[Shawndell Green]

"I figured I should rake all the pine needles out of the front before they get chopped up because they don't mulch and decompose as well as grass clippings."

I found your post from the Houston thread. But Willie, in Houston, with our heat and humidity everything decomposes. I have pine trees in my yard and I never rake them up. I just run over the needles, the pine cones, and any branches that fall off the tree and they all decompose in a hurry.

You are from the Pittsburgh area are you not? Me too. I went to high school at Mars High and college at Pitt.

[Willie Green]

I have pine trees in my yard and I never rake them up. I just run over the needles, the pine cones, and any branches that fall off the tree and they all decompose in a hurry.

Well, the two HUGE pine trees are in the FRONT yard, so I have to pick up the pine cones and the branches anyway, to keep the place presentable to the neighbors.
As for the pine needles... yeah, I usually mow right over 'em too. I don't know where I got the bright idea to rake 'em up... and TODAY of all days. Sheeeesh, I guess I must suffer from some obsessive compulsion to make things more difficult than they need to be. But the needles don't break down as quickly as the softer clippings. And the grass does look a little nicer without the brown tinge. So I got that one out of my system for a while. Maybe I'll do it again in November or December when it's cool.

You are from the Pittsburgh area are you not? Me too. I went to high school at Mars High and college at Pitt.

Yep. We were practicly neighbors.
Fox Chapel HS ('70) and Penn State.
I can remember traveling to Mars for a basketball game when I was a freshman,
but I don't think we played yinz when I moved up to JV and varsity. Shaler, North Hills, North Allegheny, Hampton and Deer Lakes (West Deer?) were all in your general direction, but we also played Springdale, Oakmont, Gateway, Plum, Penn Hills, Wilkinsburg, and a bunch of others in the other directions.