Ranch Projects
Every ranch has “projects.” Some are high priority, like fixing the fence where the heifers got out last night. Some are medium priority and seasonal, like fixing all the broken boards in the feedlot before the next feeding season. Some are low priority, like fixing the gate to the stack yard. These low priority projects can become permanently established as “when we get time.” They become annoyances that we live with understanding “it’s been like that since I was a kid.”
The gate to the stack yard was a very heavy, 16 foot metal gate with a wooden panel stretched to the fence line tie. They configured this entrance because of the double wagons of small bales they brought into the yard to be hand stacked. The gate had to be angled so the wagons didn’t take out the fence every time they pulled into the yard. However, there hasn’t been a small bale hand-stacked here in 30 years! The stack yard gate became just another winter aggravation to complain about.
Last fall, my husband and the crew were working on their project list and the stack yard gate made it to the top of the list. I was so excited, I headed to the stack yard with my camera to document the historic ranch event.
Every day this winter, I’ve opened this smooth-swinging, nicely fitting, attractive stack yard gate and thought of this year’s “Ranch Project!”
~ Julie