Love the thread JaDB, thanks!
Boxlunch, I found an article written by a master gardener that you should check out. I also emailed them about needing to mow the leaves, and they replied....
“Letting the leaves fall where they may, works very well. The advantage to cutting-up/going over the leaves with a mower is that it helps/quickens the decomposition process, but it is usually not necessary. Personally, I leave the leaves on the flower beds/garden i.e., where they fall, but mow (mulching mower) the ones that fall on the lawn (feeds the lawn and saves raking them up). Note: Oak leaves are very slow to decompose so you may choose to chop them before spreading on your flower beds/garden.”
http://mgottawa.mgoi.ca/media/Trowel_Talk_—_February_2012.pdf
That is what I’m going to try this year.
You probably already know this, but for the sake of anyone reading who isn’t aware: never use black walnut anything in the garden. All parts of the tree leach a chemical that inhibits the growth of other plants. That extends to the leaves as well.
On the other hand, I might use black walnut leaves to mulch a path.
Thank you both for the great answers!
Thank you, fanfan! Good to see ya.