There is a young time in life when fall comes with no thought of yard-work backaches and home heating bills. Fall means just one thing: a big pile of leaves to jump in, whump and whoosh and leaves all over.
But nothing is without its perils or expert cautions these leafy days, not even a pile of leaves. Country Living magazine sounds the alert: "You should never let your kids jump in leaf piles."
Leaves can harbor mold and bacteria, the article goes on. A nose full of leaves can bring on an asthma attack. And who knows what else hides in that leafy heap? Ticks, sticks, snakes, spiders.
Phyllophobia, the fear of leaves, might not be as much in the news this autumn as coulrophobia, the fear of clowns. But anywhere that crinkly, dead leaves are, some people are scared of them.
An ocean away, the British tabloid, The Sun, warns of other bad surprises that might lurk under leaves: rocks, mice, frogs.
And Arkansas pitches in yet another prickly possibility: pine needles.
In fact, the danger was recognized years ago by no greater authority than Linus in the comic strip, Peanuts. The cartoon boy jumped in with a sticky lollipop, and came out with these leaf-covered words of wisdom:
"Never jump in a pile of leaves with a wet sucker."
-- Ron Wolfe
HomeStyle on 10/22/2016