Winter mornings on the Poultney flats begin dark and blue, with Beaver Brook steaming a little and the hills east toward Tinmouth still only outlines. Vadnais Landscaping is usually out in that hour, pushing snow off driveways and lots so the first cars of the day roll onto bare pavement. When the ground thaws the schedule fills with mowing and trimming — lawns cut on a rhythm, edges kept honest, clippings not left where they fell. Poultney's weather swings hard between the valley floor and the ridges, and yards here need somebody watching both. The reward is small and constant: a clear drive in February, a clean lawn in July.