Trick or Treat

I'm running late this morning, so check back later. I've got to go give my horses their morning treat, or they may want to play tricks on me and break down their fence, which would not be nice of them.

Later . . . .

Back . . . I saw snow on Greenhorn. It's ugly out there, not a great day for the Halloween crowd. And, Mother Nature fed me a trick this morning. I had my lawn looking fairly decent and leafless by the time darkness had shown up for an its first earlier-than-usual visit yesterday afternoon. As today's gloomy daylight appeared, I looked out my front windows to see that a whole new blanket of yellow uglies was covering up the green grass.

When they're hanging on the trees, they're gorgeous. But, when they're lying on the ground and it's wet and cold out there, I hate those leaves. My friend Gary told me to get a bag for the back of my riding lawnmower and mulch 'em up for the garden. That sounded like a great idea until the riding lawnmower's motor blew up and I learned from the repairman that the bag and its attachments would cost me about $350.

Another friend, Janis, told me she has this awkward contraption for sucking up leaves that she'd lend me, but I'd have to go to her garage in Palm Desert to pick it up. With gas prices these days, that doesn't sound too efficient, and I doubt I'd make it through airport security with the thing strapped over my shoulder.

So, the lawnmower sits, waiting for its new motor, and I raked this weekend until I couldn't stand it any longer. Then, I fired up the push mower and decided to massacre those damn leaves even as more kept falling on me. That ol' push mower earned a gold star for hard work yesterday as it sputterd along, gobbling and spitting out chopped up willow, aspen and locust leaves. The lawn still had remnants of its golden carpet, but they'd been chewed up enough for me to handle them with the rake.

Now, I'm gonna have to go out there and do it all over again, but I think I'll wait until the rain stops----if it does before the snow comes further down the mountain. It's all a guessing game this time of the year.

Will there be another three or four-day stretch before the snow piles up to allow me to get that yard work done the way it oughta be? Or, should I figure the odds aren't good, cut the corners and do the best I can?

Definitely a crap game as we approach winter in North Idaho. One thing's for sure, Mother Nature's got enough tricks up her sleeves to guarantee that the next few months will not be a treat.