Mysterious Tree Thief

I rarely walk on the other side of our backyard's fence. There's nothing much there. Just some more yard, trees and more landscaping stuff that needs tore out and redone. I love our house. Really I do even though I feel overwhelmed by all the improvements it needs and I dream of what it would feel like to move into what realtors call a 'move-in' ready house, with everything already done. But there is a sweet side to having a house that needs personal touches and some TLC. It's fun dreaming up the changes. When one project is finished it feels extra good to Mike and I.

On one side of our fence, it's a rather beautiful journey. First step over our bumpy tree roots and some more ground vines and you reach the far back side which is lovely. There is more open yard there belonging to us and if only click, drag, and drop worked outside of photoshop I would stretch the fence to enclose this part of the yard too. Having it blocked off feels like a waste of a yard as it is right now.

And do I dare admit that I am a peeping neighbor? I love to sneak a look around the back side of our fence and gaze into my neighbor's backyard. They have beautifully pruned evergreens surrounded by some of the greenest grass you have ever seen and mulch that is a deep clay red. So pretty!

I have told Mike, "Let's just tear out this fence." It would be the perfect view from the stretch of windows across our family room's wall that opens to the backyard. Plus without the fence we would have even a wider area out there for playing.

Wall of windows overlooking our backyard.

Someday we might just get ambitious and tear that fence out. But there is bonuses to have a backyard fenced in too. So maybe not. We're still teetering on the idea.

It had been awhile since I went on my little walking, peeping journey to the other side of our fence. So a few weeks ago Cayman and I lifted the latch and opened the gate.

"Where you going?" Mike called out to us.

"Just walking to go see the pretties." I told him.

Mike joined us.

As were walking, I said, "It looks different over here, doesn't it?"

Perplexed Mike responded, "Yes it does." Pausing for a moment then he blurted out, "WHERE'S OUR TREE?!"

I looked a little to the left and there was a stump.



A whole entire tree of ours is gone. Weird huh.

We didn't cut it down. We didn't order to have it cut down either. We had thought about it once when Mike learned that that tree kept him from being able to get The Dish.

We have tried to solve this mystery, thus far turning up no answers.


Dear Mysterious Tree Thief,

We don't mind at all that you took our tree. We were not too attached to it anyways. We would have appreciated a little heads up about it. And if you would like to come back and take the stump as well that would be really peachy. Oh and there are two more trees you can have. Just don't send the bill to us and we'll call it even.