By late July the Whiteside County heat sits on the grass all afternoon, and the thunderheads come up out of the west with the whole sky ahead of them. All American Lawn care mows and trims Sterling yards on that schedule — work done clean before the rain arrives, then back again to grass that gained an inch overnight. There is a particular pride in a lawn cut at the right height in the hottest stretch, holding its green while the fields around town go dusty. Sidewalks blown off, edges sharp, clippings gone. It is ordinary work, and it makes a whole street look like somebody is home.