October FONT Challenge (2023)

[Julie Magerka]

On 10/8/2023 at 7:44 PM, Sue Thomas said:

This font isn't one I would have chosen myself.  I can see that it would appeal to some for  a particular Halloween project.   Halloween  has never appealed to me, probably because it isn't that popular at home, certainly not when I was growing up, as it is in North America.  I wanted to participate in the challenge.  I edited some of the letters to my liking, added leaves from another font.  The letters A and E, I resized, moving the  letters before them closer, by  changing the text to character shapes. Inner bevel.  Photos were taken yesterday.  Background paper is  a photo, 2 overlays, and a texture. 

I don't do a big cleanup in the autumn of leaves and branches and plants. I learned long ago that the materials provide refuge and food and safe spaces for the birds and other critters during the long winter. By spring, the leaves are mostly gone and the cleanup is less back-breaking overall. And, the fact that I am slightly lazy and have a sore back really contribute to my yard hygiene.

[Cassel]

2 minutes ago, Julie Magerka said:

I don't do a big cleanup in the autumn of leaves and branches and plants. I learned long ago that the materials provide refuge and food and safe spaces for the birds and other critters during the long winter. By spring, the leaves are mostly gone and the cleanup is less back-breaking overall. And, the fact that I am slightly lazy and have a sore back really contribute to my yard hygiene.

I am trying to convince my husband to leave the leaves, or otherwise, not sweat raking them all.

[Sue Thomas]

Just now, Julie Magerka said:

I don't do a big cleanup in the autumn of leaves and branches and plants. I learned long ago that the materials provide refuge and food and safe spaces for the birds and other critters during the long winter. By spring, the leaves are mostly gone and the cleanup is less back-breaking overall. And, the fact that I am slightly lazy and have a sore back really contribute to my yard hygiene.

I don't  do any cleanup at all out here. I leave everything alone until we are well into Spring.The annuals  reseed themselves, if the birds don't get to the seeds first. Even at home other than the veggie patch, and the  odd Lawn mowing   I would leave the garden well alone.

[Jannette Nieuwboer]

7 hours ago, Julie Magerka said:

I don't do a big cleanup in the autumn of leaves and branches and plants. I learned long ago that the materials provide refuge and food and safe spaces for the birds and other critters during the long winter. By spring, the leaves are mostly gone and the cleanup is less back-breaking overall. And, the fact that I am slightly lazy and have a sore back really contribute to my yard hygiene.

I completely understand what you mean. But (always a but) I live in the most densely populated part of our already small country. That is why houses here are close together. I'm glad I have a small garden. I also have 2 terraces, one in the sun and the other in the shade. That's why I garden very horizontally, In the middle of the garden. Every square centimeter is put to wise use. And that's why I have to sweep leaves every day in the fall. POOR ME. And I have to make room for the spring bulbs. They should have been in the ground by now. Due to a lot of rain recently and a persistent cold, it has not yet happened completely. this photo is from March 29 and the snow photo is from March 10. The only snow we had last winter. the house in the back isn't my house but my shed. 

[Julie Magerka]

8 hours ago, Jannette Nieuwboer said:

I completely understand what you mean. But (always a but) I live in the most densely populated part of our already small country. That is why houses here are close together. I'm glad I have a small garden. I also have 2 terraces, one in the sun and the other in the shade. That's why I garden very horizontally, In the middle of the garden. Every square centimeter is put to wise use. And that's why I have to sweep leaves every day in the fall. POOR ME. And I have to make room for the spring bulbs. They should have been in the ground by now. Due to a lot of rain recently and a persistent cold, it has not yet happened completely. this photo is from March 29 and the snow photo is from March 10. The only snow we had last winter. the house in the back isn't my house but my shed. 

Yes, your yard has different upkeep needs than mine. I can move the dead leaves to the garden beds, let the others blow away, and don't need to rake or sweep much at all. For which I am grateful!

[Corrie Kinkel]

50 minutes ago, Julie Magerka said:

Yes, your yard has different upkeep needs than mine. I can move the dead leaves to the garden beds, let the others blow away, and don't need to rake or sweep much at all. For which I am grateful!

As I only have a small patio with plants in containers I have to sweep the leaves that are blown into it otherwise we would slip on those when we are leaving through the back porch to our parking spot. Yesterday we had a storm and there a lot of leaves so when everything is dry I have to sweep them and collect them.

[Rene Marker]

18 hours ago, Julie Magerka said:

I don't do a big cleanup in the autumn of leaves and branches and plants. I learned long ago that the materials provide refuge and food and safe spaces for the birds and other critters during the long winter. By spring, the leaves are mostly gone and the cleanup is less back-breaking overall. And, the fact that I am slightly lazy and have a sore back really contribute to my yard hygiene.

I wish any leaves that don't get cleaned up in the fall would be gone by spring but around here they aren't! I only have one tree in my backyard but live in a neighborhood that has lots of trees to my west. The winds come from the west the majority of the time so I get those leaves as well. They also tend to collect against the north side of the house and in the years I didn't know better and let them go, they destroyed the flower beds and the grass. Six years ago I had a new patio put on the north side of the house and the leaves still collect only now they are on the pavers. I usually use the leaf blower to get them into the yard but since I just had surgery, I can't do it this year. When I do that my neighbor that mows my grass will pick up the leaves to put them out for pickup that our neighborhood has available for a yearly fee (totally worth it!) The first pickup for the year was yesterday. This photo is what the neighbor to my east had raked for the pickup. Notice all the leaves that haven't been raked yet... some of his trees still have leaves on them and they fall in my yard! My only tree is in the back yard.

[Jannette Nieuwboer]

45 minutes ago, Rene Marker said:

When I do that my neighbor that mows my grass will pick up the leaves to put them out for pickup that our neighborhood has available for a yearly fee

In some neighborhoods, large iron crates are placed in the fall where people can deposit their leaves. When they are full, they are emptied by the municipal cleaning service. 

[Rene Marker]

3 hours ago, Jannette Nieuwboer said:

In some neighborhoods, large iron crates are placed in the fall where people can deposit their leaves. When they are full, they are emptied by the municipal cleaning service. 

The city has leaf pickup service but my neighborhood is outside city limits so we don't get access to it. So way back when the neighborhood was built in the 1950's, the original residents started a leaf pickup for the area we call "the woods" since it is where all the trees are. Just in the last 5 years, my house was allowed to join but only because they needed volunteer workers and my neighbor east of me was one they wanted! They will pickup the leaves for about 6 to 8 weeks depending on when the last of the leaves fall and they then take them to the city farm/compost facility where they pay a fee to dump the leaves. When dad still lived here, he just used a mulching mower to mulch the leaves every fall since our house wasn't a part of the pickup group (even though he asked to be included back in the 1960's!)

[Jannette Nieuwboer]

7 minutes ago, Rene Marker said:

The city has leaf pickup service but my neighborhood is outside city limits

Interesting to know Rene. Is the house in the picture yours or is that the house opposite you?

[Rene Marker]

Just now, Jannette Nieuwboer said:

Interesting to know Rene. Is the house in the picture yours or is that the house opposite you?

I took the picture from my front porch. The driveway is mine as is the mailbox on the right side of the photo. There is a street that meets up with my street (almost directly across from my driveway) and the house you see is on the corner of those 2 streets. The neighbor that does my lawn work for me is across the street from me to my south and sits on the opposite corner of the house you see.