In Waterford the land climbs by water: five locks step the Erie Canal up out of the Hudson valley in less than two miles, and the village keeps its lawns on the terraces in between. A&S Lawn Care of Waterford LLC works those grades through the growing months, mowing, trimming, edging, and hauling off what spring and fall shake loose. There is a particular satisfaction in a slope cut evenly, the stripes holding their line where the ground refuses to. Mornings start early here, before the heat comes up off Route 4 and the fog lifts away from the Mohawk. By the time the tugs are moving on the canal, the yards are finished and the edges are sharp.