Everything in Lafayette begins with the ground — shortgrass prairie that still shows through at the town's edges, dry, stubborn, sweet-smelling after rain. Pachamama Lawn Services tends what grows on top of it: mowing, trimming, edging, mulch and seasonal cleanups, then plowing and shoveling once the ground goes white. First thaw is the finest hour of the year out here, snowmelt sinking in and the smell of wet soil rising through the neighborhoods. Care given to the soil shows up months later as color a person can see from the sidewalk. That is the long game, and it is worth playing.