East of the village the old stone church stands in the open field it has stood in for more than two centuries, and in October the light around it goes long and copper. H&L Custom Services works the lawns of German Flatts through that season and the rest — mowing, edging, trimming, and the fall cleanup that strips a yard down to bare, breathing ground before the cold. There is something honest about the last cut of the year, the lines laid down clean and left to hold until April. Come spring the same yards get opened back up, raked out and started over. The service covers German Flatts, Mohawk, Ilion and the nearby Herkimer County towns.