The Autumn Leaves

 The fall colors are stunning this year.  I think I appreciate them even more after last year's dull season.  Mother Nature sent an early October cold snap that killed all the leaves and turned them a dead brown.  No color was left in any of them.  But, this year She is making up for it.  Everywhere I look there are gorgeous reds, oranges, yellows and greens. And they are hanging on the trees late into the season.  That may be good or bad for us.  We have several trees and many, many, many leaves.  I have been tempted to go out and start raking; however, Paul is of the 

 philosophy that one should wait until they've all come down and do that raking job just one time.  He's probably right.  When we do start raking, it's an all day job.  We rake the piles of leaves onto a tarp and drag them over to the compost and garden.  We cram as many as we can into the compost bins and the rest make winter blankets on the raised beds.  And, often, there are still leaves left over.  They get scattered out into the prairie and we let the wind take care of them.  

But as I look out at all the beautiful colors now, I don't really think about all the work they will become.  I just thank Mother Nature for the amazing show.