This morning after I got done with the feeding chores and before I tricked the little wife into going tool shopping with me (MAhahahahahah... yes she complained the whole time). Those damnable four hooved monstrosities of pasture destruction old nag horses called my bluff after almost six months and figured out the little bit of electric fence line I strung across the gate that opens up into the hay field is not live.
My temporary solution to suddenly having the entire flock forced on me was to put the yearlings in the barn at night and then run them out into the hay field during the day which we use as Winter pasture. In November we also open the gate from the horse pasture into the hay field too so the horses are out there as well. Since we got our last cutting of hay from there in August I actually started running the cutting crew and horses out there early this year. What I did was just run a length of electric wire across the gate opening well above the sheep's back but about chest high to the horses. The horses rarely if ever test an electric fence so this allowed the sheep to come and go into the barn but kept the horses out.
Well either the line sagged and one of the sheep knocked it down or the horses finally pushed it over but the horses got out. No trouble getting them back in but I took my time hoping one would bolt for the road and get hit or run away for good or something. No such luck. So to give the horses a bit more of a barrier I put the electric fence line back but only opened the gate about a quarter of the way.
Little did I realize how entertaining this would prove to be.
Out of the 24 yearlings only three of them proved to be intelligent enough (or lucky to be on the open end more likely) to realize the gate was partially open. These three went on out and started grazing while the other 21 stood there at the partially opened gate and looked at them in distress because they couldn't figure out how to get out there. I watched this amusing observation of limited sheep brain power for a few minutes laughing then decided to walk down there and see if I could shake things up a bit.
As the lower IQ sheep watched I calmly walked through the open part of the gate into the hay field. I saw little light bulbs go on in about half the yearlings and slowly one at a time some 11 or 12 more sheep joined the grazers. The remaining 10 or so just couldn't figure it out even with a demonstration. Eventually as they frantically paced sideways along the gate one or two of them at a time would come to the open end and figure it out. It took at least 20 minutes or more for the remaining yearlings to figure it out though all the time with me laughing at them.
Ya a little barnyard bullying was in order :)
Anyway I didn't get any work done on the cabin today. I discovered the basement flooded again after this last rain we had so a utility pump was part of my tool buying trip this morning. I just cannot figure this new flooding development out. Obviously something has changed the runoff pattern of water somewhere and is now directing it into the basement because we have never had flooding of this magnitude before. It has to be runoff water because it only happens after a big rain too but I cannot find where it is coming in from. Until I figure it out which appears is going to be a trial and error type thing now, I decided to buy a utility pump and just pump the water out. With Christmas over now is a good time to buy some tools I need only occasionally and have been putting off buying. I also picked up a 12 amp Sawsall for my metal cutting needs, I had been using the Step Dad's but that isn't an option any more. I figured I could get away with a 9 or 10 amp but the 12 amp was only 10 bucks more. I have to do some cutting on the plow to modify it for use with the Ford tractor and also have a couple of old metal hay racks out in the pasture that need cutting up before I can scrap em.
Took almost three hours to pump out the basement since I decided to use a garden hose and not splurge on the 2 inch hose for the pump. Hopefully next time we get a heavy rain I can go down there and wait to see where this water is coming from.
Keep Prepping Everyone!!!!
Did anything change around the foundation? Any excavation at all can introduce water into a portion of foundation wall which was previously dry. It can be maddening to try & figure it out, too. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteRP - Well no I haven't done any digging around the foundation but the moles have been really bad this year and they might have. I know that sounds impossible but I am beginning to wonder. First I thought maybe when I removed the rain barrels that it all went in that way but I put a pipe and ran that run off way out away from the house. Then I thought maybe it was the dog had dug him a den next to the foundation but that doesn't appear to be it either. It only happens when it rains hard which makes it even harder to find timing wise anyway.
DeleteOur basement was flooding and it was because the drain pipe was blocked and they had run the down spouts into the same pipe that the basement drains went in to along with the kitchen sink. It was a strange mess that I never figured existed. The point is that it could be something strange that putting in the cabin screwed up.
ReplyDeleteSf - Well it started happening this Fall before the cabin went in and literally years after I put in the new gutters and began using the cistern again. The only thing I did near the house prior to noticing flooding was having the septic tank pumped and thatw as at least five months before I noticed the flooding. Of course that basement is dank, nasty and sometimes I don't go down there for months. I seriously am starting to wonder if the moles didn't somehow make a tunnel from the drain field of the septic system to the foundation this Summer because the moles have become really bad this year.
DeleteCan the cistern be full and over flow, we had that happen once when I was a kid. We seldom had that problem and usually it was too low. I guess moles could do it but I didn't think that they went that deep. Could be the overflow for the cistern is clogged or running back to the house if it is full. Keep guessing, has to be something strange.
DeleteIt can't be the cistern because I removed the rain overflow that went into it so nothign should be flowing into it. The old gutters used to go right into it and the old clay pipe is still there but it doesn't go anywhere now that I know of. The spaces I thought would be the low spots in the wall remain dry too. The reason I thought about moles was that when it is wet like it has been this year I will get seepage from the drain field reaching the surface that creates a wet spot in the yard. If the moles got to that spot they wouldn't have to go deep. I know it's unlikely but I am just guessing at this point.
DeleteDon't underestimate the moles/gophers/voles. My house is on a hill & halfway down the hill in the pasture/hay field, there is water coming out of a rodent hole of some sort like water out of a hose.
ReplyDeleteMV - As I was pumping the water out yesterday I walked around the yard out in front of the hose and was trying to see where it was going. The ground was all squishy for a good 10 foot around the hose end and away from the house where I have a steep little hill that goes down towards the road. The water seemed to just disappear but a few more feet down I found a hole like you describe with water gushing out of it. Kinda made me go hmmmmm.
Deleteany fracking near you?
ReplyDeleteAnon - Not that I know of. Not sure North Central Missouri is the right geological make up for fracking. Kinda a border area of the central highlands meeting the alluvial plans and still pretty hilly and rugged in most parts yet.
DeleteMay want to consider just putting in a sump pump - permanently. Get enough water and it will go where it wants to. The previous owners did that here in the cellar. They put in a permanent pump and even drilled some holes into the slab to catch the seepage along one wall to put it back into the ground under the slab. Even though the house is on high enough ground the pump runs if there is water in the irrigation ditch that is probably 20 feet away from the house but the cellar is lower than the ditch. When it rains really good, it runs a lot more (obviously). And to be on the safe side we put one of those water alarms down by the pump just in case it fails for some reason.
ReplyDeleteGood luck on getting it settled out.
LOL about the sheep! They sound about as smart as chickens. Especially my Buffs. They can figure out how to get into the off-limits pasture but can't figure out how to get back!
ReplyDeleteWater in the basement is bad news indeed. Good temporary solution at least but I hope you figure out how to solve the problem on a more permanent basis.
PP,
ReplyDeleteWater in the basement,......on No!!!
This happened at my parents old place. A construction company was blasting the land back behind them to remove large rock. Caused damage in homes for two blocks. Cracks in basements, flooding ....ect....