Leafing and Leaving

The giant maple tree sitting off center from the front of this house litters the yard with leafs and I look the other way. Most of the leaves on the tree are still bright green which is odd to have them dropping before they travel through the color changes that are usually a prerequisite for them to escape their attachments to the branches they glombed on in the spring. Enough of them fall to form a messy sprinkle on the lawn. I could start up the mower and crunch them up but for what? Within minutes more will drop and just enough to irritate. I'm sure the neighbors, my treeless neighbors, expect me to be out there diligently raking and bagging to protect their pristine lawns from inheriting from the wind the leaves that jiggle and bobble along in it's wake. Ah the disappointment. I haven't cared for a few falls now whether they stay where they belong. When the carpet gets deep out there I'll drag out the mower and mulch them up. I refuse to bag leaves. I pretend as though I live in the forest. You never see bagged leaves sitting on a forest floor. You won't see them sitting beside the road in front of my house either. Think of all the landfill plastic I'm saving. I am  contributing to the "green and save the planet" drive.

I flip on the weather channel to see some snow. Denver is accommodating this week, The Eisenhower Tunnel  and Summit Pass is beautifully white right now. I can enjoy this view from the comfortable position I hold on my sofa. I've driven those roads through that pass many times in the winter. Watching from my sofa is much more relaxing. I remember my body being tense, expecting any moment to follow the other drivers that had slid off the road into the snow banks. I miss the Rocky Mountains or maybe I miss the young age I was when I traveled those mountains in the cold winters. Would I want to live there again in the winter? An emphatic "no". My metal knee would prevent me from skiing. Slippin and slidin in the snow and bundling up in winter clothes serves to remind me that living on the coast especially during the winter months is something I look forward to each year.

It took me until this time in my life to understand why northerners move south as they get older. I always thought it was because they didn't want to deal with the winter snow. Shoveling snow and driving in it was what I thought propelled them to move south. Now I realize how wrong I was. Pain is their inspiration. Things hurt as one ages. Arthritis is more forgiving in warmer climates. I now believe those snow birds are looking for pain relief as they head south for the winters.

My excuse? I don't really have any arthritis and for that I'm grateful. My appreciation for living where I do is that I can travel anytime. The roads won't be closed from the snows. Rain is the slickest road hazard here unless you count the usual oil spill on the highways from some of the many trucks hauling oil products.

The husband just got back into town a few days ago and will be leaving again this Friday on a job in state. Back to Zachary where we were a few months ago and since it is just 8 miles from Baton Rouge, I may make this trip with him. I'll follow him in the roadster so I'll have something to drive. Now to decide on packing long pants or short pants. That cold front expected next week will arrive and depart quickly. I'll pack for both. I'm off to sort and pack..and repack and repack and wait for the temperature to climb back to 80 degrees today.