Going, Going, Gone!

GOING...........(photo below taken a week ago)

GOING...........(photo below taken three days ago)

GONE......(photo below taken today)

The photos above were all taken of the same maple tree in my front yard over the last few days. Once the leaves started falling, they went fairly quickly this year. No need for concern though. The front yard is once again safe for the squirrels

and for the little dogs who want to cross the yard without a fear of drowning in the leaf river.

The river of leaves in the front yard from three days ago

as can be viewed below from looking out my front door.



The river has been raked up into a mountain down in the street out front.


It was already getting dark when I finished Friday night. Since the time change, it gets dark even earlier now. When I raked that day, the sun was shining and the temperature was a gorgeous 70 degrees. Today it is gray outside, the temperature is 36 degrees, and we are getting what the weathermen in these parts like to call a wintry mix. A wintry mix is a combination of rain, freezing rain, drizzle, tiny ice pellets, and snow.

Time to get out your hats and gloves and button up your overcoat, my friends. Here's a bit of timely advice in song from Captain Kangaroo, whose show I used to watch every weekday when I was a young girl.

Yellow River

Gabcast! Dancing With Daisy #40 - Yellow River

Click the play button above to hear me read this poem.

Yellow River

Leaves rained down for days
until the front yard was flooded
drenched in color by a yellow river
from the thunder cloud trees above

With each gust of wind
more leaves lapped at the edges
of the flower beds and porch steps
Frothy yellow waves billowed about

Squirrels and little dogs
first waded and then swam across it
struggling not to drown
not to be pulled under in the eddying swirls

A rake parted the river
like the raised rod of Moses
channeling the leaves
down to the street

The curbs of the street,
breaker walls,
strain now to hold back the leaves

The wind persists
sending them back
in yellow waves
over the top
over the top
over the top
of the too small concrete dam

We've Been Hit!!

I was up early today to get ready to go to work, and as usual, I opened the door to let the dog out. This is the sight that greeted me out the front door.

Toilet paper and orange and black streamers hung from the trees out front. Happy Halloween from some of the neighborhood tricksters!

I called out to my son in the other room, "We've been hit!"

My son came outside to investigate and declared it the job of "rank amateurs." Not enough toilet paper was used, and it wasn't thrown up nearly high enough in the trees was his judgment. You can see some of the black streamers in the photo below.

Here you can see one of the orange streamers hanging down.


My son got busy and had it all cleaned up in about five minutes. He found out later in the day which of his friends had decided to decorate our yard for the Halloween season, and they had a good laugh together over it. Having your yard toilet papered is a sign that you are liked and have friends around here. Although it is more common to happen around Halloween, it takes place year round in this town. We had a good laugh over the morning greeting.

Oh, and about those leaves in the yard from yesterday's post. They are all raked down into the gutter of the street in front of our house, as you can see in the photo below, and ready for the city workers to come and sweep them up. Well, they are all raked until more fall from the trees. But for now, for today, they are done.

The Leaves Have Taken Over!!

The leaves are falling too fast for me to keep up with them!

They have taken over the front yard!!

And yet, the branches of the trees above me are still mostly green and still holding LOTS of leaves!!

Looks like I have a date with the rake! Hope you all have a great weekend!

LEAVES!! (Truly Grateful Series)

There are leaves falling in the park that are as big as my face!!

Lord, for the fact that I don't have to rake the leaves in the park, only the ones in my much smaller yard, and for the fact that, the leaves in my yard are a much smaller size, let me be truly grateful.