I love my backyard, especially in the summer. We’ve got enough trees that a canopy of shade can always be found. The only bad thing about having so many trees in your backyard is that come fall you’ve got some serious leaf removal work to do. So Saturday I spent the better part of the day blowing leaves into piles and then stuffing them into Hefty bags.
In years past, I’ve dumped the leaves over our fence into the vacant lot behind our house, even though Heather has criticized this practice every time I do it. She’s thinks I’m being a bad neighbor. I think I’m being environmentally sound. This year, the lot is no longer vacant so I was forced to bag the leaves like everyone else.
I was dreading doing it, but once I got started I had a pretty good time for three reasons:
1. The weather was perfect for such a task. Not hot, not cold. Perfect.
2. I had a great audio book to listen to on my ipod while I worked.
3. My boys had a blast jumping, rolling, and burying each other in all the leaves. After a couple of hours they got tired and went inside. When they came back out a few hours later they found that all those wonderful piles of leaves had been converted into 14 overstuffed bags of garbage that had to be hauled to the curb. Caleb got upset and asked, “Why did you get rid of all the leaves?” He and his brother haven’t figured out yet that not everything I do around the house is done primarily for their benefit.
One steadfast rule of life I’ve discovered is that the job you dread doing is never as bad as you thought it was going to be. It’s usually the ones you think will be a piece of cake that end up becoming a nightmare.
Telling Stories, Asking Questions, Learning Lessons
Wade,
Our leaves are still on the trees in South Carolina, but they will be falling soon.
What audio books do you listen to on your Ipod? And where do oyu get them? I have been enjoying listening to some guy named “Wade Hodges.” I load them on my PDA (HP iPAQ) and listen to them traveling and working out. Your podcasts get my mind thinking. Thanks.
Also, my newborn son is named Caleb. What a good name.
God bless,
Gallagher
We live in a 2 acre grove of trees, lots of shade, every season has the potential for joy, much like life, as I read about your boys having a great time jumping in the leaves you’d piled up, I remembered my kids (now in their twenties) jumping in the many piles of hickory, oak, dogwood,maple, redbud…you get the picture-leaves. This is a favorite time of year, the hickories are so golden this year, after a summer of draught, God gives me such pleasure with this beautiful golden pallet. As far as you being a bad neighbor…not, the leaves you threw over the fence,they became compost, enriching the soil,etc.(He rules his creation perfectly!) So, “leaves” as I see them are just another blessing,enriching our lives.
oh and have you thought of saving the leaves from the city dump? Ya’ll could naturalize a part of your yard, blow the leaves to that area, the boys could play in them a bit longer, then simply mow over them, it makes the softest mulch and ..you know… enriches the soil.Trees, especially native trees in your yard are such a blessing, I’m not a big bradford pear fan…yet last Sunday on the way into service God caught my eye, a single bradford pear leaf in front of me, I had to pick it up because He had “painted” an oak leaf design in the leaf as it had changed from green to red. Awesome,He is so faithful, it is reflected in every season. He wants us to be like your boys dancing in the leaves,enjoying, being thankful. 🙂