I miss it only a little

One of the things I gave up when I moved from a house to an apartment was a yard*. 

On one side of that yard was what one neighbor called "the most beautiful tree in the valley, come fall" - a pretty maple that glowed when the leaves changed. On the other side of the yard was a tree I called the Messy Maple**.  I kid you not - if you looked cross-eyed at that maple, twigs and leaves would drop.  And you couldn't just mow, because first you had to pick up all the sticks that had fallen.  It was a mature tree with a large footprint - loads of crap in the yard, always.  It took forever for all of the leaves to drop in the autumn.  We'd rake. We'd rake again the next day.  And the next.  A whole tree-ful of leaves every day!  And the tree did not appear to be losing any leaves.  The only reason it's still standing is because it is wonderful cover for all of the songbirds.

I miss the yard a little because it really was pretty.  I do not miss the upkeep. I don't have to rake leaves anymore!

*I really enjoy living in an apartment.  I now have a river in my front yard.  I have saved loads of money not buying bird seed (I watch a feeder nearby) and there is a phone number in my phone for a contact called "Maintenance".  Maintenance shovels and mows and does stuff like brings a brand new hot water heater when I need one!  Maintenance even brought flowers last Christmas. I like Maintenance.

**The leaves in the photo above are not maple leaves, of course.  I think the oaks are just now dropping last year's leaves.  They like to hold onto them.