The Otsquago comes down out of the southern hills and cuts its quiet line through the flats at Fort Plain, and the lawns above it green up fast once April warms the valley floor. AJ's Lawn Service works those yards — mowing on a straight line, trimming close to the fence posts and foundations, edging the walks until the border between grass and concrete is a clean, deliberate stroke. Spring cleanups pull the winter's litter out of the beds; the fall visits take down the leaves that the maples on the side streets let go all at once. There is a plain satisfaction in the last pass of the day, when the stripes lie even, the clippings are gone, and the whole yard looks like someone decided it should. Minden's grass grows on Mohawk Valley soil, and it rewards a steady hand.