The yard at our new house is not fenced, and our very active dog is not happy being inside or being tied up outside. I've been on the phone and internet looking at fence options. Wednesday morning I decided to take the dog for a run and see what some of the neighbors have done.

When I run I like to get going at a steady pace and keep going. When the dog walks, he likes to stop frequently and sniff all of the new smells. This run was a compromise that didn't fully satisfy either of us. However we did see a lot of fences!

This was my first run in my new neighborhood and I could tell immediately that it is going to be very different here. The terrain is very hilly. I'm either panting as I run up hill or relaxing as I run down.

Yesterday I got my Type O exercise in another way. The grass at the back of our property is thigh high. That is a real nuisance for the contractors who have come to give me fence estimates. I put on boots and cranked up the lawnmower. Two hours later I have a path around the perimeter of the property. It's wide enough for two people to walk side by side.

I mowed over a lot of prickly pear cactus. At some point I remembered that it is a neutral fruit. Perhaps I should harvest it instead of destroying it.