When the first leaves of autumn drop, I approach raking them with the gusto of a eight-year-old. I embrace the swish and rustle as my rake gets the job done. Of course, my entire family joins me for the first raking of the season. They wait for me to rake the leaves into a big pile, so they inaugurate fall by leaping into a sea of amber and orange. However, the joyful novelty of the first leaves of fall quickly dissipates, and by the 2nd weekend of raking, I'm usually alone when I rake. I'm still that eight-year-old boy, but the gusto has been replaced by malaise -I'm now an eight-year-old who has been ordered to rake the leaves.
I guess, my dog is still a faithful companion, but if she could talk, she would say, "Hey! Could you pick up the pace. Sometime TODAY I'd like to go on a walk."When the drudgery of an afternoon of leaf raking overwhelms me, I visualize the following tasty traits awaiting for me when I'm done:
- An Apple-Almond Braid from Simmer Till Done.
- Fried Apples with Bourbon Caramel from Fritter.
- Cranberry Crunch Bars from Think Inside the Ice Box
- Caramel Popcorn from Under the High Chair
- Bierocks from April Showers.
I'm thankful for the trivial thoughts that get me through the day.
Keep you skillet good and greasy,
muddywaters
2 comments:
When I was a kid, leaf-raking was always the pits. Now that I live in South Florida, we have no deciduous trees (at least I don't), so that's a chore I never have to do again! However, I'm not completely off the yard-work hook; we have crab grass that could reach out and strangle you, so every other weekend I do hard time in our flower beds.
The next time I'm doing yard work, I'll cheer myself with thoughts of our fellow bloggers' apple braid and cranberry crunch bars! Thanks for the mention :)
Ah, the power of food. A true foodie can be soothed by just the mere thought of baking.
By the way, I had to look up the word anodyne after reading the blog. A new word for me.
Thanks for the great blog and keeping it not only real.....but keeping us literate.
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