Saturday, November 29, 2008

The Leaves Kept Falling (and blowing)

The month of October began our annual
Autumnal Leaf Fall.
I decided I was going to
Keep Up with the Leaves this year! ;-)

To that end, this is the "before" photo -
October 3, 2008
in our front yard.

And out comes the trusty Lawn Sweeper and Tarp!
One pass is impressive, is it not?
Dump the contents from the Lawn Sweeper to The Tarp.
Haul The Tarp to the ravine and dump its contents!
Need I say more?
(Did you hear that self-satisfied sigh?)
;-)

Here we are, on October 14, 2008, looking at part of the backyard
(east side of the house) from the north.
This flowerbed is...

... at the far right of this photo.

This is the bed behind the house
(I'm not moving these leaves!)


November 4, 2008.
A larger smattering of leaves has fallen.
I have definitely fallen....
Behind!


Bring out The Tarp
And the trusty Lawn Sweeper...After clean-up efforts, this is the backyard...
with a view from the back window!
I figured this, too, was time well spent.
:-)
Since then, there have been several other forays
into the yard, so let's bring out
Mr. Shredder!


Couple him with Sweeper and the Tarp... add a rake,
and we're definitely in business! :-)How can argue with This Team?
Hip Hip Hooray! lol.
Suffice it to say, I've been out there many times.

I was outdoors yesterday (November 28)
on one more "cleaning up!"
The yard looks wonderful.

Now that Thanksgiving is over...
Please Snow!

ha?

Nothing Shady here! :-)

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your shredder looks like a lot of fun. It must be hard to stop once you start turning everything into a fine mulch. Can you use it for small branches too?

Shady Gardener said...

Northern Shade, I wish it were a little more heavy duty. I've seen one lately that would take branches up to 1 1/2" diameter.

Mine employs thick plastic "Weed Whip" pieces that shred the leaves. It does make a great mulch, though!

Gail said...

All I have is a the rake and tarp! I must have a Lawn Sweeper! Does he pick up acorns?

Your yard looks terrific!

Gail

Lisa at Greenbow said...

Looks like a lot of work to me SG. The results are worth it though.

Shady Gardener said...

Hi Gail, the Lawn Sweeper is easy and fun! You can adjust the brushes from low to high, depending on the lay of the land. It does pick up acorns, but it's not reliable in picking them ALL up.

There are times when I have such an abundance of leaves that have blown against fences, etc., that it's still easier to rake a long pile, set the tarp next to it and rake the leaves onto the tarp.

You know, after cleaning up, you just want to admire it, don't you? ;-)

Lisa, It's work, but not as much as having to rake and pick up piles of leaves. But then, where we live creates more work than what you'd find in an average yard! ;-)

troutbirder said...

Seriously meticulous I would say. No guilt here though. I used to do the same. Now my retired attitude is the wind piled them up, the wind can take them away. Next spring will prove is this attitude is valid!

Mr. McGregor's Daughter said...

All those wonderful leaves to make wonderful leaf mold. Good job! What irks me are the trees that still have leaves on them that make me pull out the rake after I thought I was all done. And they aren't even my trees.

Shady Gardener said...

troutbirder, If these weren't Oak trees, I'd definitely let them go myself. However, they're good at piling and killing the grass if they are left lying there. (And it's hard enough to grow grass in some places!) ha.

MMD, Thanks for commiserating! ha! The good thing about the trees that hold their leaves is that there are fewer to rake in the Fall. Spring cleanup is a job to do, anyway... so when those other leaves fall, it's kind of timely. (I'd take your help any time, though!) :-)

Pat said...

Your Mr. Shredder is pretty cool.
Never seen anything like it.
Boy, I've got a lot to learn... :)
I sure see what you mean about shade...you have mucho !!

Will be doing a "Summer 2008 Inspiration" post for December this coming week. Do you want me to use your lily image with the post (of course I'll give credit to you for hosting this meme)or is the angel one I stuck on my side bar ok? Just let me know.

Thanks,
Patsi

Shady Gardener said...

Hi Patsi, Yep, we have lots of shade (now the front is much sunnier, though!) :-)

I like my "fall gardening contraptions!" They help a lot when it comes to cleaning up and making mulch (and an easier job of transporting the tarp).

I just checked out your angel image. I think I prefer the lily image... but can YOU do fancy writing on it? I cannot. Then I'll copy it from your site... is that okay??

Anonymous said...

Clean as a whistle! I'm impressed with your lawn sweeper. You certainly have an organized cleanup system in place... looks great! /Deb

Shady Gardener said...

Hi Deb, It's not without effort, but it provides Great exercise! :-)