Three in the morning is a working hour in Isabella County. CM Operating LLC/ CM Backhoe Service runs snow removal in and around Mount Pleasant — plowing lots and drives, then pushing back the banks that build at the corners until there is room for whatever comes next. Lake Michigan sends its cloud bands ninety miles inland, and by the time they reach the middle of the mitt they arrive as steady, patient snow that stacks up all night without hurrying. Heavy iron earns its keep at that hour, headlights swinging across an empty lot, diesel idling in the cold. By the time the yard lights click off, the pavement is dark and wide open and the day can begin on time.