leaves

our gardens have been covered in a beautiful multi-colored blanket.
the leaves seem to have come down all at once this week.
which is perfect timing for a weekend of leaf mulching i had planned.
unlike the rest of my neighbors you will not find me raking the leaves into the street
for the borough to take away.
you will find me however raking the leaves into piles from my own garden.
as well as stealing leaves from my neighbor's lawns and gathering them into huge piles to mow over and shred.
i then will spread the shredded leaves throughout our gardens as a mulch.
eventually the leaves break down and make a beautiful rich soil attracting worms and all sorts of micro-organisms.
i also throw a bunch of leaves in the chicken run.
the hens love to scratch away at them.
and the mixture of the broken down leaves and their manure makes an excellent compost.
but of course we save a big ole pile for some romping, throwing, and jumping in.
what fun would autumn be without leaves.