Week 23? Really....

I'm pooped.  Spent yesterday afternoon and evening and today doing 'man's work' building our main house corrals back.  I am not a good ranch hand.  I feel bad for the mister having to use me, but hey, our son is going to sea, so he just gets me. 

Friday night, after Mark got home from his day job, we realized that our weanling calves are slated to be sold at the auction on Wednesday the 18th and we don't have a corral to hold our main house herd.  Funny, how time has a way of slipping up on you.  We hadn't fully made a decision on the corrals: welded pipe would be awesome, wood would look great and panels would be easiest and would last well too.  Seeing as we had limited time we shopped on the phone Saturday morning and found panels and some railroad ties.   Saturday afternoon Mark made it back to the ranch with the needed supplies and we got to work.  Actually, Mark got to work, I just mostly stood there and tried to look like I was working and I oohed and ahhed over the skills of my man.   The part I actually helped on was carrying the railroad ties and the panels.  YIKES.  Those things are heavy.  So were the panels.   And even moving around the tools was hard work for this weak girl who usually sits around eating bonbons.  What I was really appreciated for though, was my ability to make lots of wonderful suggestions.  Haha.  You know, second guess Mark.  Actually it went really well and we were in perfect agreement about the whole corral arrangement, which in itself, is a mini miracle.   We didn't get it all finished, but it is at a point that it can be used to catch the main house cows, which was the whole point anyway. 

It may look like I'm working, but I'm not.  The real work horse it the auger our friend loaned us.

 

 

 These were our hecklers.  Enjoying the pond and watching us work.  (Yes, they are still here, but that is another story.)

Look at this gate.  No twine!!!  These gates (we have 10 )  were built by Mark's dad in the farm shop and painted by a very young Zachary (our eldest).  Perhaps even his first job.   Also note the trough getting moved in by the always handy skidsteer. 

 

Voila! one trough, two pens!

 

Mark hanging a gate while I watched.

 

 And took photos.  The grass went gold on us this week.

 

 

Somehow, this post falls a little short, like some of our posts did.  Others were too tall.  Where was quality control? Like wouldn't you think putting a post every 16 feet for 16 foot panels would work.  We eventually measured and 16 foot panels are really 15 feet and nine inches.  Also, the auger was great, but you still had to clean out the hole with the post hole diggers and that tamper bar thingy majig is very heavy.  Very heavy.  Very heavy.  Like I said, I'm pooped and this post is done. 

 

 

Then I realized that there wasn't any photos of the corrals, so I went outside and took some, even though I'd already bathed and was in my nightgown.  LOL.  I'm just that kinda gal.  Did any one think... OCD.?

 

This shot is from above.  Note the corrals done on the right.  We still have some stuff to  build on  the left, plus put back up our field fencing so I can bring our horses in.

 

This is up close.  It looks pretty good and it is sturdy and should last a long time.  We hope anyway.