North of the city, past Belmont, the fields open out and the snow stops falling straight down. Mast Contractors plows in that country — long gravel drives, farm lanes, the exposed stretches where a north wind rebuilds a drift about as quickly as it can be cut. The work is plowing, shoveling walks and entries by hand, and salting the hard spots once the surface glazes over. A gravel drive asks for a lighter blade and a slower pass than a paved one, and knowing that difference is the job itself. When the wind finally lies down and the lane is open end to end, the day out here is free to begin.