January in the Pine Belt turns the centipede a soft tan and lays frost across windshields all down Highway 11, and the yards go still without going neglected. Stone Lawn Service uses that stretch for the work the growing season crowds out — hedges cut back to shape, beds cleared of the year's fall, edges recut where turf has crept over brick. Purvis and Lumberton lawns come out of dormancy a few weeks later already in shape, which is the whole point of a winter spent outside. Then the mowing picks back up and does not let go until the far side of October. A cold clear morning with real work in front of you is no bad way to spend a day.