Un-fencing...err...de-fencing?

Today I spent several hours at the old Nova Scotia farm property taking down metal T-posts and some page-wire fencing that I will subsequently be installing here at the new place in order to bring my sheep and goats home (finally!)  The old fencing posts will be quite useful and they are not easy to find here in the Maritimes.  In the US, they were in every hardware store you could find, but not here! So, I was determined to get as many as I could since they are quite rare.  This weekend is going to be busy for us and I wasn't sure if the weather was going to cooperate, so instead of waiting for Marc to help me, I went to do it myself.

The weeds are high....and when I say high, I mean over 4 feet high in many places.  The burdock was like small trees.  It was, to say the least, a challenging time.  I found my old shearing stand, which I was unable to bring back yet, because it's too heavy for me to lift and navigate by myself.

You can see the fencing that I was taking down in the background of this picture, in the middle - just that top line of the wire.  That gives you a sense of how tall the weeds are, since the fencing is 48 inches high.

Fortunately, it was a lovely day - not too hot, and not too buggy - and there was a good breeze.  Still, I had not brought a machete for cutting through the jungle!  I ended up with more burdocks clinging to me than I could count.  Not easy to remove all those tenacious little things!

In the end, I was able to take down about two thirds of the T-posts that were there.  Some were just too deeply pounded for me to remove.  I used to have a T-post puller in Iowa, but I think it got left there in the end.  I salvaged some of the page wire too - it's not cheap here, at least not compared to the cost in the US.  I also brought a bunch of boxes in the truck - always hauling a few when I have the opportunity.  So much stuff still to move.

You can see the ends of all my T-posts.  Quite a good haul, considering that I was by myself in the jungle!  I also brought my sheep "deck chair" which is really useful for doing hooves and other checks, including belly shearing.  I brought some garden tools as well.

I didn't come out unscathed.  I burst a blood vessel in my little finger which was exceedingly painful for a time, but it's OK now.  I've got a series of bruises up and down my arms, and another on my knee.  I fell over some wood that was hidden under all the weeds.  I have had more accidents at that dreadful place than anywhere else I've lived.  Still, I'm alright - no broken bones!  Just damaged dignity!