Same time, same place...just doing a little experimentation with my camera.
I'm joining TexWis Girl with Good Fences today
Showing posts with label Good fences. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Good fences. Show all posts
Thursday, October 20, 2016
Sunrise...
Tuesday, October 18, 2016...
Same time, same place...just doing a little experimentation with my camera.
I'm joining TexWis Girl with Good Fences today
Same time, same place...just doing a little experimentation with my camera.
I'm joining TexWis Girl with Good Fences today
Thursday, July 21, 2016
Save the Trees...
A couple of years ago, PPL (the electric company that has a power line and therefore a right of way through our farm) decided that it was time to do a massive tree trim. Anything...anything at all that was within 75 feet of the center of the power line had to go. No exceptions.
The fence line along our meadow was 69 feet from the center line, so all of our trees had to go. That meant all of our shade for the cows was gone, with the exception of one lonely tree. Here's the post I wrote about it. It all turned out fine, because PPL made good on their promise to replant trees in another spot for us!
We chose four Autumn Blaze Maple trees, which they planted about 30 feet further in from the fence line. During the hottest days of that first summer, the kids took 5 gallon buckets of water to each tree daily, to get them off to a good start and keep them alive. They're thriving now. Here's a picture of one of them last fall...
We've had wire fence around the trees since they've been planted, and the cows have pretty much left them alone until this summer. Now they've decided it's entertaining to pull at the lower branches, stripping them of leaves, breaking branches and causing damage...
Enough is enough! We're not going to have these trees damaged to the point that they die. So...we had tree boxes put up around them last week...
They're 7 1/2' squares, made with four round corner posts and 2 x 6's. The cows might still be able to chew on a few leaves, but shouldn't be able to break the branches in close to the trunk...
I like the way they look...in my opinion, kind of old fashioned!
Here's hoping for some huge shade trees in a few years!
I'm linking up with Good Fences today. Thanks TexWisGirl for hosting!
The fence line along our meadow was 69 feet from the center line, so all of our trees had to go. That meant all of our shade for the cows was gone, with the exception of one lonely tree. Here's the post I wrote about it. It all turned out fine, because PPL made good on their promise to replant trees in another spot for us!
We chose four Autumn Blaze Maple trees, which they planted about 30 feet further in from the fence line. During the hottest days of that first summer, the kids took 5 gallon buckets of water to each tree daily, to get them off to a good start and keep them alive. They're thriving now. Here's a picture of one of them last fall...
We've had wire fence around the trees since they've been planted, and the cows have pretty much left them alone until this summer. Now they've decided it's entertaining to pull at the lower branches, stripping them of leaves, breaking branches and causing damage...
Enough is enough! We're not going to have these trees damaged to the point that they die. So...we had tree boxes put up around them last week...
They're 7 1/2' squares, made with four round corner posts and 2 x 6's. The cows might still be able to chew on a few leaves, but shouldn't be able to break the branches in close to the trunk...
I like the way they look...in my opinion, kind of old fashioned!
Here's hoping for some huge shade trees in a few years!
I'm linking up with Good Fences today. Thanks TexWisGirl for hosting!
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Out To Pasture...
Out to pasture...
That phrase could mean a number of different things...but in this case, it means exactly what it says.
This week we put the cows out to pasture for the first time this spring, and they were thrilled! I think they can actually smell spring in the air. They can feel the warmer air, see more activity going on outside the barn windows, and maybe they even notice that we've put away our winter attire. (except we did have to pull it out again for a few days. Brrrr...) Could they be that smart? Well...
We put the cows out for a few hours here at home on Monday, and we put the heifers and dry cows at the other farm out this afternoon. It looks inviting, doesn't it?
On a side note...the other farm is along a very busy road, which is being widened. The state workers who are doing the roadwork took down a big section of that nice white PVC fence that runs around the meadow. They replaced it with temporary fencing, and we think they did a nice job. However, there's something reassuring about a solid fence, when it comes to cows. Hopefully they respect this temporary fence as much as they did the old one! When the roadwork is done, the PVC fence will be replaced...
