Two of the things I love most about my home are my big back yard and my chain link fence. Over the twenty plus years we've lived here I have loved getting to know my lovely back door neighbor, Marilyn. If it weren't for my see-through-fence I wouldn't be able to take part in her beautiful and unique irises as they bloom each Spring and the rest of her flowers through the summer. She has two bird baths so that's fun to watch and there's even a gate between our yards so I can go over to visit or offer eggs every once in awhile.
On the side of my yard is George and Genia. Their yard has a little bit of a different look than Marilyn's because they tend to let things grow naturally without lettiing things take over and I love visiting with them also over the fence. Their children were just grown and gone when we moved in and it's fun to hear about and see their growing families when they come to visit. Marilyn's and George and Genia's grandkids just love coming up to the fence to watch the chickens' antics or visit with Thursday (Kaylee's dog) when she's here.
On the other side of my yard I've been able to watch a varied and sundry group of folks move in and out as that house has always been a rental. When we first moved in it was vacant but filled with furniture as if someone lived there. An elderly lady had moved out and the house sat like that for a couple of years before a niece of the lady finally decided to rent it. The first tenants turned out to be the Hamby's and when they moved to Iowa a few years later my neighbor, Shari turned into my pen pal, Shari and we've been writing letters (yeah, real ones....on paper.....with a stamp) every week for the last eighteen years. So when I look across the fence to that yard I see the little storage house in the back yard where Kaylee played for so many hours with the Hamby girls...and it brings a smile.
So I love my chain link fence. As I show homes as part of my new career as a realtor, I see lots of sad looking wood fences that often need repair and are so high you can't even see the neighbors, much less visit with them. In this day of privacy and stay-to-ourselves lifestyles, I'll take my friendly (and might I add, sturdy) chain link fence any day.
