Snow Fences

In Hillsboro of old I had rabbits. Fluffy German Angora rabbits. The idea was to breed them, raise baby rabbits, sell each for $100 or so each, and actually derive income from this venture.

Alas, my experience with animal breeding, whether it be guinea pigs, Angoras, or later chinchillas, has taught me that that is not the path to fortune or even fame for me. The rabbits are gone (the chinchillas, living a very very very long life, remain :| )

But on to rabbit fences. To exercise them, I put up one of those plastic snow fences in the backyard, to keep them from running off into neighbor yards and getting chewed on by dogs, or from falling into the creek and floating downstream to frighten kids and city workers.

It was fun for them, they could frolic around. Now the only snow fences I see are at the perfect suburban health club I belong to. Sitting in the jacuzzi looking out on 100' tall fir trees, watching general aviation planes come in for a landing, light drizzly mist on my head, effervescent bubbles in the hot tub, its perfect! The faces around me have changed over the years, from the geeks at Intel to the new geeks from India at Intel, to the new geeks from Germany at SolarWorld (I think). Its always about SolarWorld these days it seems.

The snow fence surrounds the outdoor pool which is not yet open for the season. When it does open then the children of these tech workers will populate the sun-baked pool outside, which is actually warm enough (but too crowded) for swimming. But good for kids to throw in random objects and go diving for them, which has to be one of the best things to do in a pool like that.

Snow fences. Rabbit fences. My neighborhood has gone from one with rabbit snow fences, or, roosters that wake you at 4:30am, which is not a time you should be waking, or goats wandering on the driveway. Or, the time I saw one of my neighbors moving his horse from his house to his stable (something like that), with the lead for his horse out the window of his tiny crackerbox car clopping alongside. You just don't see that today.

Chickens are all the rage in North Portland, even gaining traction in Beaverton, where I hear they will hold a city forum on the topic (very progressive, those Beavertonites). Yet here in Hillsboro, it was an uphill struggle to preserve the last remaining "agricultural" properties. I am not aware of city zoning that would support an outdoor rabbit pen.

Which brings me to Portland, where I think this kind of thing is tolerated and even welcome. So maybe I will dig out those rabbit/snow fences from the garage, and not sell them at the yard sale commemorating our move, and save them for when we move, so we can once again watch rabbits frolic in Portland. Wonder what my husband will think?