We have in our front yard a giant chestnut tree that arches over both the driveway and our electric lines running from the street to the house. Its branches are big enough that we can hang a hammock between them. I discovered the joys of chestnuts the first week, playing frisbee barefoot with my brother in the front yard -- and neither of us came out unscathed. We both had chestnut spikes lodged in our fingers, palms, and the soles of our feet for at least a week afterward.
With the changing of the seasons they have started to drop. If I'm outside when it happens I can hear it -- an ominous THUD you know would hurt if you were standing under it. My mom has taken to spending most of her free time picking up the nuts, at first still encased in spiny shells, then the cascara splits and the dark, shiny nuts scatter all over the yard, leaving shell fragments behind. She'll take a reinforced trash bag outside in her leather yardwork gloves, and fill it to the top with the spiky slivers; then she'll fill an H&M bag to the top with nuts, leave enough for the squirrels, and take them inside to roast on the stovetop.
15 minutes later, she walks outside and again the entire yard is as full of fallen chestnuts as it was when she'd started the project an hour before.
And the other tree hasn't even started to drop yet.
***
The change of seasons is a good time to do something new. Waking up early, layering up to go for an autumn morning run on Saturday felt so incredibly exhilarating, and I felt a sudden change of air -- like if I was going to start a new section of my life there could be no better time to start. If I was going to change my attitude, or my wardrobe, or my outlook. You know. It's cheesy, but you know how I love cliches. They've been said too many times because they're true.
I'm going to get a gym membership, and actually go, running, swimming, Zumba-ing... I'm going to be the youth leader at church, for an incredible group of kids (some of them only 2 years younger than me, haha) who have such energy and warmth and richness that I'm blown away by their spirit. We're starting to fundraise for the tri-annual youth gathering in New Orleans next July. (Is this why I decided to take on the task? For NOLA? ...That had nothing to do with it.)
(Ha.)
But really, I am excited to work with them in general. I think we'll be really good for each other.
I'm finding my DE-legs :)
With the changing of the seasons they have started to drop. If I'm outside when it happens I can hear it -- an ominous THUD you know would hurt if you were standing under it. My mom has taken to spending most of her free time picking up the nuts, at first still encased in spiny shells, then the cascara splits and the dark, shiny nuts scatter all over the yard, leaving shell fragments behind. She'll take a reinforced trash bag outside in her leather yardwork gloves, and fill it to the top with the spiky slivers; then she'll fill an H&M bag to the top with nuts, leave enough for the squirrels, and take them inside to roast on the stovetop.
15 minutes later, she walks outside and again the entire yard is as full of fallen chestnuts as it was when she'd started the project an hour before.
And the other tree hasn't even started to drop yet.
***
The change of seasons is a good time to do something new. Waking up early, layering up to go for an autumn morning run on Saturday felt so incredibly exhilarating, and I felt a sudden change of air -- like if I was going to start a new section of my life there could be no better time to start. If I was going to change my attitude, or my wardrobe, or my outlook. You know. It's cheesy, but you know how I love cliches. They've been said too many times because they're true.
I'm going to get a gym membership, and actually go, running, swimming, Zumba-ing... I'm going to be the youth leader at church, for an incredible group of kids (some of them only 2 years younger than me, haha) who have such energy and warmth and richness that I'm blown away by their spirit. We're starting to fundraise for the tri-annual youth gathering in New Orleans next July. (Is this why I decided to take on the task? For NOLA? ...That had nothing to do with it.)
(Ha.)
But really, I am excited to work with them in general. I think we'll be really good for each other.
I'm finding my DE-legs :)
harvestime
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