July evenings around Gowen stretch out long, light going gold over Long Lake while the mowers finish their last lines. Green Thumb Lawn Services works those days — cutting, string trimming, edging the walks, blowing the drives off so nothing tracks indoors. There is a moment right after a lawn is finished when the stripes are still sharp and the smell of it fills the whole yard; that moment is the job. Cleanups bracket the season on either end, spring debris out, autumn leaves off. Homes in Gowen and the surrounding Montcalm County villages are on the route.