Fencing......and fencing........and more fencing.....

It's that time of year, the crops are out and it's time to do some temporary fencing at the pond so the cows can clean it up.

This is my big strong hubby hammering an electric fence post in the hard, rock strewn ground, who has a sore wrist and it started causing him such pain that I took over the job.

But did he take a picture of me??? NOOOOOOOOO!

(But I'm past that now.)

Here are our faithful dogs, Mollie and Murphy, running and chasing anything that moves in their new, classy, camo vests. The vests drastically cut down on the number of stickers they bring home.

And, have you ever seen a tongue like Murphy's?

This is my big, strong hubby wiring the electric fence onto an insulator nailed to a light pole.

This is my big, strong hubby rolling up some rogue barbed wire that we found laying on the ground next to where we were stringing the electric fence.

He was the one with the leather gloves or I would have been right in there helping.

Honest.

This is my big strong hubby driving the little Deutz tractor with the fence roller upper, I think it's really called a wire winder, fastened to the back while I followed along on foot, hooking the fence into the insulators on the posts.

The wire winder was one of the dowry presents my big, strong, hubby received when we married and it's the only one left on the farm. Another was my pickup, we sold it and built a grain bin. The other was my Farmall tractor and loader which we traded in on yet another tractor that is also long gone from the farm.

I think he came out smelling like a rose, right?

Anyway, back to the fencing, we were all done fastening the wire when Bruce got a call from his buddy, Freddy Boy, that he needed some help so I was to finish hooking the details and let the cattle in. The details amounted to tying the wires from the fences we just put up to the existing electric fence that runs around the pasture. But first you better unplug the electric fencer, otherwise it is a very shocking experience!

I did that, tied the wires on, plugged the electric fencer back in, used a big screw driver with a wooden handle and checked for spark and viola! It was a success!! 

Time to get the cattle. They had been watching me drive back and forth along the pasture fence so they knew something was up.

When they saw me open the pasture gate, I didn't even have to call, the ladies came on the run. They love going to a new field.

Our faithful and gutless dogs watched in horror at the thundering herd headed our way and planned their escape.

"UH, do you see what I see? We better beat it to the gator."

With me in the drivers seat and the two chicken dogs in the back, looking anxiously over their shoulders at the herd of cows, we drove down the lane to the gate at the road that was still open.

The cows didn't stop till they reached the corn field, then set to work finding that elusive ear of corn that escaped the combine.

Our job was done.......until the next morning when Bruce drove over to check the fence and found it down in a couple of places where the deer probably ran through. I took some plastic grocery bags over, at least they are good for something, cut each one in half and tied them along the fence in places where I thought would make it more visible.

My job was done.......until the next morning when it was my turn to check the fence because Bruce was gone and I found it down in several places, DARN DEER!!!! After replacing insulators that were long gone, re-stretching the fence and checking for spark, I was done.

The next day was Bruce's turn to check the fence and all was well, for one thing, our corn is out, the neighbor east of the pond has his corn out so we thought the deer had left for greener pastures like they do every fall when there is no more corn left around us.

The day after that, yesterday morning, again all was well at the pond but we did notice that the neighbor to the north was doing his corn and he must have flushed out an entire herd of deer. Bruce and I were sitting in the living room last night when the phone rang, it was our neighbor, Bill, who just drove past the pond with a tractor and two wagons and there was a white faced cow in the road.

OH MAN!!

Bruce drove the 4-wheeler and I took the car after grabbing my big, honking light and drove over. While Bruce chased her with the 4-wheeler, I opened the gate and kept the other cows at bay who wanted to go join her out in freedom. Finally we got her back in the field and then went to see the damage, most of the electric fence was on the ground, it looked like a herd of elephants went through it. So with the head light from the 4-wheeler and my big, honking light, we fixed fence at 9 PM and went home, hoping for the best.

Bruce went over bright and early and found our steer, that escaped into the pasture this summer and a cow across the fence into the forbidden area. When he went to get them in, the steer walked up to the fence and calmly pushed through it.

ALL RIGHT!! It just takes one rebellious bovine to ruin it for everyone!! He rounded up the herd and drove them out of the pond, slamming the gate behind them.

"Don't let the gate hit you in the a, err, butt, on the way out!!"

 Now all that is left is to roll up the wire and pull the fence posts, storing both until next year and the memories of this years debacle fades.

Oh the joys of having cattle.