Raking leaves and stuffing them in plastic bags

Every year lately, I've had to wait for the pin oak in my yard to drop its leaves before I could do a proper job of raking up the season's fallen leaves. Every year the pin oak refuses to give up its treasures until sometime mid-winter. I usually give up my wait until about this time of year after most of my neighbors have vacuumed up their leaves, or had someone do it for them. Today I began the lengthy process of raking, bagging, and toting off to the leaf recycle center on Pleasant Avenue. I guess I'm still very much old school.

This is about half of the bags I filled in the front yard. The other half were already loaded and set to go to the leaf recyclers. Interestingly, when I got to the recyclers, they were closed for the day. Tuesdays and Thursdays apparently serve as weekends for them. The bags below are still adorning my front lawn.

I went for a walk to see how the Halloween decorations are faring this year. There are always a few houses where the owners go out of their way to make the holiday interesting and maybe a little bit scary for the little tykes who come around making threats for candy. I took some photos of a few.

Here is one of the more elaborately decorated houses in this part of St Paul. It's political season, so the lawn signs mix in with the ghouls.

Another house, not far away, decorated to scare the trick or treat set.  This one was apolitical.  (They still have leaves to rake!).