Things I Tell My Wife by Matt Knutson

“If you heard the large crash in the garden center aisles, that was me,” I told my wife when she returned from looking at the bird feeders. The nice weather we had last weekend had inspired me to put up a small fence in our yard, and my quest to purchase the needed supplies wasn’t going incredibly smoothly. Now that our daughter is old enough to explore the great outdoors, I imagine us spending quite a bit of time in the backyard. If we create an outdoor space dedicated to Beesly, our goldendoodle, it would mean Gracelyn could more safely roam the premises without getting her shoes dirty or picking up something undesirable. Both of those things will likely happen anyway, but we’ll do our best preventative work up front by putting up this fence.

Like any home project, it never goes quite the way you want on the first try. After mapping out the space and calculating measurements, I was determined to make just one trip to the store. The first store we visited had too small of a selection, so I extended my goal of one trip to the store to two trips since a loophole existed in that I wouldn’t be going home in between stops. With more opportunities at store number two (and cheaper options!), I began to load up a standard cart with fencing, which quickly became unsustainable. The second cart I found was more of a flatbed or platform cart, allowing for better stacking potential.

Just as I finished loading the cart, perhaps the loudest noise the garden center had ever heard echoed off the aisle displays as fencing slid in all directions off the cart and into nearby displays. An employee dashed over, thankful to not find me underneath the fencing, despite my immediate shout that everything was OK. I’m not one for too much attention, so for some reason I thought proclaiming that all was well would keep bystanders from coming over. My theory was not very effective. The employee acknowledge that the floor was actually sloped, meaning the cart was doomed to fail from the start, and grabbed another, upright cart for us to begin reloading the fencing. It wasn’t my proudest shopping moment, but honestly, probably not my most embarrassing either.

When we arrived home, I began laying out the fence in the backyard, smartly deciding to start with the gate. It was the only piece that had no flexibility for its placement, so installing it first was the main priority. Only moments into the installation effort did I realize this gate was not functional. The side of the box stated gate, and in small print revealed that it was meant to be a gate for an arbor that I did not purchase. In fact, the gate was for an arbor that was no longer made or sold in stores. It was time to head back to the store and buy a new gate.

About an hour and a half later, the gate and fence were up and my temporary moments of feeling defeated had transitioned into pride. Not to toot my own horn, but this fence looks good and is functional. It matches our deck and Beesly hasn’t even attempted to escape her large confinement. We met all of our goals, except when you count the trips to the store and the always-present objective of avoiding public embarrassment. Compared to the baby gate fiasco from a few months ago, this was easy.

I wish all struggles were overcome in the brief journey we went on last weekend. Obstacles can come up in any of the best laid plans, but a little persistence and help from others can bring about success around any corner. As backyard projects pick up this time of year, I’ll have to remember that. This weekend we might try to tackle weed prevention or prepare the garden. I’m hopeful to find the victory in those quests a little easier.

Matt Knutson is a communications specialist in Rochester.