By two in the afternoon in July the Erie plains give off heat like a stovetop, and the shade under a young ash tree becomes the most valuable real estate on the block. The Lawn Boys work right through it — mowing, trimming, edging and blowing the walks clean, moving yard to yard while the mountains haze over in the west. Grass here grows on water and attention, so the cut stays regular and the height stays right for the heat. Cleanups in spring and fall take care of the rest of the calendar. The truck pulls away and the whole street looks about ten percent better than it did at lunch.