The Deerfield River runs down through Wilmington quick and cold, and the yards along it wake up late — grass on the valley floor doesn't get serious until the last frost has truly let go. A Clean Slate handles the outdoor half of keeping a place: mowing, trimming, edging, spring cleanups and fall leaf removal for homes around the village. The name fits the feeling of the work — a yard that was shaggy and littered at nine o'clock, swept and squared off by noon. Autumn in the Deerfield Valley drops its leaves in one enormous handful, and clearing them before the rain packs them flat is half the year's satisfaction. Steady hands, tidy ground, nothing left behind but the smell of cut grass.