The Slice: Leaf it to us to have a contest

We all know how Linus in “Peanuts” preached that the Great Pumpkin sought the sincerest pumpkin patch.

Sincerity is good. No question.

But those entering The Slice’s Leaf Contest will have many more qualities from which to choose as they inspect the fall colors. Here are the categories.

Unassuming: Everyone loves a modest leaf.

Enchanting: Usually requires vibrant reds.

Irrepressible: You know, a leaf that cannot be repressed.

Nonchalant: Can you find a casually indifferent leaf?

Obsequious: When a leaf is just a bit fawning.

Beguiling: Sometimes foliage can charm you.

Chaste: Mostly yellow, nothing flashy.

Impudent: Bold, maybe even insolent.

Reassuring: This leaf says “Everything is going to be OK.”

Dumbfounding: Words fail.

Uplifting: A leaf that bolsters your spirits.

Ocher: Or is it ochre?

Humble: Some leaves know that pride goeth before an autumn.

Sang-froid: You know it when you see it.

Tempestuous: A high-maintenance leaf.

Emphatic: “I’m red! Look! I’m really, really red!”

Salacious: A leaf with lust in its heart.

Peripatetic: Think “swirling wind.”

Earnest: You know the type.

Snarky: An edgy leaf not constrained to say something nice.

Assertive: Not all leaves are shy.

Gregarious: A back-slapper of a leaf.

Febrile: Means feverish.

Morose: Some leaves are all about the looming winter.

Strutting: Red and orange.

Hardscrabble: Some leaves had to claw and scratch for everything they have.

Pulchritudinous: Some leaves have got it and they aren’t afraid to show it.

So there are the categories.

And then again, I might just declare a pretty leaf sent in by a fourth-grader to be the lone winner. We’ll see.

The entry deadline is Nov. 1. I’ll accept either actual leaves or honor-system e-mailed photos of local leaves.

As always, be sure to include your daytime phone number.

The winner will have a choice of either having lunch with me or not having lunch with me.

Today’s Slice question: Do you remember the Cuban Missile Crisis?