Taking Down the Pasture Pen - October 30, 2019 @goldenoakfarm

On Wednesday my intern was here. Our first job, with the new load of mulch, was to finish mulching in the Big garden.

That garden is as done as it’s going to be, unless the warm weather holds for a few more weeks.

This is what we tackled next. There was the outside 3 strand hot wire, the 2 160’ nettings, the 50’ on a side chicken wire, the circus tent, and the pasture coop.

We got the 3 strand hot wire reeled up and all the pigtail posts into the truck. Then my intern, who is taller than I and stronger held the netting by the horizontal posts while I pulled up each post and added it to her pile. Then they were rolled and tied. We did 2 of the 160’ and forgot the 50’ lying on the ground.

Next we went back to the house and got the 8’ ladder. She got the circus tent rings down and tossed the ropes over the pen sides. I dragged one out over short grass in the pasture while she got some feed sacks to sit on.

We decided she’d do the coiling of each rope for storing, while I took the ropes off and the sections apart. I’d check each section to see if repair was needed.

Repairing the numbers on a section join

It took us all morning to do the circus tent. I found the 50’ netting and straightened that out and rolled it. I’d collected a few more things from the pasture coop and we managed to get the hose apart so we could bring in the water reservoir.

L-R: pigtail posts, bundles circus tent sections, center pole, bag holding guys and ties, netting, and reels of wire for the hot fencing

We decided that would be it and we loaded the truck. Some like the ladder and 3 rolls of netting were going to the house. The rest belonged in the barn. The netting was going to the house because it will be checked for repairs on Thursday while it is raining.

Still have the chicken wire pen to repair and the coop to move, and take the tarp off

When we got to the barn, we discovered Dennis the Girl had left 2 presents, a dead rat and a chipmunk, in the fencing storage area. Once those were removed, we unloaded and were done.

My intern is learning to drive, so she had the fun of tackling the truck with all its idiosyncrasies, not to mention it is a standard. But in the end, she did and the last drive went smoothly.

Center forsythia with laying down parts

We’d moved the cars out of the way so we could unload the truck. I’d noticed a few days ago that the forsythia that was moved for construction had half of it lying on the ground. I pulled on the dead bit and it came away. There was another still live part, but it was nearly completely broken away. So I got the tree saw and cut it off and we dragged the pieces away.

The forsythia will do ok, as it has 4 new branches and 3 older ones left. I can’t believe the nice yellow color on the leaves of these, almost like spring. And they’ve lasted for weeks like that.

That was my last job, too much standing all morning.