Does anyone do this any more? I feel like I am participating in an ancient ritual. Every year at about this time, after a fierce wind and maybe some rain, we look outside and find our two acres covered in oak leaves. Grass will die under this acidic material and anyway, we just want to neaten things up. In a distant neighbor's yard, I hear the drone of a leaf blower, every last leaf being blown, well, somewhere. It often looks like the leaves are just being moved around.
There is a growing movement to stop this practice. A recent article in the New Yorker Magazine addressed this very thing. The noise made by leaf blowers is one of the main complaints but it is not the only problem. The machines have a two stroke engine which is highly polluting because of the gas/oil mixture needed to fuel a small engine. Also, the "dust up" which consists of not just leaves but disintegrated fecal matter and other ground and road side material becomes air born and is not healthy to breathe.
This weekend we raked our yard. We raked oak leaves into piles and then on to the blue tarp and hauled them to our leaf pile. We have been dragging leaves to this pile for thirty years. Last summer, when we started a vegetable garden and needed good soil, we decided to check the pile. Sure enough, there under the leaves was the most beautiful soil you could ever imagine. For free! Just our labor (and that of our kids at one time) created this amazing soil. It's kind of cool to be part of the cycle.
So before it becomes a lost art, here are some leaf raking basics.
1. Strip down. You will be hot in a matter of minutes.
2. Let your mind wander. The rhythmic motion of raking is great for
untangling even the most daunting problem.
3. Rake BEFORE the rain. Wet leaves are heavy.
4. Do not rake on a windy day.
5. Rake with a sailor. If the wind comes up unexpectedly,
a sailor will know which way the wind is blowing and position the tarp accordingly.
6. After the last load is hauled away and the sun is sinking over the hill,
stand and admire your work. This is the best part of raking.
7. As soon as the snow melts in early spring,
plant bushes and small trees to reduce the size of your lawn.
Less grass, less raking.
7 comments:
Ah that we could silence the blowers!
I miss the smell of leaves burning at this time of year. The smoke kind of goes with football games and whole families raking and playing together on sunny, cold fall days. Brothers, sisters, moms and dads would work to get a huge pile into the driveway, then we'd bury each other in it, and finally we'd burn it! That was back in the day when organic, rich humus was not such a rare commodity and backyard burning was how we got rid of too much organic matter. I like the composting idea better, but it's not as much fun for kids.
How much fun was leaf raking!
And having raked leaves longer and in more places..I can add couple of notes.
1. Pine needles: No go. Collect and ship off. They will not help the compost process.
2. Wear gloves: Otherwise....get lots of bandaids and Neosporen. Blisters hang out near tall oak trees w/ dead leaves to drop!
3. Fecal Matter (aka Dogapoopie): Police the yard first! Then rake. And have a stick handy to clean shoes in case you miss a few spots.
Small kids seem to find the stuff...and want to immediately go into the house to get warm. Don't know why.
So, ready GO! Get ready for the sound of silence under the blanket of snow! Ah, Nature working while you're not!
i must confess, i hate raking almost more than any outside chore and that is one of the reasons i love wright farm. you do make many good points nonetheless, as you often do! glad the photo is working writing magic, nice to know it is in good hands. i have more if you need them. natalie was amazing, can't wait to share!
Just looked at this again to see if all the leaves were gone yet!
And noticed the blue tarp on the ground...at first glance it looked like someone in a blue outfit sprawled in a state of exhaustion on the ground.
Now were talking! Reality...
Enough w/ the romance.
Thank you, Barb.
I love this. I keep coming back to look at the leaves covering your yard, yearning to grab the rake and start raking. Oak and maple trees make the best leaf piles and have the most satisfying dry, crackly sound as ou rake them up. I am living vicariously through you. Thank you.
Love the list. Love the content and how it's written. And love Uncle Don's additional words of wisdom, lest anyone forget that he's the oldest, and therefore wisest :-).
Thank you all for the great comments! There is a lot to say on this subject.
Meanwhile here at home, leaves cover our once pristine yard again. Oak leaves their own sweet time. They don't come down all at once like maple. They linger. And then let go. I look up and still see a few holding on.
But it's a scattering on the lawn, not a blanket so we can tolerate them. Soon it will snow and we can forget about the leaves until spring!
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