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A Good Fence Makes a Good Neighbor

I have heard the term "A good fence makes a good neighbor" all of my life. It is from a poem by Robert Frost called "MENDING WALL". I really never stopped to think about what this saying actually means. I do not like fences. They are unsightly and a mowing nuisance. I hate to try to trim a lawn around a fence of any kind. I have really good neighbors that I like and respect. They all let their pets run loose and it bothers me, but not to the point that I would ever dislike a neighbor because of it. What brought me to write about fences is a fence that was recently put up in my yard. I do not think the fence is even on the property line. I think it actually is on my side of the property line. Let me explain.

My closest neighbor has rented out a field that borders my property. The field at one time was used to grow hay. Now that my neighbor is an elderly widow the hay field is no longer used. She rented the field to another person that lives a couple of miles up the road from us. He wanted to rent the field to put his horses on the land. This is all well and good for both parties, because the horses are certainly in a good spot for grazing, and I would assume that the widowed neighbor can make a small profit from the land rather than let it go back to nature. The problem is that the man that rented this property put up an electric fence instead of repairing the barbed wire fence that was already there. The electric fence should work well enough to keep the horses contained in the field.

My complaint is that this man put this fence up without bothering to discuss it with me. I have three grandchildren living here with me. The oldest one is twelve, then there is a five year old, and the youngest is only three. It is hard to explain to a three year old that a slight touch of the fence is all it would take to harm him. Now I still do not understand the saying that is the title of this article, but I do understand that this is one fence that is not making a good neighbor. I can no longer let my grandson go to that side of our lot without accompanying him. I am afraid that he will touch the fence, or even try to go under it to pet the horses. If there is not a law governing the erection of an electric fence on a property line, there should be. One of my other neighbors told me that I should ask the man that put the fence up to also put up a warning sign. I saw no point in doing that and could not help but chuckle at the thought. My three year old cannot read and that would serve no purpose.

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