Another dry week. Not even a trace to report since the inch and a half we received the week before. In fact, there were only eight days in September, nine if counting a trace, creating drought conditions for just about the entire state.  It is just a mild drought in this location, some areas, like Cape Cod, with worse conditions. 
Rain barrels have come through again. Water from the barrels has provided enough to keep the plants in the outdoor planters and window boxes flowering nicely. Temperatures have stayed well above average for this time of year too. We did have a few colder days this past week. It felt much colder but were really just where they should be in autumn. Fall foliage is showing the effects of the dry conditions however. Dogwood leaves are starting to fall now, the leaves have been showing their maroon color for a month or so. Norway maples are dropping their leaves before they even change colors. These leaves usually hang on until around Thanksgiving. Flowers in the pollenator garden are almost all finished now. The abundance of bees is passing as well. There are a few Monarch butterflies around, I spotted one this week and a neighbor a few houses away spotted a few as well. Overnight temps have been warm enough that the bugs are still being heard most nights (crickets mostly), the exception being a few nights that dropped into the high 40s. Many of the songbirds have moved on, leaving sparrows, large groups of chattering starlings, and crows. 
Weather forecasters on TV are advising us to enjoy these lingering summer-like conditions. It is likely to drop to more normal conditions in a day or so. I've been heeding their advice and bringing houseplants back inside.