The first snow of the year usually falls in November onto ground still covered in leaves, and half of it is gone by noon. SP Landscaping goes out for that one anyway, because the season begins whenever the city decides it does. From there it is drives, walks and lots opened all winter, with salt down along the north-facing walk that never sees the sun. A Chicago winter is long, but it is really a sequence of ordinary mornings, each one needing nothing more than a clear path from the door to the street. Handled early enough, snow stays a chore instead of becoming a problem.