I shouldn’t be surprised at my age that life is never like the photos in the catalogs, but sometimes wishful thinking still gets the better of me.  A company called Premier 1 is the manufacturer of the portable electric fence that I use, and this is one of the photos from their catalog:

It’s all so neat and civilized.  Here’s my version:

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The big bluestem grass that dominates this pasture is over 7 feet tall in many places, and it takes the sheep some effort to push into it.  Setting up electronet through it has sometimes tested my commitment to moving the flock twice a day.  The words of encouragement from my mentor:  “Pull up your socks, princess.  No one said this would be easy.” Yeah, ok.