870 Turf

About 870 Turf

An area code is a kind of map, and 870 covers the whole top of Arkansas — this crew works the hilly middle of it, where Mountain Home rides the ridge between two big lakes. Early summer, mid-morning, the haze along Highway 62 burns off by ten and the fescue is standing thick enough to want a real cut. 870 Turf mows, trims the fence lines and foundations, cuts the edges in at the drive, and blows the clippings back off the concrete before the trailer gate goes up. What stays is a yard with its lines drawn straight and its borders sharp, the kind of order you can read from the street. In limestone country shaped by water and rock, a kept lawn is one of the few shapes a person gets to draw for themselves.