Mama’s got a brand-new fence!

The fence is a go! Well, not entirely–but all of the main property/pasture fence is now officially finished. We still have to plank the courtyard fence to close the perimeter for good and all, and cover the gate frames with matching wood, but the really hard part is done. In the meantime, I’m going to wire cattle panels to the courtyard fence frames the sheep and chickens will be secure from dogs and coyotes (we’re practically in town, so I’ve never seen coyotes on our property, though they’re all over the surrounding countryside).

We’ll be clearing the perimeter and maybe eventually mulching it all (mulch fund? mulch bake sale? The City of Topeka has very cheap mulch from brush clearning, so it’s a matter of paying for transportation to the country) so we can have a half-mile public running/walking path around the whole thing. One of the wooded corners is angled and has a good space for a small picnic table or benches.

In other Cupcake Ranch news, Bridgette is fully recovered (minus a full tail) and laying normally, Zoe has joined the broody pack (which is fine since she wasn’t laying, anyway), and I think Inara & Kaylee may be molting.

And me, I’m trying to purge an UTI with mighty antibiotics before I leave for vacation, but I’m feeling a little worse for the wear. It’s vexing because I’d really prefer a little boundless energy to TCB of everything I need to TCB before I leave. I already had to cancel my plans with Cathy because I didn’t think my poor bladder could handle the 4-hr round-trip commute. Tonight, we’re going to have a little Mad Men-inspired hors d’oeuvres dinner and watch the season premier. I’ll have my one cocktail so as not to disrupt the antibiotics and make myself feel shitty, but I wish I could really tie one on to get into the spirit of the thing.