Don't Fence Me In

Well my bloggy friends, it's been an exciting few days around my house!  Some of it good exciting and some of it not so good!  

Yesterday I went to a beautiful beach house for a photo shoot.  It was a perfect day for a photo shoot of a home by the water, actually 3 homes by the water as I was supposed to take pictures of 3 rental properties along the shores of the Chesapeake Bay.  These homes are nestled down private dirt lanes which lead you to quiet retreats with unbelievable water views of the Bay!

I arrived as planned and all of the rentals were empty, and I had full access to wander about by myself photographing these lovely homes when the unthinkable happened.  I had scouted out the beach for a moment, and then headed inside to check out the inside.  I had wandered around briefly on the lower floor where the bedrooms were located and was making my way up a set of stairs with my tripod in one hand and my camera bag in the other, and I suddenly couldn't move!

A pain like I've never experienced before, and I've given birth to two children via cesarean...need I say more?!  But I was completely beside myself with pain.  My first thought was, I think I will need to call an ambulance, quickly followed by I don't know the street address (it was on a piece of paper in my Durango), and finally, and most importantly, that I didn't shave my legs today!!!  Why are we women like that?  We're in major pain and all we can think about is what underwear we are wearing and the fact that we don't have silky smooth legs!!!

I waited a few moments and called Mr. Tide who was hours away at work, I needed a friendly, calming voice to talk me through this.  Then I called my son to alert him to the possibility that I might need him to meet me at the hospital.  Our son runs on the local rescue squad so his first reaction was to tell me to not even think about trying to drive anywhere.  I assured him that I wouldn't if I didn't feel up to it, hung up and decided I would try and muscle through the pain (no pun intended) and work my way the 35 to 40 minutes back home.  

I also called the homeowner to apologize for having to reschedule the shoot.  She was wonderful and kind and told me to take care of myself, but I still felt horrible not being able to take the photos, this was our 3rd attempt and it really was perfect weather with clear blue skies and bright sunshine.

As I got into my car with tears in my eyes from the discomfort, and began the drive home, I realized this probably wasn't one of my best decisions.  I was really afraid that if I needed to react quickly while driving I wouldn't be able to.  So I phoned one of my oldest and dearest friends, Gerard.  He and I have been friends since middle school, and although we go months without talking, and even longer sometimes without seeing one another, I always know I can call him anytime day or night and he'll be there for me!  I hope he knows that he can do the same and I'll be there for him too!  Once again, like he's done so many times in the past, he came to my rescue.  He lives fairly close by to the beach house, and when I asked if I could drive to his house he said no problem!  I definitely owe him some beer and cookies!

It was nice to hang out and get caught up a little since we hadn't seen one another in a while, and after getting home from work, Mr. Tide and my son came to fetch me and drive me home.  I was feeling a little better by then, and on the way home Mr. Tide told me that our son Bugs wasn't feeling well again.  So off we went to the ER once again, me with my painful back, and Bugs with a major headache, nausea, and this time blurred vision!

What a family we are, falling apart in the span of a few weeks!!  So after trying to sit comfortably in the ER waiting room for nearly 3 hours, we were seen.  The doctor said that she thinks our son is suffering from a form of migraines and I didn't mention my back trouble, so we headed home after a very long day!

So if you're still reading this post (and I wouldn't blame you if you've moved on), you're probably wondering what in the sam hill this has to do with my fence pictures and my title!  Well, along with the injuries and other illness excitement we did manage to have some good things happen over the last few days too!

We've been talking about fencing in our backyard for a long time now and they finally came to start putting in our split rail fence this morning!  I'm not one for fencing in open spaces usually, and I don't don't subscribe to the "good fences make good neighbors" theory either!  I believe good neighbors make good neighbors and we have some of the best neighbors imaginable.  But you see, unlike our older Border Collie, Miss Kylee, our dear Mr. Quinn is very obedient until he decides that chasing a cat is WAY more fun.  So sometimes when we are in the yard he has to be on a leash, which for a herding dog is just no fun at all!  So we bit the bullet and decided  to put in a fence.

I wasn't sure if the fence was going to make me feel "fenced in" or if it would block our view of the field and the creek, but now that it's in I really like it!  And so do the birds, see that little bluebird on the fence post.  The bluebirds are loving it and seem to enjoy hanging out on the new fence, and that makes me happy!

They weren't able to finish up today and will be back next week to install the rest of the fencing and the wire mesh behind it.  It will go down to the waters edge on both sides of the property line, but won't go along the creek at the back of our property.  Mr. Quinn and Miss Kylee are not big fans of water so we don't have to worry about either of them venturing into the water to circumnavigate the fence!

So the irony of this whole fence thing is that instead of making me feel fenced in, I think it will actually give us more of a sense of freedom and we will be able to relax in the hammock or hang out on our dock without fear of a certain stubborn English Shepherd tearing after the neighbor's cats, the deer, or whatever.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, I didn't take any of the photos in this post, Mr. Tide was duty photographer today!  Instead, I did a lot of resting in my bed today with a warm heating pad on my back!  And remember a few months ago when I did this post about not having any blinds or curtains on any of my windows?

Well, sometimes not having curtains doesn't always work out!  Like when you have workmen in your yard all day and you can't move!!!  So you have to improvise!  I think Ralph Lauren would approve of my makeshift curtain choice!

Sorry for not replying to anyone's emails or comments.  I promise that when I'm all better I will be able to spend a little more time at the computer, but for now I'm taking it easy...Mr. Tide's orders!  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and since I won't be posting until I'm feeling up to snuff, be sure to visit some of my dear friends on my blog roll!