Getting Fenced In

Apparently, the neighborhood of Olympic Manor had no idea who they were inviting in when they allowed this house to be sold to the Seattle Gilbillies. Let me refresh your memory. Here’s a reminder of what the fence looked like when we bought the house. Granted, it’s not much. In fact, it was probably put up 30 years ago, as evidenced by the Pacific Northwest moss on it.  Still, the last time we looked, shortly before closing, it was still standing.

Imagine then how we felt getting an email from the listing realtor who had been notified by a next door neighbor that our charming historical fence was negatively impacted by a recent windstorm. Yup, before we even had a chance to move in, we’ve become the white trash neighbors with a falling down fence. We haven’t even gotten inside yet or opened up walls and we need a fence. More importantly, as you can see from these photos, we need A LOT more fence. For whatever reason, the owner who put up this fence only put it around the small concrete slab directly outside the kitchen. Our yard goes all the way to the street visible in the background. That has an old chain link fence around it- not a look we’re interested in keeping so it will be replaced at the same time. And this, folks, is what people talk about when they say you always have to pad a renovation budget by at least 30%- for unexpected expenses. Stay tuned to see how that goes!

The good news is that all that lovely green yard and the raised beds are ours. The beds are overgrown and decrepit but Jed is already planning what vegetables he'll grow.

Go ahead, I know you're thinking it- the close section does not look long for this world.

On a lighter note, these bright happy fellows are already popping up in the backyard. 

The previous owners did leave us with the wonderful gift of lots of perennials planted around the house. If any of you can tell what they are, please share- I'd love to know what to expect!