It was once said that “good fences make good neighbors.” When I first moved up here, it was the openness of the people and the community and that close connection to our natural world that captivated me.
How many of us can recall the time when we had a moose, bear, deer or any of God’s creatures grace us with their presence in our yard? We call our neighbors and share our stories. We search our yards in hoping to find a deer shed, or we leave a little something out to feed that little gray fox that we see on occasion. We can step out our front door and know that that you are one step away from the sights, smells and sounds as nature intended.
Why would we want to fence that all out? When I think about fences, the image of fast paced metro areas of concrete and steel, with their boxed in neighborhoods instantly come to mind.
This is more often than not one of the prime motivators for us to move here—to leave that lifestyle and embrace our reconnection with nature. Sadly there are those among us who fail to make that connection and have forgotten that fences do not make good neighbors but not only box everything out, they also box you in. They show the world your attitude about your neighbors, your lack of stewardship with the world, and the ugly reminder of the things we left in the “metro” when we came to our rural environment.
It has also been said that “nothing ever stays the same.” I guess this is just the first sad step that the world as we once knew it is constantly changing. I am deeply saddened for our loss and the limitations that we place on our wildlife that also call this “home.”
Terry Spieker
Hovland
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