October out along Nerge Road is the hinge of the year: mowing tapers off, the leaves let go all at once, and the plow gear comes forward in the shop. S.L.S. Landscaping works both sides of that hinge — mowing, trimming and fall cleanup while the ash and maple drop, then plowing and salting drives and lots once the first real system tracks across northern Illinois. There is a particular satisfaction in the last leaf haul, a yard stripped clean and ready for whatever arrives. And a different one entirely in a driveway opened at five in the morning with the pile squared off at the end. One crew, two seasons, the same properties either way.