FENCES AND BOUNDARIES

In case I have not expressed this yet, I love my neighbors on our end of the block in my new to me house.  I especially love my next door neighbors---they are simply the best.  On one side is a young couple--- newly weds of about a year---in their 20's.  On the other side is a young (everyone seems to be young when I look around these days) family with three children.  I knew them before moving in since one of their girls is a very good friend of my granddaughter.  They all brighten my days when I hear them outside playing or we are sharing news over the fence.  Everyone is busy--but not too busy for a kind word to the old lady next door.

Both of these families have pets.  The young couple have a golden retriever and a dachshund who are barkers.  The other neighbor has Miss Kitty, we have talked about before, who loves to taunt Hero and a small dog I seldom see.  If I let Hero out and any of the pets are also out---a ruckus ensues ALWAYS!  If Miss Kitty is perched on the fence between our houses---Hero is falling all over himself wanting to get to her.  If the dogs on the other side are out, they begin barking and Hero is throwing dirt around with his back feet and sniffing and spurting (no bark--remember?).  I usually bring him in to keep the uproar to a minimum, but the dogs' owners are very conscious of the barking and bring them in also.  Have you ever heard the expression ~

I really like my neighbors, but can you imagine the chaos with the pets if we did not have fences?  Animals are prone to wander and will infringe on their neighbor's space if left to their own devices.  One of us from the three adjacent houses would have to be out refereeing the melee every time one of the pets dared to cross the boundary.  I love my neighbors, but I do not want to be out running their pets off or tracking them down  when they escape 24/7.  Fences are boundaries to keep the cows in the pasture, chickens in the pen, horses in the paddock, and dogs in the yard.  We keep peace by having boundaries and staying within them.  AND, if by chance, the gate is left open, the fence has a break in it, or some escape artist manages to squeeze through a narrow opening---we help our neighbors corral their livestock---be it four legged or two.  We don't stand at the fence yelling our displeasure---we are good neighbors and help out those next door.

Recently I saw the neighbor's two dogs slip out the door, they went after a walking couple and began running in circles.  I stood back and laughed as the across the street, one  neighbor flew out her door, the walker's joined in the corralling efforts, and everyone from next door spilled out the door trying to catch those two dogs.  No one was mad---no one was flustered with each other and we all walked away after the beasts had been caught with a smile on our face.  If only we could all be good neighbors---establish our boundaries to keep the peace--but always be willing to step up when we see a need.  Keep your fences in repair, but always have a spot where you can talk over or through the fence.  This makes for good neighbors.

"Love your neighbor

as yourself."

Leviticus 19:18