Let things breathe

Your job is to punctuate the PCs lives with adventure. There should be stretches of time in which very little happens. Gloss over days, weeks, or months. Let the PCs work on long-term projects or just live their lives. Maybe a season passes with no more than some description and a little Q&A. Stonetop comes to life over time, as the seasons change and characters age and long-term mechanics start to kick in.

Your players might fight this, wittingly or not. They might want to set right out on another adventure, or relentlessly work on some mystery or problem. If you aren't careful, you'll spend dozens of sessions on a single season.

Don't be afraid to zoom out, remind them of their obligations, and show the passing of time. If you want to get to the next season, don't ask what they do for the rest of the summer. Instead say, "The next few weeks pass uneventfully, until the days get shorter and the leaves start to change. What chores have eaten up your time these past few weeks?"