On The Nest boards today, a woman asked, “do you take pride in your yard?”  She then went on to complain about the rotten state of some of the yards that she spies when she takes stroll-patrols (my word, not hers) around her neighborhood. Here’s the deal: I am one of those neighbors. We bought a big, rambling fixer-upper a few years ago and roughly 25% has been fixed up. The wild, rambling yard is barely even on my radar. It’s only when I come and go through the front door (a rare occurrence) that I see what everyone else must see-- and honey, it ‘aint cute.

Weeds galore, a stone wall in need of repointing, ghetto rose bushes (you know the kind -- with ratty, buggy, little blooms and a ridiculously extra number of thorns), so overgrown that they threaten to take over the porch itself. Luckily, I have mellow neighbors. But that doesn’t mean our house hasn’t inspired a tsk-tsk or two (just not to our faces).

What about you: Is your yard gorgeous and inspiring? Or is it like ours: A hot mess?

-- Holly

See More: Couple Issues , Love & Sex