Just south of Clinton the open ground gives way to the oak timber and quiet water at Weldon Springs, and the town takes its rhythm from that same swing between field and shade. Landscaping works both halves of the calendar here: mowing, trimming and edging through the growing months, leaf and yard cleanups when the timber turns, then plowing, shoveling and salting once the fields go bare and the wind has its way. The same drive that gets edged in June gets cleared to the concrete in January. Knowing a property in summer makes it far easier to find its curbs under six inches of snow. It amounts to one long acquaintance with the same piece of ground.