Late light in Royston comes in low across the yards, and every mowed stripe throws its own shadow. That last cut before dark is worth taking slow — a straight pass down the long side, the trimmer around the posts and the porch skirt, the edge run true along the walk. Northeast Georgia summers give plenty of daylight for it, and even in October there is an hour of gold to work in. Grass here grows red-clay stubborn and wants the week-in, week-out attention that keeps it from getting the upper hand. Truck loaded, walk swept down, and the place is left looking settled for the evening.