Tag Archives: Nature

December 13, 2025 · 5:46 PM

Work Smarter, Not Colder

The plan today was to do the final fallen leaf mowing of 2025. The leaves turned and fell very late this fall, so this facet of lawn maintenance has run deep into November and December. (Note: The garden also had an extended growing season, i.e., I ate the final tomato of the season today on my roast beef sandwich at lunch. That’s never happens.)

However, a cold front (a polar vortex if you listen to the weathermen) moved in, and it’s 20 degrees. Add to that a steady northeast wind and damp, humid air, and it’s not the most pleasant of days to work outside.

I’ve never been a person who shies away from cold weather. Hell, I’m usually in shorts and short-sleeve shirts until the temps consistently fall below the 40s. But as I’m firmly into my sixth decade of life, I don’t nearly enjoy the cold weather like I used to. Old man problems.

So, on this cold, dark, and damp Saturday morning, I began to prep for the task at hand when I stopped to look at the weather app on my phone. 23 degrees with a wind chill of 5. Cold.

Perhaps to delay my trip to the outdoors, I risked a look at the 10-day forecast. Guess what? The weather for next Saturday is partly cloudy and 50 degrees.

Boom!

The decision was quickly made. The Saturday plan rapidly shifted. The coat, the hat, and the gloves were put back into the closet. Those leaves on the ground are probably not going anywhere over the next seven days. Mowing and raking in 50 degree weather sounds much better than mowing and raking in single-digit wind chills.

With age comes wisdom, at least that’s what old men like me want to believe. Wisdom says, “Work smarter, not harder.” But today, I’m going with the wisdom of “Work smarter, not colder.”

Next Saturday, I might even get to wear shorts to mow the leaves. Win!

Your Choice

I snapped these photos of the neighborhood trees and one of our oak trees yesterday. It was a cool, overcast, and drizzly morning but the colors of the leaves popped. The same view this morning, with the bright November sunshine radiating the colors is also beautiful, but, in my opinion, not as striking.

Something hit me as I stood and looked down the street. The first thought that jumped out of my brain didn’t jive with the beauty before me.

What was that first thought?

I saw all those leaves in their various stages of color transformation and thought, “Man, I’m going to have to rake up all those SOBs soon.”

The other side of my brain quickly jumped in. “But, they’re so beautiful. Just take a few deep breaths and enjoy.” I took that advice.

Even standing in a cold drizzle couldn’t rob that moment of natural wonder. It made me wonder, though, why I would think such an initial negative reaction. Truthfully, it made me feel a little guilty. Why didn’t I just immediately go glass half full instead of starting glass half empty?

I was reminded of a chapter I’d recently read in Secrets of the Mind compilation from Scientific American on how our brains learn by processing information in interconnecting neural maps. The negative thoughts and experiences on raking leaves are neurally associated with leaves turning vibrant colors and falling to the ground.

I didn’t feel so guilty then. My brain was just doing what brains do. It processed the visual information as an awesome sight and triggered a little response to remind me I would have work to do. My brain was taking care of me!

I also learned an important take-home lesson. Amazing things require work.

Whether it’s art, athletics, family, school, work, or something as simple as the leaves changing, remarkable things in this world are built on a scaffold of effort. The glass is half full because somebody put in the effort to fill it.

It’s your choice. Do the work and fill the glass? Do the work and fill your space with kindness and beauty? Or not?

I know which I choose. I know there’s a cost and work to be done. But, that’s okay. The end result is worth the work. Enjoying a remarkable and beautiful sight in my neighborhood is worth the work I’ll do picking up the leaves.

Silver linings are sewn from the thread of effort.

Thanks, Mother Nature, for the reminder.

Now, where’s that damn rake?

Happy New Year 2022!

The Priestly Blessing

The LORD said to Moses:
“Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them:
This is how you shall bless the Israelites.
Say to them:
The LORD bless you and keep you!
The LORD let his face shine upon
you, and be gracious to you!
The LORD look upon you kindly and
give you peace!
So shall they invoke my name upon the Israelites,
and I will bless them.”

–Numbers 6: 22-27

*Sunrise, Kansas, Nov. 2021*, *Sometimes you just have to pull over & appreciate.*

Frozen In Time

(Note: November in North Central Kansas was odd this year. A couple unseasonably warm spells in the 60’s wrapped around a unseasonable cold snap in the low teens. Weird. So weird, it fooled the insects [and spider], several who I found dead on the house. I snapped a few pictures to show to the Hays Crew and then started thinking entirely too much about the situation of insects [and spiders].)

Caught in the elements, frozen in time.

Fooled by nature in its cruelest of forms.
Played by a power yielding no remorse.
Tricked into a dream of early spring by the promise of late fall warmth.
Or
Joyful for another day. Enjoying a reprieve.
Escaping the inevitable for one more chance.
Living the gift to the final moment, departing happy.
Or
Oblivious to all but the nature of now.
Obeying the call from within, commands flowing through every atom.
Ignoring time and what’s next, devoting all to the moment.

Frozen in time…