Hickory Creek runs low and clear behind the New Lenox backyards in August, and full and coffee-colored a day after an April rain. Creekside Cutting works the lawns along it and up the streets beyond — mowing, trimming, edging, and cleanups when the season empties the trees into the yard. Ground near a creek grows fast and stays soft, which makes an even, unbroken cut something you earn rather than something you get. When the cold arrives the route becomes plow work: drives pushed to the pavement, walks opened before the day starts. The creek keeps its own schedule, and so does this.