Time to Say Goodbye to the Leaves

As much as I love fall and all the trees with their beautiful red and yellow leaves, it’s about time for the leaf piles to disappear. With trick-or-treaters soon to be out, wouldn’t it be nice to wave a wand that would miraculously swoosh up all your leaves and clear a safe walkway to your house?

I’m sorry that I don’t have any connection to such a magical wand, but I am familiar with the good ‘ole rake and how it can help get the job done. A leaf blower is also a tremendous help, and what about hiring a local teenager to do the job and maybe save you a little time and possible back strain?

While leaves left on your property can be unsafe, they also tend to make a house look neglected and unkempt. Those once beautiful leaves look messy when they break down, and left on your lawn will encourage fungal growth. Fallen leaves also clog gutters and downspouts, which inevitably leads to a drain problem with all the rain we get.

We’re fortunate to have a Waste Management Service that offers yard and food waste bins that we can fill with fallen leaves and other appropriate debris. Now that grass clippings are minimal, there’s more room in the bin for leaves! It’s also a good time to cut back or remove dead plants from flower and vegetable gardens, and clean up stray branches and twigs.

As a Realtor going in and out of houses, I’ve learned how important it is to clean up our yards this time of year. We all know that beautiful yards don’t just happen; we have to do our part in the fall to make them beautiful next summer. I’m also thankful, just like the trick-or-treaters, to have all wet and slippery road hazards removed!