The first mow of the year in Joliet lands somewhere in April, when the bur oaks are still bare and the lilac by the garage is a day from opening. Keiths Lawn Service starts the season right there — cleanup first, winter sand and dead thatch raked out, then the cut that turns everything green overnight. From there it is a weekly rhythm: mowing, trimming, edging, clippings kept off the walk. Fall brings the other bookend, leaves cleared and beds put right before the ground goes hard. A whole year of a lawn, handled from one end to the other.