January here does its damage in the swing: a thaw at noon sends meltwater running to the low end of a driveway, and by nine at night the whole apron is glass. Continental Lawn Fertilizing works against that all winter along Orchard Lake Road and the streets that feed it, plowing accumulation off, clearing walks down to the surface and putting de-icer where the water wants to pool. Knowing which slope will refreeze first is half the trade, and it comes from watching the same properties storm after storm. The result is undramatic on purpose — a car that backs out without a slide, a mail carrier who never has to think about the front walk. In Farmington Hills, that kind of uneventful morning takes real work behind it.