Spring gets here early in this corner of southern Illinois — the redbuds open along the fencerows in late March and the grass is up and going before much of the state has thawed. Sunny Creek Landscaping Inc opens the year with that first cut and the cleanup that goes with it, pulling out the winter's fallen limbs and matted leaves so the lawn can breathe. From there it is a steady rotation through a long green season, with trimming around the posts and the mailbox and a defined line where the yard gives way to gravel. Storms roll up out of the southwest here and leave a mess in a hurry, and clearing what they drop is part of the job. Between Lake Creek, Pittsburg and Creal Springs, the work follows the weather closely.