Early on a summer morning in Colona, the old canal lies flat as a held breath and the dew is heavy enough to soak a boot through. McConnell's Lawn Care is out in it — mowing while the air is still cool, trimming along posts and foundations, running the edge up where turf meets concrete. The Rock River valley grows grass generously, so the schedule stays tight from April into October. Cleanups take care of the rest: winter's leftovers off the lawn in spring, the leaf fall in autumn. Nothing complicated about any of it, just a yard that looks tended every week it is growing.