A July afternoon on the Broad River is a wall of heat and cicadas, and the only cool left is whatever the pecans and oaks are handing out. A&L Lawncare and Landscaping works the shade line inward, mowing the open ground while it is still bearable, then finishing under the trees where the grass grows thin and asks for a lighter touch. Borders come back to a hard line along the drive; the trimmer takes the ditch bank, the well house and the base of every post. Clippings get moved off the pavement, not left to bleach on it. By the time the storm clouds stack up west over the Piedmont, the yard is done and holding, and that is the satisfaction of it.