To Build a Fence [Before Dark]

Lula has been found in the chicken yard, bathing in the nasty chicken water, completely naked.  She has been found down the driveway, picking blackberries, completely naked.  And worse, she has been found playing at the pond, alone.  And sometimes naked.  She is the first of the Downen kids to be so naughty.  And I can tell you why.

1. She is naturally independent and fearless
2. She can open the sliding glass door in the schoolroom
3. There is a porch outside the door instead of a drop off (like there used to be).
4. She hasn't met an outfit she cannot escape from.

We've all had enough of the, "Where's Lula? I thought you were watching her! I got distracted!" conversation.  So Mark built a fence around the play area.  Lula prefers the chickens/driveway to the pond, but the pond could be a deadly choice.  A few hundred dollars for a fence is a much better deal than losing Lula forever.

As you can see from the angle of the sun, we got a late start.  Yesterday was Sunday and Mark had an early morning meeting in Olympia today, so he raced the sun to get the fence done.

Hard work is good for the (pre)adolescent male, so Ian and Shane did a lot of the work Mark usually does alone.  Mark has an injured elbow, so any work that involves twisting his arm is quite painful. 

Lula had a great time opening and closing the gate and saying, "Bye-bye!"  Oh, if she only knew!  I helped dig one of those post holes and I helped place both posts.  Because I have new energy, y'all.

"Move that pick axe!"

I tried to do the work for Mark so he wouldn't keep injuring his elbow.  Really, I did try.  For the last few days, anytime I heard him start up the brush mower, I would run out of the house and say, "Stop! Let me do it! I want you healed!"  But as Mark likes to tease...

...his non-dominant hand/arm is still stronger than my dominant, so he keeps on mowing, rototilling, and digging.

Daniel is very good at finding projects he can work on.  He has his own plastic tool bench with plastic tools, but it isn't as good as a real saw or real clippers.

The sun is going behind the trees! Will the fence be built before it gets dark???

The path to the pond is successfully blocked, as is the path to the carport/chickens/driveway.  It's ugly, but a necessary and temporary fix.  We will have our view back (and repurpose the fencing for a large deer and chicken proof garden).

Alas, we are about 12-15 feet short of fencing, even after Mark salvaged the fencing from the quarantine area of the chicken yard.  Nothing bothers Mark more than unfinished projects.  I didn't see him before he had to leave early, early, early this morning.  He might surprise me.  He might bring home more fencing and finish the job...