Leave me alone

I've spent the bulk of the last two days doing things I really do not like doing, yet when I am done, I'm glad I did it. Change has taken place, and things are not like they were. So much of life seems to happen this way - tedious work leading to something new.

Of course I am talking about yard work and the annual Midwest tradition of raking leaves and preparing the lawn and house for winter.

We have some big old trees in our smallish yard, and they dump a seemingly endless flow of leaves in the neighborhood. I am not really a fan of trees - I worry about them falling on the house, their branches fall and need picked up, and the leaves.... ugh.... the leaves need raked out to the curb.

So I spent two days raking and blowing leaves (with an electric blower) out to the curb in front of our house. It's probably not that bad, and it's good work both for the body and soul, but I dread it so. Following the leaf removal I then mowed off dead flowers and plants and did one final mowing of the grass for 2017. Then comes running the mower out of gas for storage, covering the air conditioner and bbq grill, and placing the patio furniture under the eaves along the south side of the house.

I worked hard for those two days. I was covered in sweat under my clothes, dust and clippings on the outside. My arms, legs and back were sore. But when it was done.... When it was done there is something about the clean simple beauty of a fall-into-winter yard. For a brief few days it is my favorite time of year. While many like springtime, I have always been a fan of the cleanliness of fall.

Well, so there's that. Today it has been raining steadily with lightning and thunder for a seasonally strange Saturday. It is mid-day and it looks like night time. So I'm looking out the window feeling glad I did what I did Thursday and Friday. Tomorrow will be Sunday. Time passes...