Did I mention to you all that I LOVE the FALL?? Its the colors of the leaves, the slight chill in the air that calls for bonfires in the evenings, and the way that the earth gives up her bounty to harvest. But, most of all...I love to rake the leaves into piles and jump in them!!! Here are a few pics of the kids enjoying that very same pastime!
I can recall as a child, the monotonous chore of having ENDLESS leaves in our yard. We lived on the edge of the woods back then too, but for some reason, I think trees had more leaves then or something! My brother and I would be forced to work in the yard many a glorious fall day, none other than raking leaves. So...naturally, we would turn it into a game. I can recall one day in particular that we had been raking forever, and we were trying to devise a way that would make our work lighter. Our chore consisted of raking the leaves into piles, and then stuffing them into a large rubbermaid trashcan until it was bursting at the seams. Then we proceeded to drag the heavy thing all the way back to our back yard far enough into the woods "that my mom couldn't see it". It was torture... I hated it, and it took waaaaaay too long. (A four-wheeler may have been useful here) So, my mind being crafty as is was devised a fabulous plan that included our family dog "Cisco" who was at the time a VERY unruly and strong german shepard. He was technically still a puppy, with a TON of energy to burn....I figured why not harness it?? (Literally) You can see where this is going I'm sure....(Hey the Amish people do it) So I smartly harnessed up ol Cisco, who was clueless by the way, to our brimming trash can. All the while I had visions of myself being just like a sled dog leader, getting ready for his mission. I was giddy with anticipation, and my inginuity. That's where the dream ends. I have no idea why I thought that as soon as I let go of the leash that he would follow me no problem, but that is far from what REALLY happened. As soon as I let go of it, Cisco moved only a foot or so, but then realized that the trash can behind him was actually ATTACHED to him. This did not bode well. All of a sudden he took off like a bullet (I swear that dog must have had some greyhound in him or something) and headed for the back yard, but no sooner had I started to chase him, he had already lapped my brother and I and come around the house again, trailing the huge heavy trash can behind him. Suddenly, the trash can hit some of the large rocks that we had in our flower garden and it pole vaulted it into the air. I felt like I was watching the whole thing in slo mo.....the lid came off and a shower of leaves went everywhere. But that is not where the dog stopped, no, he kept going. This time running towards are large above ground pool and starting sprinting laps around that thing. The whole time, laying a trail of leaves that were spilling out of the now open trash can. Eventually the dog ran out of steam, and we managed to catch him. His eyes were wide, and I was sure he was going to have a heart attack. But for some reason, my brother and I could not contain ourselves after the initial shock wore off, and I think I might have peed my pants that day laughing so hard. (I know you are thinking poor dog, but he managed to survive our antics LOooong after that ordeal and reasonably unscathed might I add. I dont even think he had an aversion to trash cans after that...lol) Unfortunately my Mom did eventually find out....I can't remember if I told her thinking she would laugh about it, or if my brother leaked the info...but I ended up being grounded for my stunt. And I was forced to rake the leaves up that the dog had drug out all over the yard.......The moral of the tale? Don't get caught next time.
