Fence DONE!!!!! Lens test

All I can say is FINALLY!!!!!!!

 I have 2 wood posts left over, 2 Tposts left over.  I'm going ot hand on to all of them just in case something arises that needs it!

 The back pen around the back of the barn.  We fastened two of the 10-foot corral panels so I have somewhere eventually to hang feed buckets.  Dad also cut the blue gate out of it's frame and I got hangers and the peices to make it a hanging gate.  All red facing the road, the blue 10 foot gate is on the side.

I have another picture, but blogger won't upload it.  

From the front corner!

 The kitten has been 'helping' us the past few days.  I ended up calling him Mojo.  While he craves attention like there's no tomorrow, he still has to stay outdoors.

 That zoom lens did a nice job getting just the details on his face . . .  I still LOVE those white whiskers.

Now to pic spam the horses. The pictures are from before I took their halters off.  I have taken their halters off as I was getting ready to head inside for the night. 

Sorry No pictures

Again, Sorry there is no pictures, they are still on the camera.
Fencing update:
Up through today we have finally gotten all the perimeter fencing done, with the exception to the small bit by the front gate.  That will be finished up tomorrow along with the two fencing pens around the barns so the ponies don't go and visit the bunnies.  Then hanging 4 gates tomorrow, both 10 footers and 2- 4 foot gates, the third 4 foot gate was hung a bit ago.  Hopefully tomorrow evening the ponies will be back on our side eating the grass over here so we can let the Roark's feild rest up for a little bit and thicken with the constant mowing down to lawn height. 
Horsie Update:
Also tommorrow evening I'm going to take Phoenix out for a short ride, but mostly to watch Megan and Tessa together.  I want to see if polo's on her legs and a lighter rider is a good combo.  If so I'll talk to Megan's mom about a free lease on Tessa for a year or two and then I'll have to get Phoenix a feild companion.  Tracey gave me a couple of options to find out who owns that drafty mare in the feild behind Francine's place.  One of two people.  Tracey said good luck if it's the people that are land leasing Francine's place, they are hard to deal with, but the Amish can also be hard to deal with since I am a women.
Bunny update:
I've sold a few more Hollands, I'm defenently going to weed them down to just a few.  I haven't been able to sell many at all and they are certainly too small to eat, at a live weight of under 4 pounds . . . yeah.  I've got ads up looking for a solid red and a broken red New Zealand, to gain strength in my red's lines.  I'm also gearing myself up to work back into my dutch as a side of meat and show.  I'm really starting to rethink my rabbitry and the only pet type rabbits I want to have are my Velveteen Lops, with a couple of Holland Lops and a single pair of Lion Heads.  The others are dual purpose show/pet and meat, so the Dutch are going to make a comeback- steels, blue and torts anyway- no more grays (Sorry Aunt Lisa, I know they were your favorite color!)  as the Hollands thin down.  I should go into winter with around 10 Holland Lops, and several may or may not make the winter with their ages(2-5 yr olds and 1-4 year old).  

anyway, I will have pictures up tomorrow both of the fence and of us riding. 

Back feild wire is UP!

We rolled the back wire down hill, yes it was a bit of a pain to pull it up against the fence but at least we rolled the wire downhill! 

 Dad only had flipflops on, I had boots so I was on the downhill side so I could stop it.

 But it looks like a fence!!!

 Before I tacked the wire to the metal posts, yes those metal posts aren't all the way down, they hit rock at that point.    But you can see the contour of the ground and how it drops off going into the drainage ditch.

 two straps are multipurpose!    Mine went through the blackberry bushes and the drainage ditches and dads went around the corner post.  Little roll of fence left over, and the whole roll waiting to go from the tree to the gate.

 Finished Product!

These two better be happy . . . .   I still haven't found Tess a lease person so I'm dreading when Micheal or Ryan call about doing feet, her's look horrendous, but Phoenix's look AWESOME.  He's dropping his own heels down and he is enjoying running and chasing Tess around the feild. 

Several Days of Fencing and Mittens

Dad found this ad on Craigslist for 35 wood posts, $120 Mercer County- late Wednesday night.  So Thursday I texted the guy and We took off for some posts. 

 Starting the unloading process, we ended up with a total of 39 posts, but still for $120 yeah, they had a little rot on the bottom but with some cement they'll hold strong again, plus they are still very sturdy to begin with.  A vast majority of them were put onto the trailer- the guy was awesome, him and his Great Pyrnese- Clamity- helped us load them.

 We got some in the truck as well.  Several of the posts when I loaded them I retorted- that's one for Aunt Lisa!  Wayy to big for the little auger to dig a hole for it.

As for today, I went up to TSC and got the last of the metal T-posts that I needed.  For some reason I didn't think it would be so tiring to drive them in.  I got 15 done, 22 still left to drive in. 

 But the back looks great!  A few out of line, it didn't help that the string line snapped on me a few times.  Poor old string, I don't think it'll survive much past the fencing project.

