When the frost finally lets go of Leslie Township, the lawns come back matted and uneven and asking for attention. That first visit sets the tone for the whole year: a cut that wakes the grass up, trimming around everything the mower has to steer past, edges reestablished along the walk and the drive. After that it is a matter of showing up on rhythm through the green months so a property never gets a chance to run away from itself. Out here between the creek bottoms and the crop lines, a kept yard is a small piece of order in a great deal of open country. That is the work, start to finish.