In Contoocook village the river slides under the old covered railroad bridge without hurrying, and by June the yards along both banks have come up thick and fast. Blade Mowing keeps them on a steady cut — mowing, string trimming, and an edge along the walk clean enough to read. Spring means raking winter's sand and grit out of the beds before the Hopkinton dooryards fill with lilac; October means leaves, and more leaves, off the grass before the first hard frost presses them down for good. Fresh mulch goes in dark against all that green. The work is plain, and the satisfaction is in the finish: a lawn that looks looked-after from the road.