Friday, October 2, 2009

Leaf Me Alone

I think it’s colder on the bus than it is outside! I’m not sure what Slappy has going on with the thermostat but I think a little heat may be in order. (And I was just thinking before I got on the bus that it was brisk, but not as cold today.)

The trees are still so green and vibrant. My grass still grows at a fairly alarming rate. The cooler temperatures don’t seem to have affected the vegetation. Yet.

That brings me to the thing I hate most about autumn: Leaves. You see, we have NO trees. A lot of shrubs, but NO trees. And every year at this time I seem to begin the never ending task of removing everyone else’s leaves from my yard and landscaping. Bag after bag after bag of them.

My neighbors cut down the two trees in their small front yard shortly after they moved in. A few years ago, they replanted saplings. This year, the twin trees are just sturdy and tall enough to throw leaves all over the place. They’re already making their way from the neighbors’ yard to ours. If I hate mowing, I hate leaves more. A lot more.

One night in the last week or so, House Hunters has an episode where a couple went outside to view a lovely, open lot behind what was a very nice house. The yard was completely covered in leaves. I gasped. I didn’t care how nice the house was. I wouldn’t know. I’d have already been back in the car after glimpsing that yard.

I like trees. I really do. I just wish they didn’t shed so much.

6 comments:

Debra said...

I'm a cheater. I mow right over them. lol My lawn mower has a bag, so I just empty it every 5 mintues or so and dump it into the green waste barrel.

That would be extremely frustrating having to rake up other peoples leaves. As pretty as they are, I totally agree... they are a pain to rake up.

Victoria said...

send me some leaves!

I always forget what the term 'season' means- in that florida has one season, and one season only.

during autumn I actually go looking for leaves to put on the tables- and it takes me .. oh an hour or so to find a colorful basket full. It makes me miss Tennessee.

plumbelieve said...

Trees

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

-- Joyce Kilmer

See trees are not all bad. Think of the glorious shade you and the mother could enjoy if only you had a nice Bradford Pear to welcome you on your otherwise very, very, very hot deck! :) Go ahead and plant one, the leaves are a small price to pay and you may grow to enjoy their beauty.

Jayne said...

I have the same situation! No trees of my own--well, unless you count the 2-foot-tall dogwood, but I don't--and tons and tons of leaves. It's frustrating.

Kate R said...

I have a wooded lot so my mulching mower is my friend. First my compost bin gets filled, then my flower beds get free mulch, then some are mulched in place to feed the lawn & when I'm sick to death of all the mowing, the rest get blown into a big pile for my dd & her friends to play in. When they're done, they get blown into the wooded easement behind my house.

Then there's the d*mn Bradford Pear in my front yard. Full of beautiful white flowers in the spring, and yes, glorious shade for the front bedrooms since my house faces west BUT it doesn't dump its leaves until December when it is too cold & wet to do anything about.

NV said...

Debbie -- That's hardly "cheating" -- that's how I pick up at least 75 percent of our leaves! And yes, OPL (other people's leaves)while pretty, are quite annoying!

Victoria -- Come here and you can take all you want. :-)

PB -- Sorry. Couldn't resist responding independently.

Jayne -- You and I have so much in common. All the REALLY FUN stuff. :-)

Kate -- I love the pile idea. That's not an option here sadly or I'd be firin' up a blower right now.