September in Hopatcong smells like cut grass and cold coming — mornings sharp, afternoons still summer, the old stone walls along the yard edges holding the last of the warmth. Mariano Landscaping mows and trims through those weeks, keeps the edges clean, and starts clearing leaves as the oak and hickory begin to drop. Then the borough turns, and the work turns with it: plowing driveways, shoveling walks, salting where ice sets up in the shade. Hillside properties here do not forgive a half-cleared drive. Doing it right the first time is the entire point.