Red Beard Lawn and Beyond

About Red Beard Lawn and Beyond

Late light in September comes in low across Shrewsbury, gilding the fields and throwing long shadows down toward the rail trail and Glen Rock. Red Beard Lawn and Beyond is finishing yards in that light, the last cut of the day, trimmer work around mailboxes and fence posts, a hard edge along the driveway, walks blown clean. There is a stretch of the year, from the first push of April grass to the final tidy-up of autumn, when the difference between a kept property and a neglected one is only somebody turning up on time. The season closes with cleanups: leaves carried off the lawn, beds put in order, the yard set down for the cold. It is ordinary work, and it makes a whole street look loved.