Four in the morning in Montrose has a particular hush to it: the Flint River moving black under its ice, the streetlights doing their best, snow still coming sideways off the open fields west of town. Bruton's Snow Removal is out in the middle of that — plowing drives, cutting walkways open to the door, laying salt down where the cold has glazed things over. By the time the first cars head toward Clio and Flushing, the pavement is dark and the banks are stacked back where they belong. When the thaw comes the work changes over to grass: mowing, trimmed edges, and yards raked back into shape for the summer. It is a fine thing to hand somebody a clear driveway before they have even reached for their boots.