Fall means working together

There's a lot to enjoy about autumn. My senses are at full alert this time of year with the sound of crunching leaves beneath my feet, smells of drying plants or on other days the return of rains, the tastes of harvest and the vivid colors of leaves as they lose their chloryophyllic camouflage.

Being at Grandma and Grandpa's house, we knew there would be much work to do raking up after their many fruit and other hardwood trees. Everyone was enlisted in the cause. Who wouldn't want to be outdoors during the beautiful weather we enjoyed as we worked together to pile and bag leaves? As you can see by the leaves still on trees in the photos, this was not a one-weekend event. We were together on many evenings and Saturdays attending to the constant flow of leaves that have now left the trees bare for a season.

As a side note, we were delighted to learn that a neighborhood leaf "recycling" bin was available at a local park, and most of our leaves were transported there and will hopefully work to enrich soils when spring arrives.