Novesta Township is bean and beet ground along the Cass River, and in early summer the mornings come up wide and blue over it with mist still lying in the low fields. That is when we start mowing, first thing, before the day takes on its heat, working the yards around Deford and out along the section roads. Every visit is the same short list done right: an even cut, tight trimming around posts and trees, a hard edge along the drive, and the walks cleared off. In April we rake the yards open again after the snow, and in fall we get the leaves away before they smother the grass. The Thumb has weather with opinions, and a lawn kept on schedule takes all of it a great deal better.