A Fencing Adventure

We didn't begin the day with fencing in mind, but that's what happened regardless...


We were sitting in the living room just watching the television when the phone rang. Our neighbor called to say that her sister saw a couple of horses running through the field across from her house. That field happens to back up to our property. The horses she said, one brown and one black, were headed down the road towards Lyles. Wonderful.


We grabbed some horse treats and headed out in the truck to find them. Not only was this a chilly day, but it was also a rainy day...the drizzling kind of rain that doesn't really stop, it just rains harder every so often. Great, cold and rain. Just the kind of day for rounding up escapees on the run!


It didn't take us long to find them. Catching them was a whole different story. We tried walking up to them very slowly, holding the treats out for them but they were on to us and they had new found freedom that they weren't anywhere near ready to give up.


After trying to catch them in several yards, a couple of wooded areas, a pasture and even cruising down the paved road, we decided the 4 wheelers would be more effective. Back to the house we go. We grabbed the lead ropes and feed buckets and headed out again. I stayed in the truck while Wally rode through the woods on the 4 wheeler. Yes, it was still raining.


By this time, a couple of neighbors were helping and when we finally got them back out on the street, they crossed over and rounded themselves up in a pasture that, thankfully, was gated. They had no idea what they had just done to their freedom run. LOL


As we had been on a horse round-up for about 4 hours, the neighbor had no problem with us leaving them there overnight. Whew! What an evening. We were wet, tired and cold but the horses were safe and we could start out fresh in the morning.


I know I titled this "A Fencing Adventure" and truly it was. I just needed to update you first on why. There are only two ways for the horses to get out of the fence. Either we leave the gate open or, more likely, the fence is down somewhere. The question is where. If you've been here, you know there is a lot of property for the horses to roam and that means a lot of fence to maintain.


We had to get the horses home and penned up and fed, run some errands, and still get back home in time to check the fence line before dark and more cold weather. So with barbed wire, a couple hammers, fencing staples, the chainsaw and some wire cutters, we started out on the 4-wheelers.


There is a dry creek bed just off the trail so we stopped to check the fence out there first. Typically, this creek bed is rocky and rough to cross. It was my luck that all the rain from the day before had filled the bed and it was now a fast moving, regular, old creek. Yay! I'm not the most coordinated person on the farm so crossing had its challenges. I found a good walking stick and with the help of Wally guiding me and the stick keeping me out of the water, I made it across mostly dry. This was just the beginning.


We walked the fence line but didn't have far to go when low and behold we came upon a tree that had fallen on part of the wire. Further down from the tree the wire had been intentionally cut. We assumed this to be the work of hunters without permission but no point worrying over that on this day. There were no hoof prints but still it had to be fixed.


Now, I've never fenced before and I've certainly never used barbed wire, though it's clear why it's named as such. I became a very quick learner. I learned how to hold it tight so it doesn't curl up and get all tangled in itself - that's a mess worse than bubble gum in hair. I learned how to hold it in the hammer while tightening it so that the fencing staples could be nailed into the trees. I learned how to pick my path in the rocky terrain and how to keep from slipping in the wet leaves with barbed wire all around me. It didn't take me long!


We repaired that area and moved on to the next. There was so much wire down that we were repairing what we could and replacing what couldn't be repaired. This fence is in the woods so there is no path other than what we make and there are limbs, briers, bushy shrubs, holes, rocks, you name it. It's a bit like an obstacle course out there. But I was in the woods, which always makes me happy. I was learning something that is an absolute necessity out here and I was making a difference on the farm. Not a bad way to spend the day.


We finished up fencing for the day just before dark, crossed the creek - me with my walking stick, loaded our gear and rode on back to the cabin. We brought water to the horses and gave them some hay, broke the water for the dogs (it had frozen again!) and only then did we take care of ourselves. We showered and had a nice warm dinner and planned our fencing for tomorrow.


Don't I wish it was just the one day!


We didn't have a much to fence the next day but getting where we needed to be proved to be a bit more difficult. I crossed the creek like a champ, tromped through the briers with only a few of them catching my pant legs, navigated the rocks and leaves and all this with a 5 gallon bucket loaded with supplies. Talk about a fencing girl!!!


We went straight to work and in no time had the better part of the barbed wire all stretched out and nailed to the trees or clipped to the fence posts. We headed back to the 4 wheelers where I took a much needed break.


I watched the water running downstream carrying leaves and sticks with it. I put my hand in only to find it so cold it hurt. I watched and listened as the birds flew and squawked in annoyance of my being in their place. As I always do when I'm in the woods, I admire every bit of the beauty of nature even in this, the middle of winter. I watched the sky as the sun began to set and to my absolute delight, I saw an eagle fly over. With a white head and white tail feathers it could be no other bird. It wasn't huge but it was magnificent in flight.


With the fencing completed, we let the horses run free. They shook their heads and bucked and ran and played. A beautiful sight it is to see those big animals act like children in the first sun shower of summer! I laughed and watched them until they finally wandered off to check our work.


In the woods there will always be something for me to see. To my eyes there is always something new and so I never tire of it. Even if fencing isn't my favorite thing to do, it does mean going out into the woods, one place where I am quite happy to be at any time.




"To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug." ~Helen Keller