April in Brookfield township is mud and birdsong and the first faint green showing under last year's grey. Charlies Property Maintenance, llc opens the season there, raking lawns clear and lifting matted thatch so sun can reach ground that has been under snow for months. Then the mowing starts and holds all summer, with trimming around posts, stoops and tree rings, and edging where lawn meets drive. It is ordinary work, and it is the difference between a yard and a field. Fall cleanup closes the year out. Brookfield township and the neighboring Eaton County communities.