Our New Normal, Volume VII

Not leaves themselves, though. Leaves are fine. Leaves enhance the beauty of autumn, and as they change colors, they even add a certain majesty to the landscape. I’d go so far as to say they’re wonders of nature. Until they hit the ground, that is. That’s when I have a problem. Though I’ve never minded working hard and getting my hands dirty, I’ve never liked raking or otherwise corralling leaves. Never will. Ever.

 

So why, you might ask, am I writing about them? Two reasons.

 

To honor the yeoman’s work which Collegiate’s grounds crew performs each year, most notably during Leaf Season which runs from, but definitely isn’t limited to, mid-October through mid-December.

 

To note, also, that because of the school’s expansive use of outdoor spaces for instruction, the crew’s window of opportunity to operate around the North Mooreland campus has narrowed quite a bit so as not to encroach on classes with their presence or the noise generated by mowers, blowers, and vacuums.

 

This past Wednesday afternoon, I encountered several of the team working industriously and, as I discovered, joyfully on a Mt. Everest-sized pile (or so it seemed to this non-leafer) near the driveway in front of Flippen Hall.

 

Turns out they had raked and blown a massive number of leaves from the expansive willow oak-populated lawn and were now using a humongous vacuum to channel them into a homemade collection box perched upon the bed of the school’s landscape truck.

 

Once they’d reduced this mountain (among several in the area) to flatland and shut down the high-decibel motor that runs the aptly named Monster Leaf Vacuum, I inquired about their work and the constraints imposed by COVID-19.

 

Having fun? I began, anticipating groans and eye rolls. I quickly learned that not everyone considers fallen leaves a scourge on society.

 

“This year has been a lot different,” said Andrew Stanley, a grounds staff member for almost two years and not to be confused with the other Andrew Stanley, Collegiate’s associate athletic director and head boys lacrosse coach. “Obviously, there’re a lot more outdoor spaces being utilized, so we had to change tactics as they relate to leaf removal.  We’ve spent a lot more time mulching leaves. George Cooke has played a pivotal role in that sense. Honestly, he’s one of the more important team players.”

George wheeling around on the riding mower is a familiar sight, I commented. Chopping up leaves with a lawn mower is my kind of leaf removal.

 

 “It’s a lot easier,” the Young Stan continued. “Working smarter, not harder. Typically early morning. It’s allowing students to use the outdoor spaces. We get in and out a lot quicker, and it’s a lot better for the turf and soil.”

 

Andrew’s voice reflected an air of game-on excitement, which I duly noted.

 

“Andrew and I often exchange texts in the morning because he’s here ahead of me,” interjected Robyn Hartley, Collegiate’s horticulturist who was involved this day in the leaf collection effort. “Today, he sent me a text that said, ‘I’m raring to go. Gotta get them leaves up.’”

 

“Yes, that’s accurate,” Andrew said with a smile and added that his missive was intended to sound colloquial.

I take it, then, that you all don’t view zillions of leaves the way I do, I said.

 

“I love a goal,” said Robyn, a long-time distance runner who’s accustomed to setting goals. “I see these leaves as a goal. I know with the teamwork that we have that our goal will be completed by the end of the day. When we chop them up, we see a positive environmental impact versus when we scooped every last little bit up. The ones we’ve mulched into the lawn are already worked into the soil. That’s exciting.”

 

Interesting take, I said.

 

“There’s plenty of nutrients stored within the leaves,” Andrew said, “so the simple act of mulching them returns a lot of those

nutrients to the soil.”

 

“They’re also bug hotels,” Robin added. “We’ve removed a lot of habitat for the animals, and we apologize for that, but by leaving them longer in the beds as we are able to this year, we’re hoping to let those insects and critters that are good for our environment and good for our soil live a little bit.”

 

 

“You mentioned Mt. Everest,” Robyn said as we stood amidst several smaller piles of leaves that she, Andrew, and Mike Hamby had collected and dragged on tarps to a location near the Monster. “I now see just Sierra San Luis, which I lived near in California. They’re smaller hills of leaves that we still need to move. We were saying last week that we were really excited to tackle this space and get it cleaned up, definitely by the end of Friday. Then we’ll move on to courtyards or Upper School. Our goal is to have the majority of the leaves up by 1 o’clock, December 18, in time for winter break.”

 

Sounds like you’re on a mission, I said. Eye of the tiger.

 

“In all honesty,” she said replied, “we love leaf season. It’s a lot of work. We feel like it’s constant and it’s team building and it makes the campus look better. The team building is the best part.”

 

Which brings us back to George Cooke, a 20-year veteran of Collegiate’s grounds staff whom the Young Stan identified as a major player in the leaf collection efforts.

 

When you see all these leaves, I asked George, do you look at this as “Oh, my gosh, here we go again” or fun?

 

“Fun,” my always-buoyant and affable friend replied. “You’re giving back. What you put in, you get back. I enjoy doing this. When I’m working outside, it makes me feel like I’m part of this earth. I like being in nature.”

 

Anything else? I asked.

 

“Teamwork,” George said. “Team players, working together. Enjoy what you’re doing. Always enjoy what you’re doing.”

  ~Weldon Bradshaw