Stand in Altamont in October and the Helderberg escarpment rises straight up behind the village, grey rock and hard color, weather coming over the top of it with no warning at all. Northern Roots Landscape, LLC mows and maintains lawns beneath that wall — trimming, edging, and the autumn cleanups that arrive in a hurry once the wind starts funneling down off the cliffs. Yards here collect leaves from everywhere at once, and clearing them is half of the season's work. Something is good about handing a property back in November with the grass short, the borders clean and the whole place ready to sleep. Then the hill takes over for a while.