HAY!

We have not been able to bush hog our field because the man who normally does the work has been unavailable.  His tractor broke down and he has been waiting for new parts to arrive. The field was looking rough.  While shopping, I ran into a neighbor (in the country, everyone in town is a neighbor) and mentioned my problem.  He said he knew someone close to us who needed winter forage and might cut my field in exchange for the hay.  I jumped at the chance. We have wanted someone to do this for years but have had no success finding anyone interested.

Soon they came to inspect the field and I held my breath as I sat on the porch.  It was overgrown, weedy and would not be good quality forage.  He agreed to do it because the first cutting could be fed to goats then the regrowth would be excellent for horses and cattle. 

A few weeks later while I was away from home they arrived and began mowing.  I really wanted pictures but had taken both my camera and the cell phone camera with me.  Dustin, who is a technical genius (I know I am bragging) grabbed his laptop and used it to take pictures!

They did not use a bush hog mower but something else entirely different.  I wasn't there to see but it cut a few inches above the ground so more grass could be gathered.  The mower was followed by a tedder machine which spreads, turns and fluffs the hay so it will dry better. 

"Tires are marked, job done." said Scooter.

It took a few days for the hay to fully cure and during that time, they watched my field and the weather report closely.  When they next arrived, I was home to take pictures and bother them with questions.

This young feller reminded me of my son Reese. He was having a blast and was very willing to pose for pictures. He knew how to efficiently operate this powerful, complicated machine and seemed to drive it as fast as possible. 

On the back of the tractor was a 10 wheel rake which fluffs the hay into long rows or windrows so the baler can easily scoop up the grass.  The rakes were lowered and away he dashed.

He skillfully maneuvered the large equipment through our tight, broken down gate.

A few hours later the hay baler arrived with another driver.

I didn't ask him to pose for pictures because I could see the exhaustion in his face.  He said he had been awake and working for three days straight trying to beat the rain.  I didn't doubt him since earlier in the week I had heard a machine in the middle of the night in the field beside our house.  I had gotten out of bed to see headlights circling through the trees.

This was a round baler which gathers the cut hay from the windrow, compresses it into rolls, then wraps it with twine. 

After they left, I rushed out in the field to get Scooter to pose for a picture on top of one of the bales.  He was less than excited.

"Pfffttttttttttt!"

The next day my neighbor who lives close by came with his grandson to pick up the hay.  He did the instructing while his grandson did all the work.

The tractor had a front end hay spear and a double bale spear on the back.  They were working rapidly trying to get it in the barn because rain was moving in.

I graciously pointed out the flaw in their plan, a flat tire on the trailer.  My neighbor mumbled a bad word, which I politely ignored.

Since he was having tire problems, he decided not to fully load the trailer.  I could not believe this trailer was not considered to be FULLY loaded as they headed out of my field and toward home.

As the truck turned the corner, the weight began to shift and...OH NO!!!

Thank goodness I was sitting far away on the porch using my telephoto camera lens and could not hear what he said.  

No problem.  The grandson arrived and solved everything. He put another bale on top and carried the last two down the road on his tractor.

Away they drove until this fall when it will all happen again.

A Bush Hog Came to Visit
Making Hay While the Sun Shines

This meeting led to us boarding horses in our pasture.

Introducing our New Roommates