I am NO electrician...

So, across the road from my parents' house is one of their two cow pastures.  In this pasture our two fair-bound cows and their spring calves are residing.  Long-story-short, we would like to semi-permanently relocate these 4 to a smaller fenced-off area in the corner of this pasture until fair time.  The problem is that the electric fence doesn't work right now.  Well, the men of the operation thought that I should/could "just go out and walk the fence to find the place where it's shorted out". 

O.K., I'm that desperate to get this mini-pasture into working order (I won't go into the details of what it takes each day to get the cows and calves corralled...), so off we went. 

 

Holly was the official photographer of this ordeal, while Drew--under Dave's orders-- drove the 4-wheeler, in case I get shocked unconscious, or something.

I started at the fencer box (where you turn it on) and walked the entire perimeter of the pasture.

 How am I supposed to check the fence, you ask!?!?  Take a screw driver and touch it every so many feet and it'll spark if it's on.  Doesn't this sound fun, safe, easy, safe, and safe?  
(If you're wondering whether the weeds are the culprit, the guys assured me it's not...)









 I don't think the fence works at all, I never experienced the "arc" that the fence would make with the screw driver.  I really don't know if I was doing it right or if I was expecting to feel something different.  I have no idea...
That white ribbon is a second strand of electric fence that runs one length of the pasture and keeps the cows out of a field of tempting field corn.  That part was mildly electric: when I touched it with my finger is was kind of weakly on, more "sparkly" than "SHOCKING!!!" though. 


Oh well, I didn't make any grand discoveries and we are back to where we started.  It was a beautiful day, though, so I'm not complaining!  Maybe once the hay gets baled and put up, the wheat gets combined and delivered, the straw gets baled and put up, and they hay ground gets sprayed, then maybe the guys can help this gal out with her minor problems ;)   Oh wait, I forgot about the feeder cattle, the manure, the .... oh never mind.  We'll just sort our cows and calves off each morning the way we've been all along.