How do I love leaves? Let me count the ways.
    The way they turn from green to red and orange and yellow and purple and gold. (Goodbye, photosynthesis.)
    The way they carpet lawns and fields with those colors.
    The way they make the wind visible, those small leaf tornados spinning close to the ground.
    The way they hurry across a street when the wind gusts, like little kids racing across a playground.
    The way they spin and float gently to the ground.*
    The way they stand out bold against blacktop, especially after rain leaves the surface shining.
    The way they crunch so satisfyingly underfoot, until the sidewalk resembles the dregs of a cereal box.
    The way they always return in the spring.
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*We go camping with a bunch of families every October. One friend used to offer the kids $5 if they could catch a falling leaf with their mouth. Easier said than done.