Working with Old Blue

This weekend, we completed fencing on the northeast side of El Rancho. That's 488 feet! Next, the southeast property line of 920 feet along PR 4057.

Building fence with goat wire is challenging. We're using a 4" x 4" tied mesh and are installing from 'inside' the fence, which means there's a lot of wire cutting and stretching on corners. The mesh has thirteen horizontal wires, kinda like an American flag but only the top one is red. The roll of wire is 330 feet long and weighs about 261 pounds/ Rolling it out can be hard work, especially uphill! Then you have to stretch it just right and tie it to t-posts or staple it to wooden posts, not to mention the strand of barbed wire running along the ground. So, we use a lot of tools, including the generator, come-along, wire stretcher, and chainsaw. Lots of heavy tools. To move stuff from place to place, we have Old Blue to help.

Now, Old Blue is a legendary truck, a 1995 Chevy 3/4 ton diesel that Dan bought back in 1996. This Cheyenne model came with extended cab, 8' bed and a helluva rear bumper. He went with Dan to FBI National Academy in Virginia during a blizzard, took the three of us on several "Tours of Texas", and even excursioned in the Rockies one summer, scaling Pike's Peak and scoping out national monuments.


Blue has been part of our family for a long time.  Last year, after many faithful years of service, he was retired to farm truck status. Now, his job is pulling trailers and hauling things that need hauling. In between, he loafs in the barn.