The Fence

We have lived here for almost ten years and I have enjoyed the view from the deck across my neighbors yard to the 11th fairway and to the trees and sky.  My backyard includes a Winnie the Pooh woods that is a nice privacy block from errant balls but no wonderful long view.

When we first moved here I thought I would put up a fence but I could never imagine one I would like.  The HOA rules only permit a backyard fence that doesn't come out more than 5 feet from one side of the house and is set back at least five feet from your property line and in our case at least 50 feet from the rear edge that abuts the golf course.  It was a very unsatisfactory look and it would double the work of mowing and edging, and in truth our dog is a city dog who isn't very fond of wet grass and would much prefer a nice walk on a sidewalk. 

Until last year our neighbors were a family with young children who were wonderful to watch grow.  We miss them and their energy.  And the roasted marshmallows the kids would bring me when they had a fire in their firepit.  Our new neighbors are nice, they are quiet and not really outdoor people.  But they are fence people.  They have two dogs who are used to having a fenced yard that eliminates the need for walks.  To be fair, she works long hours and his work frequently takes him away all day.  They want a doggy door into a fenced yard so the dogs can come and go as needed.  Today the fence installers came and started digging post holes and erecting the fence.  It is a nice open black iron fence, it will work well for them.  But I suddenly became very protective of my property line.  They seem to have gotten a waiver to extend their fence out from the side of the house to cross their driveway and come up to the five foot set back from my property line.  I watched the installers eyeball the line and wanted to rush out and say wait, do you know where the property marker is because the line does not form a right angle!   All of my busybody thoughts came leaping to the front.  "Don't put the ends of the rods  into the grass, it will make it impossible to edge or use the trimmer."  "You are just eyeballing the setbacks and haven't even referred to the plat."  

As my hubby would say, it is not my problem.  If it is too close to the golf course someone else will complain and I never go down to that back corner of the lot so who cares if it is only a foot from the line.  I do miss the open yards.   Maybe I will plant a hedge.