Ah, spring. I took the following picture last weekend, when the Bradford Pear tree behind my house was in nearly full bloom. As of now, it's fully leafed out and all the blossoms are gone. It's pretty, but it sure doesn't last long.



There's also this lovely flowering bush outside my front door...



But most of what spring seems to bring, is raking leaves. Ugh. I've raked a total of six 30 gallon yard waste bags full of leaves, and I've barely finished my tiny front yard (and haven't even started on the side yard or back yard). And that's mulched leaves. If I had just raked and bagged without mulching in the process, there would be at least three times that many bags.

At least the Bradford Pear does it all at once, in the late fall. Whump! One day the tree is full of vibrantly colored leaves, the next day they're all on the ground in a circular pile under the tree. Nice and easy. But oh no, not the Live Oaks. No, they have to dribble their leaves out all spring long, forcing you to rake the same area over and over. The leaves are also small, difficult to rake, and dig into the grass, making it look like there are deceptively few leaves.

Here's a picture of my yard 'before' raking. Trust me when I say that just the part along the edge there filled up a bag and a half. Six bags got me to just beyond the push in the upper left there (a little over half the yard). Unbelievable. A few swipes with the rake and you're up to your knees in a pile of leaves. It's almost like magic. Evil, nasty, bad magic.



In fact, I have to go out and finish now. Well, at least get farther. This isn't something you truly ever finish. It's just not possible.