It Takes A Family To Raise A Fence

February 25, 2011 - A look back at 2011

It certainly does take a family to raise a fence. We spent two weeks constructing a brand new fence out of trees. Mac or I would fell them, Ike would delimb them, and Izzy would haul the trees over to the fence. We'd measure out a 7', 5' and 3' section and construct an "A" frame (or more like an "X" frame with a 3' horizontal piece at the bottom), space our frames about 12' apart and then lay another log on the top and bottom pieces and nail them together using Mac's nail gun. One of the most memorable days was when one of the nails Mac was nailing must've hit a knot in the wood, made a U-turn and shot right through his hand; in essence nailing himself to the fence. He had to pull his hand away to free himself. He was bleeding everywhere so I loaded him up and took him to Urgent Care. We probably could have handled it ourselves, but him being a fire fighter and in the middle of a fencing project, we weren't willing to chance any long-term effects. Fortunately the x-rays were clear so they just irrigated it and put him on an antibiotic without much concern. They did, however forget about him after x-ray brought him back to his room, which afforded him a much needed hour nap and gave me a chance to sit back, relax, and catch up on some reading. Although considering we got a break from fence building in 3' of snow and it wasn't a terrible date, I think I could have come up with a better way to spend a couple of hours and $75. I think I would have preferred a steak, a movie and a massage. Unfortunately, it was back to fence building as soon as we returned from the Urgent Care. No rest for the weary (unless you were the party that took a nap at the Urgent Care)!