Light Hearted

The crisp air, beautiful foliage, and pumpkin-flavored everything make fall seem like a magical time of year. Social media fills up with idyllic photos of hay rides, apple picking, and mugs of hot cocoa. But while parts of fall live up to the picturesque hype, the season also has its share of hassles and chores.

One major downside of fall is the chore of cleaning up fallen leaves. Yards with lots of mature trees can require hours of raking, bagging, and hauling away leaves on multiple weekends. It’s a repetitive, back-straining task, and the leaves always seem to reappear no matter how many times you clear them. Giant piles of leaves can also clog gutters and create a damp mess.

Cleaning up fallen leaves, for instance, is like trying to win a never-ending game of hide-and-seek with Mother Nature. Your yard becomes a battleground where you wage war against leaves armed with nothing more than a rake, a garbage bag, and a lot of questionable motivational self-talk. You clear them away, you high-five yourself, and then you turn around to find those pesky leaves have already regrouped and are plotting a comeback. It’s like an ongoing leaf insurgency, and you’re the unfortunate leaf dictator.

In addition to leaves, fall means it’s time to prep your home and garden for colder weather. This often involves draining garden hoses, weatherizing outdoor faucets, cleaning the gutters (again!), bringing in outdoor furniture, and transitioning flower gardens and veggie patches to their winter state. These tasks require time and elbow grease.

With kids back in school, fall weekends could be spent relaxing or pursuing hobbies. Yet often they must be devoted to seasonal chores. It’s easy to daydream about the colorful fall scenery when you’re stuck scooping soggy leaves out of rain gutters.

Preparing for the leaf onslaught and winter prep takes planning and diligence. Here are some tips:

• Use tarps and mesh covers to keep leaves out of gutters in the first place
• Mulch leaves into the lawn with a mower rather than bagging them
• Invest in a leaf blower or vacuum to make quick work of leaf piles
• Schedule a lawn care service to handle the leaves for you
• Tackle weatherizing tasks in stages instead of all at once

And remember, you can involve the family too – after all, misery loves company. Delegate some chores, and turn it into a leafy family bonding experience. Who knows, you might just stumble upon the long-lost art of actually enjoying yard work together.

While parts of fall are postcard-worthy, in reality the season also ushers in back-breaking work. But with some advance planning, you can minimize the fall chores crunch and focus more on the hot ciders and hay rides that make autumn magical. Don’t let the leaves get you down!