Irrigation pump

Annmarie had suggested (strongly) that I make some progress on something outside.  Since it is over 100 degrees the water pump seemed like a priority. I needed to set a couple of concrete blocks on either side of the front creek, dig out the creek, fix the pump inlet pipe, run power to pump.  All this seems simple but nothing is simple on the farm.  

The creek is starting to fill in with vegetation and still has a nice layer of cow mud on the bottom.  I got the blocks set in either side and the board some what level.  I dug out the mud with a shovel then by hand.  I drug the pump over and changed out the suction pipe.  The original was too long.  I got that fixed and set the pump up in it's new home.  The inlet was sitting down next to the mud, so I went and got an old clay pot to put under the inlet.  I have several old nonfunctioning extension cords that I have been saving.  I checked it with the voltmeter (had to change the battery in the voltmeter first) and then drug it out to the pump.  It was long enough to reach (I forgot to check first) and I wired the motor, plugged it in after I primed the pump and got nothing.  I then had to check the relay, it works and come to the conclusion that the pump is not moving.   I unhooked every thing and drug it back up to the pickup so I can take it to town and get it fixed.

 

The back creek is almost dry.  By the end of the week it will be dried up.  No more snowmelt/rainfall fed stream till next year.  All the more reason to get the irrigation pump working.  

Tomorrow I will drop the pump off and then I can go onto fencing again.  I will fill in the 2 strand fence with some metal posts and pile on rocks onto the rock cribs and then add some woven wire and a couple more strands of smooth wire to make a fence the sheep and cows cannot get through.  

I wrapped wire around the back wild rose bush in an attempt to give it some relief from the sheep.  One of the ewes this morning was using the fence to stand up on and reach up and eat more of the bush.  This was not my plan.  So now I need to add another fence even farther out!