I love my garden. It is colorful, lush, private and small. Just perfect! I have a curved patio with an umbrella, tables and chairs to relax on. In addition, there are 14 planters complete with a variety of annuals and perennials, yielding an amazing array of colors.

This year there has been so much rainfall that we have hardly had to water the grass, bushes and planters, other than the amount that lands on them from the passive process of the morning sprinkler system. As you can see everything is lush and green!

Along the side of the house I have a small (8 ft x 12 ft) vegetable garden. One quadrant is a strawberry patch. The rest is filled with tomatoes, eggplant, cucumber, bell peppers, zucchini, pumpkin, and watermelon. This year, owing to my back surgery, I can’t even weed the darn thing, because of limitations set by the doctor after surgery! It is driving me crazy!
The big stir has been that my neighbor does not care for the admittedly ugly fence that was erected by my gardeners last year. I was planning on replacing it this spring, but before I had the chance, I was hit with a violation! Better to go through the proper channels before paying a lot of bucaroonies for the fence which will allow both water and sunlight through, just to have them say you have to tear it down! It was put up too far forward of the back of the house. So I need the city to give me an exception.
I had a few ideas for what should go up. I have a friend Kristine, who has a beautiful fence that I rather fancy. Most unfortunately, the fence company that erected hers seems to have gone out of business and no one is familiar with this type of fence. If you have seen it and know where I can get ahold of the wood for fence, please give me a holler. I would be much obliged!
A secondary idea is simply to extend the existing fence, which is chain link, and move the gate. A third idea is to simply remove the fence entirely and take my chances with the dear and bunnies. Let it be a veritable community garden!
In the meantime, I have an appointment with Elyria Fence Compnay to discuss my options Tuesday morning. They have a square lattice, vinyl, chestnut brown colored fence that I rather like. Tuesday is the day before my violations meeting. Yikes!
I can’t wait to show you what I elect to do.
Lisa J Lafave
CEO & Founder of Coaching Rocks, LLC
A Single Mom By Choice Raising Surrogacy Twin Boys
Written in My Little Brick in University Heights, Ohio