The Fall Chore Brain No Longer Has To Do

As we make our way through the heart of the fall season, many neighborhoods like mine are missing out on a big part of autumn. Now, don't get me wrong, missing out on this saves homeowners like me a lot of work! But in a way, I feel like this isn't an official fall season without it!

I'm talking about the sights and sounds of falling leaves. There is nothing like the trees changing color right before our eyes. But at the end of that sight, the leaves begin to leave the trees and settle onto streets and yards. They blow here and there, forming piles that children, and kids at heart, have been known to jump into from time to time. But there can't be any piles of leaves if there aren't any trees. The street that I live on in Marion is like many others across the Cedar Rapids metro area. The trees that once stood tall and dropped leaves are gone, the victim of last year's derecho.

While the image of leaves falling on a perfect fall day is no longer an option, I'll dispense with the flowery imagery and get to the benefit of this development. No more raking leaves! No more gathering them up into bags and setting them out to the curb for pickup! No more rotting walnuts staining everything they touch on our property! My fall chore list has literally been cut in half! So while I'll miss raking up leaves and watching my kids jump into them, I won't miss the sore back that comes with raking them.

Have all the leaves left your yard? Do you miss them?