I, like our friend Robert Frost, have safely trodden under the leaves of another year. We have successfully removed the oak leaves from our 15000 square feet of lawn, not a mean feat in one’s 70’s, and dumped them into the woods to be matted down by winter rains and snows, to be reclaimed by the earth. Aching backs notwithstanding, we are ridiculously proud of ourselves. Makes us feel like authentic New Hampshire natives, even if we did originate “out West”. I remember commiserating with my neighbor Jack on one fine blue October day, as we raked furiously and watched an errant gust of wind scatter our hard work.
“Jack, why did we ever move to this ridiculous state?” His answer? “The leaves, Rose, the leaves!”
As we moved the last of our wind rows into the woods on a day that turned icy cold, I had to stop my complaining and remember. We live, really, in a forest. How many people can say that? These towering giants surround us with their beauty all year long. In the spring, we watch for the tiny pink buds that burst into exquisite red flowers and set every branch tip glowing. Then comes that first April green as the flowers turn to leaves that pop out against the sky. When the summer heat settles on us, I’m surrounded by the air conditioning that the oaks provide. And the birds! They flock to our feeders; they bump up against the window and wake us in the morning as they breakfast. Blue jays, cardinals, titmice, woodpeckers, chickedees, on and on goes the list. On and on goes the birdsong. When summer light slants and narrows to autumn, the oaks erupt in a blaze of color that stretches into November.
As I pause in my raking frenzy and flex my freezing fingers, I can’t help but notice. The oaks, again. Filagree of lace stretching out over a whitewashed sky of shimmering opal. My eyes drift up to their very tops, to the last of the leaves lit on fire by a shaft of sunlight. And when the snows fall, they will outline each black branch in white. Fairylands will appear to lift our spirits in the dark of winter.
So, yes, I will keep raking for as long as I can. I like the payback!
