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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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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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