October lets the apricot and cottonwood leaves go all at once, and for a few weeks Agua Fria smells like pinon smoke and cold irrigation water. HM HANDYMAN MATUTE spends that stretch raking, hauling and taking the last cuts of the year, working ahead of the wind that can scatter a finished pile in a minute. Lawn edges get cut back sharp before the ground hardens, and the debris goes out instead of getting stacked behind the shed. It is plain work with a plain reward: a yard that goes into winter clean and comes out of it ready to grow. The rest of the year, the mowing and trimming hold that same standard.