Anyway...Jim decided to section off the meadow for now. The grass in the northern part of the meadow is higher than the rest of the meadow, so we made a temporary fence this morning. I put in the fiberglass posts while he fed the heifers, and then he ran the wire....
The animals will have this large section to graze in for now, and after a while we'll give them the entire meadow...
They know something's up...
Here's just a short clip of them as Jim opens the wire to the barn yard...
We watched them for awhile to make sure that they knew where their boundaries were. The temporary fence wasn't super visible, so we tied bright blue baler twine to each section so that it would catch their eye. It's always good if one of them gets a little too close and gets shocked, just so they know it's a hot wire! None of them did today though, and when we left they all seemed to be behaving. There were a few that kicked up their heels and ran in circles, but for the most part they were too busy eating to be rambunctious...
If you click on the picture, I think you'll be able to see the bright blue twine that we tied to the wire...
What a life. If I were a cow I'd think I was in heaven!
(Linking up a little late to Good Fences!) Thanks TexWisGirl, for hosting!
That phrase could mean a number of different things...but in this case, it means exactly what it says.
This week we put the cows out to pasture for the first time this spring, and they were thrilled! I think they can actually smell spring in the air. They can feel the warmer air, see more activity going on outside the barn windows, and maybe they even notice that we've put away our winter attire. (except we did have to pull it out again for a few days. Brrrr...) Could they be that smart? Well...
We put the cows out for a few hours here at home on Monday, and we put the heifers and dry cows at the other farm out this afternoon. It looks inviting, doesn't it?
On a side note...the other farm is along a very busy road, which is being widened. The state workers who are doing the roadwork took down a big section of that nice white PVC fence that runs around the meadow. They replaced it with temporary fencing, and we think they did a nice job. However, there's something reassuring about a solid fence, when it comes to cows. Hopefully they respect this temporary fence as much as they did the old one! When the roadwork is done, the PVC fence will be replaced...
Anyway...Jim decided to section off the meadow for now. The grass in the northern part of the meadow is higher than the rest of the meadow, so we made a temporary fence this morning. I put in the fiberglass posts while he fed the heifers, and then he ran the wire....
The animals will have this large section to graze in for now, and after a while we'll give them the entire meadow...
They know something's up...
Here's just a short clip of them as Jim opens the wire to the barn yard...
We watched them for awhile to make sure that they knew where their boundaries were. The temporary fence wasn't super visible, so we tied bright blue baler twine to each section so that it would catch their eye. It's always good if one of them gets a little too close and gets shocked, just so they know it's a hot wire! None of them did today though, and when we left they all seemed to be behaving. There were a few that kicked up their heels and ran in circles, but for the most part they were too busy eating to be rambunctious...
If you click on the picture, I think you'll be able to see the bright blue twine that we tied to the wire...
What a life. If I were a cow I'd think I was in heaven!
(Linking up a little late to Good Fences!) Thanks TexWisGirl, for hosting!
Thursday, March 24, 2016
Spring Fence Check...
Ah, spring!
The windows are open, the birds are singing, and the cows are itching to be out in the meadow! It's almost time, but the meadow grass needs a little longer to grow nice and thick so they'll not rip it up with their sharp hooves, and they'll actually have a meal rather than just a snack.
Last night Jim took the backs off the calf hutches...
The little heifers were so excited! One of them actually ran and jumped out over the wire in the back and sprinted around the garden for a few minutes until she was corralled again. This morning I snuck behind them and snapped a picture while they were busy eating their breakfast...
Now, they're all four laying out enjoying the warm sunshine.
This morning after breakfast, while Jim headed out to fill in some ground hog holes at the other farm, I did the spring fence check around the meadow.
