I love having my privacy but I also love having space between my molecules. I just pruned back a few miles of coleus, ligustrum and arbicola from the front yard. I cut everything down low so I can see the street from my room for the first time in years. It makes it feel as though I have so much more space! I still have privacy from the street but can see everything. I even took down the drapes, blinds and blackout curtains.  Right now I see the neighbors on their sundown walk and the raccoon family wobbling out of the east woods. I positioned the outdoor lights so they fall on the critter path, so we can watch the nightly procession.  Across the street is a privacy fence, so no one else is in view. I love living in the midst of a neighborhood yet apart in my own little jungle of gardens and trails. Only in Paradise is Christmas week a sunny 80 degrees, lows of 55.