My better half is a handy guy to have around! He is so great at building strong fences and perfect gates. Our side gate has been flopping around for quite some time; the latch wouldn't catch and wind would blow it open. The 4x4 post had been rotting and was holding by a thread. My suspicions are that the rodents who have tunnelled under the bricks for a few years running may have helped the rotting process along, but I have no proof. Just the knowledge of mouse runs through leaves, baby mice sightings, and replacement of the sand base under many of the bricks in that area.
With the arrival of a puppy, suddenly the old gate became a big concern. When Kharma disappeared from the backyard when my back was turned for 5 minutes and appeared in the front yard, the gate became a menace. So there was no doubt that when he got back from his latest trip, rebuilding the gate would be a priority.
It wasn't fun to have the gate deconstructed, leaving our backyard exposed so that our little escape artist could have a field day. We literally had to keep our eyes on her all the time. And with some late nights at work the project dragged on and on. For sanity's sake, we put up a roll of chicken wire left over from Tess' puppyhood many years ago. Kharma just figured out how to push, climb or burrow and get to the other side. I added a picnic table turned on its side, a heavy box, the kids' old red wagon and one of E's extra tires to the barricade. It slowed her down at least.
Thank heavens the project is finished. Grammy brought the drill we left at her house, and my sweetie had the whole thing completed before dark. It will be nice to be able to put the pup in the backyard and know she is safe while we are cooking/upstairs/cleaning/etc.