Most of it was in fine shape, with a few minor exceptions. We run two strands of wire around the meadow, for extra security, and the lower strand was too close to the ground here. So...I decided to test the "rubber boot" theory...
You know...the one that says if you have on rubber boots, you won't get shocked? Well...it worked! I pulled it up about 6"-8" with my toe, and it's good to go...
One strand of wire had slipped over the fiberglass fence post and was touching this old metal post, so I used my sweatshirt sleeve to grab the fiberglass post (they're full of tiny, almost invisible sharp pieces!) and bent it around behind the wire. Now it's keeping the wire off the metal, which would cause a short...
The meadow is greening up nicely...
The west side of the meadow was in pretty good shape too. Eventually some of the wires will need replaced, but for now they're ok. There was a big piece of plastic that had blown across the fields and was tangled in the fence...it went into the trash...
As I was finishing up, I came across some "mystery" prints in the dirt near the waterway. Hmm...could it be a bear print?
Probably not.
I think I found the culprit...
Yup. It must've been Murphy!
On with this beautiful day! There won't be enough hours in it, I'm guessing.
I'm linking up with Good Fences today. Thanks, TexWisGirl for hosting!
The windows are open, the birds are singing, and the cows are itching to be out in the meadow! It's almost time, but the meadow grass needs a little longer to grow nice and thick so they'll not rip it up with their sharp hooves, and they'll actually have a meal rather than just a snack.
Last night Jim took the backs off the calf hutches...
The little heifers were so excited! One of them actually ran and jumped out over the wire in the back and sprinted around the garden for a few minutes until she was corralled again. This morning I snuck behind them and snapped a picture while they were busy eating their breakfast...
Now, they're all four laying out enjoying the warm sunshine.
This morning after breakfast, while Jim headed out to fill in some ground hog holes at the other farm, I did the spring fence check around the meadow.
Most of it was in fine shape, with a few minor exceptions. We run two strands of wire around the meadow, for extra security, and the lower strand was too close to the ground here. So...I decided to test the "rubber boot" theory...
You know...the one that says if you have on rubber boots, you won't get shocked? Well...it worked! I pulled it up about 6"-8" with my toe, and it's good to go...
One strand of wire had slipped over the fiberglass fence post and was touching this old metal post, so I used my sweatshirt sleeve to grab the fiberglass post (they're full of tiny, almost invisible sharp pieces!) and bent it around behind the wire. Now it's keeping the wire off the metal, which would cause a short...
The meadow is greening up nicely...
The west side of the meadow was in pretty good shape too. Eventually some of the wires will need replaced, but for now they're ok. There was a big piece of plastic that had blown across the fields and was tangled in the fence...it went into the trash...
As I was finishing up, I came across some "mystery" prints in the dirt near the waterway. Hmm...could it be a bear print?
Probably not.
I think I found the culprit...
Yup. It must've been Murphy!
On with this beautiful day! There won't be enough hours in it, I'm guessing.
I'm linking up with Good Fences today. Thanks, TexWisGirl for hosting!
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Winter Fence Building...
There are a lot of things I wouldn't want to be doing this time of year, and I was reminded again of one of them today...
The last section of old meadow fence at the "other farm" is being replaced, and this is the week it was put on the schedule. Brrrr...it's a cold week to have to be working outside all day!
Jim penned the heifers and dry cows inside the barn, where they can stay out of trouble, and watch the activity if they so choose...
The north side of the barn yard will be replaced with wooden fence and a gate. The post holes are all dug, and the fence posts are resting loosely in place....
There are bags and bags of Quikrete that will be used to anchor the posts securely into place...
The east side of the meadow will be replaced with PVC fence. There will be an electric wire running through the fence for added security against rambunctious animals that have wanderlust...
...and the section along the driveway will be done as well...
In the next day or so, once the posts are anchored into their holes, the rails will be snapped into place, and it will look fantastic! It will be a huge improvement from an old fence that needed lots of repair!
