Page 11 - Michigan DNR – Outdoor Adventure Center – Fall 2022

EDUCATOR’S CORNER
By: Emily Grant
Fall is my favorite season. I love how the heat of August gives way to the chill of a September morning, and the changing leaf color that makes every day fresh and new.
This is our first fall in our new home, and while I am so excited to finally have a backyard, it has been a big learning curve to understand all the work that goes into maintaining a property.
Our task list grows every day – raking the leaves is not truly a single bullet point, but is many collective tasks for new homeowners like ourselves. Our revised list:
• Purchase rakes, tarps, gloves.
• Start raking.
• Stop to distract toddlers.
• Return to store to get toddler-sized
tools.
• Resume raking.
• Enjoy toddlers' "help" with chores.
• Redo raking once toddlers are safely
abed for naptime.
Though we are occasionally overwhelmed by the amount of work, the sheer joy on our kids' faces as they careen into my freshly raked pile of leaves is a wonderful payoff. We're having an excellent time discovering nature in our backyard this season, from wooly-bear caterpillars below our feet to the migrating geese above our heads. The eight-point buck that ate my flowers and my willow tree all summer is proving his wisdom this fall, sticking to the ravine between our yard and the neighbor's property. He emerges in the evening to say hello, much to our delight.
Yes indeed, fall is an amazing time of year.
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