Seasonal Sloth

It has become a time of frolicsome squirrels enjoying their play about the yard—it looks as though they've even gotten used to the mulberry tree having been denuded and truncated so suddenly—and I find myself enjoying the mild autumn as much as they do. I have left all the walnut and oak leaves lying in the back yard for almost a week now, and the lawn has vanished. I don't care. I know I'll have to free the lawn of its burden eventually, lest it die from lack of sunlight, but I've decided that the lawn can wait a while. I like the way the leaves look in their great, unbroken mass, like some rumpled brown carpet.

I also know that the squirrels will be greatly distressed when I finally do remove the leaves, as they've been stashing some of their store of nuts under them. They'll have a busy day collecting those nuts and re-concealing them when I do get around to raking. But I think I'll wait until the day before the next rain is forecast. I don't want to have to rake smelly, rotting, wet leaves, but I would like to put the raking off as long as possible.


Oh, the head yanking went well again. With care, I ought to have a couple of good weeks before my neck starts feeling put upon again. It would be longer if my head weighed less, I suppose, but I'm not anxious to have my brain shrink. I've forgotten enough stuff as is.