My grandfather was a trucker. He told me of driving trucks with solid rubber tires, of hauling logs on roads in Maine, when he’d shift with both hands and steer with his knees, and of doing long-distance runs to Canada with an auto-transport truck (with my mother and grandmother enjoying the ride from the top car!) He always said that the most dangerous conditions weren’t ice or snow, but wet leaves. They’re treacherously slippery and you can’t see the edge of the road.
But, I love it when the leaves come down and narrow my already narrow street. When it rains, the tree trunks darken, providing a background that intensifies the remaining colors. Don’t worry, Pop Pop Charlie. I’m driving slowly and enjoying the ride.
In the UK it’s the seasonal joke with train commuters – delay caused by ‘leaves on the line’.
Here in East Anglia the autumn colour is just beginning to get underway – the Field Maples have turned a rich butter yellow and the Oaks are just on the turn from green to ochre.
Celia
“Ochre” is such a nicer word than “brown” :)
How beautiful. I live in North Devon, England which is also beautiful but not quite so dramatic in Autumn. My chicken run is covered in horse chestnut and apple leaves at the moment – not quite as dodgy for the chickens as when the conkers were falling! I would love to visit your area in the Fall and visit the quilting shops too. Louise
I always used to come up your way when I was younger to see the changing of the leaves. Oh it’s so beautiful. I miss doing that so much.
It dawned on me the other day as I let the hens out into “my yard” to run around that fallen leaves provide a sort of Disney World for the hens. They run from one spot of leaves to the other and scratch, scratch, look for bug, scratch, scratch, look for bug, move quickly to next patch of leaves and repeat. ;-)
Well, today strong winds are swirling masses of leaves around – I had the chickens out and they were in turn delighted with the confetti, and seeing shadows that scared them. They literally ran in circles. I guess they had their Halloween experience!
Leaves have been gone for awhile here in my part of SK. My chikens are living together for winter.