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Allison Larkin

Internationally Best-Selling Author

You are here: Home / dogs / Good fences really do make good neighbors!

Good fences really do make good neighbors!

April 28, 2009 Filed Under: dogs, fences, neighbors

So, the fence is up, and I have to say, it has done wonders in quelling my neighbor-related angst. It’s also made having two German Shepherds so much easier (except when they are outside and it starts raining, and we don’t realize it, and they decide to mud wrestle in the garden and then run through the house).

Argo has pretty much said, “Hey, it was nice knowing you, but I have a yard. . .” That dog can spend all day lying in the shade sniffing the breeze. He is blissfully happy.

Stella, on the other hand, was more excited about all the attention she gets when Argo is outside. If she did go outside, she had to come in to check on me every five minutes. We’ve just been leaving the door open so they can come and go as they please. Then J shut the door and left them outside for about ten minutes the other day, (because they were muddy AGAIN and he was trying to keep them from tracking it through the house AGAIN). Stella was traumatized and has now decided she’d rather just stay indoors, preferably with some part of her touching some part of me at all times. She likes to lie on my feet, or sleep with her head on my lap, or walk so close to me that I trip over her. We’re working on it. I’d be lying if I said that it wasn’t flattering to be needed so much, especially since my other furry confidant has chosen the yard over me, but I know it’s not healthy behavior, and I so desperately want Stella to be a happy, healthy dog. It breaks my heart that she spends so much time in a state of fear.

I am so thrilled that my view of The Crap Garden has been narrowed. Although, I suspect Mrs. Gnome has been moving her crap up higher into the trees. In defiance? For my benefit? Just because? Who knows! From the kitchen window, I can see several windsocks, a fake owl, and a gaggle of wind chimes over the top of the fence, but, not having to look at the fake deer, assorted mop handles, and all those bowling balls certainly does wonders for my mood.

The weather has been all over the place lately, but Friday was as perfect a day as anyone could ask for. I spent much of it outside working in my new office. And it was lovely.

9 Comments

Comments

  1. Dingo says

    April 29, 2009 at 8:11 am

    They look so happy running around out there! And I love that red desk. I think I would be more productive if I had a red desk.

    Reply
  2. equa yona(Big Bear) says

    April 29, 2009 at 2:24 pm

    Big Yard! Your office is tres cool!
    Maybe the arboreal crap garden has been inspired by your fence? Unintended consequences? Nice to hear you so happy.

    Reply
  3. 3carnations says

    April 29, 2009 at 2:40 pm

    Our fence has increased the enjoyment of our yard so much!

    Is that a wooden table in your yard?

    Reply
  4. Allie says

    April 29, 2009 at 2:46 pm

    Yes, it’s a wooden kitchen table we bought from a yard sale years ago. I painted it with outdoor paint.

    Reply
  5. nancypearlwannabe says

    April 29, 2009 at 3:50 pm

    Can’t you train the dogs to retrieve the annoying wind chimes and bury them while your neighbor is out?

    Reply
  6. courtney says

    April 29, 2009 at 4:09 pm

    Nice office! I wish I could work outside on nice days.

    I hope Stella gets better, but I think it’s sweet that she wants to be near you all the time. :)

    Reply
  7. A Free Man says

    April 30, 2009 at 1:15 am

    Love your home office. I’m woring at home today and was just thinking that I need a redecoration. Maybe I should just go out on the balcony.

    Reply
  8. The Modern Gal says

    May 11, 2009 at 8:14 pm

    ohhh, I never thought about the crap scaling the trees and roof and such, but it makes total sense.

    Love your outdoor workspace! And good to see at least one of the dogs enjoying it too.

    Reply
  9. Condo Blues says

    May 22, 2009 at 3:41 pm

    I understand your feelings about Stella needing to be near you. My rescue dog has separation anxiety issues too. Sometimes I’m torn too about leaving him by himself because that’s best for him and taking him with me because it’s more fun for me.

    Reply

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Okay, fine. Her jacket is reversible and we kinda Okay, fine. Her jacket is reversible and we kinda match. I admit it. Alright? We all knew this was coming. None of this should be a surprise to any of us. #dailyroxydog #huskychihuahua #dogjacket #peoplewhomatchtheirdogs
Just a dog in a puffy jacket that matches her lawn Just a dog in a puffy jacket that matches her lawn chair. And she likes it! #dailyroxydog #chihuahuamix #ilovemydog
We are in the habit of starting and ending our day We are in the habit of starting and ending our days side by side in our lawn chairs, while the light rises or dims. It’s still chilly at the outer edges of the day. Sometimes Roxy shivers. I bought her a sweater, but she won’t wear it. Sometimes I try to wrap her in my jacket, but she’s not having that either, so I throw her ball and try to get her run and then she comes back to her chair, warm for a little longer. #dailyroxydog #huskychihuahua #dogssittinginchairs
“I got a secret I should tell. I’m going up to “I got a secret I should tell. I’m going up to heaven in a split pea shell.” ~ @petermulvey43 Words Too Small to Say
Happy as a dog in a freshly dug nap hole. #dailyro Happy as a dog in a freshly dug nap hole. #dailyroxydog #huskymixesofinstagram
I saw this little dresser at my favorite magic ant I saw this little dresser at my favorite magic antique store sometime in November and didn’t buy it. But then, of course, I kept thinking about her. She’s the perfect size for my office, and I found those drawer pulls hilarious. When I finally went back in December, I told myself I was shopping for wall art, because I assumed she would be gone. But she was right where I’d seen her last: balanced on another dresser with boxes of old picture frames and tchotchkes piled on top (the true mark of a magic antique store). I didn’t even realize she had a towel rack — that she was a wash stand, not a dresser — until I asked about the price, said I’d take her, and my favorite magic antique store person asked if we needed to unscrew the towel rack to fit her in my car. I suspect this little sweetie is not from the days of necessary wash stands so much as from a country kitchen in the 80s. She was in rough shape, and not made from wood worth stripping and re-staining, but her price reflected that. I had to disassemble that door and put it back together, but I’d been in the market for some experience working with old furniture, and she made me feel brave about trying. I thought about painting her something more neutral, but I’m so glad I didn’t. She deserves to be pink. She’s not perfectly painted and needs a few touch ups. I learned some things about chalk paint and finishes. The drawers stick a bit. Eventually, I’d like to line them with fabric and when I do, I might plane the edges to smooth things out. But goodness, I love her in a way that I wouldn’t if I hadn’t spent time cleaning away her cobwebs and scrubbing the grime from her hilarious drawer pulls. She’s also become a little shrine for the book I’m working on, which makes me love her even more. I’ve always been a person who sees some soul in certain things, and I’m learning to cherish that idiosyncrasy, because there’s so much joy to be found in a brave little toaster or an underdog wash stand. We’re not here in the world for all that long. We may as well love some bright little things. #furnituremakeover
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