January in Gloversville has a particular sound: nothing at all, and then a plow two streets over at four in the morning. Esper James is out in that hour, opening driveways and walkways before the first car tries them, spreading salt where meltwater refreezes into glass. Adirondack winters here are long and generous with snow, so clearing is less an event than a habit. By June the same properties want mowing and trimming, the grass thick under a sky that stays light past eight. Two very different jobs, one idea — the place stays usable, whatever the weather has decided.