Leaf piles

To make the chore of leaf-raking in the fall more interesting, I try to pile my leaves artistically. This also has the advantage of taking up less space on the street until the city picks them up. It is not easy to put them in a high pile in such a way that they don't fall over or blow away. To accomplish this, I cram them into a garbage can, so that they become compacted, and then compact them more as I place them on the pile. No leaf-blowers or vacuumers for me. It is also helpful that they be somewhat wet when I rake them. I have been doing this for about 18 years. This photo, taken in November 2003, is one of my best ever. It is 5 1/2 feet high. My 2007 pile was just about as good. Here is one of my 2009 piles, the third of the season. This pile, on December 3, 2011, was over 6 feet high. It toppled after several hours, but was still impressive even after that. Although we removed our largest maple tree, I can still get a good pile in 2013. In 2017, the leaves were very late to fall. This pile was created Dec 18-20. See the Christmas lights in the windows. My leaf pile fans like to be assured that I am still at it, so here is the 2018 pile. Still at it in 2020.