Knock at the Front Door

Notice the new wood on the right side of this picture. This is our new fence. 

We're redoing our twenty plus year old cedar fence before it falls down completely. The style is called a good neighbor fence like the last one - the slats are staggered and it looks the same on both sides. The new one is two feet higher for more privacy. It frames borders and yard with a warm, golden glow. Loverby did a splendid job - the results are enviable. He's a mathematical genius, a craftsman with wood. I love it. 

What we didn't replace were the two built in gates that led from our yard to the neighbor to the west, and the neighbor on the north side. What was common and normal way back then is no longer desirable in our culture at present. We can't even talk over the fence without a ladder anymore. Good neighbor fences need a new name. There is nothing neighborly about them. There will never be a beaten path through our yard to theirs. We all feel enclosed and safe, and isolated in our comfortable walls. We have complete privacy. I am both glad and sad about this. 

There never will be a fence out in the front. Please come knock on our front door. It is has a big welcome for you. Maybe a pot of soup is still warm. I'll put the tea kettle on and we'll sit on the porch swing and linger till the sun drops down over the roof, then the horizon. If you stay to linger longer, I'll light candles. I hope the path to the front door gets deep ruts and never gets overgrown. I want neighbors who need to borrow a cube of butter or a cup of flour once in a while.