Here is tonight’s sunset, and the sunset Christmas day.

So, no more flower pr0n until the spring. In fact, as I type, Michael is outside raking dead leaves over my flower beds (and also bagging any remaining dead leaves. I have to say that this is one chore I don’t mind getting out of, being as I’m sick. I’m sure it’s good exercise and all, as well as good preparation for shoveling snow, but I don’t particularly like it. So I’m more than delighted to do the laundry and then take a nap.)

And as far as the leaves, it hardly seems fair that two trees could generate so many leaves.

Here is Michael raking the leaves from the silver maple over the flower beds at the bottom of the hill. There is a distinct, visible difference between the silver maple and sugar maple leaves. The silver maple leaves are crunched up, brown, and pathetic looking. The sugar maple’s leaves are yellowish brown and slightly curled.

Can you guess which tree I prefer?

Here is our side yard, which is dominated by the sugar maple. It dropped a lot of leaves. I’m guessing that after covering my flower beds Michael will probably have around ten bags to put out. (No, our area doesn’t have a special leaf pick up.)

And now for something completely different…

We had a beautiful sunset Tuesday night. Twas the start of a beautiful evening I must say.