The first mow of April in Montgomery is a small ceremony — ground finally firm underfoot, grass suddenly ambitious, the smell of cut green back after five months away. Top Notch Lawn Services opens the year with it, mowing, edging and trimming, and pulling the winter's debris out of the beds and borders. Everything after that is upkeep on a rhythm, so no lawn ever has to be rescued. A straight edge along a driveway, a clean line at the walk, clippings off the pavement — those are the marks left behind on purpose. From the village out to Wallkill and Campbell Hall, that is how spring gets underway.