Lean times are in the wind. But the trees that surround Light-Work HQ have a plan. They have weighed the cost of maintaining their myriad photosynthesis units and it is time to close their factories. Liquidation is in full swing as they prepare to conserve their energies for winter. Smart move! Sometimes the best way to beat the hard times is to hunker down for a season and make a fresh start when things brighten up.
Alas, the tree's scheme has created some fallout for others, in this case, me! Don't get me wrong. I am grateful for the big show they host while going into maintenance mode, and the colors really are quite stunning. But when it's all over, I am staring at a bazillion leaves too many. Sure, I leave most of them where the trees and wind have put them. I'm sure they will do some future good there. But lawns (if you can call mine that), patios, and driveways are not the best place to inventory these discards.
What's a guy to do? In the past, I would get very well-acquainted with a leaf blower and lawn rake. Spare time in the Fall was spent with them. Despite all that time spent together, ours was not a happy relationship. Blisters, a twisted back, sore muscles, and the sense of time lost were my most vivid memories of days with Mr. Lawn Rake.
A couple of years ago, I doled out the cash for a Cyclone Rake - my weapon of choice for fall yard cleanup. It's like a vacuum cleaner that you attach to your riding lawn mower. Combined with the cutting deck, this baby sucks up leaves like a baleen whale in a school of krill. When it's full, it tips up like a dump-truck to dispatch its cache.
Some of the product testimonials gush overmuch. I wouldn't call this rite of Fall "fun" - but it is very satisfying. I can now accomplish in a few hours what previously took days. So now, when the trees are closing up shop for the year, I can enjoy the color, do my bit without fanfare, and move on to others things. Just like the trees.
-sigh- . . . how peaceful! Would you like a cup of camomile to go with the leaf-peeping monologue? :)
Posted by: Austin | November 20, 2008 at 07:58 PM