Autumn reaches the ridgelines above Stanhope first and then works its way down into the valley over a couple of weeks. Montella Landscaping and Tree Service inc. rides that whole descent — mowing while the grass still asks for it, then clearing leaves off lawns and beds load after load until the ground shows again. Not long after, the same yards are under snow, and the work turns to plowing driveways and lots, opening walks, and salting the spots that glaze over first. There is a plain pleasure in the handoff: a property closed out clean in November and kept open all through February. Sussex winters are long and they do not negotiate. Neither does the schedule.