October 28, 2019 – Nature’s confetti

         Today was another beautiful day in a string of beautiful fall days here in the Carolinas.  We have been blessed with Carolina Blue skies, sunny yet cool days these last few days.

         Great day to go for a drive as the foliage is starting to give us its free fall show.  At the end of the street where I live, there are giant Tulip trees in half mud brown and half yellow leaves.  No wind, yet the leaves cascade down like ticker tape in the deep valley beneath them.  Made me pause and just watch them a moment or two before I pulled out onto Hudlow Road.

         The ride north on Hudlow Road and then again on HWY 64 north gives me a vista of the mountains that are starting to tinge with color.  Along the way to the convenience center [the southern quaint name for the county dumpsters], I witness more falling leaves raining down across the road and as I drive over them when I glance in the rear view window they are dancing in a swirl of wind I’ve created.  Sometimes it is well worth looking behind you as you drive forward.

         Fall never gets old for me, I never tire of it.  We never get the same color on the same tree every year – it all depends on the rain and weather.  I could sit and watch bright leaves fall off a tree for hours studying how they undulate to the ground or catch an updraft and swirl around a bit more. 

         It’s peaceful watching leaves and even more so when you can hear them touch ground or the cement sidewalk.  The sound of falling leaves to me is just as delightful me as the purr of a cat. I hope my hearing is the last of my senses to go.

         Today I also tried out my leaf vacuum/grinder.  It is our first and I picked it out and put it together.  Now that I have an official hardscape driveway [got about 30 more feet to finish on the paved driveway], I can now sweep them into a row and then come along and suck them up with the leaf grinder.  I can also blow them into a row – which I will try the next time. 

         I must say, that was productive fun and even more satisfying was taking the ground up leaf pouch to a segment in my garden, unzipping it and pouring the mulched leaves out on the ground.  How pretty – diced up yellow maple leaves – what a nice surprise.

         I cranked the 100-foot electrical cord on its new holder and mission accomplished – for today anyway.

         I can’t wait to see how the yellow gingko leaves will look when I suck those up and pour them out – something so “country” to look forward to.