Winter mornings in Wauconda start in the dark, with Rand Road still empty and the cold pressing in off Bangs Lake. Alba Landscaping is already out in that hour, pushing snow back from driveways and opening walks so the first cup of coffee happens in a house that can still leave on time. A cleared drive at daybreak is a small, complete thing, and it is worth doing right. When the ground softens again, the same attention goes into mowing and edging — clean lines along the walk, a lawn that reads as cared for from the street. Snow removal and lawn care: both halves of the Wauconda year, handled by the same hands.