Jaci Dawn

I have this idea on how to recycle the wood from one of those (actually three of those) little picket fences you buy in a roll.

See, I have the fence but the plastic that holds it together is brittle and the stakes that hold it into the ground are non-existent. But the wooden pickets just need paint: they’re fine. I hate to just throw them away because the fence is broken (or because it is such a pain to try to set up in the first place).

I figured I could use a length of lath across the back (two lengths, actually, to stabilize) and buy long wooden stakes which I would nail onto it every 6 pickets (or thereabouts).

So I went down to Home Depot to price the materials and to get an idea of how to fasten the lath and stakes to the pickets. Of course, they sell what I want to make: little 3′ long picket fences to put around flower beds. I even put two in my basket because I needed them right now and I knew I wouldn’t actually get to my project for a week or do. And they make great proto-types. $5 a piece, pre-made.

Lath is cheap: a bundle of 12 for $4.99. Stakes are right next to the lath: $0.29 each. That would make six of those little fences for under $20 (including cost of fasteners and spray paint). I figured either a long staple from a staple gun or maybe even a fence staple for chicken wire (the smallest ones). But I couldn’t find them by myself and had to ask for help.

MISTAKE.

What is it about some men that when they find out a woman has a project on her mind, they have to explain to her why it can’t work the way she’s pictured it? And why do they have to talk to her like she’s a child?

“You can’t replicate the fastenings on that fence. They used a pneumatic staple gun.”

“I know that: it was put together in a factory. Got it. Where are the fence staples?”

(Shows me a package of HUGE fence staples) “These will just break the wood. You can’t staple that like they did, they used a pneumatic staple gun. That’s a heavy-duty commercial staple gun run off of…”

“I know that. I got that. Those staples are too big. I wanted to look at the littlest ones, please.”

“Those are for fastening chicken wire. That’s a small wire fence you staple to posts.”

“Then I’ll look at 5/16″ staples for a staple gun.”

“Those were inserted with a pneumatic staple gun. There’s glue on each staple and they come in a long roll that runs through the staple gun…”

He continues in his vein of why I can’t do what I want. I just said, “I’m only pricing things. I’m going to leave now.”

I wanted to say, “You jerk. Did I ask you for advice? Did I ask you if I had permission to do this?? Can I hit you on the head with my picket fence that was stapled with a pneumatic staple gun? Oh, heck: sell me the staple gun and I’ll use it on you: bratatatatatatatat!”

I came home with my price list and confronted my husband: how would he go about putting it together?

Wanna know what he said?

Sure you do.

You’re just itching.

He’d purchase lath, stakes, and either 5/16″ staples for the staple gun or some of those small fence staples. Maybe he’d use a little heavy-duty Gorilla glue between the pieces of wood when he ran the staple through them.

Made me want to bop the Home Depot guy even more.

I didn’t complete my project: I have yet to buy the materials. What I did do was recycle the white wire fence I had around the island flower bed. Don keeps hitting it with the lawn mower and it served no purpose. Originally, I put it there to keep Murphy out of my flower bed. It never worked.

It just gets in the way of mowing and edging.

I rearranged my north flower bed by putting the park bench  between some peonies where my aster used to be (I dug the aster out). I have some wire features along the fence (invisible to the camera) to keep the gladiolas from falling over when they get taller, but both dogs walk all over the flowers in the front of the bed.

The horse is temporary: I need to fix his legs. But right now he serves as a further deterrent to dogs that might think of jumping over that little fence to walk on tender flowers. There’s just not enough room for a dog between the white fence, the plants, the gladiola barrier, the horse and my bench.

Just enough fence to leave open the space in front of the bench so it remains utilitarian. It’s a great view.

Wait! I still had more fence left! I took one section back to my prayer garden and halved it:

One slightly used wire fence forms a plant barrier to my garden path. Cool. Doubles as something to hold up the Shasta daisies when they are heavy with bloom.

I left the fence on the south end of the island above. I have an evening primrose that grew through it and is using it for support. And (this is important) I have a peony that the dogs like to pee on. Just one peony: they don’t bother any of the other ones. I left the fence around that one peony to keep the dogs at bay. So far it works.

I’ll post photos of the picket fence when I attempt to make it. I’m sure it will turn out just fine despite the nay-sayer at Home Depot.

He should see some of the other things I’ve jury-rigged in my life time. He needs to think outside of the box.

ttfn

P.S. Today was the first day of summer and the sun came out. I think we even reached 83 degrees Farenheit. It was almost heavenly.