Of course, a big pile just happened to appear and Evie got to experience the joys of leaf jumping for the he first time

Now, I haven’t raked leaves for probably over 30 years. Never had to do it on the west coast, and last year we had a lawn service at the rental. So I have to say it was a joy to smell the musty odor of fallen leaves under a brilliant blue sky and temps that encouraged short sleeve shirts and a bit of sweating if you raked too hard.

Evie’s enjoyment of the big pile and her willingness to help just brought even more joy to my soul. Then, just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, we had two other kids join us. It was a delight to have kids over at our house running, jumping, hiding, throwing and sometimes raking the leaves.

Noah, a boy from across the street, was just walking with his mom when I invited him to come over and play with the girls. He was a bit shy at first, but then warmed up and gave us his best Batman impression as he dove into the pile. The bonus was that his mom was going to the airport the same time I was today.

That is why I love our neighborhood. Rake some leaves, throw a leaf party, get a ride to the airport. All spontaneous and driven by our neighborhood’s connectedness and sidewalks.

Life is good.