I live pretty far out, so, if my yard doesn't look pristine, it really isn't that much of an issue. This year has been excessively wet, so, about a third of my yard simply isn't getting mowed. It would swallow my tractor, and I would never see it again....
The wife and I spent a couple days last fall picking up the sticks and such. Winter was interesting, and come spring, it didn't look like we had done a darn thing last fall..... some pretty significant limbs came down, so, we got to spend another couple days doing yard cleanup again.... I have a couple dead trees on the north side of my property, that should REALLY come down..... Already taken out two of 'em, but, three or four more are still there, and they drop a LOT of stuff. Trouble is, they are in the low area between the old railroad bed, and the dirt road, so there is about a foot of water in there. Not exactly ideal terrain for cutting trees.
Week Whacking..... I can't do it any more. I can run the gas string trimmer for about 20 minutes or so, and then I start losing feeling in my hands and arms. (health issues are a major contributor here.....) so, chemicals are the answer. Friend of mine that works for a tree service got me a jug of the stuff they use. Spray it lightly along fence lines, and around buildings, and NOTHING will grow there for a couple years.
I have a fine crop of dandelions..... spraying them individually is a non-starter. I am VASTLY outnumbered, and have three acres and change that I (should) mow. I just don't worry about them. They win.
Biggest issue I have is thistles...... the wife made the mistake of having one of the local farmers come and spread manure on the garden area....... the thistles took over. There is a veritable FOREST of them where the garden once was, and I have not come up with a good way to get rid of them. Currently, a third of the garden is covered in black plastic, in hopes that if we leave it there for a year or three, it will kill everything under it. We'll see how that works out......
Wabbits. Since I DO live out in the country, and the soil is rich, and easy to dig, the rabbits love to build nests around the grass near the barn. (it grows the best, the rest of the yard may not need to be mowed, but, it's 8 inches tall around the barn.....) I usually find them by seeing rabbit parts being sprayed out the discharge side of the mower deck. That's just nasty....... and not a darn thing I can do about.... Usually, the dogs will keep the assorted critters in check, but, this year, our smaller dog screwed up her knee, and is on 'bed rest' for the foreseeable future..... (yeah, try convincing HER of that....) So, we don't let them outside to just run around much this year.. She's doing better, so, probably toward the end of summer, she should be good again.
Bees, hornets, wasps..... I have a HUGE crop. Carpenter bees in the eaves of the barn, that think they need to chase me away when I mow down that side. They are idiots, and think that's actually going to work..... (though sometimes it does.....) I have long hair, and the stupid carpenter bees will get tangled up in it, in their efforts to chase me away..... No fun at all. (though, rumor has it, they don't sting??) And the yellow-jackets. Those guys will nest EVERYWHERE....... It's almost a full time job finding and spraying the nests...... Fortunately, they will only use a nest for a single season, then move on. However, others move in, and look for nice places to nest as well...... That's about a once a week exercise.
Yep. We are indeed having fun.