Come October the cottonwoods along the Jemez River go bright yellow against the red rock, and the evening air on Highway 4 carries woodsmoke down the canyon. Cuttings works the yards through that turn — mowing while the grass still wants it, then shifting to cleanup as the leaves come down in earnest. Edging and trimming hold a lawn's shape all season, so the last cut of the year leaves something worth looking at through the cold months. In Jemez Pueblo the growing ground is the river bottom, narrow and forgiving, and it rewards attention. The work is straightforward, and the result carries through to the first hard frost.