Why Not Nikker?: Holy Ground

Hope I don't get struck for titling this post that! ( :

Need I say more? ( :

So with the ground cleared enough to start digging holes, Jeremy and Kacey and the kids showed up for the fun. But before they arrived, Chad and I picked up two pallets of Quick Crete, two bundles of 4-5 inch posts and one bundle of 7-8 inch posts.

6 layers, 4 bags per layer, 80lbs. per bag... 1920lbs per pallet..total trailer load of 3840lbs.

Jeremy unloaded the kid's toy and then unloaded his "toy". It didn't take much time for us to find out that this ground wasn't only rocky on top, it was rocky five feet down. Not just little rocks, but really big rocks. We broke the sheer pin on the auger on the first hole and it didn't get any better as we went along. It was slow going. Very slow going.

Kage hoping Chad doesn't hit him with one of those poles! He hated it when we cut the bands on them and they all started moving!!

After about 5 holes, we decided that the small holes had points on them, so Jeremy would drill the holes and then drive them in after the ground had been loosened up. The large hole that were for corner posts and gates, we would have to dig out in their entirety. The digging of the holes took 7 hours. 4 hours longer than estimated. Jeremy said two of the 65 holes dug the way they should have. LOVELY!

The Danger hauled water for our post tamping...had to we the dirt to get a good pack on it!! The Danger is the Bomb Yo!

The digging out completely was a chore...well it was worse than that. It was hell. Kacey, Chris, and I had blisters the size of dimes on Sunday afternoon and could barely hold our hands straight out in front of us. We latterly worked ourselves until we were useless. So the setting of the posts and the tamping was slow going for us...we were spent, but we aren't quitters so we persevered through the setting of the posts that weren't weight baring.

The boys (minus one...and a girl) and their toys!

After everyone left Sunday afternoon, Chad and I began setting the corner posts. We found a couple of the corner posts weren't deep enough and a couple were off center...so we did yet more hand digging...yikes.

Locked and loaded....'er sumthin' like that!

We worked at our day jobs, then we came home and worked on the fence while my girls and Hee-Haws stayed with the land lord... much to my chagrin is was our only option as the new guys needed to be in before school started on the 7th of September. So we started living in our new house on the 5th of September...with the girls waiting for us to get it together!

The auger before it me the rock soil at our house!!

So this weekend we ran 4 strands of high tensile wire around what is probably 3 acres of our 10. Maybe a little less...but it was still quite a chore with the stringing, the setting, then setting the tension 3/4 of the way, then stapling in place. Once these things were done, we got to pick up the girls!!

Chris and the post hole diggers...he got pretty good with them!!

I picked up Tari, Horse Girl and Fiona while Chad started working on the electric part of the fence. The high tensile Aussie style fence is great for electrifying...especially when you have a horse like Fi that put her head on, over, and through everything! She of course got whacked right away. That girl doesn't waste anytime!!

The going was so bad we had to lay down on our bellies to pick up the really big rocks...no amount shoveling would remove them!!

Due to a few places where the ground naturally slopes in between the posts (we choose a span of 35 ft +/- for our spacing) and allowing for big enough gaps for the Hee Haws, they are still with the Land Lord. I am working on a way to either add a line to those places or just a make them their own pen until Chad comes up with a solution... They will be home Wednesday regardless...so I will let you know how that all plays out!! Enjoy the rest of the pictures!!