By October the light over Elbert County goes long and gold, hay rolled in the fields toward Dewy Rose and the pines going dark early. Howell's Lawn Maintenance stays with the season's last growth then — mowing, trimming, edging, and clearing the leaves and clippings that pile against fences and foundations. There is a particular pleasure in the final cut of the year, a yard put to bed level and tidy, ready to hold its shape until spring pushes again. The routes run through town and out along the county roads where lawns give way to pasture. Steady upkeep, one week at a time, is what carries a place through.