Thursday, April 2, 2015

Spring Fence Check...

Today I got to do one of my favorite jobs...

I walked around the meadow fence to make sure everything is ready for when the grass finally is green and lush enough to put the cows out to pasture.  They can't wait!

The first thing I did was go to the row of young trees that were planted after the electric company cut down all the shade trees on our fence line.  (You can read that story here. ) We have each of the young trees fenced off to protect them from over eager cows that would damage them.  For the past three years we had the fence around them electrified, but this year we disconnected the hot wire. The trees have grown substantially, and we'll see how it goes!


Next, I continued around the edge of the meadow fence, checking for loose/broken fence posts or wires that needed repaired.  Everything looked to be in pretty good shape, except for a few mulberries that need to be trimmed and a few wires that needed tightening.  We had very little snow this winter, so the fence along the road wasn't damaged at all...


I used to have a cat that followed me the whole way around the meadow while I did this, but he's gone now.  Instead, our energetic dogs stayed...guess where? Can you find Murphy?  You might have to click on the picture to enlarge it to find her...


This was the biggest thing that needed to be fixed.  The wire was touching the tree, which was causing a short...


Simple solution...a plastic insulator...


The insulator screws into the tree, and the wire goes through the plastic part, fixing the problem.  Easy fix...


Last, the shocker gets plugged back in.  The fence now has a good shock!  If you look at the indicator, the needle is in the green, just where it should be...


After I plugged in the shocker, as I stood waiting for the needle to move, I felt a nudge on the back of my neck.  I thought it was a heifer, chewing on my hood, but I turned around and guess who it was...


Jolyn...my shadow in the barn was coming to say hello!

Linking to Good Fences...

11 comments:

  1. murphy - too cute! glad the fences are in excellent shape and ready for some grass-eaters! :)

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  2. Electric fences. Wow, that brings back some shocking memories. Never jump a big puddle and reach out to the single-wire fence to steady your landing. Trust me.

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  3. Great series of fence shots. I love your Murphy and Jolyn! Have a happy Easter weekend!

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  4. You got a good job done. We have lots of electric fences but it's still too early to check. We had so much snow that i'm pretty sure there will have a lot of fences to mend.

    I see Murphy resting by the fence.
    Happy Easter Alica.
    Hugs,
    JB

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  5. I remember as a kid touching these fences and getting a pretty good jolt!

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  6. Lots to do there for sure. I wouldn't want to touch that fence. Awwww....the kitty & the dog are both adorable.

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  7. Nice to see you have a good kitty companion for some fence checking :)

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  8. How interesting and somewhat of a coincidence. I leaned on a gate to see a llama a couple of days ago and my hubby pointed out....quickly...that the wire inside the gate was electric! That's the closest I've come to something like that! EEEEE! I read your profile info....it's very nice to learn more about you! Hugs, Diane

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  9. Love the fence with Murphy :))
    And the last picture is too cute :)
    Happy Easter to you!
    【ツ】Knipsa

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  10. I have to admit to you I am petrified of electric fencing! My dad was an electrician, I think he scared the heck out of us! Have a happy Easter!

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