The first hard freeze usually finds Ferndale in late October, silvering the grass along Wanda Street while the maples are still letting go of their color. Fontenot Landscaping Services reads that morning as the changeover: mowers get their last runs of the year, plows get ready for driveways, front walks and steps. Winter here is less about depth than repetition — storm after storm, each one asking for the same concrete cleared again. By May the work has swung back around to cutting and edging on a weekly rhythm, holding yards tidy through the long green stretch. The routes take in Ferndale and reach into Oak Park, Hazel Park, Madison Heights and Royal Oak.