October in Highland-on-the-Lake means maple leaves across every lawn by Tuesday and the same lawn buried again by Friday. The Yard Guard stands between Evans yards and that steady advance — mowing while the grass still runs, then clearing leaves, cutting edges and putting properties to bed for the cold. Wind off Lake Erie is an efficient delivery system for other people's leaves, so the job is never quite finished, which is part of its charm. A cleared lawn under low autumn sun is a genuinely beautiful thing for about a day. Guarding that day is the work.