August presses down hard on southern Illinois; the cicadas start up in the oaks by mid-afternoon and do not quit until the light goes orange over Sparta. Winston Lawn and Snow works the cooler ends of those days, mowing, string trimming and edging so the heat does not get the last word on a yard. Grass here grows in surges, a week of thunderstorms and everything doubles, so a steady schedule beats heroics every time. Later come the cleanups, clearing the leaf drop before the first hard frost sets the ground. There is real pleasure in that final pass at sundown, the stripes lying flat and the whole place gone quiet.