Thaw week in Depew is all sound — meltwater running toward Cayuga Creek, the flat clay ground giving up winter, and lawns emerging matted and gray under a sky finally showing some blue. Hauser's Property Maintenance and More starts there, cleaning up what the plows and the wind left, opening the turf back up and putting the first true cut of the year on it. Through summer it is steady mowing and trimming across the village lots, edges kept sharp along the walks and driveway seams. Then the lake-effect bands roll in from the southwest and the work becomes plowing, shoveling out the steps and salting the slick spots before dawn. All year on the same properties, which is how a place stays looking cared for.