By late afternoon in August, thunderheads pile up west of Sparta and the whole county waits to see whether they will come this way. Spartanburg Lawn Care Service works around that sky — cutting in the cooler hours, running the trimmer out through the fence rows, edging the drive, finishing the walks before the first fat drops land. After a storm week the grass comes back tall and the route runs long, which is simply how it goes here. Hancock County yards run to slopes, ditches and shade pockets, and each one asks for its own approach. The finish is the same everywhere: level height, sharp borders, nothing left behind on the walk.