By mid-October the glacial hills around Island Lake turn over to rust and gold, and the grass — cool-season stuff, happiest right now — puts on its best green of the whole year. Turf Techs Inc. works that stretch hard: mowing while the growth is strong, trimming, edging, and keeping fallen leaves from smothering a lawn that finally has good weather. The village sits among lakes and low ridges, so no two properties drain the same way, and the mowing pattern follows the ground instead of fighting it. Stepping back from a yard cut clean on a cold bright afternoon is reason enough to keep at it. Lawn care in Island Lake and the towns around it.