Watch that backdraft, or you'll be sorry...

Autumn has arrived, with winter waiting a bit too impatiently in the wings. The change of weather has ended our late summer warmth, and has many pondering and preparing for the cold weather that lies ahead.

Soon, many will be raking leaves, an autumnal ritual that can be a joy or a drudge, depending on your outlook and how much help you have.

My two trees are about 10 years old, and the leaves that fall are easily handled by my lawnmower. It is not a huge deal.

My last home had two huge maple trees that must have been 50 years old, and as a child growing up our house had an ancient linden, three black walnut and several elm trees.

I have known the drudge and the joy of raking leaves.

There are several schools of thought when it comes to dealing with the leaves. Some attack as soon as the first leaves fall, keeping the yard as green as long as possible. Others like to wait until many of the leaves have fallen before raking up the leaves, choosing to have all of their work (or fun) at once.

Did I say fun?

Yes, raking leaves can be fun. What, were you never a kid?

Even with the heavy garden rakes, it was fun to gather the leaves into small piles, then larger piles until the piles became a wave of color, heaping higher and higher until you came to the street or the area where the fire could safely be conducted.

The smell of burning leaves is pleasant to me and evokes many fond memories of fall afternoons where we may have started raking leaves, but ended up making a huge mound that we would take turns running and diving into, like the cushion a pole vaulter lands on after a vault. Of course, the pile had to be the right depth and as free of twigs, sticks and black walnuts as possible. Those walnuts can leave a mark if you land on them...

After we had worked up a sweat and worn out the fun of running and jumping into piles of leaves, it was time to spread out the mound into a windrow that could be set ablaze. Making yourself aware of your surroundings and the direction of any breeze is crucial before lighting the first match. You had to be sure you wouldn't set the yard, a tree, the house or garage on fire or that the smoke from the fire would drift into the house or -- worse yet -- into the windows of the grumpy old lady two doors down.

It's a shame that we have to send our leaves with the rest of our yard waste. Learning how to properly burn leaves taught me a healthy respect for fire, as well as what to do when the wind picks up or changes direction. It also taught me that you needed to stay until the job was finished, even if that meant staying out past dark.

Burning leaves in the dark is a wondrous experience. In addition to the eerie light the fire casts, it also generates heat, so you stay warm, if not hot while working the fireline. It also makes it easier to see where the fire is still active, though harder to keep turning the leaves to maintain and speed the burn.

I suppose I imagined myself a forest ranger of sorts, doing a controlled burn to help the local tree population. Hey, I was a child of the 1960s, we bought that Smokey Bear business hook, line and sinker.

Don't even get me started on the "should there be a 'the' in Smokey's name" debate...

I'm glad I had the chance to enjoy raking and burning leaves. I had some fun with my daughters as well. So when you are faced with this annual chore, try to make it fun.

Because it sure can be.

As always, I welcome your comments. You can reach me by email at tstangl@lemarscomm.net, telephone 712-546-7031, x40 or toll free 1-800-728-0066 x40.

Thanks for reading, I'll keep in touch. Feel free to do the same.