We have rain! Probably about 0.4 inches over Friday night into Saturday. This is good. We can use the extra rain in the garden and in the pasture, get a little more growth going and top of the rain catchment tank before the long dry of summer.
This morning, June 21, is also the day after the Summer Solstice. Days start getting shorter from here on out, almost until Christmas, which is awesome (especially when you have to convince kids to go to bed at a reasonable hour).
I have to work today, but I decided to make an attempt at getting the T-posts set in for the new fence in the North Pasture, so I can stretch fence next week when it is hot again.
Got started about 6 AM, first step was to string the lines. The bottom one is kind of a joke, there is a rise in the ground between the two anchors, so the bottom line is lifted up within about 18 inches of the top line.
Then run the long tape so I can ensure the T-posts are set at 10 foot intervals. This helps estimate paddock sizes when setting up paddocks later.
The eastern end of the line was the hardest part. The soil is shallow, silty and full of rocks. The picket pounder was cold, wet and slippery. As Uncle Adam pointed out, “That sometime happens when it rains.”
Took about 40 minutes to get that run pounded.
And then another 10 minutes to get the lines strung and measuring tape laid out for the west side.
The west side, though, has much nicer soil, softer with more sand, and far fewer rocks.
It only took about 15 minutes to pound all of those posts. It was a little after 7 when I got all picked up and headed out to get cleaned up for work.
One note, all of the anchors have settled considerably in the weeks since we put them in. All the twitch wires are a bit slack and need to be cinched up tight before we stretch fence.
Little Farm in the Big City 