April rain comes through western Illinois in long gray sheets, and a week later Mercer County has gone from brown to a green so sudden it seems like sleight of hand. Green Lawn meets that turn with the first cuts of the year: mowing, trimming, edging and clearing winter's litter off the grass. Those early passes set the shape of a lawn for the whole summer, so they are worth taking slowly. After that it is rhythm — back every week, holding the cut consistent, keeping the border along the sidewalk true. Watching a yard come all the way back is one of the better parts of this job.