The Glow of October

Ah, what a glorious October day it is!

With only four days of my favorite month left, there won’t be too many more days like this one. Why does it seem that the things we love most are so short-lived? Perhaps so we appreciate them more.

My house is filled with that orange glow I tell you about every October. Although I have to admit, it’s not quite as vibrant as usual. For some reason, the huge sugar maple in the center of the front yard lost many of its leaves before it had a chance to reach peak orangeness (my word).

At any rate, we didn’t get to see the towering tree in all its orangey splendor because most of it is now covering my front yard in the form of ankle-deep wet leaves. But we get the orange glow nonetheless. And it’s a spirit-lifter! When I open my eyes each morning and am welcomed by that intense glow, I don’t even mind getting up. But my happiness level drops at least ten points on the cheer meter when Mr. H. decides it’s time to rake the leaves.

It takes him two days to get the job done. First, he rakes them into several large piles, eliciting in me an impish kid who yearns to take a running leap and land right in the middle of each pile – but the adult who knows that Mr. H. wouldn’t be too happy about that, bites her lip and refrains from such a frivolous act.

Once there are a half-dozen or more huge heaps around the yard, he’s usually very tired and decides to finish the job the next day. He quits and goes into the house hoping it won’t rain during the night. But I always say, “Wouldn’t it be nice if a huge wind came up and blew them all away before morning?”

He laughingly agrees, but it never happens.

He finishes the job the next day by gathering up the leaves, putting them into trash cans and throwing them into a large ravine not far from our house. He’s happy the job is finished for another year.

But I'll be longing for the glow of October until it comes again!

  





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