UNITED STATES—There is one thing that I never look forward to in the fall. Any guesses America? It’s raking leaves. Yes, this does depend on the region of the country you live in, but if you are from the Midwest, East coast or upper West Coast, you are quite familiar with a brown paper bag and the rake. This week I decided to tackle those pesky leaves, and gosh I wish I waited.
Why? My home is actually surrounded by trees; one in the front lawn, one in the back lawn and a massive tree across the street. It seems all the leaves tend to blow into my hard and it drives me bonkers. What makes the situation worse is the fact that whenever I want to rake the leaves it always decides to rain or it’s windy as hell. Wind or rain didn’t matter; the leaves had to be raked one way or another. Let me just point this out: I’m nowhere close to being finished America, but I’m getting there.
Of all the people I know, I never expected my 6 year-old niece to be the biggest helper. She might not know how to utilize a rake, but she certainly knows how to use a push broom which was a major help in picking those leaves off the sidewalk. We got the backyard cleaned up and a portion of the front yard. The biggest frustration was utilizing those brown paper bags.
They just aren’t that large enough to hold that many leaves. I mean I used only 3 bags and I felt that I haven’t raked 30 percent of the leaves that have already fallen. What’s worse? There are still a TON OF LEAVES yet to fall on the trees. Yeah, some argue I should just wait until all the leaves fall and I must agree. Why rake to turn around to have to rake a week or a few days later? It’s quite stupid if you ask me to be honest. I’m tempted to just get out the lawnmower and do another grass cutting, just so I can easily mulch or pick up the leaves without having to rake and bag them.
Look, I know I’m complaining a bit here, but the great thing about raking leaves is that it allows for some family bonding, not to mention phenomenal exercise. Yes, I would be lying to you if I told you my shoulders, hands and arms aren’t killing me because they are. However, any exercise if you ask me is better than no exercise at all. We may not like raking leaves, but leaving them on your grass, does not help the lawn in the long run. So get out there and utilize the kiddies and the family to get things done.