I'm joining up today with Good Fences. Click on the link to visit other blogs with more fence posts!
The last section of old meadow fence at the "other farm" is being replaced, and this is the week it was put on the schedule. Brrrr...it's a cold week to have to be working outside all day!
Jim penned the heifers and dry cows inside the barn, where they can stay out of trouble, and watch the activity if they so choose...
The north side of the barn yard will be replaced with wooden fence and a gate. The post holes are all dug, and the fence posts are resting loosely in place....
There are bags and bags of Quikrete that will be used to anchor the posts securely into place...
The east side of the meadow will be replaced with PVC fence. There will be an electric wire running through the fence for added security against rambunctious animals that have wanderlust...
...and the section along the driveway will be done as well...
In the next day or so, once the posts are anchored into their holes, the rails will be snapped into place, and it will look fantastic! It will be a huge improvement from an old fence that needed lots of repair!
I'm joining up today with Good Fences. Click on the link to visit other blogs with more fence posts!
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...
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...
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...
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Snow Day...
After the cold February we had, we were thinking that maybe winter was almost over. March has different ideas, though.
The kids woke to a snow day...the first one of the school year. We've had numerous two hour delays, which are nice because the school day counts, and doesn't have to be made up at the end of the year, but this is the first day off. It means more help in the barn for us...but somehow I don't think that was first and foremost in their minds! :) Hopefully there won't be any unwelcome surprises, and they'll have some time to relax and enjoy the day.
The snow started in the wee hours of the morning, and these pictures were taken right before breakfast...
The empty corner hutch...waiting for spring until we can turn the water on again and put some calves in there. Jenna uses the empty hutches to store hay for the little calves that she carries water to...
The abandoned sand box. I think this picture was my favorite...
Those old barn boots with perennials planted in them are soaking up the moisture, just waiting for spring. It's amazing to me that the plants come back year after year, even when they're not buried deep underground!
It's snowing like crazy outside the window, and we'll see what it amounts to. It's a heavy, wet snow, and no fun to push. The milk truck comes today, so Jim will be busy opening the driveway before he comes. 'Til it's all said and done, we're supposed to get 4" - 6". We'll see! I know that's peanuts compared to what some of you have seen this winter, but it's our first substantial snowfall. After the bitter cold we had in February, I think I'd rather have this!
I'm linking today to Good Fences. Click here to see more posts!
The kids woke to a snow day...the first one of the school year. We've had numerous two hour delays, which are nice because the school day counts, and doesn't have to be made up at the end of the year, but this is the first day off. It means more help in the barn for us...but somehow I don't think that was first and foremost in their minds! :) Hopefully there won't be any unwelcome surprises, and they'll have some time to relax and enjoy the day.
The snow started in the wee hours of the morning, and these pictures were taken right before breakfast...
The empty corner hutch...waiting for spring until we can turn the water on again and put some calves in there. Jenna uses the empty hutches to store hay for the little calves that she carries water to...
The abandoned sand box. I think this picture was my favorite...
Those old barn boots with perennials planted in them are soaking up the moisture, just waiting for spring. It's amazing to me that the plants come back year after year, even when they're not buried deep underground!
It's snowing like crazy outside the window, and we'll see what it amounts to. It's a heavy, wet snow, and no fun to push. The milk truck comes today, so Jim will be busy opening the driveway before he comes. 'Til it's all said and done, we're supposed to get 4" - 6". We'll see! I know that's peanuts compared to what some of you have seen this winter, but it's our first substantial snowfall. After the bitter cold we had in February, I think I'd rather have this!
I'm linking today to Good Fences. Click here to see more posts!
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Good Fences #10...
I've always admired the white fence that runs around the meadow here on the farm.
When we moved here twenty (!!) years ago, it was a pretty wooden fence, but time took it's toll. It was already an old fence, and after about fifteen years of painting and repair, it was time to replace it. We opted for PVC instead of wood. Not our first choice, but the maintenance is next to nothing, and from a distance you can't tell much difference. More importantly, it keeps the cows where they belong!
