Almost down...

Today, I spent most of the afternoon baking in the hot, 90+ degree sun while trying to take down the fence to our dog run.




I got the chain link, rebar, fasteners and three of seven poles down and/or out of the ground. Of the three poles that did come out, two came out in a very simple manner of minimal digging (thanks to the previous owners "friendly dog" (at least that's what I've decided) who must've dug to try and escape the fenced in area) and then rocking the poles back and forth -- a little trick I picked up on the 54 when I had to spend a spring taking down a barbwire fence (after my mom made me help put it up).

Anyway ...

The third pole was a cinch to remove because the soil was rather soft around it.

What I discovered is whoever put the dog-run fence in was a complete dumbass.

All of the poles were set into the ground with approximately two feet of concrete. Now, that's probably standard so that they are sturdy. The problem, though, is the soil in Wyoming, particularly in this spot of my yard where a dog obviously has been and packed it in, and the ground already feels like concrete.

The four poles I'm having trouble removing I can't seem to move because I can barely dig around them. I can barely get enough dirt with my spade and each time I dig, I feel like I'm hitting a layer of concrete. (I probably am.)

So, that said ... the initial plan was to cover the dog run and its hideous vegetation growth with a small deck. That's probably not going to happen.

What will probably happen is that I'm going to nuke the shit out of that stuff with napalm. Because Megan and I ... "love the smell of napalm in the morning. It smells like ... [sniff] victory."

I'm just kidding.

I'll probably go to a farm supply store and pick up some industrial strength weed killer. Then I'm going to fill in the holes with dirt and spread a top layer. Then I might follow it with either gravel or sand. The layers will be good because we need to raise this area anyway because as I found when the chain link came down, the yard is a tad higher than the spot formerly known as the dog run ... and I want a slight downward grade to flow water away from the house and into the alley -- just like the yard does.

Finally, I think we're either going to put in a layer of concrete or pavers.

I think this area would make for a better extension of our patio, plus we can level it off -- slightly -- so we can find a better location for our grill, as our present patio has too many sunken pavers.

A deck is going to be too much work just laying posts, too much money and completely not worth it when you factor in the pain in the ass that is digging hard ground -- whereas building a patio, especially with concrete, can be done on a frugal budget ... and we can probably get a nice chunk of change for the fence to put back into the project.

...And, until I posted these photos, I forgot how green the grass is back in this section of the yard in the early spring. But, because the fence blocks the sprinklers and we barely have any rain, the entire area looks like a wheat field right now, it's gold and overgrown in spots.