Silence and beauty of fallen leaves under attack.

photo by Jonathan Schechter

  There is no sound I dislike more in these golden days of autum than incessant screams of 
leaf blowers. I am not 'that old', but I remember when leaves were raked to corners of yards and wood lots and left alone, or added to a super big leaf pile rich with color and scent.

Leaf pile were places for kids like me to play.  
Leaf piles were part of the wonder of autumn.

And if they needed to be moved to meet our  peculiar whims of adjusting the natural acts of  nature hand rakes did the task well, and quietly. 


October has reached the midpoint. Days are filled with soothing natural sounds of late season crickets, cranes and geese in flight, and the magical crackle of falling leaves dancing in gentle winds, wind flavored with the sweet scent of autumn. And just when the afternoon is perfect and all is peaceful an army of "leaf-thugs" arrives in trucks and assault the scene. They strap on smoke belching leaf blowers and destroy the peace, beauty and silence of the countryside. It's almost an act of war on leaves; leaves that have yet to complete their natural cycle of soil nourishment, shelter of tiny creatures, and winter slumber that is part of their way.

Dead leaves are life giving for the ways of nature.
If I had my way leaf blowers would be banned.
Selfish?
Perhaps.
But I hate them.

NOTE: As I put the finishing touches on these words I read a blog on leaves from my writer /naturalist friend Ulanawa Foote--a post with earthy prose and beautiful pictures that  celebrates fallen leaves. Her perspective is perfect. I doubt she owns a leaf blower.
It's an excellent read, a peaceful contrast from noisty assaults on fallen leaves.
A link for her words of True Colors is below in her Turtle Saw blog.
http://turtlesaw.blogspot.com/2011/10/true-colors.html