417 Mowing

About 417 Mowing

Summer light comes up over Glenstone before six, and the fescue on this shelf of the Ozark plateau is still carrying dew. 417 Mowing is rolling by then, because a Springfield August hands out only so many cool hours before the day turns heavy. The route crosses town yard by yard: even passes over the open middle, the trimmer around the swing set, the AC unit and the fence line, then the sidewalk brought back to clean concrete. Ground here is cherty and quick to dry, so the deck rides high enough that the blades shade their own roots. By mid-morning the truck smells like cut grass, and behind it is a string of yards that all look like the weekend started early.