Just over our backyard fence is a very tall tree that has been shedding leaves steadily for the last month.

I’d say about a quarter of them fall into our yard and need to be raked and left in a pile on our tree lawn.

This has always seemed fine with me. Kind of a leaf tax. I enjoy the tree year round. It shades the back part of our yard. Sure, if it sat back another ten feet, fewer leaves would make it into our yard.

I never think, as I rake, that it’s just not fair. That it’s their tree and they should come to our yard and rake up their own stupid leaves.

We have two trees in the front yard and neighbors on each side have to rake up leaves that fall from it.

Maybe, for me, the issue is that it basically evens out. I rake some leaves that aren’t mine and someone else rakes some of my leaves.

But my neighbor on one side has no trees of his own out front. The balance is never in his favor.

I try not to count. There are always ways to account for things where you come out on the short end of things and ways to total things up where you come out ahead.

For me, life is pretty good. It’s three days into November and I was able to spend the morning outside at our picnic table pounding out today’s pages. The puppy alternated between lying at my side and running at a full sprint at squirrels, birds, and falling leaves.