Late in the day the San Juans go violet along the western rim of the San Luis Valley, and the lawns of Monte Vista hold the last of that light a little longer than the fields do. Bad Mountain Tree Service, LLC keeps those yards mowed, edged and trimmed through a growing season the valley hands out sparingly. Grass at seven thousand six hundred feet asks for patience — a careful cutting height, an even pass, a rake through whatever the wind delivered overnight. There is real satisfaction in stepping back at the end of an afternoon and seeing the border between lawn and gravel drawn sharp as a survey line. Spring and fall cleanups bookend it, and in between the yard simply looks tended, which in a valley this big and this open is its own quiet announcement.