Turning Over an Old Leaf

You know, about 6 or 8 months ago I wrote a blog about tree envy.  Everyone had a tree in their yard but me.  That is still true as buying a tree has been low on my list of priorities.  Now its fall and I had just watched a football game played back in my home state of Michigan where it was cold and rainy as opposed to Nebraska where it is generally a little warmer.  I mentioned at the time to my wife that I didn’t miss Michigan all that much.  She told me that I would if I thought about it.  You know something?  I married a pretty smart lady.  So I was sitting at the computer today paying bills as I seem averse to using the mail to do so and I looked out the window.  There were all the neighbors with their “One tree in every yard.”  We are a week into October and nearly all the leaves are still green.  Perhaps I should be thankful for that but one of my favorite times of year is fall when the leaves change.  I’m not talking about a tree here or there planted to prove they still exist, but rather woods full of trees where, if you look long enough, a deer will appear as if by magic and sprint away.  I love Nebraska but my wife was right.  Right now I DO miss Michigan.  When I would have a day off with the family we would drive a little way north of our house and marvel at all the colors.  We would stop for lunch and the children would try to find the prettiest leaves.  It was a tradition started by my mother who would take me for walks in the woods to find the loveliest leaves and then press them in books to keep.  By this time of year the Lower Peninsula in Michigan is awash in an ocean of fire orange, sunset yellow, mint green, McIntosh red and fawn brown.  It is a sight to behold.  We would rake the backyard and once the piles were big enough, the kids would jump in with the dog and play “Leaf Monster”. Then we would rake them up and do it again.  When all the leaves were down and raked we would take them and any loose sticks and burn them in the fire pit.  Some people hate it but I find the smell of burning leaves wonderful.  Michigan by no means has a monopoly on this painting by nature.  I worked in Canandaigua, NY one fall (also called the Finger Lakes Region) and the tress were a spectacle to behold.  I was staying in an extended stay hotel and would just sit on my balcony watching the leaves in the autumn sunset.  Writers and painters live for moments such as those.  The majesty of the event cannot be overstated.  Yet I have been told by colleagues in New England that you have not lived until you’ve witnessed the leaves change there.  They are said to have bus tours that take you through the region during the height of the season.  That would be heaven to me (along with the obligatory trip to Ben and Jerry’s in Vermont.)  Many will read this blog and think, “The guy’s excited about dying leaves?”  Maybe it’s the Michigander in me.  Maybe it was the walks with Mom.  Maybe you just see a piece of natural art and think, “Now that’s impressive.”  Whatever the reason, the few scant green trees here make me long for the days of rustling through the fallen leaves in the woods.