Farm Maintenance vs. Fun…………….
I “think” I’ve fixed all the strands of the front pasture fencing. But I can’t find the fence tester………………and I’m not about to be the sacrificial victim———-well not willingly anyway. I do it unwillingly all the time.
But come on………………………I don’t purposefully check the fence’s charge by grabbing onto a wire.
It was making a great cracking sound where I found it shorted out against the field fencing.
So I’m pretty sure it’s working.
Okay, I did secondarily find out that the back pasture wasn’t working.
I did grab onto that wire to make sure it had no charge (which it didn’t)…………………….but that was only after I got my bun caught in the top line while I was trying to skooch under it and then it smacked me in the forehead………………….
(Hey, I’m stiff and I don’t bend as well as I should). So, I’m quite sure the electric charge is not going back there yet…………………I searched and found out why…………………….my bad…………………I forgot to connect a sweep that went under one of the gates.
That answers why the front pasture has a good zap and the back’s got nothing.
I realize just how much I’ve learned over the years about electric fencing. Pin-lock versus extender insulators (then what length extender insulator to choose). 
Screw-in ceramic post-donuts versus the standard ceramic insulators.
Then there’s—–which metal for the wiring—–steel or aluminum. Steel is stronger, but rusts. Aluminum is easier to work with, but it stretches and breaks easily. Then there’s the gauge.
Nine gauge is best for the big, draft beasties…but so hard to work with. Let’s not forget the insulated wiring for installing underneath fence gates or connecting hot wires together with a ground wire in the middle.
My favorite fun supply to have on hand are the flying-saucers. They are twist-able, in-line wire tighteners. They probably have another name, but flying saucer works for me.
I’m a purist, too. They have to be the cast-metal ones. Not the “heavy-duty” plastic ones.
Heavy-duty?——————no way! It’s the metal ones for me or none at all. Nine gauge wiring just slices right through their idea of “heavy duty”.
But in the mean time. I got sick with a cold and sore throat. Probably because Patrice and I were stubborn and we continued working on fence repair in the wind and rain when a cold front came through (it actually went down into the high 20’s here).
Patrice has a lot of positive points, but wicking cold water is not one of them. The poor old girl probably retained over five pounds in cold water weight. (For those of you who are new here———-Patrice is my good friend———-and my over-alls.)-(see “Patrice (et. al.)” post/published June 6, 2017).
She was super soggy and super heavy. Probably because of the nails, fence staples, wire-cutters, hammer and wrenches in her pockets…………………plus she was bloated with water-weight retention from all the rain……………………….but I understand.
I don’t judge.
(Don’t we always blame our weight gain on water-weight and too much salt? But, shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Patrice is sensitive.)
As soon as I’m up to it, I have to replace a couple of the gate posts………………ground rot…………………….lots and lots of ground rot.
But, just not today…………………..I’m feeling too loopy. On a good day I get rattled by the fence, it would just be such sadness if I tried connecting electric fencing today.
And I have to try to get better as soon as I possibly can so I can hopefully go Hunting tomorrow……………………..
Fencing……………………or……………………Hunting………………………hmmmmmmmmmmm.
That’s a hard choice.