Fall-Colored Leaves – ♫♪ These Are A Few of My Favorite Things ♪♫

I know, I know.  The sight of these gorgeous things just makes me want to break out in song as well—but I’m no Julie Andrews, so I’ll just zip it.

Just over 18 years ago we started building this home and on March 9th we moved in.  One of the first things on my agenda after unpacking,  (which took roughly 5 1/2 months longer than I expected), was to plant trees with beautiful fall-colored leaves.  These maples got a little bigger than I anticipated back then, but I can hardly wait for fall each year because of them.  Besides, raking up their bounteous leaves gives the boys something worthwhile to do in their spare time.

We have four different varieties of maples scattered around the front and back yards, and they all bring on their fall colors at different  times.  The Japanese Maple in the background here is just losing most of its leaves, but is always the first one to light up at the end of August with brilliant shades of coral, pink, orange and yellow.

Darren surprised me one afternoon when he came home from work and told me the exact name of these red maples in the front yard.  After 18 years, I couldn’t remember  their official names.  I just call them Fred.

 

Speaking of Darren -- I’m homesick for this guy as well.  I’m sticking his picture in here because it makes me smile, and after 5 days of this miserable stinkin’ flu with no end in sight, my Smiler needs a little start up.

So to be perfectly honest, I’ll take raindrops on my red leaves and pine needles over your roses any day.  And you can just keep your whiskers on your kittens as well.