West Point Lake lies just west of town, and on a July afternoon the wind coming off that water is the only relief for miles. PEARCE LAWNCARE works the yards between the shoreline and the LaGrange city limits through the long heat, when Bermuda grows fast enough to need cutting again before the week is out. Mowing, edging, trimming, then the drive blown clear — done in order, done the same way each visit. Pride here looks like a striped pass across an open yard and a hard line where turf meets pavement. By evening the cicadas start up and the grass stands even and short, ready for whatever the next week brings.