The timing for leaf control here in the Big O is very delicate. You have to wait for all the leaves to fall, because really, I'm not doing this twice. Then you have to wait for a day that's got great weather, but have to do it before there's rain. Jumping into wet leaves is no fun. And it can't be windy. And you have to do it before the yard waste people quit pick-ups for the season. And then, daylight savings time hits, and you have to do the leaf pile early enough to blow all the leaves into a pile and jump in them while it's still day light out! Precision is required.
Yesterday was the perfect fit.
I love doing the giant pile of leaves for the kids. It's probably the last time I'm willing to play outside with them. Now that they can make their own snowmen and all, I have taken the role of staying inside when it's cold and snowy to make soup and hot cocoa. I'm brilliant like that.
Last night, I hustled the kids home so that we could do our annual giant leaf pile gig. I inherited the coveted leaf blower from my Dad. Which is ironic, because he would not approve of my playing in the yard work. He came more from the ranks of, "Just get the damn leaves up and stop making a mess. I want to get inside and watch the damn football game." Funhater. But still, I use his leaf blower in vain, and thankfully, it only takes an hour to get the leaves blown into a gigantore pile. It takes the kids about ten minutes to jump in them. And then I have to pick them up. But I let them play a little longer this time, and resolved to get the leaves up the next morning.
I was nervous because that's not a very neighborly thing to do, to leave a giant pile of leaves to blow in the yard. And it was on the corner of our yard, so really, they could blow into our neighbor's yard. And they might already be pissed that I waited for every last leaf to come off the tree before I even thought to do the pile. So, half of them may or may not have already blown into their yard. Still, I left the pile there overnight.
This morning I went to pick up the pile and my neighbor started to mow his yard. And that's when we noticed a giant raccoon on our other neighbor's porch. Eww. I didn't really know what to do, except Max had just read to me from one of his fact books, "Raccoons may look cute, but are the most likely to carry rabies." Nice. So, I called Animal Control. Called the neighbor, "Hey, when you get home from work, there might be a dead raccoon on your porch....no...no...I didn't PUT it there!"
Apparently, per Animal Control, the raccoon was probably sick and/or dying. They don't just hang out on front porches in the middle of the day.
Within minutes, Animal Control was there to pick up the raccoon. Man, they are fast! I'm just gonna call them if I have an emergency.
I finished my giant leaf pile, and told my neighbor, "My job here is done."
"Good work."
I wonder if Animal Control would clean my basement?
That's how I roll.
