Leaves

I love autumn because it's not so wretchedly hot anymore, because everything smells better, because the trees are goregous. I like to do yard work, too, so even though we have more than a dozen giant, ancient trees on our little plot of land, I can only complain so much about leaf cleanup.
The thing about having a big yard is, though, that nobody wants to rake all the leaves to one place. We left most of them beside the creek, put some in our bonfire pit, and the rest we decided to burn behind the house. In defense of burning, I say this, by the way: I shop green, eat organic, buy local, reuse, recycle, compost, make my own beer and bread, grow my own vegetables, and buy my raw milk, free range eggs and certified organic meat from the farmers' co-op I work for. I do not, therefore, give a damn about that once or twice a year activity that slightly enlarges my carbon footprint. Screw it.
With a tiny bit of gasoline, a crotchety metal rake, and a lighter, I had a big, slow burning fire. My daughter is too young to be trusted near an open fire, so she was with grandma. This is where it gets better than good: I spent more than an hour alone outside in the chilly air stirring the fire, watching the thick smoke curl skyward. I put out some extra birdfeeders so we can see the birds from most windows of the house throughout the winter. I ran inside for black lentil curry and a beer, and came back to watch the fire some more. I watched a downy woodpecker and a red bellied woodpecker come to the suet feeder over and over again. Chickadees and female cardinals swooped around the seed feeders. Bluejays picked at the corn tied to a nearby lamp post. It was an hour of absolute joy and relaxation.
Chores like leaf cleanup are the best. There's instant gratification: there were piles of leaves here, and now there is a handful of ash. The colors and textures of fall inspire much of my work throughout the year, but especially now. That explains the twigs, leaves, and feathers.
Perhaps winter will help me move on to a new color scheme or technique. . . time will tell.