In May the cottonwoods along Orchard Avenue turn the air into a slow snow of their own, drifting into every yard between here and the river. Cuttin' Up Lawn Care goes through it with the engines running and the passes overlapping — mowing, trimming, edging, blowing the walks clear so the only white left is the fluff still coming down. There's a rhythm to a route worked well: same day, same height, same clean finish, week after week through the long valley summer. Grass here grows in bursts once the water is on, and staying ahead of it is half the craft. The other half is what the yard looks like at five o'clock when somebody pulls into the drive and sees it.