Today's workday began at 5:30AM, when Susan and I helped our grazing lessee move his cattle off our property. I have enjoyed learning about cattle this year, and look forward to having them back next spring. Note in the first photo that the sun is shining on the west side of the valley, but has not yet reached where we are.
After we drove the cattle down to Ola, Susan and I returned to continue to rebuild the fence that separates us from the Boise National Forest to the east. After years of neglect, the fence is in terrible repair and we are essentially rebuilding the entire 1/4 mile boundary, installing all new posts and three strands of barbed wire with two stays between each post. This in and of itself is hard work, but add to that the fact that the hills are exceptionally steep and overgrown with brush and deadfall, and the task becomes exceedingly difficult. We begin before sunrise to avoid the high heat of the day, and usually have to quit by 1:00PM, when temperatures near the 100 degree mark.
The concrete truck arrived at 9:00AM to pour the footings for the shop. This is a banner day in our project, in that it is the first day that any actual construction took place. Everything we have done up to this point has been site preparation. The concrete will set up over the weekend, and on Monday I will begin to backfill the holes and prepare the site for the monolithic pour of the stem walls and floor.
The party's over. From this point on, things are going to get very, very busy.
