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Allison Larkin

Internationally Best-Selling Author

You are here: Home / Argo the wonder dog / Good Fences . . .

Good Fences . . .

March 23, 2009 Filed Under: Argo the wonder dog, Mrs. Gnome, STELLA

Well, we got three quotes on a fence, the highest being twice the lowest. We had the same thing happen when we needed a new roof. This is why at least three quotes are a necessity when it comes to hiring someone to do home repairs. I am shocked that the cost can vary so much, especially in this case, when we are talking about the exact same type of fencing.

Fortunately, the lowest price was from the person I like the best. He didn’t try to talk me into fudging our property lines to put the fence on the drainage easement that’s on one side of our property like the other two did.

Several of you mentioned putting up your own fencing. I admire you. I am sure it would save us a good chunk of change . . . on fencing. But, I have learned that most DIY projects around this house usually result in increased medical costs. Most significantly, the bathtub caulking/plumbing incident that resulted in a herniated disc and a lost year of my life. I am in far better shape now than I was then, (and don’t spend my days teetering around on high heels and sitting in a crappy office chair anymore), but with all the work I have ahead of me, I’m not taking any chances right now. I’m accident prone, and Jeremy has been working so much that he just doesn’t have the time right now, so we’re going to leave it to people who know what they are doing and have the proper tools.

Last Thursday, I went down to the town hall to get a permit. Hopefully, that will come through this week, then I’ll send in my deposit. Weather permitting, we could have a fence up in the next three weeks. Oh, that would be lovely.

Stella has been doing okay with going out leash-free to do her business (as long as Argo is with her) but she won’t go if Mr. or Mrs. Gnome are outside. If she sees either of them, she just stands there barking, with the grey patch of fur on her back puffed up at attention. So, in order to get her to pee outside instead of inside, I have to keep an eye out and take her when Mrs. Gnome goes in her house. As the weather gets warmer, the window of pee time will just get smaller and smaller, because Mrs. Gnome spends all summer rearranging The Crap Garden and raking leaves out of the woods. Hopefully, the fence will keep Stella from noticing her presence. Hopefully, Stella won’t just turn around and develop a fear of the fence. Since I’ve observed Stella’s sudden fearfulness of a random spot on the kitchen floor, or a cardboard box, or a gust of wind, I know fence-fear is well within the realm of possibility.

Stella is such a colossal pain in the ass sometimes, but my love and devotion for that little dog is limitless. I don’t know if I see myself in her – the weird fears, the insecurities, the optimism she seems to employ when starting each day – or if I just have a need to root for the underdog (pardon the pun). Either way, I’m really glad she found us and vice versa. Now, I need to figure out how to get her to stop trying to eat the coffee table.

3 Comments

Comments

  1. courtney says

    March 23, 2009 at 3:58 pm

    Hee. Your neighborhood should be a TV show.

    Reply
  2. Dingo says

    March 24, 2009 at 5:59 am

    I love Stella. I just love quirky dogs. As infuriating as those quirks may sometimes be, it’s what makes them so lovable.

    Reply
  3. The Modern Gal says

    April 14, 2009 at 1:38 pm

    I love that last paragraph. Isn’t it funny how animals can teach us something about ourselves?

    Reply

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Internationally bestselling author of STAY, WHY CAN'T I BE YOU and SWIMMING FOR SUNLIGHT. THE PEOPLE WE KEEP coming from @gallerybooks on 8/3/2021

Allison Larkin
May you all have a friend who loves you so much sh May you all have a friend who loves you so much she wants to nap on the running shoes you wear without socks. #dailystelladog #olddogsofinstagram
Blueberries are awesome. #dailystelladog #germansh Blueberries are awesome. #dailystelladog #germanshepherd
Fully. Vaccinated. #thankyouscience Fully. Vaccinated. #thankyouscience
East coast woman marvels at west coast plants. Wit East coast woman marvels at west coast plants. With selfie for scale. #seenonmyrun #succulentsofinstagram
There’s still a few hours left to enter to win o There’s still a few hours left to enter to win one of 50 Advance Reader Copies of THE PEOPLE WE KEEP! Link in bio! #bookstagram #giveaway #goodreads
It’s National Library Week. As a child, the libr It’s National Library Week. As a child, the library was my precious refuge. I took full advantage of the ability to read anything I wanted to while I was in the hallowed halls of a town library. And when I was overwhelmed by classroom life, spending lunch in the school library reading the encyclopedias was my favorite form of self-care. After my first novel came out, a childhood friend sent me a picture (first photo) from my hometown library. I don’t have the right words to explain the pride I feel to know that my own books are on the same shelves that held the books that taught me about storytelling when I was a child. And last year, right before the shutdown, when I popped in to the San Francisco Public Library, I got a little misty-eyed when I found a copy of STAY, with Argo’s beautiful face looking up at me (second photo). It is a powerful thing for our communities to have public libraries and the support of librarians who work so hard to cultivate safe spaces and free access to information and literature. Happy National Library Week to all of you. #nationallibraryweek
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