Behind Cecelia's unit, the clinic land ran down to the river, a meadow mowed just too high for comfortable walking.

Mow high - two and a half to three inches - to promote healthy roots and reduce the need for water.

"If grass has been mowed high and not pushed with excess fertilizer applications, it should survive this dry period," he said.

Mowing high and feeding less also reduce the necessity for watering.

Mowing: Keep the mower set to mow high, at least two and one-half inches, even three.

Tall fescues need to be mowed high - no lower than two inches.

But if the lawn has been well-maintained, not overfed and mowed high, it will endure.

Mow high (two and a half inches), and often enough that you never remove more than a third of the leaf blade.

The rule for proper lawn mowing is to mow high, that is a cut of anywhere from two to three inches.

"Then mow high," she tells me.