Pickles by Brian Crane for September 25, 2020

A lot of Earl’s in the world. My neighborhood is full of them.

Nature’s leafblower.

lame excuse if you ask me

Unfortunately most of my leaves will be contained by fencing. It will be windy tonight and my driveway will be full of pine needles tomorrow. They never blow away.

I understand that. Here, in Oregon, the pine needles are everywhere, in the gutters, in sweatshirt pockets, on the bottoms of shoes. We never get rid of them.

But at the same time the leaves in your other neighbor’s yard will be yours.

I was forever raking leaves on Long Island in the fall. My dad gave me extra money for it.

I just run over them with the mower set low.

With Earl on this one . It came from the ground so it stays on the ground .

I just mulch them up with the mower, usually takes a few times until the leaves stop falling!

With that fence I see behind you Earl. I don’t think they are going anywhere!

Living in Michigan, I spread them over my flower beds as protection against the cold weather. Wrap chicken wire around the rose bush and fill it with leaves, too.

I don’t get the rake out until ALL the leaves are down. That’s usually around Thanksgiving here.

Got my roofs and gutters cleaned last week. They did a great job cleaning up around the house. Less than 24 hours later, leaves, sticks and pinecones everywhere!

They make good mulch. Leave them.

I never see anyone rake anymore. They’re using the deafness inducing blowers.

My neighbors Oak tree drops it’s big leaves in the middle of winter and I still end up with the acorns all over. The deer dig for them …IN MY YARD…BUT THATS OK…NOT MUCH DAMAGE DONE…THEY HAVE TO EAT TOO!

Different leaves, same problem!

Reminds me somehow of fifty years ago when I tried out a joke I’d read in MAD magazine to my Dad; I suggested he plant weeds that year and let the grass grow up and kill them. He didn’t think that was the least bit funny, no he didn’t.

The wind blows the leaves everywhere – except away. We usually start raking in March; we have two acres and are surrounded by woods on three sides. Rake them once, after they are finished falling, instead of every week – or more often.

I sense that there is about to be tension between Opal and Earl.

Raking leaves is always a bad idea. But then, so are lawns.

Funny thing, those two hairs on his head never get longer? Mine do!

I heard a county extension agent years ago say he never understood why people didn’t just mow over their leaves and leave them as mulch. Instead they bag them and then buy fertilizer. I mulch and I never bag mine except to put some in the compost bin. We have three HUGE maples in our yard so there are tons of leaves.

“Leaf me alone!” he said rakishly.

Amen to that. Any remainders after the last snow melts get mowed to feed the lawn.

Earl is a very sharing person.

With the prevailing winds.. I get my neighbors leaves.. from his trees. Looking forward to at least 25 big orange garbage bags full this year.

For us like Earl we do not rake leaves up.

Not with th…at fence in the way

Blow ye winds hi-ho!

I never touch my leaves….. Let ’em sit and rot…… in the Spring I spread nitrogen, and VOILA….. the rotting leaves turn into instant fertilizer..!!

You’re supposed to leave them! That’s why they are called “leaves”.

The prevailing wind off San Francisco bay blows all the leaves up my driveway….When I get a "Good wind " I blow them down the street…I hope they wind up in Salinas…

Why not use the lawn mower on the fallen leaves to chop them into pieces? I used to do it all the time, seems like the easiest way to deal with them instead of raking them up. Of course if they are wet from rain maybe not a great idea…

We have a towering deciduous tree in our front yard, while almost all of the houses on our block have no trees at all. I planted it at my Mother’s request when I was 19 years old – and I’m 74 now. We have shade on our driveway almost all year long, and shade on the house some seasons. It’s absolutely gorgeous in the fall – people stop and take photos of it. And it’s quite a chore to keep ahead of the fallen leaves, but it’s a small price to pay for the pleasures of having it.

I mow over my leaves. Alway have…always will.