The battle has begun.
I saw my first squirmish on the north side of Winston-Salem early this week.
Some may say it’s a little late in the year for these battles to begin. Yet, the leaves are still preparing for battle. They are not all quite ready to join in.
The battles are just getting started in every community, city and state across the country.
You can see and often hear the battles going on around you.
At times it appears man is winning the battle, then with no warning, the leaves begin to let go even more and overtake man’s efforts as they collect deeper and wider.
The weapons man uses continue to change, often more sophisticated. Bigger equipment, stronger tools and faster machines. Yet just as often, the weapons can regress back to old school manual tools.
Sometimes man will attack in the early morning or late evening. Sometimes a local battle will go on from sun up to sundown.
Sometimes the leaves let go from their position and unload a massive attack upon man just as the temperature drops and the rains begin.
I’ve seen man retreat, but never for long. Eventually, after a long hard fought battle man will win that battle, but never will man win the war.
The leaves have an advantage. Every year they will return. To start yet another never ending series of battles in a never ending war.
Teddy Burriss 