Spring runs late and generous along the Valencia County bottomlands, where cottonwood windbreaks line the fields and the irrigated valley stays a shade brighter than the mesa above it. Valencia County Animal Services keeps grounds and lawns in Los Lunas mowed on a regular schedule once the growing gets underway. Trimming covers the ground a mower cannot, along fence lines, posts and building edges, with borders cut so everything reads neat from the road. Clippings, leaves and windblown litter are cleared at the end of each visit. Well-kept grass makes a place look open and welcoming, which is exactly the point of the work.