Robert Frost wrote the phrase, “Good fences make good neighbors.” in a poem called “Mending Walls”. The poem was published in 1914. The phrase often runs through my mind when I am out running in suburban neighborhoods, lined with privacy fences. I hate the way the fences look. In my head, the fences are contributors to our world’s mental health crisis.
This brings me to the fact that I am actively replacing my privacy fence. My fence needed replacing when I purchased the house more than two years ago. The boards on the fence are so old and rotted that they are like powder. One can no longer mend the fence, the fence boards disintegrate and break right through the nail heads. Potatoe has figured out that he can get outside the fence by simply pushing on the pickets. He leaves our yard, and he goes into our neighbor’s backyard to poop and get a scratch behind the ears.
I like that Potatoe found a new friend, and I like that my neighbors do not get mad about my doggie pooping in their yard, but I worry about Potatoe’s safety. My neighbors do not have a fence. I know that it is only a matter of time until Potatoe slips out the back fence to find his demise at the mouth of a coyote, or he gets lost and picked up by someone. I love my pooch, and I want to keep him safe.
I reached a point that I had to replace the fence. After more than a dozen quotes, I finally found someone that would show up to replace the fence that I could afford. I found the person through my next-door neighbor. My neighbor referred me to someone that referred me to someone that referred me to someone. The someone three someone’s removed, scheduled the work for the past Monday, and I already planned to be in South Carolina for Spring Break. I almost cancelled my trip to South Carolina. I needed so badly to get the fence work done.
Instead, I asked my back neighbor, Albert, for help, the same neighbor that gives Potatoe a snuggle and lets Potatoe poop in his yard. I talked at length with Albert and Margaret about the expectations and design of the fence, and I left the check with them. The two of them were so incredibly willing to help. On day 1 there was confusion, no issue, just confusion, and Albert worked it out with the fence workers.
Now, my fence is almost complete. My bestie Yvonne sent me pictures of the fence that she took when she went over to my house to feed the three piggies, I mean kitties. The fence looks awesome! By the end of the week, I will have a brand-new fence that I know will keep my sweet Potatoe safe. Just as importantly, the events reconfirmed what I already know. That is the fact that I have great neighbors. Robert Frost said, “Good fences make good neighbors.” For me, “Good neighbors make good fences.”