Life continues

Well the back creek is truly dried up now.  No more runoff water from the mountains.  It lasted an incredibly long time this year.  We are hoping that that creek will start to run year round in the future.  I fenced again today, it was a mild 92 degrees in the shade.  I stood out in the sun and pounded metal posts into the ground and braced the railroad ties together with twisted wire.  Let me tell you that driving posts into the ground in mid-September is nothing like putting them in the ground in the spring.  My help was sick today, I was granted the privilege of driving the posts in by myself (Sarah usually stands on the other side of the post hole driver and we do it together.  Works well and we can put in more posts than I could do alone.).  Some of those posts I had to hit 30 times to drive them into the rocky (concrete like) ground.  It was not easy, but as in all things in life it needs to be done and I am running out of time, so it gets done the hard way.  I managed to string up a single strand of smooth wire to use as a marker for placing the metal posts.  I have to string the wire anyways, it only made sense to use the wire (instead of string) as my alignment marker. 

I ran the tractor for a little bit this last week.  I am trying to get the last little bit of mowing done since that is the current attachment on the tractor.  I mowed a path to the new gate past the barn lot.  This way the cows can be fed without driving through the barn lot.  I still have to use the tractor to get the foot deep ruts out from Winter.  Unfortunately, when mowing tall grass you cannot always see what you are mowing.  I ran over an old pile of used baling twine (from hay bales that were fed), pieces of hog wire and a coil of old barb wire.  Not good for the mower, it killed the engine on the tractor.  I had to get out and crawl underneath the mower and cut off all the twine and unwind the other assorted metal pieces.  I am going to start picking up big rocks and old piles of wood and fencing.  That way when I mow I won't hit anything.  This is a long term project.  I figure it will take me about three years to get the little stuff all picked up.  It is much better than when we started but it takes time and you really have to work to not just throw some stuff on the ground. 

My chickens are starting to pick up production.  I collected 14 eggs today.  I had to adjust the times for my night light and closing time for my automatic chicken door.  I need to count the chickens to see if any are disappearing.  I haven't taken chicken inventory in over a month. 

Took Annmarie out and she sighted in the 30-30.  She did great.  At 20 yards she can get a six inch grouping with three rounds.  We used the tires (future elevated garden, eventually) out in the ram pasture as a back stop.  Those slugs tore huge chunks out of the back of the tires.  No way is an animal going to get away from her again.  She put thirty rounds through it and is going to practice some more tomorrow.  Sarah is going to have to reload more shells!!