Slice of Life Day 3: Fenced In Backyard

I promised stories of my pup, so here we go! During the pandemic, my partner and I did a lot of work on our house. When you don’t can’t have travel plans, what else is there to do?

I bought this house about six years ago. A major bonus (and possibly a deciding factor) was that I could finally get a dog. We live on a corner property with a nice-sized yard. And a very tiny part of the backyard was fenced in for the previous owners’ small dog. It worked – it was enough to let Aria out to do her business but too small for her to really run and play.

Finally, we were able to get a fence installed that maximized our property and allowed Aria to have a lot of space to run and play. It was definitely an investment, but I’m super excited to install a nice deck off the back of the house and enjoy the yard with a little more privacy.

The Invisibility Tree

Part of what was fenced in was a weeping cherry tree that we planted the fall we moved into our home. With its branches full of leaves this fall, Aria soon found out that I couldn’t see her from the back door when she was behind the tree. She’ll freeze behind the tree and at the same time ignore my commands.

I have also learned that she’s not great with a “come” command. She definitely can hear us, she just chooses to ignore us, unless we also yell her favorite word – “treat!” Then she comes barreling toward the back door at a break-neck pace!

Fast forward a few months – there are no leaves on this tree right now. I can see through the branches all the way to the corner of the property. And yet, when I call her, she’ll look directly at me and ignore me. It’s as if she thinks the tree makes her completely invisible.

I’ll admit, it’s hysterical to watch, but super annoying when she’s ignoring me! I’m hoping that once the weather starts warming up, we can do some more training in the fenced-in backyard. We’re also talking about installing a few agility course pieces to keep her active and engaged.

This is my third year participating in the Slice of Life Challenge. I’ll be sharing brief posts that show a glimpse of my life in story-format. I hope you enjoy just a slice of my life as a librarian, book lover, and blogger!