Every August the Arkansas Valley Fair brings Rocky Ford outdoors for a solid week — trucks, livestock, melons and neighbors standing around in the heat — which is a fine argument for a lawn that looks good in company. We mow, trim and edge straight through the long southeastern Colorado season, when the grass sprints after every watering and then bakes still under a white sky. Our favorite minute is the one right after the last pass, when the wheel marks lie parallel and the border along the drive is sharp as a ruled line. Come autumn we clear the leaves and tidy the beds so the yard goes into the cold looking deliberate. Green here is something a person has to make on purpose, and we like being the reason it holds.