Out at Fumee Lake the seasons announce themselves plainly: tamaracks turning rust in October, the trail hard as iron by December, mud and birdsong by the end of April. R&A Outdoor Services works that whole arc, mowing and cleaning up yards through the growing months and plowing driveways and lots once the ground goes white. The Upper Peninsula does not do gentle transitions, so the truck and the mower are both kept ready longer than most places would think reasonable. Winter work means clearing the drive, the walk, and the spot in front of the mailbox; summer work means grass cut on schedule and edges held straight. Either way the measure is the same — someone comes home and does not have to think about their yard at all.