In Belvidere the snow that matters isn't always the snow that falls — the wind off the open Boone County fields moves it sideways and packs it against every north-facing curb. Bel Rock Asphalt Paving, Inc. runs its plows against that, starting in the dark so lots are open, stacked and salted before the first shift arrives. The work reads as geometry: piles set where they won't blind an exit or flood a doorway when they melt, lanes cut wide enough for a delivery truck to swing. Between storms comes the quieter part, watching for the refreeze that turns a clean lot slick at dusk. When the plow lights finally swing back onto the highway, the pavement behind them is black and dry, and the town gets on with its day.