Autumn Leaves in a Zinc Rain Gutter

A rain gutter isn't hung quite level. Installers give it a slight fall toward the downspout, often about a quarter inch for every ten feet, so the water keeps moving instead of pooling. Wet red and brown maple leaves have piled up in this one along the edge of a mossy shed roof, with drops of rain still hanging from the metal. It's a fall leaves jigsaw puzzle about the least glamorous chore of the season.