Fence Me In

The words to an old song keep going through my head. 'Give me land - lots of land - with the starry skies above. Don't fence me in!' But that's not true this time. I want to be fenced in. Fenced in my own back yard! I was told that some time years ago, when our little home was newly built, none of the homes had fenced yards. The neighbors planted gardens and everyone shared what they had with each other. They wandered in and out of each other's yards, helping themselves - picking produce from their gardens, borrowing ladders and whatever was needed. Now that was a long time ago. It was a different time in our little community. A different world! Then fences began to appear. When we moved into our little house the back yard was fenced in. Six foot fence sections enclosed two sides and a little decorative fence - about waist high on me - enclosed the other two sides. From our back yard we could see into our neighbor's yard and onto the side street beyond. Not only that - anyone driving on the nearby side street could look into our back yard and see whatever was there. A large grapevine provided privacy in the summer months but it was still too open for the security of our young grandchildren (who grew tall enough to climb over the little fence and gain access to the very busy street in front) and for the security of belongings placed in our yard. Plans were made to add six-foot sections to that side of the yard and one day, not long ago, my sweetheart began the process. Holes must be dug for the strong posts that hold the fence. A hard job to do by hand. A rented post-hole digger made the job much easier.When that task was accomplished it looked like a giant gopher had run through our yard!The next step seemed simple. Put the posts in the holes and put the dirt back in. Not that simple. My sweetheart does precise work, making sure the job is done right and will last. He carefully placed each post in place. Making sure the post was straight and level, he mixed cement and poured it into the hole. Not a quick process. But worth it. Well worth it.The cement had to dry overnight before the cross pieces and fence boards could be added. Once that was accomplished our yard began to change. Slowly. Carefully. With precision. A fence!And then, with design and purpose, a double gate was built.Now our plans and dreams for this project were reality. Security and privacy. And safety for our grandchildren.

The double gates will give access to my sweetheart's little boat, the lawnmower and whatever needs to be moved from one side to the other. The fence needs to be satined, landscape changes need to be made, more projects completed and a structure added to protect the little boat through the rainy winter months. When it's all finished we will sit on the patio and enjoy what was once just a dream. Land. Lots of land with the starry skies above. And we're fenced in. All fenced in!