs I've read, city streets will be replaced by gardens because car ownership is untenable with the environmental sustainability of the planet. It was already happening in the empty lot up the block, where one of our neighbors had planted morning glories. I was glad I didn't have them in the garden, but they worked perfectly on the chain-link fence. These three highly evolved flowers were playing a trumpet fanfare. Not everyone was happy about the noise, however. While others were appalled that some had expressed displeasure with something so benign. And others tried to remain above the fray, understanding that there's no end to the controversy in the city. Last week we finally had the birch tree pruned; an impressive number of branches and leaves covered the ground, as a storm of catkin seeds dropped from the sky. The tree was grateful to lose some if its weight. While everyone on the ground was happy about the enhanced light. It's been a good year in the garden. All the trees appear to be healthy. The cats retreated to the couch, where they disguised themselves as pillows. "Let me sleep," said Zephyr. "It's a Labor Day weekend and I don't want to work."