Still Making Fence

This isn't my most exciting blog, but for those who follow Amish Horses, here is an update.

Yes, I'm still making fence. After spending a solid week pouring over edits in my newest novella, Cowboys and Amish Girls, I went straight to work making this fence.

Last week I shared pictures of my draft horses pulling these corner posts to the far edges of my property. The posts are all set and painted now.

You can see the edge of my pasture where it meets up with my brother-in-law's farm fields. When my wife saw this picture she asked, "Did you get some of the white paint in your beard?"

"Nope, that white is a sign of my aging wisdom."

The fencing material I'm using is called Hot Coat. I first noticed this type of fence while on a book tour in a heavily populated Amish area of Indiana. It's high tensile wire, coated with a white plastic that will conduct a shock. Amish farmers use solar powered fence chargers to keep their fences hot.

We have a local Amish business that sells Hot Coat. Evan's Sales and Service is just down the road from my favorite Amish bakery, Golden Delight. (of course every time I go to get parts for my fence I have to stop and get a donut.)

 I put the fence where I wanted it and then have been questioning how wise I really am, to put a new fence next to an ancient ash tree. Hopefully when the tree does fall it lands in the opposite direction.

My horses still aren't grazing next to my new fence, yet. There will be plenty of horse pics with my new "Amish fence" in the future.

I do have a novella that is all about a fence between an Amish family and a modern suburb.
Whispering to Horses

To Build a Fence

It's time for a new fence at the Nye home-place.

Karm and Karla were called on to help get the job done. I hitched the team and put them on my little hitch-cart. I bought this two-wheeled vehicle at an Amish farm sale when I got my first team of work horses. That was in 1993. It was old then, and it looks just the same as it did the day I brought it home 25 years ago.
I hooked onto a wooden sled (also known as a stone boat) rolled my logs on, and the horses pulled them.

 Karm and Karla hauled the logs and braces out to the corners of their pasture. I rented a post-hole-digger from a local rental place and made some deep holes for my large corner posts.

In the photo below, you can see my old electric fence, Karla grazing, my pickup truck, and the post-hole-digger.

Once we got our equipment in place, the horses were sent out to pasture, and I put a gas engine to work.

I now have my corner post set. If it ever quits raining, I'll get back on this project and share some finished product photos.