For those of you who have been following my posts, you know that we are a start-up farm. We have considered ourselves a farm for about two years now, and because of this, there are a lot of things we are still learning. One of those things is that we definitely need a lot to work our cows. I grew up with cows and we never had a lot, but there is a difference between having cows as a hobby and trying to build an actual business. The cows need doctoring and vaccinations that we have learned cannot be done without a lot and a squeeze chute.
Coming up with the actual shape and style of the lot was left all to Cam. I had no idea, and frankly, I didn’t care. It took him a few months to come up with a design style that he liked and thought would work for our number of cows. So, when he had a chance, he got out there and laid everything out the way he wanted it. We knew we needed posts but lumber right now is expensive.
Cam started watching videos of DIY projects. He really likes the old-style-looking posts. In the past, people would use post oaks for the posts of their fences. That is actually how the post oaks got their name. So our next step was going into the woods and finding the right trees and then skinning them for a longer life for the post.
I have to say that he did most of this by himself, but today he was ready to set the posts in cement and I decided we (the kids and I) were going to help him. Have you ever tried to set anything in cement with four kids, the oldest being only six? It was quite the adventure to be sure.
As you can see, he still did most of the work but I did help carry the 80-pound bags of cement. My only excuse is that I was injured when helping him carry one of the twelve-foot-long posts. We won’t go into that story here but I can tell you my jaw and neck still hurts where the log hit me. He did have a little extra help though when Amelia decided to come around.
That little girl is definitely a tomboy. She will not keep her hair in a ponytail or clips. I want to give her bangs so she can see but Cam keeps telling me no. Anyway, it took us a couple of hours to get done, and the lot still isn’t 100%, but we are a lot closer to having a working lot than we were at the beginning of the day.
The kids had a lot of fun out ranchin’ with Daddy and Mama. They may have hindered more than help but it was a fun and fulfilling afternoon. These kids are future farmers for sure.
GreenBriarGirl 