Marching Leaves

Something happened over the weekend is quite puzzling to me because it wasn't cold by any means the cold snap having past couple weeks earlier. But I was seriously interested in watching the trees outside my window drop their leaves with a rapidity that was almost astounding. The breeze to blow and off would come a handful of leaves floating to the ground. Trees losing their leaves has always intrigued me for one reason or another. At one time I sat in my car and liberty Park and watch the tree drop all of its leaves within a 45 minute. I had never witnessed a tree just drop everything. Since that time my curiosity has been significant. Surely, a stiff wind does help in the removal of such leaves but what is even more enjoyable is watching these legions March hurriedly at the the blow of the wind across yards down the streets running freely untill blocked by a tree, curb chain-link, trees or park benches. I enjoy watching these legions throw themselves upon each other and the giant mounds of soft beckoning pouches.

Did you know the all leaves can be smoked? These loser not as enjoyable as say tobacco, cannabis or even Hollyhock leaves but they can be cured i.e. dried crumpled and packed into a pipe are rolled in paper ignited and inhaled joyously. My friend John enlightened me as to the joyous smoking hollyhock leaves in my days of a youth. John was quite ingenious if not precocious. I always admired how much he read them and I'm sure I was about seven or eight years old maybe a little bit older John did already read the two main volumes of Mark Twainn Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer both of whom were young pipe smokers on the Mississippi. And they more than once smoked hollyhock leaves and cornsilk when available. I have my ideas about cornsilk I can't believe that that would stay lit long enough for a good smoke. John instructed me in the fine art of corncob pipe making. He showed me how to corncobs and then how to secure a raspberry twig then haul the twig out with a wire similar to a paperclip unfolded, remarkably the device worked remarkably well. I loved the summer morning in the back of the cattle barns lighting up and blowing out copious volumes of beautiful blue smoke. What a wonderful time.

Quite fortunately at least for folks who are out in the environment this is a warm autumn and for one reason or another the brisk cold weather has held off a side from a quick two weeks early on. I'm sure the cold is waiting to to descend from Canada in the next week or so but until such time I plan to sit back and watch my trees to fully eight themselves with each gust of the Wind, than watch the legions marched themselves Briskly across the driveway to the chain-link fence leading to the park and know the barren trees sleep.