Let the dog in!

Anxiety?  Check.  Fear?  Check.  Helplessness?  Check.  These are the emotions around our house.  I have written before (on my Seattle P.I. blog) on the upcoming renovations in our neighborhood to add walking and biking paths to the elementary school.  Drawings have been drafted, PowerPoints have been used, and meetings have been held.  The scary part for us is the possibility that the City will use all its public use easement across the entire front of our property putting in a winding, paved path adjacent to the road.  Why, that sounds nice, you say.  A winding path in front of your house where currently there exists a man-eating ditch, snagging crushed Big Gulps and bags of Fritos (hey, not mine, I use the trash cans!). 

It would be great, but for the Fence Project.  You see, if a path goes in and a proper retaining wall is not included, the ground on which our beautiful, painstakingly made Fence will give way.  Picture Malibu in rainy season.  The Fence is outside the easement line, by at least a foot, but part of the berm on which it sits is inside.  Oh, the hours, plans, sweat, labor, aches, money, stress (from the work and from me) endured by my creative hubby and other relatives. 

Me (whiny):  Will it be done THIS weekend?? 

Him (eyes rolling, walking away):  Stop asking me that.

It’s a beauty alright – curved (!) corners, six feet high, cedar planks, with a pavers base on the curves.  It pains me to think the “greater good” scores while the Fence crumbles.  And the salt in the wound is that we would still have to pay property taxes for that land under the path.  Now, what was so great about owning your own home?  Sometimes, I long for the days of carefree renting….no house projects, no property taxes, no power-washing….oh, wait, the power-washing is fun.

[This post can also be found at Bainbridge Breezes.]

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