Sunday evening.

We've been very busy. The tractor is on the fritz, so we worked on the electric fence, and repaired an area of the barbed wire fence where Indy ran through it awhile back. I had patched it up somewhat, but I was working alone and it is hard to stretch the barbed wire and fasten it to the post at the same time. We had already walked the electric fence line repairing, tightening, and replacing insulators, to get it back in working order. We also cut and chopped out a bunch of Chinese wisteria, also called rattle box bush. It grows like a weed, and every part of it is toxic to animals. Once I was sure the wire wasn't grounded anywhere, or broken, I sent Mike to turn it on, and the switch on the fencer box wouldn't work. We brought it home, and I'll return it to the store where I bought it.

Today, grandson walked out to get his pony, so he could ride him, and one of the other horses followed him in to the barn/pond area. When my daughter went to try and shoo her back out, instead of turning around and running back, she turned towards this fence, and jumped it, which put her in the neighbors pasture. She broke the top 2 strands, where I had patched it together before. Her best buddy in the herd is a 1/2 draft my daughter calls a 4-legged bull dozer. I watched him put his chest against the fence in a different spot, and begin to push his way through to be with Raven. All the other horses were right behind him, waiting to see what was up. I managed to stop him by running, screaming, and waving a shovel at him. I could just see the entire herd of 7 horses, running through the neighbors pasture, chasing their cows.

We decided, after catching Raven, and dropping the fence wire so we could get her home, that we needed to do a better job on the fence, to keep the cows on their side, too. My daughter, husband, grandson, and I replaced, and patched up the barbed wire, as well as cleaning up some very rusted barbed wire that was tangled around some chain link fence that was used to reinforce the old fence. From the looks of the old fence, it has been years since anyone has done anything but patch the old stuff, or put a stock panel across any gaps, and they never picked up the old stuff, just left it laying there.

Everyone is tired. I'm the last one awake, and I'm heading for bed now.