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Monday, February 7, 2011

The southeast pasture project

Last May, I built a temporary fence around a small pasture in the corner of the ranch to keep the boys contained while I dealt with an outbreak of locoweed. That pasture has come in handy many times since then, so early in January, when the weather was warm and beautful, I decided to replace it with a permanent fence. I hired a local ranch hand to pound in the t-posts and do the welded-pipe corners. He got most of the job done the day before the storm of the century moved in. With any luck, he'll be able to get back to finish up this week.

When we started this project, I was in no particular hurry. Now I am. Lucy's coming soon and I want this new pasture to be available for her. It remains to be seen how the herd dynamics will shake out with her arrival, and I need to be prepared to pasture her separately if the boys don't behave themselves.



Anyway, time's a wasting, so even though Sunday was freakin' cold and windy wasn't ideal for fence-building, I bundled up and headed out to install the t-post tops and connectors so that I will be ready to string the electric tape as soon as the corners are done.

George and Alan: Here we come to help you, mom!


Uh, thanks but no, boys. That kind of help I don't need. My real helper in this project was the Ranger. I loaded it up with all the fence parts, tools, and extra clothes I thought I'd need, then used it to travel back and forth to the garage five more times to fetch all the stuff I didn't think I'd need. 

When all was said and done, I got all the caps and connectors installed without frostbite too much trouble. The hardest part was pulling the cable ties tight. They can be so disagreeable when  I'm  they're cold.

24 comments:

  1. Sounds like you got a lot accomplished, but not under the most ideal conditions. Lucy will appreciate it when she arrives ... a girl does need her own personal space sometimes.

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  2. Ah,,,,very interesting!!
    I hope it warms up soon (And here also)
    signed
    Theresa in Alberta

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  3. This is like getting a room ready for a new baby! When is the Welcome Lucy shower planned? :)

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  4. Beautiful work!
    My hat's off to you; I stayed warm and cozy and lazy by the fire all Sunday long...

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  5. jenny in MN (now in AZ)2/7/11, 6:55 AM

    Reminds me of when we decided we were going to rescue two horses in January...in Minnesota. I nearly killed myself getting the fence line fixed up in the big pasture. Unfortunately, we ended up not taking the horses, but they were able to find a good home. I remember the excitement of wanting to make sure everything was ready - it helped make the cold a bit more tolerable. I hope the weather warms up quickly for you. I am truly so excited for you!

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  6. Don't you just love zip ties!!
    I hope the weather holds for you to finish this very important project. :)

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  7. Good job. Time for all that snow to go away under some mild New Mexico sunshine!

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  8. Can't wait to see my new home and meet the boys...I just know that I'm going to like them. Thank you for making a special place for me, but I'm sure once we get to know each other we will all playing together nicely. I'm kinda excited to meet Wyonna, I'm not sure if I've see her kind, but my mom here tells me she's nice and will be a good friend AND I will have to be careful NOT to scare her with my LOUD BRAY. Looking forward to meeting you all. Lucy

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  9. Happy dance, happy dance. So glad you'll get her earlier than anticipated! It will be interesting to see how it plays out w/the boyz...

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  10. You are one tough cookie and an inspiration to independent women!! God bless and can't wait to see future posts on Lucy.

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  11. You have great motivation to get your project completed!
    I am an admirer of your cowboy's straight line of fence posts. We did ours by hand and they zig and zag every which way. There isn't a rock on our property, so we can't even blame it on that!
    I bet it was hard to handle the cable ties on a cold day - if you take gloves off, your hands freeze; if you leave gloves on it takes 3 or 4 times as long. Ugh!
    Nice job!

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  12. I bet the boys will be just fine with the new girl on the block. Glad you got your fence work done as it suppose to get cold again with more snow. Hopefully this cold system won't slide so far south into NM and AZ. Stay warm.

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  13. I think you should fly north for the winter. Much more agreeable weather, if you don't mind rain.

    Excellent idea to have a separate play area for Lucy, should the need arise. A girl needs her space once in a while.

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  14. So exciting, all this preparation and anticipation of Lucy's arrival! :-)

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  15. Carson, I am in awe of all you do!!!

    Nancy in Iowa

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  16. Oh look, another comment from Sweet Soul Lucy, how nice is that?! I think us 7MSN fans & admirers can look forward to a video duet Lucy/Wynonna then, as Wynonna herself can belt out one hearty fortissimo...

    Carson, Thank you for the most delightful and addictive blog del mundo (and the TGrandin link).
    Heartbeat skipping excited for you!

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  17. I'm sure the thought of Lucy coming soon made the work a little easier. Those t-posts sure are nice and straight! Can't wait to see your new girl home with you and the boys!

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  18. We are all looking forward to Lucy's arrival. I like the idea of a welcome burro shower. But, what gifts do you buy?
    How did we ever fix stuff before cable ties were invented?

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  19. You're not excited, are you? ;)

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  20. It will be interesting to see what kind of welcome the lovely Lucy gets. I'm glad you have seperate quarters available should the situation warrant but it sure is a lot of work putting in new fencing let alone this time of year. You have my admiration.

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  21. Never had so much fun building fences as when there was a new critter coming to the farm! Lucy will so appreciate your preparations for her.

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  22. You NEED to get one of these zip tie tightener tools! http://www.bennersgardens.com/prod-tie-puller.asp

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  23. Steph, I had no idea such a tool existed! Thanks for the link!

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  24. I use the same insulators and fencing... isn't it handy? And now I have to check out the link to the zip tie tightener tool, how cool is THAT!

    Petra Christensen
    Parelli 2Star Junior Instructor
    Parelli Central

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