A time to tear down, and a time to build...

 We headed up to the range before sun up and the pink sky was a beautiful way to wake up, along with a big mug of coffee.  We've been working these past couple of weeks tearing out the old, burnt fence one quarter mile at a time, and rebuilding new fence right behind it.  Rolls of barb wire come in lengths of a quarter mile so this has become the minimum amount we do in a day.  Today Hubs and NumberOneSon planned to put up a half mile.  The men are doing the really hard work, but I'm pitching in where I can by pulling staples and clips from the old posts and later stapling and clipping on the new wires to the new posts.

This nifty tool is a wire pliers.  It can pull staples from posts, twist and  pry wire, pound staples, or dig wires and sagebrush out of the dirt.  It's a handy tool and a necessity when you are working on a fence line.  Each day that I work with it, I get better and better.  By the time we're done with this project, I'll be in shape for a full-time fencing crew!  (ummm, maybe not)

Here you see the woven wire and the barb wire down on the ground.  This will be rolled up and removed.  We had hoped to reuse the old wire, but the heat of the fire was so severe that it weakened the wires and made it too brittle to use again.  Sue enjoyed walking up and down the fence with me, but when she had had enough, she jumped in the Ranger and took a nap while I worked.

It looks like a desert out here, doesn't it?  The posts are being pulled up out of the dry, dusty ground.  Since there is no grass out here, a light wind will lift the dirt and soot blow it all over us.  It's dirty work. It was fairly mild this morning, but by mid-afternoon, we had a strong wind that really stirred up the dirt.

In this photo, I was hoping to show you the tiny bit of grass that is starting to come up.  If you look hard, you can see a tinge of light green that is new growth.  We're sure hoping we get some fall rains to keep it growing and germinate more grasses out here.  New grass will hold the soil together, but if it remains bare like this, it'll be a dust bowl out here.

What was torn down is built back up -- straight, tall, strong.  Jobs like these are very satisfying and rewarding because they stand for years.  The fence that was here before stood for about 50 years or more.  We hope this fence stands just as long.  Tomorrow we'll be up with the sun once again.  I will only be out here for a short time in the morning because my girls will be coming to my kitchen to make applesauce.  It'll be another productive day.

There is an appointed time for everything, 
and a time for every event under heaven.
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
~Ecclesiastes 3:1, 3