With blistery and calloused hands, I put the rake away. My boots were dirty. My nose was wet from raindrops. My hands: shivering. Today was the first rake of fall. And long overdue might I add. The colors of the leaves painted the yard. So many colors! Yellow. Green. Orange. Brown. Red. Mixtures. I almost felt bad for raking the leaves up, knowing they would decompose in a compost pile somewhere. How could I subject these beautiful leaves to such a fate?! Frankly, I had a hard time. I stopped many times and just stared at the leaves blanketing the grass. I crouched down and examined each leaf. Leaves are amazing, I found out today. I also found that I LOVE raking. *What?
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Yes, I love raking. But it hasn't always been that way. On the contrary, my friend. In years past, I have utterly despised raking! I didn't see the point in raking up leaves when the yard would be covered with more the next day. The leaves were usually wet and heavy which made it more difficult to rake and then bag. They weren't even suitable to jump into! Most definitely not worth it then. But this time was different. I *wanted* to rake. It's amazing how much fun raking can be if you *want* to rake. I suited up: shirt, jacket, coat, mittens, knee-socks, pants, rainboots, and most important: the rake. I braved the cold weather and started the task. I soon stopped and stood, mid-yard. I looked at all the leaves. How amazing! I never realized how many leaves there actually are. Even though I'm sure some of them migrated over from other yards, via wind. I learned so many things from my raking today.
1] There are ALOT of leaves!
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Yes, I love raking. But it hasn't always been that way. On the contrary, my friend. In years past, I have utterly despised raking! I didn't see the point in raking up leaves when the yard would be covered with more the next day. The leaves were usually wet and heavy which made it more difficult to rake and then bag. They weren't even suitable to jump into! Most definitely not worth it then. But this time was different. I *wanted* to rake. It's amazing how much fun raking can be if you *want* to rake. I suited up: shirt, jacket, coat, mittens, knee-socks, pants, rainboots, and most important: the rake. I braved the cold weather and started the task. I soon stopped and stood, mid-yard. I looked at all the leaves. How amazing! I never realized how many leaves there actually are. Even though I'm sure some of them migrated over from other yards, via wind. I learned so many things from my raking today.
1] There are ALOT of leaves!
2] It is much easier to rake the leaves when they are NOT wet.
3] A good, strong rake is coveted when raking wet leaves.
4] It is not advantageous to jump into leaf piles filled with sticks. You are subject to being poked. *Lesson learned the hard way.
5] There are so many different kinds of leaves. Small. Big. Faded yellow. Bright yellow. Red. Brown. Veiny. Smooth. Sharp edges. Smooth edges. Orange. Green.
6] After raking into piles, IMMEDIATELY bag leaves, especially on a windy day. Just trust me on this one.
7] Beware of worms that live under the dirt under the leaves. It hurts them when you rake over them. *I raked over Mr. Jeffrey. Don't worry, I said sorry.
8] Slow down and really look at the leaves. Look at everything about the leaf. The leaf is amazing. Everything that the leaf consists of is amazing! Believe me!*
9] Have a good attitude. *Want* to rake.
10] Expect to be *amazed*. Be *amazed*. Have *marvelousness* in your eyes.
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I look forward to more leaves falling tomorrow. *Psst! I heard it's supposed to be windy tomorrow. Yay!* I honestly cannot wait until the Second Rake of Fall. Geez! I am falling in love with Fall. It's marvelous.
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