Farm Jobs

Over the past week Jason and I have partaken in what feels like all of the farm tasks. In reality we’ve done nowhere close to all of the things that happen around the farm but it feels like we’ve done them all. In addition to the usual feeding, grooming, farrier/vet visits and all normal horse care our to do lists have been very long.

Last Friday we finished nailing up boards on the section of fence we’ve been rebuilding. All that remains now is to nail up the face boards, and that is a very non-critical task. The warm season grasses decided to start growing with enthusiasm over the last ten days so Jason spent a couple of days spreading fertilizer on the pastures. This was his second round of fertilizing as he always does a split application. The cool season grasses get fertilizer in late February or early March, then the warm season grasses get fertilized sometime in May.

Our one unplanned task was dealing with a leaking water hydrant. Jason had the “pleasure” of tackling that job mostly on his own. There’s nothing more fun than busting through concrete with a pick axe to dig up a hydrant. I know this because Jason looked like he was having the time of his life while digging up the hydrant. As it turned out the hydrant was fine, but the fitting that was used on the hydrant was the wrong size, and had finally come loose. We’ve got a mile of water lines buried on the farm and have had minimal issues with the lines over the past 8 years. The only areas we have had issues, including this one, are the lines and hydrants that Jason did not install himself. The hydrant is now re-installed with the correctly sized fitting and all is working properly again.

Needless to say the days have all felt like marathons lately. Hopefully things will now settle down and be more normal – whatever normal is around here!

lying face down in mud is always a good time