Out with the old

We have lived in our house for 21 years this summer. Michelle was 1.5 years old and Stephanie was just 4 when we moved here. The fence that was in our back yard was one of those fences that was wooden with the cross piece and then boards on either side, but staggered so it looks the same on the back and front. It was pretty warped and worn when we moved in but we couldn't really afford to do anything about it for a year.
The next year after a winter of planning it all out, we made a design that was unique.. we used all the boards that were already on the fence, and just dug new holes for the fence posts and painted it... It looked like a million bucks but was an affordable project. We had enough fence boards to extend the fence to include the side yard which we then made a raised garden for strawberries. Below is the fence a couple of years later, with its rounded top and dark redwood stain. Over the years we have had to repaint the fence and replace some posts but for the most part, the fence still has all those original boards which must be 25 years old.. or more.

Three years ago we took money that should have paid for a one week winter trip to Cuba or somewhere, and instead we turned our back yard into a more suitable yard for our family now that the kids have grown. It has a fire pit, a veg garden, and green grass for Terry to mow! But we never really did much with the fence... and it is wearing out.

This winter we started talking about plans for fence work. Terry played around on his Visio program and designed several fences... using all new wood.. pressure treated (something we couldn't afford 20 years ago) and he bought some boards this spring and started to play with different designs. He built a few trials.

(we didn't like this one... no space between the boards, made it look like a wall, not a fence)

Well, all the trials are over and the fence is under construction. Every night Terry builds one section, and on non-rainy nights, he sometimes can build two. We have had two rainy weekends and several nights of rain. Ugh!

This weekend will be a fencing weekend for Terry as he moves along the back of the yard. We hope to put a taller fence section right by the fire pit for a bit of privacy. the board in the middle of the two fence sections is about the height of that section. should be interesting. and for me... gardening all weekend, I hope. I have a ton of pots to fill and a veg garden, all turned and ready for planning. Rain or shine!