(Sunday Paper, Year IV, Issue 43)

It’s that time of year…

Halloween is this week.

There’s more of a chill in the air.

It’s getting darker sooner.

And there are leaves EVERYWHERE.

So why do I look like I’m enjoying myself picking up the leaves this year?

Because this year, I did something smart.

I’m embarrassed that it took me this long to figure out how to go about being a responsible yard cleaner.

Usually this time of year I’m scrambling to get the leaf collection bags (oh man, remember the ‘great leaf collection bag shortage of 2018?’) and coordinating my leaf cleanups to coincide with the town (oops, city) pickups…and usually despite all my efforts there are still one or two trees that aren’t done dropping leaves and I end up with a layer of leaves that are under the snow I shovel all winter long.

But this year…this year was different. After the spring collection I said, as I always do when I attempt to clean up the yard, “What am I supposed to do with this yard waste when there is no curbside pickup!?”

I thought, ‘What do all of these people constantly tinkering in their yard do with all of the weeds they pull up? All of the grass they mow and bag?’

And this year, instead of just wondering and then ignoring things for a while, I acted.

I dug into it deeper than usual and discovered that I could get a sticker for my car that would allow me to dump yard waste in a city yard waste dump site. (There is also dump access but I haven’t used that part yet. I will figure it out in time for next year when I have to clean out the garage.) (Also, to get the sticker I had to go down to the Department of Public Works, which was glorious. Just being in the presence of where the magic happens…breathtaking. I want to work there.)

So, I lose points for being negligent my first 15 years in Framingham and not getting the sticker…but I gain those points back this fall, because not only have I steadily removed waste from my yard since May, but if I don’t get every single last leaf off my property before it snows, I can bring an extra bag or two to the drop-off spot.

For example, depending on the weather today and whether I’ll be able to put together one more bag of leaves, I’ll be leaving four, at most five bags at the curb for Monday’s pickup. In the past this would feel like too few bags in the few weeks of leaf pickup. But this year, I have all……

Wait.

Actually I don’t know how long I have.

I need to look up how late in the season the yard waste dump site is open. I’d like to think I have until at least January but now I’m not so sure.

And don’t get me started on whether I want dirty yard waste bags in my new car…

…OK. It appears there are a few things I still need to work out.

Writing

*Been having trouble finding balance between the professional writing and the creative writing this week. (Amid everything else day-to-day.) As always, too much work is not a bad problem for me to have. But I do think there’s a shift in work on the horizon, so that might end up changing the creative/professional equation.

Comedy

*Again, no performing this week, but a lot of writing. I am itching to get to a mic - going to have to find the time this week.

And, boy, November 9 is coming up fast. That’s the next Comedy Night at Exhibit ‘A’ - and it’s one I’m so excited for. Kathe Farris is headlining and I think she’s so funny and I really want the place to be packed for her. It’ll be a good show start to finish, and you can get tickets at this link.

What I’ve Been Enjoying

*One of the coolest things about that piece of mine that ran on Narratively last week (if you haven’t see it yet, you can read it here) were the illustrations that accompanied it. This week I looked into the illustrator’s work a bit more. Franco Zacharzewski is his name, and here’s his website, and here’s his Instagram. I’ve enjoyed checking out his art - you might like it too. Give him a follow.

Thoughts on Dog Ownership

*I’m not here to brag, but on Saturday morning we completed Level 2 of our dog training class. Or, excuse me, I should say WE GRADUATED TO LEVEL 3 OF DOG TRAINING. The winter will be crazy schedule-wise, so I think we’re destined to spend the next few months practicing what we’ve learned, and then maybe try Level 3 once basketball season is over, at least. (And, let me stress, we have plenty to work on.)

Notes

*I don’t know if I just appreciate it more as I get older or if the colors are sharper or what but there has been some real beautiful foliage this year, and not even in exotic places. Just like, out my window and in the neighborhood.

*Speaking of foliage out my window - there’s a tree in my front yard that I couldn’t take a good enough picture of to do this justice…BUT it’s bright red right now. Last year it looked like it might be dying…I gave it some TLC this spring and I think I may have brought it back to life. It’s vivid. I’m proud of myself…I did a good job with the front and back yards this year. (Unless the vivacity of said tree is an indication that it is dying. In which case I take back everything I said.)

*I still think I’ve been doing a very good job with Twitter recently. You can follow me on Twitter here. The Facebook page has been….OK. I put a picture up this week. But, as I said last week, I appreciate all the new likes on the page. Tell your friends! They can Like it here.

*I should note that one of the prime reasons I am picking up leaves even though it is a bit of a Sysiphean (sp?) task at this time of year (within hours after I pick up the leaves the grass is covered in leaves again) is because if I don’t clear Tate’s bathroom spot of leaves she is very distracted by all the leaves and will forget to do her business. So I clear, she pees, it gets covered in leaves again, I clear, she pees….and so on.

*Usually this time of year I’m showing you the pumpkin I carved. I have no picture to show you yet because I haven’t carved (or purchased) a pumpkin yet. It might happen tonight - maybe I’ll throw it in next week’s Sunday Paper, the (gasp!) first one in November.