It's a Love/Hate Thing

We live in the North West.  We love it here--most of the time.  We also LOVE the lot our house sits on--most of the time. 

In our front yard we have a large and beautiful tree that in the spring and summer blesses our yard with wonderful BEAUTY and SHADE.

 (I don't have the time to hunt for a great summer picture right now)--But this is the tree: 

And this is what the tree blesses us with in the FALL
(and it hasn't really even started to drop its leaves yet!):

This is what my across the street neighbor's yard looks like:

Nary a leave in sight!

And my next door neighbor: 

Only one or two.

We have a FEW MORE than that.

We also BACK to a BEAUTIFUL green belt. It is GORGEOUS and PRIVATE and WONDERFUL and we LOVE it--most of the time.  

During the spring and summer it is a private, lush and luxurious place to be.

But in the FALL and WINTER--not so much.

This is what we our yard looks like right now.  And My hubby just finished cleaning it to perfection just the other day.  What a difference a week can make!

And I know--I should have cleaned up all the scattered toys around the yard--but I'm just keeping it real people!

Because of our yard--we HAVE to take down our trampoline every year--otherwise it looks like this (and this picture is just after about a week of it being cleaned off--and at the beginning of the leaves falling!):

And because of all the shade--things tend to grow on places they shouldn't...Like this:

But who can REALLY complain when you have THIS for a back yard?

And this:

And my neighbors are missing out on this:

It really is a LOVE/HATE relationship. 

But mostly LOVE...I think.