Gearing up for a great autumn

By Lethbridge Herald on September 12, 2025.

Al Beeber
Leave It To Beeber

Shorter days and cooler nights are here – autumn is quickly creeping up on us after what seems to have been an exceptionally short summer.

With the unseasonal rains that gave us much-needed water in July, this year seems to have skipped from spring to fall in the blink or two of an eye.

Leaves are starting to turn colour and drop to the ground, creating a cushion of yellow and brown hues to contrast against the still-green turf of parklands and lawns.

And as I look at the Swedish columnar windbreaks in the backyard, where unseen birds can be heard chirping, occasionally fluttering down to nibble at the feeders, I know that, unless we get an early frost, I could still be making trips to the waste and recycling centre to deliver truckloads of bags well into November.

But as I wait for the inevitable late season leaf drop, I’m tackling other fall work, starting this weekend if I can escape the nuzzling and cuddling of Lady Diana, who has become my seven-inch tall shadow this year. Her tiny paws are often scratching my legs to be picked up and given some much-needed attention that she hasn’t gotten for 30 whole seconds.

I’ve developed a plan that will start coming into fruition before a quick visit to the farmers’ market this weekend to grab a few vegetables and perogies from my nearby neighbour’s business, and talk fantasy football with nephew Dan of Andy’s Glads since we’re in the same online league for the first-time ever.

With roses and shrubs of various sizes to trim, and vines to cut down from the stucco walls of my house, I have a monumental task at hand, though it will be interrupted Sunday by NFL football for at least an hour or two. I’m in a bit of a quandary about the vines, though. I want to leave some so the birds that hang around in winter have a bit of shelter, but I’m afraid of mice using them to also seek refuge.

With a stack of brown lawn bags at hand and pruners in hand, hopefully I can start making short work today of a task which could take a few weekends to complete.

And I’m looking forward to it because autumn is really a special season – it’s that time of year when the beauty of nature really takes centre stage with the changing colours that make yards, parks and the river valley look absolutely stunning.

And I’m quietly hoping we do get one early frost because I want to see Diana romp through piles of leaves before the snow flies, an experience I doubt she’s ever had. Our little chiweenie is enjoying a completely different life since we brought her home the day of the Herald Christmas party last December to start a new and happier life. And I can’t wait to shoot photos and videos of her plowing through the leaves, her tiny body creating waves underneath the piles as Izzy chases her with stumpy tail wagging a mile a minute.

Autumn is going to be a blast.