-
Our One Year Farm-iversary!
Hello hello, everyone! Â Â Â Â So… there’s no getting around it, I have been quite the absentee for months now. Things around the farm have been beyond a bit crazy and have left us working double-time in what free time we have to keep things moving smooth”ish”. While I may be a month behind in posting this I’m beyond excited to finally feel I’ve the time to blog again. As of March 31st, we’d officially spent an entire year in our budding little farm. The amazing thing is how much has happened over the course of one lil’ ol’ year too! Looking back and considering what we’ve learned,…
-
The Adventure of a Second Pasture
Adventure: [ad-ven-chur] Noun. an exciting or very unusual experience a bold, usually risky undertaking; hazardous action of uncertain outcome a commercial or financial speculation of any kind; venture Back on point, the Mr. and I had come to the realization that we would need to build a second pasture for our horses pronto. With limited time, the weather hinting at winter, and our endless ‘honey-do’ list of repairs on the farmhouse…we realized we didn’t have much time to do this one ourselves. Moving forward, we enlisted the aid of a fencing company. In fact, due to the professionalism and quality finish of our last pasture, we elected to go…
-
When the situation changes, queue the back-up plan…
Morning everyone! It seems like only yesterday we were walking the acreage as we mapped out the locations for future horse facilities on the farm. As our horses are only stalled in inclement weather, planning out the location and size of our pastures was our first priority. I am delighted to report that we have been positively ecstatic about our CenFlex pasture that was completed mid-summer last year. It has proven itself a very reliable and horse-friendly material. But in retrospect I have found only one fault, its size. Let us consider this from another viewpoint: Cause & Effect. By permitting too many horses to be kept on a pasture…
-
Horse Fencing 101: Not Another Horse Fencing Post
Afternoon all! I think the title pretty much sums this one just right on up. Yet another…horse -fencing- post. *dramatic music ensues* Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, I am happy to report that our fence is FINALLY finished. Let me just get that out of my system one more time, I repeat, our fence…is FINALLY FINISHED!!! Where is a rooftop that I can shout this from? …that isn’t ours, as I am PRETTY confident that is the next thing on our ol’ farmhouse that’s going to kick the bucket. ANYWAYS… after two months, twenty-three days, sixteen hours, and give or take forty-five minutes or so…our pasture…
-
Horse Fencing 101: SCIENCE …errr PROGRESS!!!
Morning y’all, don’t mind me … between what feels like two-full time jobs and 5-7 hours a day in the harsh sticky heat of the South I find myself jiving my inner Bill Nye the Science Guy. It’s been a couple weeks since I last posted photos of the project’s progression from gently rolling weed-filled acres to a proper horse pasture. Now I’ll be straight with you, since I’ve still only access to our battery operated …you heard that right… push mower, it is still very much weed-filled acres, even higher than when we started however. (Lookin’ at you, rain!) BUT…all four sides have every third post set and concreted…
-
Fencing 101: Real Talk
In every DIY project you undertake, no matter how big or small the job is, there will always be a pivotal moment in which you ask yourself, “Am I still glad we chose to do this or am I filled with regret?” Now generally speaking, I’m a ‘you can’t cut the wind from my sails’ kind of gal but let’s just say that the previous gust propelling us through this project has dwindled to a passing breeze. Now I can assure you that these long labor-intensive hours spent beneath an unforgiving sun haven’t curbed my enthusiasm, even seven weeks in. Why? Because this equestrian CANNOT wait to have her horses…
-
Horse Fencing 101: Pasture Fencing at its Finest
“I dreamed a dream of time gone by, when hope was high and …” Wait, this isn’t Les Miserables. (Could be? Possibly… I hope not.) Right then, so I had my fingers crossed that our fence post holes would be dug, posts set,  and… dare I say, fence up and ready for our horses by Friday. (And by Friday, I mean Friday two days ago…) Well! I can say that all of our post holes have been dug, despite the adamantium strength clay-soil we have. The one drawback? Well rather, the main drawback is that we completed that yesterday. The day after I was hoping to have the entirety of the fence…
-
Horse Fencing 101: Post Hole Digging Edition
Do you ever find yourself looking over the “how-to’s” of a project only to watch everything that can go wrong, do so, once you’ve already thrown yourself into the heart of it? Well my friends, that’s what this continuing experience has become…the seemingly “easy” part of the fence construction process that was estimated to take us a few days, give or take, working a few hours a day on digging holes. Must not laugh, must not laugh, all work and no play make Christy a … no, too far. Back on point! So! Twenty-three days later (Whose counting?) I have two-thirds of my post holes dug and our horses arriving…
-
Horse Fencing 101: Post Edition
Hello again! Whose ready to talk fence posts? I can feel your excitement already…I mean after all, who WOULDN’T get jazzed up over such a sensational topic! Right? But seriously, after the hassle of deciding which type of fencing material would be best for our needs and the safety of our horses we were left with the realization that fencing materials did not come with the inclusion of fence posts. Naturally, after a few minutes of, “But why though?!”, it made perfect sense yet those few minutes were quite a sad realization. Never one to turn down a challenge, the research began again. I don’t know if it’s possible but…
-
Horse Fencing 101: Choosing the Right Fence
As you all know, the Mr. and I left our cozy suburban lifestyle behind when the chance to own our very own farmhouse became a viable choice for us. Now then, first things first… we have acres of rolling pasture surrounding our home but only semi cross-fenced sections with barbed wire and wobbly splintered posts. Yeah, …not going to work for my horses. So… while I could spend the day complaining about the serious hazards of barbed wire fencing and animals, let’s just leave it at I do not like it and do not permit it to be -anywhere- on my property…at all. That being said, it was time to…
