At this time of year, you really notice how many trees there are in Canada, at least the good parts.

I first noticed this as a boy growing up in southern Alberta, because we had a television set.

It’s because of all the trees that the popular name for autumn in Canada is “fall,” the season when leaves fall, temperatures fall, daylight hours fall and — most worryingly — grandparents fall ill.

This last aspect of fall has less to do with trees and more to do with children back in school, sharing with innocent family members all the dangerous cold germs they lick off the gym floor.

Now that we are into November, there’s a pretty good chance you have a fall cold, too — at least that’s the reason you gave for not going over to rake leaves at your mother-in-law’s house this weekend.

That was a good card to play! The common cold is a convenient excuse because it’s so common. Scientists — no slouches when it comes to inventing excuses for getting out of yard work — have identified more than 200 viruses that cause the common cold.

You may be wondering: “Dave, what is the difference between the common cold and the flu?”

While not technically a practising scientist, I did successfully complete three........

© Times Colonist