Late-summer storms build over the foothills around two in the afternoon and come east across the plains on their own schedule, which makes a Thornton mowing day a friendly race with the sky. Mike's Lawn Care starts early for that reason, working the route while the air is still cool and the thunderheads are just a white pile above the mountains. Mowing, trimming, edging, clippings blown off the walk — done properly and done before the first fat drops hit the driveway. When the rain does arrive it lasts twenty minutes, steams off the concrete, and leaves behind grass that got cut at exactly the right time. Afterward the light goes copper and every finished lawn on the block looks like it knew the storm was coming.