Day by day, picket by picket, the northern section of our east fence is coming together. It’s a long process as any picketer knows.
First there was the removal of the old fence – pickets, rails, and posts. At each step, the sound parts were salvaged and the rotten pieces went on the burn pile. All of the posts needed to be replaced and all of the rails. Most of the pickets were good, though sadly in need of paint.
Trips to Oman’s and Jack’s for cement, lumber, paint, sanding disks and I-don’t-know-what-all are all but over. The posts are set, the rails are up, half the double gate is hung, and the pickets are marching southward.
Left to do are about a million more of the saved pickets. They need to be pressure-washed, scraped, sanded, primed and painted one side at a time. As I say, it is a long process. Fortunately, the weather has been cooperative so the work can take place outside which allows for spreading out the pickets and, ultimately, contributes to faster drying.
An added factor is that everything has to come inside at night, including our car, so each day’s cleanup takes time and planning ahead. But, we learned our lesson about leaving vehicles parked outside overnight with the recent ice-picking-of-our-tires incident. The ‘work area’ disappears with the sunlight each day.
The Picket Boss, of course, is Farmer Nyel. In fact, my sole contribution has been to double-check whether things are level. I’m fairly meticulous about that although I have been known to say “good enough for government work” when we can’t seem to get things perfect.
In any event, the fence is looking fabulous – a wonderful improvement over the leaning and propped-up situation it replaces. It should last another thirty year by which time it will be the problem of the next generation for sure!
The fence looks beautiful. I don’t know if ours will get done before Winter or not, but Mychael Clarson did four more sections. We just need more pickets and 2X4s which has been put on the back burner with Dave laid up. I have fence envy now, Sydney!