A couple of weeks ago I shared a picture of my iris and rose border along the fence. There was no color yet, but at least the weeds were pulled. Now, finally, it's been mulched and the iris are beginning to bloom. The hard winter really took it's toll on both the roses and iris. The iris are sparse, and the roses struggling, but at least we have some color...
Here's what it looked like in 2011 and in 2012. The colors were much more vibrant!
This is my perennial border along the north side of the garden. I'm almost finished mulching, finally. Why, oh why did I plant so many flowers?! I was young then. There's that white fence in the background...
And last but not least, here's one just for fun. I found Gato lounging under the peonies that are about to bloom. He's actually babysitting his niece, who hides out under the shed, behind the fence...
Oh, the life of a cat.
For more Good Fences, click here.
When we moved here twenty (!!) years ago, it was a pretty wooden fence, but time took it's toll. It was already an old fence, and after about fifteen years of painting and repair, it was time to replace it. We opted for PVC instead of wood. Not our first choice, but the maintenance is next to nothing, and from a distance you can't tell much difference. More importantly, it keeps the cows where they belong!
A couple of weeks ago I shared a picture of my iris and rose border along the fence. There was no color yet, but at least the weeds were pulled. Now, finally, it's been mulched and the iris are beginning to bloom. The hard winter really took it's toll on both the roses and iris. The iris are sparse, and the roses struggling, but at least we have some color...
Here's what it looked like in 2011 and in 2012. The colors were much more vibrant!
This is my perennial border along the north side of the garden. I'm almost finished mulching, finally. Why, oh why did I plant so many flowers?! I was young then. There's that white fence in the background...
And last but not least, here's one just for fun. I found Gato lounging under the peonies that are about to bloom. He's actually babysitting his niece, who hides out under the shed, behind the fence...
Oh, the life of a cat.
For more Good Fences, click here.
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Good Fences #8
I've been so far behind this spring with getting ready for mulching in my perennial beds. It's overwhelming. A late spring, and falling behind had me in a bit of a panic. Finally on Tuesday, I edged, weeded, and got the first bed ready for mulch. That might have to wait until next week, after this upcoming rain is over.
The roses and iris usually look so pretty together. The roses were hit really hard by the harsh winter and are not near bud stage yet. In another week or two though, the iris will be in full bloom along this fence...
A couple of them are pushing buds. Unfortunately, I don't remember the colors until they bloom...
I'll post another picture of the fence when the iris are in full bloom. (and mulched) It's much more exciting then!
On another note...a week ago, I got an email from my blogger friend TexWisGirl, telling me I'd won the giveaway for her hand drawn Hummingbird drawing. I was so excited! Yesterday as I was mowing, the mail lady came and waved a package at me that wouldn't fit in the mailbox. Here it is! It's even more beautiful in real life, (and there's a glare on my photo) I will treasure it Theresa...thanks so much!
She's an amazing artist and wonderful photographer. Check out her blog at the link above...
Click here to enjoy more Good Fences!
The roses and iris usually look so pretty together. The roses were hit really hard by the harsh winter and are not near bud stage yet. In another week or two though, the iris will be in full bloom along this fence...
A couple of them are pushing buds. Unfortunately, I don't remember the colors until they bloom...
I'll post another picture of the fence when the iris are in full bloom. (and mulched) It's much more exciting then!
On another note...a week ago, I got an email from my blogger friend TexWisGirl, telling me I'd won the giveaway for her hand drawn Hummingbird drawing. I was so excited! Yesterday as I was mowing, the mail lady came and waved a package at me that wouldn't fit in the mailbox. Here it is! It's even more beautiful in real life, (and there's a glare on my photo) I will treasure it Theresa...thanks so much!
She's an amazing artist and wonderful photographer. Check out her blog at the link above...
Click here to enjoy more Good Fences!
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