I’m still learning my city manners after moving here two years ago. I usually rake some of the pine that has fallen in the street for my flowerbeds as I love the look and see so much of it on my walk and bike ride. The fresh pine is free and looks a lot better than the pine you buy in bales. Turns out, some folks get mad when they see me raking the street as I’m guessing they had plans for the street hay as well. I only Take the hay on the street, not their yards. Now I go behind this funeral home near my house and rake it from the city property full of pine trees where nobody can see me. So I ask, is taking pine from the street in front of one’s house stealing? My first year here an old guy came out of his yard and said “that’s my damn pine straw”. I relinquish all I had collected from the street that morning to his flowerbed and sent an apology note. Two weeks later, he came to my door with two bags of straw and apologized himself. Although I was glad to have made up with that guy, I wonder if it’s not appropriate to rake the pine from the streets. It is usually just left there to rot. Thoughts? I live in an old established neighborhood from the early 60s with every kind of tree imaginable.
