Golden sits on clay that packs down hard by midsummer, and the cure is old and simple: pull cores, let the ground breathe, let water reach root instead of running for the gutter. Avalanche Aeration spends its springs and autumns doing exactly that, with mowing, overseeding and fertilization following the openings it makes. Look at a lawn two weeks after the plugs go down — the color comes back from the bottom up. April in this town means ditch water running again and the foothills still holding snow in their north-facing folds, and it is the widest window the season offers. From the flats of Applewood to the benches of Pleasant View, the work is unglamorous and it shows.