That Time I One-Upped Tom Sawyer

Remember how much energy Tom Sawyer had to spend in order to manipulate his friends so they would beg, even pay, for the opportunity to do his fence-painting chore for him?  
Well, I never imagined that I could ever one-up one of my childhood heroes, but I managed to do it.   Thanks to The Big Event, a one-day service project hosted by Texas A & M University as a "thank you" to the community, I was able to watch as our entire backyard privacy fence was painted.  

Oh, the day those fences go up, they are so pretty.   A few months later, they're still pretty, but after a year or so, they settle into a weathered grey state, made worse by the marks of sprinkler system spray patterns. 





Before

I looked on-line for pictures of painted fences for color inspiration so I could find a color that was cheerful and one I would not tire from too quickly.  

 

Purple: goes GRAPE with everything

Blue and green were out of the running because paint colors look fake, even garish, when set against nature.   So, no blue to clash with the perfection of the sky or green to do the same with the grass in spring and summer.    Yellow was out because the grass turns shades of yellow and brown in the fall and winter.   It would not have a sunny appearance during those times.   Red is always a first choice for me, but I have red in my kitchen and dining room, so I thought maybe I should ease up a bit on the crimson.   Purple looked so great in the images I found on-line and it's a favorite color of mine, so why not?!




Look, Tom!   They asked to come help us!   All we had to do was fill out a form, buy the paint and fix them lunch.   What a deal!   Yes, that's a 9-foot fence across the back of our yard.   The developers must have been terrified that someone somewhere might see something.   It's only 6-foot tall on the sides.  

Looking back on the experience, the group was very quiet when I opened the paint cans.   As the day went on, they grew more talkative.   One of the young men came up to me and said, "It looks really good.   I'll be honest with you, ma'am, I didn't think it would look this good when I saw that paint!"


The brightness changes as the day goes by


People who visit either start thinking aloud, "What color can I paint MY fence?" or just smile and nod, making little comment.   There is no middle road when it comes to painted fence opinions.  
I love my new view.   Good thing because you can see the fence from several rooms in our house.  Actually, the glass block window in our bathroom kind of just glows purple at certain times of the day.     I'm so glad I picked the right color!


HAPPY view

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