Leaf Therapy

By Troy Bishopp

There may be a bright, “red an orangey” spot to climate change.  You might have longer to enjoy the colors of fall—drinking your pumpkin-spice latte or ale.  From Speculator to the Susquehanna, a leaf-peeping adventure still has a lot to offer for an emotional release and connection to nature. 

Naturalist Hal Borland said, “Two sounds of autumn are unmistakable…the hurrying rustle of crisp leaves blown along the street…by a gusty wind, and the gabble of a flock of migrating geese.”  I would include the sound of grandchildren’s laughter as an appendix.

Around our neighborhood is the familiar hum of leaf-mulching lawnmowers carrying retirees keeping ahead of the leaf drop.  The quest for neatness is a valuable practice as it makes tiny, organically-rich particles to feed the soil and protect the lawn from the harshness of old man winter.  But there’s trouble in leaf manicuring.  It hurts the best part of fall—-Jumping in a pile of leaves.

Medical experts say raking leaves into humongous piles is a healthy, dynamic cardiovascular activity filled with copious amounts of fresh air and vitamin D enriching sunshine.  Then there’s the jumping, laughing and re-raking which boost metabolism and positive Covid-fighting endorphins.  Lovable Snoopy says, “True happiness is a pile of leaves”.

Besides raking into big piles or raking onto a tarp and skimming the leaf-loot to a predetermined spot for jumping, we’ve also loaded the leaves on a trailer and hauled them to the garden, making a Lake Placid-like Mountain of compostable cushions.  We welcome others to drop off their “full leaves” at the farm and maybe go for a little jump.  I can certainly attest to the lure of jumping on a warm October Day, with perhaps, a short, cozy, leaf nap for the laborers.

The best time is watching your children, grandchildren and dogs fly through the air and get lost in the pile and play hide and seek with you.  Laughter abounds.  With phone technology, you can capture and create epic jumping footage and pay homage to the leaf-raker’s hard work.  I submit to you; memories are basically what a good Nonna and Pop Pop rake for.  Everyone could use some leaf therapy this fall, so grab the rake or leaf-blower and get piling.

Published in Country Folks