An aide in the great leaf attack

Record warmth for early November smothered most of Minnesota over the weekend, providing the perfect chance to get some much needed yard work done.
I had a mountain of leaves in my back yard. It looked like a daunting task that would take forever to get done. 
What had been a splendor of beautiful fall colors hanging in the wind quickly turned into a pile of rubbish on the ground. The trees had literally turned bare within hours. 
Armed with my trusty rake, I began the overwhelming task of collecting what seemed like millions of leaves. Within no time, I had some blisters on my hands to show for my efforts.
With frustration setting in as I didn’t feel I was really making much progress, a neighbor came to the rescue. In her hands, she had a yellow contraption that she assured me would take away all my leaf worries. 
“Try them out,” my neighbor said. “It’s the best $8 I’ve ever spent.”
Hmm, with leaves dancing around in my head like sugar plums, I didn’t waste a second. I jumped at the chance to make my raking a little more pleasurable.
The yellow gadget, actually called Gardex Leaf Scoops, is the pile pick-up tool all homeowners need. The plastic multi-purpose tool claims to make yard work fast and easy. Getting yard work done in a jiffy is my idea of fall fun.
The device features discs, similar to cymbals without the clashing noise, that are ideal for picking up leaves, pine needles, thorny or poisonous plant trimmings, trash and sharp items. It picks up lawn debris quickly while keeping fingernails clean and hands safe from thorns and other yard hazards. 
This leaf pick-up tool is designed to fit either hand. It even has rake teeth to dig down and clean pile residue. 
It actually brought a little more enjoyment, if that’s possible, to raking the leaves. Anything that helps make things a breeze comes highly recommended from me.
I’m thankful to have neighbors watching out for my welfare. From the lawn mowing neighbor that I told you about a few weeks ago to the leaf gadget neighbor, I’ve got it made in the shade. I have found this fall that it pays to hang out in the yard.
But then the next morning came after my big raking excursion when the reality of raking set in as my body ached in spots I didn’t even know existed. It’s funny how age wreaks havoc on one’s body. I have to keep reminding myself that I’m not as young as I once was. And I figured out quickly that a trip to the chiropractor may be in order soon.
If raking is still on your list of chores for this fall, it may be time for you to go in hot pursuit of the leaf scoopers to aide in the great leaf attack.