I got the plum job because Girls can drive Tractors too you know.

Yesterday in the late afternoon we baled and brought in the hay from The Haymakers Field. Not a lot of hay. After all this is the first harvest of the first season of the Haymakers Field.  It was not a pretty field. We have had  very little rain this season and consequently the alfalfa had patches of weavils that had turned the leaves yellow. The weeds were rife, particularly lambs quarters which a local farmer was recently shocked to discover that I fed to the animals anyway. It is high in iron.  And the stand of hay was short and starting to flower.  But it is organic hay. Our hay. Not perfect but it has been  sown, grown, cut, raked and baled all by ourselves.   No pesticides or herbicides. And it is the first cut, which is never the best cut of the year. 

The wind was blowing straight from the South. Full of dust and heat. I had the plum job of sitting on the tractor baling. So i did not do any loading this time. But the ground was very dry and we were stirring it up. So when John grinned with delight at our haul his teeth shone white in his filthy face.  I thought he looked funny until I looked at myself.   I had been driving the baler in a cloud of the dust, wearing my wedding day hat that was big and floppy and my new dark hangover sunglasses, so other than the top of my head, I was a very dirty girl. 

When all the hay was loaded and the trailer backed into the shed to keep dry, we took a side trip into the pool on the way to the kitchen.  This is one of those shots that could have been great but really is just confusing. 

It is meant to portray how cool and inviting the pool was to a dry dusty driver of the tractor.  But it just looks like the badly caught reflection of a tree.  Ah well the pool was cold and refreshing.. all good.

I had a sausage and bean stew with beets and zuchinni waiting in the crockpot so we ate that out of bowls, topped with homemade yoghurt, sitting on the steps, then dragged ourselves through some hot soapy water and off to bed.

Good morning. Yesterday Dale learnt how to make ribs with his favourite sauce. We worked out the best way to lift the dish in and out of the oven.   I’ve done this before you know, he said. Not with a walker, I said. I left him checking the oven every ten minutes after promising not to eat them until lunchtime when they would be cooked.  He has instructions to stay home today as it is expected to get over a hundred degrees. (38C). They have forecast 103 actually. The Old Codger does not understand the fuss, it is only 10 degrees hotter than 93, he said. He does not have air conditioning either.  His neighbours will be popping in and out today.

It is so cool and nice this morning I cannot imagine it rising 30 degrees in a day.  But that is the prairies for you.

I had better get busy. I am going to get as much done as I can before it gets too hot.  Each flerd will have access to the barn this afternoon so that will be interesting! Especially at milking time. Daisy does not like an audience!  Wake up Kupa. Time to get to work. 

Have a lovely day.

celi