As the holidays are fast approaching and the last of the deciduous foliage stubbornly clings to branches with a Fall infused orange, brown and yellow colored spectrum beckoning change, the already mountainous backyard piles of tree clutter stand to gain a few feet in altitude. Much to the chagrin of blowers, rakers and weekend landscapers, the relentless transitional season threatens to obscure sidewalks and clog gutters with an array of ominously beautiful bi-products of Maples, Oaks, Birch, Elms and Birches. The playbook for guaranteed survival in nature is abundance, and we are all susceptible to the decadent life cycle of the plant world.
The monotonous and tedious cleanup task does not have to a pursuit in futility, as a few treasured specimens on the back lawn can be utilized as decorative place settings for holiday parties and family feasts. Some rare gems can even reach the heights of a world record as a Canadian man discovered while raking his property. Thanks to the apolitical obscure corners of YouTube, and the CTV News channel, the story of neighborhood pioneer who discovered an upper body sized hunk of Maple leaf measuring over 21 inches across is not part of the illustrious historical cache of the internet.
So when Autumn savagely rolls in next year, be thankful that roof tile sized plant matter is not littered throughout the yard, and amid the terrestrial seas and piles of color, there may exist a leaf for the ages.
