April in Carmel arrives on the old rail bed of the Putnam County Trailway — the mud dries, the walkers come back, and every lawn in town wants its first cut of the year. Mel's Lawn Care Service starts right there, with the spring cleanup: winter debris raked out, beds opened, the grass brought down to an even height for the first time since October. From then on it is weekly mowing, trimming and edging, straight through to the last leaves. Carmel's yards sit among glacial hills, so that first mow doubles as a survey of everything the frost rearranged. There is a small, real joy in the opening pass across a lawn that waited all winter for it.