Function 1, Form 0: The Tyranny of the Pretty

The GCS passed it's first test this morning. Gus went out, walked the perimeter, then sort of staked out the high ground in the middle of the yard from where he could keep an eye on the whole neighborhood.

Diane and I had our morning coffee at the picnic table out back, and both dogs just hung out. What I hoped would happen, and what I think I saw the beginnings of this morning, is that we've created and defined Gus's territory. I think instead of trying to escape from it, he'll protect it. And, per Dave's suggestion, we'll call it the Wildland Gus Reserve.

So while the GCS passed the first function test, it hadn't been complete for 20 minutes last night before I decided it failed the form test. The problem is this:

The cedar portion of the fence is too pretty to have function-only ugly wire stapled to it. The wire along the split rail border is fine - you mostly see the split rail and the wire blends. But the last bit where we just used wire to close the circle just doesn't look nice enough.

It's the tyranny of the pretty.

So the plan now will be to carry the cedar down the slope and across the creek to the western border of the property. (Or, more accurately, to the spot somewhat beyond the western border where we decide we want our fence.) It'll be set deeper on the property than the fence in the picture and scaled down a foot so it really might look nice. The west-edge split rail will extend forward at least to the new fence (for now - to the street eventually), so the enclosure will be all finished off and square and there will be no butt-ugly lengths of wire fence.

Who needs a project car when you have Gus!