Fence me in.

My Parents installed a chain-link fence in the backyard when I was a toddler. I had a tendency to wander, and they decided it would be safest to keep me confined.

Here is a view of the back of the our home before the installation of the fence.

Dad took this photo from the adjacent property, which belonged to my Best Friend's family. My Best Friend's mother grew gorgeous Zinnias in large flowerbeds throughout the family's yard. She also was a wonderful cook who made the best fried chicken I ever ate.

The fence came in handy about eight years later, when we got a dog.

Suburban Chicago, August 1959. This is how the house looked, from the back, not long after my Parents bought it. The stairs lead to the kitchen. My Grandmother, Tatjana, used to bake pies and put them on the stair railing to chill.