The Clinton River starts small in this county — marsh, cattail, a thread of water — and on a May dawn the mist off it hangs in the low yards until the sun works it loose. RNC LAWN CARE is out about then, mowing while the day is still cool and the ground still firm underfoot. The routine is steady: cutting at a consistent height, string trimming where the deck can't reach, edging drives and walks, blowing everything clean at the finish. There is a clearing-out in April and another once the leaves are finally down. A Pontiac yard cut early in the morning holds that look the whole day.