There is a day in April out here when the ground finally dries enough to hold a mower, and the whole township seems to take its first cut in the same week. Plate Lawn Care LLC opens the year with that work, winter's sticks and matted leaves lifted off the turf, beds opened up, the lawn taken low enough to wake it. From there it is a steady turn through Rochelle and the country places around it, mowing, trimming, edging drives and walks. Flat land shows every wobble, so the lines get run parallel to the street and kept that way all season. By the time the corn is knee-high, the yards look intentional again.