It’s the time of year for...

Cleaning the gutters today was complicated because the gunk was frozen in some places. The bird bath was also frozen although, until late yesterday, the overnight temperatures weren’t forecast to drop below freezing. The bird bath heater is now plugged in. Gutters and roof are cleared of gunk, pine needles, acorns, and leaves. More leaves and needles will fall this year, but next spring’s snow melt should flow reasonably well. At least that’s the hope.

ice covered bird bath

Photo by J. Harrington

Before his arrival, I climbed a ladder repeatedly to clean the gutter-gunk. The Son-In-Law then did the part that involved walking around on the roofs with an electric leaf blower. As an element of my mostly unsuccessful attempts to age gracefully, I had acceded to the wishes of the Better Half and the Daughter Person to "stay off the roof and act my age," although their concepts of age-appropriate behavior don’t match mine. In any event, everyone  is safely back on the ground. Tomorrow, weather permitting, I’ll bag and mulch the leaves covering the front and back yards and then debate whether to celebrate Halloween with a fire in the fire pit, again, weather permitting.

fitting for All Hallow’s Eve?

Photo by J. Harrington

In case you missed the announcement, Folk Alley has a Scream Stream playlist for your listening pleasure this weekend. I offer the link as further evidence of my contention that one is only as old as one acts. See what I mean about a lack of success at aging gracefully?

Written in a Carefree Mood

- Lu Yu

Old man pushing seventy,
in truth he acts like a little boy,
whooping with delight when he spies some mountain fruits,
laughing with joy, tagging after village mummers;
with the others having fun stacking tiles to make a pagoda,
standing alone staring at his image in a jardiniere pool.
Tucked under his arm, a battered book to read,
just like the time he first set off for school.

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