October along Shooks Run is a slow gold explosion, and every small lot on the block ends up wearing somebody else's leaves. Happy Gnome Yard and Garden Service works those tight old yards near Colorado College, mowing what still needs it and clearing grass and walkways so the season can close neatly. Yards this size reward hand work — the corner by the porch steps, the strip behind the garage, the narrow run beside the fence where a wide mower will never fit. Through summer it is a weekly rhythm of cut, trim and sweep; in autumn it becomes a long gentle push toward bare ground. Small yards, tended closely, make an entire street look loved.