By mid-October the Brodhead is running clear and cold through East Stroudsburg, and the maples on the hillsides above it turn the whole valley over to color. Bender's Tree Service works that season hard, doing tree trimming and pruning while the leaves come down and a crown's real shape shows itself. Tree removal in these hills usually means a tall pine or a leaning oak sitting too close to a house, taken down with ropes doing the lifting rather than gravity. When the first heavy wet snow catches the trees still holding leaves, storm damage cleanup runs from first light until the driveways are open. A yard set right before the real winter arrives is worth the long days.