It's, it's ... the LEAVES of Autumn!!

When you live in Northern California, in an urban area, you don't have to worry overmuch about autumn leaves. There are a few, of course, but nothing like the seemingly endless deluge of leaves that happens here in Portland.

We have several, large maple trees on or next to our property, a couple of dogwood trees, several smaller Japanese maple trees and a plethora of woody bushes like hydrangeas, all of which lose their leaves in the autumn. If I were a little stronger and less wobbly on my legs, I'd be out there every day with the leaf blower or a rake or a broom, sweeping them up and depositing them in the green waste bins. As it is, I've done one clean-up in our driveway in the past week and that's been it.

Since then, the maples have begun to let go. The driveway is starting to look like we've carpeted it in yellow-and-brown, and the lawn out back is almost covered with leaves. David has been working nine or ten hours a day, doing all kinds of repairs and painting a friend's condo, so he's had neither the energy nor the inclination to run the lawnmower (and it's been raining on the few days he's even considered doing that).

If the weather holds on Monday, I plan to be out there with our trusty leaf blower to start tackling the LEAVES of Autumn. Let's hope it lasts; last year I burned out the motor on the leaf blower about 3/4's of the way through the season...