Late February plays a trick on Bourbonnais. A bright blue afternoon melts the piles down around Village Square, then the sun drops behind the rooftops and every wet inch turns to a sheet. Rabideau Snow & Ice works that second half of the day — pulling the ridges back off the pavement before dark, breaking up ice, running de-icer along the walkways so nothing gets a chance to set. Plowing is the loud part of the job; the quiet part is stacking snow where it won't melt back across a lot at four o'clock. Next morning the parking stripes show and the curb line is where it belongs, which is the whole ambition: ground you can walk on without a second thought.