The rail line still runs straight through Sycamore, and the old highway beside it carries most of what passes by. It is a small town with wide edges — lots that back onto farmland, drives that run long, grass that grows hard from March into October. Triangle Chemical Co provides lawn care around Sycamore: mowing, edging, trimming and taking the cuttings away when the job is done. Steady weekly work is what keeps a place looking right in a climate this generous toward anything green. There is something quietly good about a yard finished at dusk, the mower cooling in the trailer and every line running the same direction.