The leaves...

...are out of all but about five feet of the front gutter. The five feet I still can't reach, even with the platform ladder I bought back in June. But most of the gutter is finally clear...before the first snowfall...and the part that was threatening to fall off the house all together is once again nailed into place. It now seems likely to last the winter instead of certain to suffer catastrophic failure in the first big storm.

And I may even be able to wrestle the platform ladder into the rhododendrons and clear out those last few feet. I'll hope to try again in daylight.

While I'm both happy and relieved to have dealt with the immediate problem, I'm even happier to report that the new ladder is a total win. It's the first time I've cleaned that gutter with total ladder comfort and confidence. It's wider than a standard step ladder and has a small platform to stand on. It's far more stable, which comes in really handy on the uneven ground near the house. Easier on the feet, too. Win.

We won't talk about the leaves on the ground. Deal? Deal!