Ticks Fences Baskets Toys

Oh well, I had a few things to mull over this Sunday. 

Fences
I worked outside all day yesterday in the cold and damp. I had fencing to fix and posts that were bent a bit. I had an idea to make a goat pen behind one of the sheds that is too hard to mow.

Below is a junction of our fences inside our hard wire fence. I have rotational sections. This old tree fell on the one fence and blasted off the insulators but just stretched the hot wire. Since I can't run a chain saw my solution is simple. Replace the insulators and splice the hotwire after cutting it and pulling it out from under the rotten log.

The 'pasture' here may not look like much but it will green up with things the mules think are tasty. The Dexter cattle ate all weeds as did the Donkeys when I had them. The donkeys stripped all the briers and ate the leaves off from the burdock. 

So the critters alternate through six fenced pastures. 3 heavily wooded pastures and 3 grassy pastures.

Ok. I walked and walked with my insulators and replaced all the ones busted up by deer and whatnot. Not bad for the winter. Only 5 needed replacing. No broken hotwire. I reset several posts and of course got sidetracked by cool little things.

I was curious about a plant I found that was in a few spots that are used as 'lanes' for the skid steer and the 4 wheeler.
It is called Shephard's Purse and is only around for about 3 to 4 weeks and spreads seeds like crazy. It is part of the mustard family and can make can be a livestock  diarrheic if consumed.

I ended up working outside in the woods for quite a few hours. The new goat/pony pen was tested and completed. I strung new wire to the main gate and replaced the handle.

Ticks. 

I follow a strict rule of taking all of my woodland clothes off after being out in the thick of it. I generally take a shower but didn't last night. Yep. I had a tick this morning on my scalp. I had to meet the neighbor out in her yard with tweezers and sanitizer gel. 

All done and taken care of. [Yes, there is an ick factor right?]

Baskets
A blog I read asked 'What is in your Basket?' from equine expressions... and I had to actually smile because I have the same basket she took a photo of. I mean how on earth could that be? Mine was given to me by my cousin and it was full of 'stuff' from my Aunt's house that no one wanted. 

I repurposed it. Um. With toys. The dragons are missing from this basket as they were in a backpack from a past excursion. Don't laugh. These toys have come in handy when my little Grands visited. I'm going to sort through them and package them up for them now that they have moved to Montana.

I have a small basket that is on a wooden stand next to the porch door. It holds Charlie's special outdoor beeper/buzz/vibrate collar and its remote control. It holds a night light that I can put on my head. It has shoestrings in it too. I'm not even sure why I have them. But dang, they could be useful.

I see Charlie's harness and an old plastic snack bag that I reuse often to put tiny dog treats in.
I guess we could call it a Charlie Basket!

[The rattle of plastic brings Charlie in on the run. He is very food driven.]

There is a tiny teddy bear and last year's KVR pass.