Tuesday, November 9, 2010

joys of autumn

We continue to enjoy some beautiful weather here in the Midwest and I look for excuses to be outdoors as much as possible.  I am not a big fan of raking leaves at all.  It is such a futile endeavor, for once you rake them up, more fall down.  Luckily the wind has been blowing the neighbors' leaves away from our lawn, but when they get stuck in the bushes, it's time to clear things out.  Wayne always says "pay me now or pay me later" and we found it is much easier to clear the gardens in spring when we do a little diligence in the fall.  All the trees and bushes are trimmed and yesterday I spent the day clearing the bushes and corners of collected leaves.
I discovered a new tool that is now my best friend for these projects.  Yep, that's duct tape, but this thing is very powerful and when you work a corner filled with leaves, they seem to dance in the air, a most delighful thing.  I played around all day and blew away everything unwanted.  It is so much easier to rake the leaves into piles for pickup after using this mighty blower.  The secret to putting leaves in bags is to crunch them down so more fit into the yard bags.  I only used three for the whole house, but probably would have needed double if I didn't crush them.  We decided to use our electric trimmer and leaf blower tools one last time this year and purchase gas powered for the spring season.  The extension cord is huge and let me go all around the house so I could play with 'hercules' as I call him.  I had so much fun I decided to go to my Dad's today and do the same for his garden.  Another excuse to be outdoors again. 

The joys of being a gardener.  Who knew we could find such simple pleasures?

After a lovely day, I prepared spaghetti for the hungry mongrels at home and bought some deli.  This treat hits the spot:  Half slice of Italian Pane bread, lightly spread with mayo, three slices Boar's Head turkey pastrami (delicious) and one slice provolone cheese; broil for a minute (like Quiznos) and indulge.

Enjoy your day.  Let the sun shine.  xo