Remember When Things Were Fun?

All I had to do was say "Kaitlyn, stay out of the leaves!" Then it was the most fun thing on earth...I didn't notice how coordinating her clothes are--pink accents on her jeans and shoes. A little much for a 2-year-old?

Of course, I was hoping she would fling herself on the pile and roll around--I have a shot of Ryan doing the same thing a few years ago.

Fall came late to Texas this year--It was challenging to shoot this without getting the Christmas decorations in the background. Too many seasons wrapped into one picture would clash like Ghostbusters crossing the streams. Nevertheless, the last of the leaves were blown off the trees this weekend, and there I was: raking them as they fell. Is it shallow to take pride in the trees in my front yard?

Then there was controversy. New neighbors moved in next door, and while I was raking my yard I considered raking their yard, too. The fact is that all the leaves that are in their yard came from my tree, since they don't have any trees at all. On the other hand, it's a little assuming to groom someone else's yard, isn't it. You know, you sign a piece of paper one day promising your earthly possessions to pay for this house, and the next day the dude next door is walking around the place with a rake--it could be interepreted in an ugly way. However, my basic philosophy is that you should always do the nice thing if it's available. They could also be sitting in their house thinking "Oh yeah, he makes HIS yard look nice, while ours looks like the forest floor. Why should I have the pain of raking leaves if I don't have the benefit of having trees?" I know, I do this to myself...no one else thinks this way.

Things used to be fun, didn't they? Wish I could have just plopped down in the leaf pile with Kaitlyn...