But, where is the house?

Yes, Virginia, there is a Christmas spirit. It lives in Who-ville, beneath the giant blue tree.

I Spy...

OOOH yeah, I can tell Big Lots had a sale.. a gigantic Christmas in July Sale.
I think they need a bigger house.

Christmas is Coming!

I can't wait to start posting this year's tasteful and not so tasteful holiday decor. Send me photos of the treasures you find.

Dammit, I was here FIRST

The tree came first and hopefully will survive the bad haircut.

Ass-PLUNDER

No, it's not the "land of Gollum"--
No, it's not a war torn landscape.
Yes, it's my neighborhood after years of tree torture from Asplunder.

Why Knot?

... or the better question: "Why?"
Actually, this looks like it could be fun - if you have the patience.

My Front Lawn is my soapbox

Let your front lawn be the place where you tell the world what's important to you... what you think about local politics, what IS on your mind the most...

Man vs. Nature
In the first photo, we see a gentle neighbor's planting of a variety of plants to create a visual "wall." It's not serving much purpose, set at the end of their driveway: it doesn't hide any part of their yard from outside eyes nor hide any outside ugliness from their view. In fact, across the street is a nice vista of horses in fields. But this is a perfect example of Man's desire for order -- look at how the plants are all set in a very straight line.
The next photo is of the yard next door: The house is set on a corner, and their entire, deep back yard runs along a well traveled road. Their deck, and all the views out (and into!) the kitchen, living and family room windows are onto this road. About 6 years ago, this family planted a wide variety of evergreens, grasses, deciduous trees and shrubs. The plants follow the edge of the property, but also follow Mother Nature's rules: their randomly staggered placement gains you a better privacy screen and allows for interesting edges and a more natural looking garden. (Note: the planting is well within private land ownership- not too close to the road, an important consideration if you don't want your local government cutting the trees down.)

The Tom Sawyer Story

Who doesn't like a stone wall? The texture, the hard edges and the color of stone contribute a beautiful, natural counterpoint to the rich greens of your lawn or garden. So what goes wrong in this picture?

Whitewashed stones in a country setting... hmm. Did this gentle neighbor want to establish a relationship with the white line of the county highway? Was it their intention to emphasize the hard, bright and sharp finish against the natural setting of the countryside? If so, then why whitewash the stones that FELL OUT of the wall? Yup, this is a Tom Sawyer moment. Somebody got fooled.