A nor'easter here does not announce itself politely. It comes up the coast, the rain turns over to snow somewhere past midnight, and by two in the morning Route 35 is a white ribbon with the wind pushing it sideways. JF Landscaping Services is out in that — plowing drives and lots, opening walkways, spreading salt at the entrances where people will first set a foot down. By the time the town starts its day the pavement is dark and wet and nobody has to think about it, which is the entire point. The rest of the year the same crew mows, edges and cleans up, keeping an identical promise in far kinder weather.