But look how green the grass is.

Pat , the boys and I were taking our daily constitutional. we started in twilight knowing that it would be dark before we got back home. Maybe it's because I'm an ex-pat flatlander and still, even after five years, have not become whatever people from Ohio are called, but what is the deal about leaf blowing in the dark? All the way back home, in the dark, there were people leaf blowing. I don't think the homeowners association will bang on our door if we leave leaves on the grass? I should check with the yard police.

There is a beauty at this time of year right before the temperature turns cold. The yard has a golden glow to it. There are still a few flowers still holding out and look how green the grass still is.

So I was driving on the shoreway looking at the grey expanse of Lake Erie reaching out to the greyer expanse of the sky, humming a Tom Waits tune about St Christopher, and thinking that winter is going to be interesting. I have to drive by the Lake twice a day and the Plain Dealer just had a story about how lake effect snow can drop 5 feet in a day. Makes you want to sing Oh Canada.
It's raining today. It rained yesterday, and it's going to rain tomorrow. Autumn in Cleveland is drab and dreary. Overcast and rain followed with overcast and snow. Top this off with the Browns losing to the Steelers again (and again) and the Illini beating Ohio State and you might think that the Apocalypse is upon us. You don't have to fear, the Cubs didn't make the World Series, so the Apocalypse is nowhere near. Besides, all the wailing and gnashing of teeth from the OSU fans is pretty funny.
But wait, there are still flowers in the Grobles' back yard. I don't know if it's the tons of sweet peat we put on the flowers, the scary face guarding the house or just luck. It doesn't matter, the flowers are still here.
Pat did a fantastic job of diagraming the back yard. We're going to use it for planning. Katie and Sean want to get married in our back yard this summer. Is that cool or what! Actually, it is very very very cool and awfully humbling. Well we can use this map to figure out how much gravel it'll take to get rid of all the grass. Or we can use it to figure out seating.

Allright, so fall is here.

It was 37 degrees last night and Pat and I are starting to think that we might need to turn on the furnace sooner then we wanted. I know we got loads of wood, but this ain't camp. Besides, the boys are dragging old blankets out to stay warm. So fall is here. If it wasn't the temperature, a sure fired clue are the neighbors who wake you up at the way too early, on Saturday and Sunday mornings to blow leaves. Nothing like the sound of industrial vacuum cleaners to brighten your morning. I don't get the leaf blowing. It seems to be a guy thing that I'm not part of. See, after you blow the leaves into piles which you carry out to the street, you get to mow the grass. I just mulch the leaves when I mow the lawn. Another sign of fall is the sun, or lack thereof. We are entering that time of the year when the weather pattern is overcast and wet followed by cold and rainy. You mow whenever the sun is out, because you may not see it again for a week or so. There are a few flowers still hanging on and some still blooming. It's only a matter of time till the first killing frost. Till there is snow on the patio furnature, Pat and I are going to hang out and enjoy the garden.

Can't stop fall

Even though the leaves are falling, there are plants that are still going strong. The turtle head, day liles, and impatiens still think its summer. The mix of color from the flowers, fall leaves and greens is wonderful. Pat planted mums today. We will cover them with leaves, after the first frost, in the hope that they winter over. The potato vines, hostas and turf grass shout out to you. It's as if they know that a killing frost is in the wind. They want their last burst of color. We took all the solar lights out of the back yard because they just don't get enough light anymore. When we see Orion out the front door at night , you know winters coming.

We are the odd house in the neighborhood every fall. What is with raking leaves? I mean you can't set fire to the piles anymore, what with kids getting hit by cars and all. The neighbors spend hours raking leaves so the city can pick them up. Maybe it's the same mindset that insists on washing your car in the driveway every couple of days. I don't know. Well, none the less, we mow our leaves. No sense paying for sweet peat if we don't mulch the leaves. The only raking we'll do is to direct the leaves where we want them.