Tornadoes & Fences

The weather couldn't have been more perfect for a Saturday in late November. And with that, fixing our fence couldn't be put off any longer.

Background
On Tuesday, September 4, we were just finishing Ty's birthday dinner of crab legs when the wind quickly picked up. I was concerned for our garbage can (still full and on the curb thanks to a garbage man deciding to take the day off for Labor Day), and as I was pulling it into the garage, I noticed the atmosphere was not only extremely windy, but also very dark and full of flying debris. Meanwhile, Ty had been in the backyard refusing to relinquish his hold on his locust tree, hoping it wouldn't uproot while watching one of our 50-foot willow trees collapse toward him (didn't hit him or anything else). Several sections of fencing were also blown over. One section landed on our new Goldenrain tree we had planted several days earlier. When the fence was lifted off, it sprang right back . . . the young really are resilient. As for our weak, shallow-rooted, willow trees: after counting their tree rings, they are only 6 or 7 years old! Just proves you have to grow deep roots to survive the tornadoes of life. We call it a tornado, but the weather people claim it was only straight-line winds. When we see trampolines lifted over 6-foot fences and trees toppled, it's our tornado despite what any weatherman has to say.

Well that was several months ago. Neither of us knew anything about fences or how they were put together. Thank heavens for a brother in law who lives two blocks away. Jason helped Ty put the new posts in, and today was the day to put the fence back together (without Jason's help. We're always so pleased with ourselves when we can accomplish anything remotely home improvement related without Jason's assistance). It's almost complete. Just need to finish the gate. Here's a pat on the back for Ty for figuring out the fence and living through our tornado.