Fall traditions October 23, 2019 It’s fall, so once again, I’m enjoying some little traditions in the neighborhood. Our sugar maple tree becomes a colorful lawn ornament. Our neighbor’s maple tree does its three-stage process. First the top turns color. When the upper leaves begin to fall (they’re doing it now), the middle band turns color. When they fall, the lower third turns color (it’s still greenish at the bottom). When the bottom leaves fall, the tree is ready for winter. Every fall, Kari and Ted wax her car together. They just finished, and the van’s paint is protected for the winter.