The end of Leaf season

This afternoon after lunch Myles and I went for a walk. I was tired of chasing his baseball down our front hill (he loves to throw them over the bank into the street and "Mommy get! Mommy get it!), but I knew we both needed to be outside today.
When we came back some of the neighbor kids were outside, a few with rakes. I could see the beginnings of a pile of leaves in the middle of their yard. They asked me, with some obvious reservation because they thought I might say no, if they could have some of the leaves in the piles in my yard. Now, I have been putting off for more than a few days moving the piles of leaves in my yard down to the road to be swept up by the weekly street cleaning. I wasn't sure the best way to get them down my bank except for filling lawn bags and emptying them, or, my preferred plan, getting Kate to think of something better and doing it herself. Unfortunately, Kate has had a rash of work-related travel, so she has not exactly been available for picking up my yard slack. So when the girls stammered their request for SOME of my leaves, I told them not only was it okay, but they could have ALL THE LEAVES THEY WANTED. You would have thought I told them they had a free pass to eat all the ice cream they wanted. In fact, I said, you can even use my rake to help you. They ended up fighting over who was going to use my rake.
I had a very brief moment of good-neighborness when I asked the eldest child that was present if their mother knew they were building a leaf pile in the middle of their yard. I mean, there is an incredible oak tree that hangs equally over both of our lots, but before today, their yard had been spared the carpeting of brown leaves that mine had. I did not want to be the blame for why my yard was suddenly leaf-free and their yard looked like it had been left in my care.
They piled leaves higher and higher. Their progress they measured in terms of who it was taller than. Myles, certainly Myles. Then Lucy. Almost Eleanor. Even though there were still more leaves, and they had not quite reached Bella or Abby height, they had to get on with the serious business.
Someone had to take the first plunge.
I don't know which one of the girls started in first, but it didn't take long for Myles to get in on the act. Here he is about to launch himself.
After the pile was flattened into a mound there was much throwing of leaves, burying each other with leaves, Myles pretending to swim in the leaves. Then it was a battle with leaves, and suddenly I became a target as opposed to just a grown-up presence. I was pelted with leaves from every direction, including about two feet from the ground. My own son wouldn't even defend me! I turned on them all, chasing them all over the neighborhood, or at least the Yards They Are Allowed To Play In. Those I could catch were brought back to the leaf mound to be absolutely smothered in leaves. Of course, at first I could only catch the five-year old, but once the older two saw how much fun she had being hoisted and swung back into the leaves, they slowed down quite a bit.
I've been pulling bits of nasty oak leaves out of my hair, clothes and ears even all afternoon. I feel sorry for their mothers who probably are dealing with leaf crumbs still.
And tomorrow comes snow.................