On Not Leaving the Leaves

In the past we've never really had to deal too much with a yard full of leaves. We've always rented, and in past locations there either weren't many trees or the landscapers took care of it. This house is a different story on both counts. TONS of leaves and we are the landscapers. The kids totally don't mind though. The leaves have proved to be fun for everything from hiding/fort building to padding for jumping off of various items in the backyard. You know how the hooligans roll.

I spent about an hour and a half raking up most of the leaves in the backyard one day last week. I think, though I got the majority of them, there are quite a few left to go. The kiddos were just a tiny bit annoyed with me for cleaning up "their" leaves. My apologies of course, but I couldn't find you when you went out in the backyard anymore.

I've seen a lot of posts going around Facebook and on the news about how we should leave the leaves, and that it's good for the ecosystem and all that green stuff. (Not that I'm opposed to green stuff.) Their reasons that this is a good idea include: slugs and bugs and creepy crawly things need places to live/hide, and turtles and snakes need places to live. I'm sorry guys, but in trying to convince me to leave the leaves in my yard you should have left out the part where you tell me bugs and snakes will surely enjoy living in them. I might have been convinced otherwise. ;)

We were actually offered a blower to borrow for leaf-roundup part two...which will make my job of ridding the yard of potential snake and bug-habitats a lot easier. (I know, I feel equal parts awful and equal parts totally justified in saying I have no desire to let snakes find a suitable residence in my yard.) I just hope that the kids, and their leaf-fort building shenanigans, will eventually forgive me for what I am about to do.