April in Galesburg is a slow argument between mud and green, and green wins a little more of the ground every warm afternoon. Spring Green meets the lawns right there, at the moment when the turf wakes up unevenly and wants a careful hand — a first cut set high, the winter debris raked out, edges reopened along the walks after months under snowmelt. Through the summer the routine steadies: mow, trim, tidy, adjust the height when July turns dry and the grass would rather be left a bit longer. Autumn brings the leaves down off the big trees on the older streets and the season closes with a clean sweep. A lawn looked after this way keeps its color a good while after the light starts leaving early.