Frazz by Jef Mallett for November 03, 2021

Be happy that it’s not you raking them

There is no accounting for opinions.

Ah. I have a different system: We own 7 garbage cans. One is for garbage. The transfer station is open from 10 until 2 on Sundays (it’s a volunteer operation). On a good Sunday, I can get three round trips in. But mostly, I use that 6 can limit to my advantage by limiting my chore time to the number of cans I have to fill.

It can be fun to add a little competition (or challenge) to an activity. Here, it could also be – how high a pile of leaves can I make? How about, how well can I mow/mulch these leaves to use as few bags as possible? Or how long will it be before I have to rake again?

I mow my leaves. The neighbor practically vacuums his lawn.

Mine are still sitting there.

So we’re on another solo run through the leaves thing. What’s happened to Mrs. Olsen, Mr. Harris, and Mr. Spaetzle? Don’t they have foliage problems?

I like the sound leaves make when I mow them.

What’s more ridiculous than stuffing leaves in a plastic bag?

Hundreds of them if you just go one leaf per bag.

Some people do find mindless chores to be relaxing, and get a sense of satisfaction when the chore is done. But when are leaves ever really done?

So raking leaves relaxes him, and in the process he pays attention to the numbers. That’s an “Oh, no, he’s THAT sort of person!?!?” response.

How is it ANY different from the exercise our humble janitor constantly extolls, or the finishing times and positions he gets at the end of them?

Prior to a tornado in 2011 we had 6 maples & a crabapple tree in the backyard and a dogwood & another maple (the only tree still standing) in the front. When we first moved here in the 90s my husband decided to use a skill that the army had taught him-how to pack a duffel bag. The man packed ALL!! of the leaves from 9 trees into 2 bags. The trash guys were ticked. What should have weighed a few pounds were actually over 50 apiece. Yeah-he wasn’t allowed to do that again.