Trees Are Overrated

This last weekend the weather was really nice.  We are having our Indian Summer around these parts.  Given our yard was covered in leaves, I figured I'd better take advantage of the nice weather and rake.  It's funny how a few months can make you forget how hideous a task raking leaves really is, not to mention how much your back hurts the next day.  Because I am a mean mother I made Blueberry get out her rake and help me.

Expecting to hear loud complaint, I had my earplugs ready.  Instead, what I heard was singing.  Joyful singing.  Singing about how wonderful it was to be outside working, and how much fun it was to rake.  You'd have thought I was in the middle of a sappy Disney movie where the princess, birds and squirrels all break into song. 

After what felt like hours, we had a few piles of leaves.  This one was our biggest accomplishment of the day by far.  The rest of the leaves we raked into a lot of small piles all over the yard. 

Before we commenced bagging our little mountains of fun, Blueberry decided to take a break.

While I watched her, I may have started singing right along with the birds and squirrels.  Unfortunately, that little moment was short lived as the daunting chore of bagging the leaves still loomed large.

732 bags of leaves later (bags 21 - 732 are not pictured.  Obviously.)  We were done!  The only casualty was a giant blister on my hand.  

Blueberry decided I needed to make friends with nature.  I love having a yard with very large, mature trees.  I love having a yard with very large, mature trees. 

I embraced nature, literally, however, I'm starting a "yard boy" fund.  Next year someone else can have the privilege of winterizing my lovely yard.  I will occasionally look up from my book, wave, and pop another bon-bon into my mouth.  All the while staying blister free!