The Grounds Keeper

About The Grounds Keeper

The first genuinely warm week of spring arrives in Bend and the lawns along the river downtown wake up all at once, still stiff with frost at seven and soft by noon. The Grounds Keeper meets the year there — winter debris cleared off, matted grass raked open, the first cut of the season taken high so the turf can find its feet. Keeping grounds is different from cutting grass; it means watching a property over months, noticing the thin patch by the walk and the bed that has crept past its border. Mowing, trimming, edging and cleanups happen on schedule, and the property answers back a little greener each time. There is a plain pleasure in walking a place at the end of a workday and finding nothing left to fix.