our big tree--phfr

 The leaves are really glorious this year. We happened to go out to say goodbye to someone and on the way back up the walk got caught by needing to make a pile of leaves.

 At first it was only a matter of throwing them up in the air as impressively as possible.

 Even the baby finally figured it out.

 Then I made the mistake of trying to get them all to face me.

 Nobody could seem to get it together, least of all me.

 Least of all the baby.

 Are they all sort of looking at me? Almost.

 And then its gone.

 But I still didn't have the sense to cheese it.

 Fatty Lumpkin

 Romulus, big enough to wear this nice shirt that I always liked so much.

 Elphine who has lately been insisting on wearing this sort of Amish/Mennonite get up. I'm all for modesty, Believe Me, but this was not my idea. She is very well satisfied with herself.

 Alouicious.

 Gladys

 Nobody will hold still. So irritating.

Marigold

 Somebody told Fatty Lumpkin not to take leaves out of the pile but rather to put them in and she took grave offense. It wasn't me, though. Don't blame me.

 And then a final  moment of throwing leaves.

 And falling down in them.

 And then Elphine had a melt down where she wanted to build back up the pile and not only would no one help her but it seemed they were deliberately taking leaves out of her pile to through in the air.

 She became more and more angry and hysterical and shrieking until...

 I ended all the joy by announcing we had to go in. Then everybody was mad.

No amount of promising that maybe we could come out again because, if you notice, most of the leaves are still on the tree and its possible they'll fall and there will be even more leaves on the ground, would console those who had been enjoying themselves So Much. That's autumn--so beautiful, so short, so tragic.
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