With the recent storm that blew in the arrival of November, many sidewalks became ankle deep in leaves. While there is always the romantic idea of scuffling through the fall leaves, that activity is best left in the countryside, where the soft soil will cushion you after tripping over a knobbly root.
Here in the city, the sidewalks are in such disrepair, it is very easy to turn one’s ankle or to endure worse damage should one be tripped up by the uneven surface.
On my daily walks, I often want to take along my rake to clear the city drains or to open a pathway through the soggy, tramped-down, slimy leaves, or to shake at and make rude gestures to those with the noisy leaf blowers.
The city expects the homeowners to clear the sidewalks in front of their homes and to tend the curbside plantings and the gutters; however, there are no clear regulations for these issues.
Many homeowners keep the sidewalks well raked, but then there are the recalcitrants. One might conclude that they “to and fro” into their homes, via the alley or just a short distance from their driveway.
However, I have seen my most favorite egregious example of sidewalk disdain in front of a home where the owners “to and fro” from their car to their front door straight across the slimy and dangerous leaf detritus on the sidewalk. And I see many neighbors walking their children to Coe school in the thin morning light on this slippery sidewalk. I now walk in the street, past this mess, but that is not where I want my neighbors’ children.
The process of gardening
Now, then, there is more to the garden at this time of the year than just raking. All water features need to be winterized. The tender plants need to be secured against the cold temperatures. The last of our crops need to be cleaned up so they will not become food for the rats.
I learned this evening that rotting tomatoes will bring disease to the soil next year if they are not removed now.
Plant your bulbs.
If this all feels a bit gloomy, try to remember that your garden is a process, not a product. This act of preparing the garden for winter is a part of the process that leads toward the gentle unfolding of the spring garden.
I continue to be amused by the frenetic activity on the first slightly warm day in late spring. Out come the noisy tools, and suddenly, everything must be done on that sunny morning. Rather than enjoying the miracle of rebirth that the garden gives to us, the garden becomes a series of chores. This is a very sorry state of affairs.
If you can get any family members or friends to absent themselves from their screens while waiting for the turkey to cook or after the T-Day feast, the garden is a wonderfully brisk place to share stories and finish tucking in the garden for its winter stillness.
We will need the garden to offer us great solace next year as we continue our work to solve difficult economic choices. The Metro Transit cuts are unconscionable, and the ideas about implementing a Metropolitan Parks District are definitely not in the best interests of Seattle’s citizens.
After this season of feasting and all the celebrations surrounding the return of the light, I hope your garden — whether it is a pot of herbs on the deck or a bit more extended — will bring to you great joy and intrigue.
MADELEINE WILDE is a longtime Queen Anne resident. To comment on this column, write to QAMagNews@nwlink.com.
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