Mending Wall
The next day M wrote her name, too, perhaps motivated by the fanfare we made of O's efforts. She insists on starting in the middle of the page and then adding to the beginning when she runs out of room making the whole thing kind of incomprehensible, but it's there. She's low key about pretty much everything, including, apparently, the proper order of letters.
Anyway, we have a fence around our house. I think it was put up when the place was built twenty some-odd years ago. It's the same fence many of our neighbors have, a wooden picket fence about four or five feet tall, and it's in decent shape. Needs a little TLC and seriously needs a paint job, but it's a good fence (see the above picture taken at the end of last summer). I figure if I'm going to do anything I should do it before my garden goes gangbusters on it, which means as soon as the weather is consistently above 50 or so (I think). Also, that way, we get to enjoy the freshly-painted fence for the whole outdoor season. So I sent an e-mail to our little 20-family Home Owner's Association to say we wanted to have this done, could anyone recommend a good painter. Someone could, and I called them. They're coming out on Monday, and I have the name of a second painter whom I'll call for a competing estimate. From my perspective, things seem to be going fine. Easy, even. HA!
Today, our Very Thorough Neighbor next door caught me in the driveway playing with my kids. This is a friendly guy with whom I have had long conversations about garbage and recycling pick-up regulations, the nuances of snow removal in our neighborhood, and the city's refusal to remove a leaning tree. He's a nice neighbor, from New York even. But really a stickler for Policy. So this guy says, I saw your e-mail. Have I talked to my fence neighbors about whether they'll allow me to have the fence between our properties painted and if they want their side done at all? (Me: Uh, no, hadn't occurred to me. We've never had a fence painted before. You mean there's a chance they won't?) Have I talked to my shared-fence neighbors about splitting the cost of painting their half of common fences? (Me: Oh, I hadn't thought of that.) Have I talked to the HOA architectural committee? Even if I'm having it painted the same color, which I am, I have to have this work approved. (Me: we have an architectural committee?)
So, I happened to see the architectural guy (previously known as my neighbor) in his yard and went over to talk. Approval isn't an issue, nothing in writing needed, and I didn't even need to talk to him if it was going to stay the same color. Phew. But, as it happens we share a section of fence. He suggested "we" get an estimate to have all the linked sections of fence painted because they're all in similar shape. Suddenly there are five or six houses involved in this potential work. I'm seeing complicated math equations in my head, per-linear-foot prices, and divisions of cost where fences are shared. Somehow I'm afraid it'll come out the way it does at restaurants. Whenever you have people pitch in based on what they think they owe, it always comes up short and someone has to pitch in a little more than they expected. I'm going to do my best to keep it from becoming unwieldy or unfair, but I'm just amazed that this morning I thought the only thing to do was get estimates, make a choice, and set a date. Good fences really do make good neighbors, but why does mending the wall have to be so complicated?
Anyway, we have a fence around our house. I think it was put up when the place was built twenty some-odd years ago. It's the same fence many of our neighbors have, a wooden picket fence about four or five feet tall, and it's in decent shape. Needs a little TLC and seriously needs a paint job, but it's a good fence (see the above picture taken at the end of last summer). I figure if I'm going to do anything I should do it before my garden goes gangbusters on it, which means as soon as the weather is consistently above 50 or so (I think). Also, that way, we get to enjoy the freshly-painted fence for the whole outdoor season. So I sent an e-mail to our little 20-family Home Owner's Association to say we wanted to have this done, could anyone recommend a good painter. Someone could, and I called them. They're coming out on Monday, and I have the name of a second painter whom I'll call for a competing estimate. From my perspective, things seem to be going fine. Easy, even. HA!
Today, our Very Thorough Neighbor next door caught me in the driveway playing with my kids. This is a friendly guy with whom I have had long conversations about garbage and recycling pick-up regulations, the nuances of snow removal in our neighborhood, and the city's refusal to remove a leaning tree. He's a nice neighbor, from New York even. But really a stickler for Policy. So this guy says, I saw your e-mail. Have I talked to my fence neighbors about whether they'll allow me to have the fence between our properties painted and if they want their side done at all? (Me: Uh, no, hadn't occurred to me. We've never had a fence painted before. You mean there's a chance they won't?) Have I talked to my shared-fence neighbors about splitting the cost of painting their half of common fences? (Me: Oh, I hadn't thought of that.) Have I talked to the HOA architectural committee? Even if I'm having it painted the same color, which I am, I have to have this work approved. (Me: we have an architectural committee?)
So, I happened to see the architectural guy (previously known as my neighbor) in his yard and went over to talk. Approval isn't an issue, nothing in writing needed, and I didn't even need to talk to him if it was going to stay the same color. Phew. But, as it happens we share a section of fence. He suggested "we" get an estimate to have all the linked sections of fence painted because they're all in similar shape. Suddenly there are five or six houses involved in this potential work. I'm seeing complicated math equations in my head, per-linear-foot prices, and divisions of cost where fences are shared. Somehow I'm afraid it'll come out the way it does at restaurants. Whenever you have people pitch in based on what they think they owe, it always comes up short and someone has to pitch in a little more than they expected. I'm going to do my best to keep it from becoming unwieldy or unfair, but I'm just amazed that this morning I thought the only thing to do was get estimates, make a choice, and set a date. Good fences really do make good neighbors, but why does mending the wall have to be so complicated?
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