 All the posts from teh side gate to the back corner aren't down the full 2 feet so all got some cement in them.  One 80 pound bag did three posts as the posts are still huge compared to the holes that had been dug for them.

Now for Mittens.  He's a bit of an odd thing.  Someone dropped Momma and 5 kittens off at our house on Friday.  Momma and two of the kittens are majority black with some white, 3 kittens are black.  So I picked up the friendliest kitten and moved him into the barn to be my mouser. 

 He loves getting his head scratched and he enjoys sitting up on my rabbit grooming table since Gabriel can't get to him and moleste him.  He's neat looking with white whiskers. 

"Do I see something moving??"

Hopefully he does do the job of mousing.  That's the New Zealand box so he's still awfuly tiny.  Gabriel is bigger than him, and with Gabriel loose, he kept riding him like Mittens was a doe in season . . ..  Mitten's has only hissed and run away from him.  The bunnies scare the kitten. 

If Mittens doesn't work out as a mouser then I'll give him away to a pet home or something, but he's friendly and it won't be horrible cost wise to keep him as a mouser. 

Everything Update!

So as the folks on Facebook heard, I found my loose horses from May, two of the adults came forward again in search of a herd I guess. 

I may have only gotten two of the original 3 adults, but now one of them has a colt on her side. 

Perfect. . . .

 Mommy and son, he's gorgeous!  No white on momma, he's got a left rear sock, big 'ole star and a tiny snip on his lips

 This *might* be daddy, both hind white socks on him, and a tiny star.  They're all in teh 12-13HH range, they move like Hackney ponies, so they could  be hackney's or they could be mustangs, ponies either way I look at it.

The trio together!

This big girl was on the amish side of the fence, but I couldn't resist taking a picture of her.  She came up to the fence so I could rub her head.

After playing with those horses in the back, making sure they aren't injured I came up to play with my New Zealands.

 This is my Diva- Xena.  She's getting so big.

 This is Trixy, Trisha and Aragorn's daughter.  She's already bigger than her mother and is replacing her mother as the breeding doe.

 This is Bree, the youngest of my New Zealand does and she was at the bottom of the pecking order with all 3 New Zealand does. 

 And big boy, Aragorn.  He's still finishing his molt out so he looks scruffy.

Here's the 'little' boy Quincy.  Quincy's the luckier of the two boys, he has Kate, Bree and Xena as his 'women'

After much deliberation and talking to several professionals, vet and friends Phoenix will have to get a new feild companion and Tessa will be moved onto a youth home. 

 Phoenix is finally putting on a few extra pounds.

And Tessy, my gorgeous girl. 

The few things that I did know when I was looking at her was I needed a horse that was stocky  and a shorter back.  I didn't know to watch the pasterns or the length of back.  Any saddles that I get are going to sit too far down her back and pinch down on her kidneys because her back is too short.  Also her pasterns are long and slopy which makes carrying extra weight harder, and could even damage her legs.  Hindsight if I had known all this I would never have gotten her noting all the faults, but sometimes you have to learn life lessons the hard way.  I'd rather know who she's going to so I can keep tabs on her and watch her.  Her manners have blossomed and she's a very fine little mare.  Now it's on to finding a horse, Aunt Lisa and Cathryn had the right idea~ go with a drafty, that I can keep out with Phoenix and then ride. 

Canteloupes, Small gate in, more fence up and another crazy stint!

 I have 4 Canteloupes about this size in the garden, I can't wait for them to get bigger and rip for eating!!!

 We got the rest of this loose fence wire tacked up today after the sun went down behind the hill. 

 We also got my little walk through gate hung up, now to build the bridge for it, but that can wait for later, rest of the fence first!

Just goofing around and I sat on Tess bareback, I can't wait until I have enough money saved up for my new saddle- and we both can get fit together!

Last of the backrow fenceposts put in!

Yeah!  Time to enjoy this sight!  Last of the wood fence posts are now in, and they are concreted because they aren't down very deep- down to the rock, but not very far.

 The first three posts are in, and the concrete is waiting.  I got 80 pound bags this time and it was half bag(give or take anyway) per hole.

 Dad drilling one of the other three holes.  He had to go all over to get the primer bulb for it and he fixed the gas line as well so it doesn't leak gas anymore either.  Good Auger.

 Not deep at all, but down to rock.

 There will be 2 metal T-posts between each wood post, dad's still holding the last post till the cement sets up.

 Sitting on the wheeler just looking at all the posts . . . .   Other than stuff 'littered' around it looks awesome!

These two pictures are for Aunt Lisa,

Did Kate look this naked too???

Felicity did the same thing, pulled scades of hair, enough to fill her whole box up, but she had her babies on the wire and squished them.  She didn't like her neighbor, he was too nosy and he started to spray her so she must not have wanted to raise her babies with him next to her.  That perticular buck has thus been moved to a bottom row cage now and is on the list to be sold this fall.