Fall, leaves, fall
I don't think I'll smile when wreaths of snow blossom.
But I will smile when I pick up that last leaf of Autumn 2023.
It will be a big and welcome moment, should it happen.
We'll see if a wreath of snow blossoms overnight and into the morning.
Hopefully, it will be fleeting, like so much of life.
If so, I can continue my quest to remove every last leaf, not named "oak," from the yard.
Nearly impossible but still a worthy goal.
Leaf removal teamed up with a number of other winterizing jobs on yesterday's schedule.
Horse blankets from the shed fence to the barn.
Small water tank moved from the end of the lane to the hydrant by the barnyard fence.
Tomatoes picked and plants pulled and hauled away.
Sweet pea vines also went to the throwaway pile.
Why don't sweet peas have pods of seeds (for next year's crop) anymore? Maybe the same answer as to why so many roses don't provide a sweet fragrance.
Hoses put away.
A thick blanket of service berry leaves removed from the kennel garden floor.
Pine needles raked and deposited around the blueberry bushes.
Working while watching Bill get the travel trailer ready to go get winterized.
Pumpkin patch cleaned up.
And, serious leaf pickup followed by a stupid move aboard the lawnmower done in haste.
I thought I had turned far enough away from that lead rope lying on the ground.
But a hungry set of blades snatched that rope right up and quickly wrapped it around the housing, while spitting out the metal snap.
Stupidity set in, as it always does when something goes wrong with yard or garden equipment.
Bill got down on the ground and tried to jack up the lawnmower, but his old body and my old body hardly have the agility to get even closer to grab the end of that rope and unwind it.
"I'll call Tony," I said. Bill didn't argue.
*****
Tony came later and made it all look so easy as he quickly removed the platform and the deck and easily unwrapped the rope from the mower.
While he had the mower disassembled, he remembered from his last visit that one blade had needed a new bearing.
Surely, he had a couple in his van, always bulging with a million parts inside.
When I walked to the house, Tony was searching one of the many containers he uses to "organize" his traveling parts warehouse.
When I walked back outside, I saw a view of Tony I'd never seen in all the years he has fixed our equipment.
Apparently, unable to find the bearings in the container, Tony literally just dove into his van to get a better grasp of his sea of parts.
Sadly, he came up empty, so he'll return today to replace the bearing which causes the mower to vibrate and make really loud sounds.
*****
Yesterday turned out to be truly a "9-5" day with necessary cups of ambition and very little relaxing in between items on the "to be done urgently" list.
We made headway, though, and it's not supposed to rain until mid afternoon, so maybe we'll get a few more things checked off the list.
The rain will be followed by a dramatic temperature change and that chance of snow.
So, bye bye to what has been a banner year for enjoying the outdoor life and all the bounty and beauty of amazing weather patterns.
Now, we can hope that the winter isn't too bad and that maybe after tomorrow's predicted white stuff, the rest of the "snow wreaths" will wait a while.
****
Off in Tulsa, my sisters took a couple of National Top Ten ribbons in their respective trail classes.
Barbara finished 3rd, while Laurie finished sixth.
Their ribbon and loot supply (belt buckles) are growing.
Barbara says she and Dusty have one more event: ranch riding.
Two years ago, they took reserve national champion in that event.
Good luck, Barbara and Congratulations to both sisters.
****
Off to work, work, work some more.
Happy Tuesday.
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