Was
away from home for a bit. The day after I returned, I headed outside
to look around and figure out how to attack some overdue yardwork.
It was such a subtle change, I almost didn’t see it. Then it hit
me.
The
fence was missing.
Well,
not really a fence. More a single section of steel barricade.
About seven to eight feet long. And it was gone.
I
have no clue where it went. Neither do any of the neighbors I
asked. But there is something I should probably point out: Honestly,
I don’t care that it’s gone.
Let’s
back up a bit.
Terry
and I bought a house that has a funny dirt road separating our
property from one of our neighbor’s yards. I say funny because
it’s kind of just there. It leads to an area, way behind our yard,
where a local golf course often stores some items. We never see
the road in use during winter months, and can often go weeks without
a single vehicle driving along it during the other seasons.
The
barricade was on the side of this dirt road when we first visited
the house as we considered buying it, was there when we inspected
it before purchase, and, until recently, had been there ever since.
There
were actually two barricades. There was another across from it
on the neighbor’s side of the road. Today, that one is also gone.
I’ve
never seen anyone else moving the barricades or paying any attention
to them over the years. Basically, I move it when mowing the lawn,
then put it back. Other than that, they just stayed put.
So,
what are they for? That seems like a question to ask. Well…
Our
house also has a few other funny features you’d come across strolling
around on the lawn. One such item would be a drainage ditch that
runs along the front. While the visible ditch and the barricade
are likely not related at all, it points out that the barricade
could have been marking something under the dirt road at that
spot.
All
that understood, the part I’m really finding curious is that they
just disappeared. Could have been the golf course repurposing
them. Could have been the town finally realizing no one has picked
them up after a project a decade or so ago. Could have been someone
driving down the road that spotted them, wanted them, and decided
to risk it and take them. Whatever.
I
wasn’t using the one on my property for anything. I didn’t buy
it. And mowing the lawn actually got slightly easier with it out
of the way.
Still…
I
don’t mind that it’s missing. I’m just finding myself wondering
about why it was there at all.
For
instance, let’s say it was signifying something under the dirt
road. A year or more from now, perhaps I’m looking to have some
work done in the yard, and to get access for the work, a really
large truck could be coming down the road.
But
wait!
Those
barricades! Is there a pipe just under the road there with some
type of weight limit? Because that would be good to know before
a really heavy truck carrying really heavy equipment or supplies
turns onto it.
Or
maybe it was being used as a bike rack. Incredibly doubtful, but
I have no clue how long that dirt road has been in place and what
might have been out back before the golf course. Maybe there was
some type of trail, people rode bikes in to walk the trail, and
the barricades are actually bike racks that never left.
I
asked when I spoke with the neighbors about it. (Funny side note,
the next-door neighbors learned about the barricade in their yard
disappearing when I asked if they knew anything about ours. They’ve
lived in their house much longer, and the barricades were there
already when they moved in.)
Talked
to some friends that do a variety of work around the area, and
they have no clue about any possibilities either.
Was
it removed? Did someone repurpose it? Did someone steal it? I’ve
got no answers.
But
after years of wondering about moving it because it was in the
way—and being in the way appeared to be its main purpose as far
as we were concerned—it’s gone. And I’m finding myself thinking
about it more now than I ever did when it was there.