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[<eureka AT hctc.net>]

I am putting out a call for ideas for an affordable, 
good-looking (maybe even artful), and relatively quick 
solution to creating 800 linear feet of privacy. Here's 
the parameters: Existing 8' exotic game fence (welded wire 
shaped like V's) attached to substanial vertical pipe on 
the property line (I think that means it is co-owned in 
Texas), soil that is 70% rocks, access to some river rocks 
the size of a fist, native trees here are slow-growing, 
and native vines are not evergreen, very little project 
funds. Our original goal was to keep this part of our 
property very natural, we mow a trail, have a small fire 
pit, watch stars.

Recently the 5,000 acre ranch that surrounds two sides of 
our land was sold to a developer who is chopping it up 
into small parcels. We were not aware of this until our 
only neighbors announced they had bought one that 
surrounded us.

At first I was depressed, mostly from the loss of 
possibilty to ever expand our small homestead. Even if we 
had known, we don't have the money to purchase it 
ourselves right now. We have a great relationship with our 
neighbors (a builder who thinks outside the box) so I 
focused on being happy for them and their dream. I told 
myself it could be worse, it could be someone we wouldn't 
like. I told myself our dreams could coexist--until the 
trees started coming down and all the shrubs were ripped 
out right up to our back fenceline.

I held my lip. This is a man that once told me he didn't 
think one should cut a tree down unless it was absolutely 
necessary. We started thinking about putting in a small 
orchard to restore some privacy, in effect, we'd make 
lemonade if life gave us lemons. Tonight on our walk we 
were devastated by the sight of all the shrubs and trees 
ripped out on our one remaining virgin side, a small 
sliver of land no wider than 10-12 feet between us and a 
deep wash.

So I called and asked why. Why had he ruined 800 feet of 
our privacy? He was just trying to "clean it up" so he 
could see through it, there were certain tree species he 
didn't consider trees (ie. anything that wasn't an oak), 
and he was just trying to help out the majestic oaks by 
pruning them up (stack of huge limbs now larger than our 
house). It had not occured to him that in his effort to 
make nature conform to his ideal he had ruined ours. He 
appologized. But it's done.

Our first rash thought was to put our place up for sale, 
but of course even with the surrounding desecration it's a 
beautiful place in which we've invested six years of 
homesteading infrastructure. My husband and I realized 
tonight how much our feeling about this place was rooted 
in the privacy we had. Now we are *really* depressed.

Some ideas I've had include:

Strawbale wall (could give it a feeling of being inside 
the Alamo) but would require a setback from the wire fence 
in order to work, thus diminishing our property space.
Cristo! Buy old/cheap sheets, dye them in earthtones, and 
sew them into one humongus running quilt, patch as needed 
(at this point, we really don't care what the neighbors 
think). Could possibly enlist some other local quilters, 
downside is at best it could only be temporary.
Wire sticks and driftwood, rusted tools, etc. all over the 
fence. Maybe the fence could not support this.

Give me your ideas!!!

--Sage
Way out in Texas