So remember when I posted here asking what to do about my neighbor who put up a security camera that pointed straight into our yard? Yeah… that spiraled fast. There were all kinds of suggestions (some of them wild), and honestly, I was ready to march over with a shovel and my loudest voice.
But you all gave me one piece of advice I couldn’t stop thinking about: “Ask him why.”
So I did. And y’all… he didn’t even realize it was angled that way. He’d just gone through a divorce, was living alone, and wanted to feel “less boxed in, but still safe.” Then he pointed to a sketch on his patio and said, “I just want to make something beautiful.”
That stopped me cold.
Turns out he’s been wanting to redo the fence for months but didn’t have the time or skills to get it how he imagined. I told him kind of jokingly “Well, I work with wood and clay. Been building furniture and sculptures for years. I’ve got a shop on Tedooo app where I sell my handmade pieces.”
He looked at me and said, “Wait, seriously? Would you help?”
What followed was a weirdly amazing two-week whirlwind of building, sketching, sanding, arguing about stain shades, and laughing over pizza breaks. I told him I’d treat the fence like one of my commissions take full creative lead and I’d add it to my Tedooo app portfolio to help grow my shop. He agreed.
That photo? That’s the result.
What used to be a source of tension is now part of my story. And his.
He took the camera down before I even asked.
Sometimes people don’t mean harm they just need connection. And sometimes fences don’t have to divide. Sometimes they make pretty great bridges.
Credit goes to respective owner