Look east from almost anywhere in Essex and the Green Mountains stand up on the horizon, Mansfield holding the skyline with the notch cut in beside it. Green Mountaineers tree service works in that view's foreground, with mowing, trimming and yard cleanups through the growing season and plowing and shoveling once the ridge goes white and stays that way. The mountains set the weather here and the weather sets the schedule: an early frost, a late thaw, a squall that spills down the valley with no warning at all. What does not change is the standard, grass cut even, edges held, driveways taken down to pavement, walks cleared wide enough for two feet and a bag of groceries. Essex, Essex Junction, Jericho and Underhill, in whatever the ridge sends down.