The old highway still runs straight through Milan, and on an October afternoon the light comes down it low and amber, catching every yard along the way. Martin's Wood Services makes its lawn rounds in that light, mowing, tidying the ragged edges summer left behind, clearing fallen leaves and clippings before the wind can redistribute them. South of town the black malpais rock lies rough and ancient; up here in the yards the appeal is the opposite, a soft even carpet you can cross barefoot. Growing seasons in this high country are short and worth spending well. A lawn cut clean before the first hard frost carries a house through the cold months looking looked after.