We Smell Like Burnt Leaves

Written by Shannon Leigh

If you look towards our little town on any given fall evening, you will see a gray haze of smoke floating towards the sky. Last year as I gazed towards our town on my way home from work one night, I honestly thought the whole town was on fire and I was convinced I'd soon hear the sirens of a fire truck. But as soon as I made my way through town, I realized it was leaf burning at it's finest. It was a sight to behold; neighbors standing with rakes in their front yards watching the orange piles burn to ash and chatting over the slow sizzle.

This has become something I LOVE about fall in Tolono. Growing up in the country we didn't burn our leaves and during my many years of apartment living leaf burning wasn't part of my Autumn life. So I welcome the month of leaf-burning in Tolono and truly look forward to it. Matt, on the the other hand, finds it quite upsetting. The idea that the village of Tolono doesn't have designated days to burn leaves truly disturbs him.

Our yard has a total of 3 leaves in it and two of them floated in from the old victorian house that sits to the South. Needless to say we won't need to be raking our leaves anytime soon. This afternoon, I convinced Matt to take a walk with me through the smokey streets by reminding him that we won't have many fall days left. The warm sun felt good on my face and I think we both enjoyed ourselves.

As I sit here on this lovely fall evening I can smell the smoke in my hair and I'm savoring it. Before long there won't be any more leaves to burn and that means the long winter will be settling in. Next year I'll have a precious little girl to share the fall with and instead of smelling the smoke in my own hair, maybe I'll smell it in hers.