On a July afternoon the thunderheads stack up over the plateau west of Menlo and you can watch the rain coming an hour before it arrives. Mendez Lawn Care & Landscaping Services LLC reads that sky and works with it — mow the open lots first, save the shaded yards for after, get the blowing done before the wind turns. Valley soil holds water, so the grass comes back fast and the beds need weeding and fresh mulch to keep their shape. Trimming and edging follow every cut, right down to the creek bank and the fence corner. Then the storm rolls through and washes the pavement of whatever the blower missed.