I noticed the autumn leaves scattered across the backyard today.
There aren't as many as I remember from previous years. And something else caught my attention—the leaves are much smaller.
I stood there for a while, looking at them.
The maple leaves I remember from earlier years were big, broad and beautiful. When autumn arrived, they could turn yellow, gold and deep red. Many of them were beautifully flat on the ground, and their shapes looked almost perfect.
The classic maple leaf.
You could pick one up from the grass and immediately know what it was.
But the leaves I see now are different. Some are tiny. Some are curled up. Others are already dry and twisted. They don't have quite the same presence as those beautiful maple leaves I remember.
Perhaps that is simply another part of the changing backyard.
When the Catalpa Tree Was Here
Then I remembered another autumn.
The catalpa tree was still standing in the backyard then.
That was a completely different story.
When the catalpa dropped its leaves, it seemed as if the whole backyard disappeared under them. The leaves were large, and there were so many that collecting them became a major autumn project.
I still remember how many bags we filled.
Fifty big bags.
Yes—50 big bags of leaves!
At the time, I wasn't thinking about memories. I was thinking about work.
Rake the leaves.
Collect the leaves.
Fill the bags.
Carry the bags away.
And then, just when you thought you were finished, you would look around and discover another pile waiting for you.
But looking back now, those 50 bags seem almost funny.
The catalpa is gone.
The mountains of leaves are gone.
And the person who spent all that time collecting them is also a little different now.
The Backyard Keeps Changing
That is one thing I have learned from gardening.
A backyard is never really the same backyard.
Trees grow. Branches become bigger. Some trees become too old or have to be removed. New plants appear. Other plants disappear. Every year brings a slightly different landscape.
And autumn makes those changes especially obvious.
The leaves falling on the ground are like little reminders of time passing.
Some years there are mountains of leaves.
Some years there are only a few.
Some years the colours are spectacular.
Other years, they are more modest.
But for me, the most interesting part isn't simply the colour.
It is the memory attached to the leaves.
A red maple leaf isn't just a red maple leaf anymore.
It can remind me of a particular autumn.
A pile of leaves can remind me of the catalpa tree.
And 50 bags of leaves can bring back an entire afternoon—or perhaps several afternoons—of work in the backyard.
A Little Video From Those Days
Can you see the difference?
This is an old video I recorded while clearing the maple leaves in the backyard.
Looking at it today, I realize that I was recording more than just a chore. I was unknowingly recording a piece of our family history—and a backyard that would eventually change.
Those big maple leaves, the trees, and the way the backyard looked back then are memories now.
I am glad I kept the video.
A Backyard Full of Memories
It is interesting how an old video can become a little time capsule.
When I watch it now, I don't just see people collecting leaves.
I see the old backyard.
I see the trees that were once there.
I see the leaves that were once falling.
And I see a version of myself from another time.
That is why I like keeping these old videos.
Photographs capture a moment.
Videos sometimes capture something more.
They capture movement, voices, the weather, the work and the feeling of being there.
So when the autumn leaves begin to cover the backyard again this year, I will probably do what I have done many times before.
I will look at them.
Maybe I will rake some of them.
Maybe I will collect a few.
But I will also stop for a moment and remember.
The leaves may be smaller now.
The catalpa is no longer there.
The backyard has changed.
And so have I.
But for a brief moment, those fallen leaves bring the old backyard back to life.
**Sometimes, autumn is not really about the leaves.
It is about remembering the trees that once gave us those leaves.**
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今年的秋叶不一样了
今天，我注意到后院里散落着一些秋叶。
它们没有往年那么多。
还有一件事也引起了我的注意——今年的叶子小了很多。
我站在那里看了一会儿。
我记得以前的枫叶又大又宽，非常漂亮。到了秋天，它们会变成黄色、金色，有时候还会变成深红色。
很多叶子落在地上以后，还是平平的，没有卷起来。而且它们的形状非常漂亮，几乎就是我们脑海中最典型的枫叶形状。
一看就知道是枫叶。
可是现在看到的叶子不太一样。
有些很小，有些已经卷曲起来，还有一些已经干了，变得皱皱的。
它们好像没有以前那些枫叶那么有存在感了。
也许，这就是后院正在发生的变化吧。
还记得那棵梓树的时候
看到这些落叶，我又想起了以前的一个秋天。
那时候，后院里还有那棵梓树。
那完全是另外一回事。
每到秋天，梓树开始落叶，整个后院好像都会被叶子盖住。
那些叶子很大，而且数量非常多。清理它们，几乎成了一项大型的秋季工程。
我到现在还记得，我们当时收集了多少袋树叶。
整整50大袋。
没错——50大袋树叶！
那个时候，我并没有想到这些会成为回忆。
我想的只是干活。
扫树叶。
收集树叶。
把袋子装满。
然后把一袋袋树叶搬走。
可是，当你以为终于清理干净的时候，转过身去，可能又会发现另外一堆树叶。
现在回头看看，那50大袋树叶反而让我觉得有点好笑。
那棵梓树已经不在了。
满地的树叶也不再像以前那么多了。
而那个曾经花很多时间清理树叶的人，也已经和以前不太一样了。
后院一直在改变
这是我从园艺中学到的一件事情。
后院从来都不会永远保持原来的样子。
树会长大。
树枝会越来越粗。
有些树老了，最后不得不移走。
新的植物会出现，其他植物也会慢慢消失。
每一年，后院都会有一点不同。
而秋天，特别容易让人看到这些变化。
落在地上的树叶，就像一个个小小的提醒，告诉我们时间一直在向前走。
有些年份，树叶多得像一座小山。
有些年份，却只有很少的一些。
有些秋天，颜色特别漂亮。
有些秋天，则比较平淡。
但对我来说，最重要的已经不只是树叶的颜色。
而是树叶背后的记忆。
一片红色的枫叶，现在已经不只是一片红色的枫叶。
它可能让我想起某一个秋天。
一堆树叶，会让我想起那棵梓树。
而50大袋树叶，则会让我想起过去那些在后院里忙着清理树叶的日子。
那些日子的一段旧视频
你看得出来吗？
这是我以前拍的一段视频，记录我们清理后院枫叶的情景。
现在再看这段视频，我才发现，当时我记录的并不只是一件家务。
我是在不知不觉中，记录了一段家庭生活，也记录了一个后来会发生改变的后院。
那些大片的枫叶、那些树，还有当时的后院，如今都已经成为回忆。
幸好，我把这段视频保存了下来。
一个充满回忆的后院
有时候，一段旧视频真的就像一个小小的时间胶囊。
现在再看它，我看到的不只是有人在那里清理树叶。
我看到的是以前的后院。
我看到那些曾经在那里生长的树。
我看到以前飘落的那些树叶。
我也看到那个已经属于过去的自己。
这也是为什么我喜欢保留这些旧视频。
照片可以记录一个瞬间。
但有时候，视频记录的东西更多。
它记录动作、声音、天气、劳动，也记录了当时生活的感觉。
所以，今年当秋叶再次开始覆盖后院的时候，我可能还会像以前一样。
我会看看它们。
也许会扫一些。
也许会收集一些。
但我也会停下来一会儿，想一想过去。
今年的叶子可能小了一些。
那棵梓树已经不在了。
后院改变了。
而我，也改变了。
但是，就在那些落叶之间，过去的后院似乎又短暂地回来了。
有时候，秋天并不只是关于树叶。
秋天也是让我们想起那些曾经给我们带来这些树叶的树。
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