I think we might be able to get more sun light in our yard. I ventured to the back corner a bit more this morning and realized one of the "tree" is actually a off shoot branch from our neighbor's yard. In theory, I could trim it down a bit and see how much more light we could get in the afternoon. Ideally, it would be nice to trim the whole branch off, because it is definitely restricting the growth of the cherry tree next to it. In any case, right now would be a good time to trim trees, no leaves and less fuss.
I will have to ask our landlady if she would pitch in for the tree trimming - since it does not really effect the structure of the house or cause any immediate problem in her yard. On the other hand, how hard could tree trimming be?