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
The Kitchen's Garden 
73 responses to “I got the plum job because Girls can drive Tractors too you know.”
I only just learned to drive our tractor a few weeks ago. Silly that it took so long…just wasn’t the need until I planted a second, outer garden for wheat (I can heardly wait for my own flour!), yummy corn and few varieties of pumpkins. Now I am a tractor driving fool.
Have a lovely day. Stay safe and cool as possible.
One of my kids was visiting once and he laughed like a drain seeing his wee Mama perched on the tractor roaring past! c
I want to drive a tractor too! 🙂
Then you should! c
Hmmm. 😉
I’ve discovered that lambs quarters is known as fat hen here , and you could apall your farmer by adding it to salads !
I appall john by adding to salads!! morning claire.. c
Had never heard of either lambs quarters or fat hen – how interesting! Now we want aphot of oyu in your big hat and hangover glasses….;) Good to hear that Dale is progressing so well and so fast.
The big hat is essential hay making kit! morning tanya.. c
i miss my tractor! i want a bobcat. it is nice out here right now too but it will be in the upper 90’s shortly with really high humidity. i hope dale stays cool! you too for that matter! the hay looks great all baled up and ready to be stacked.
A bobcat! wow.. don;t tell john i bet he wants one too!
Kupa is looking particularly magnificent in that shot. I remember seeing a pair of very expensive gentleman’s slippers in Lobb’s of St James that were exactly the colour of his neck. A very regal tone:)
Hope you bought them, I am especially fond of scuffed gentlemens slippers..esp if they started out dreadfully expensive.. c
I hope that Dale will be okay today in the heat. It’s a dire situation for the elderly. Actually, that sort of heat is a dire situation for anyone. Stay cool, c.
We are trying to get him to go somewhere cool but he won’t. he will sit with his fan and watch the tele, he house is old and cool as well, there is a good cross draft. c
That sounds encouraging, c. I hope he drinks lots of water, too.
Kupa is just gorgeous, I never get tired of looking at him! I’ve never heard of lamb’s quarters. How funny that you shocked a local farmer!
Stay cool today! ~ April
He just sprays them, and never even thought to research and see if they were good feed.. the sheep will always eat the lambs quarters first, hence the name I suppose! c
Well. Let’s see. The hay looks great. That’s on of our criteria for our new property is having hay fields. I would have LOVED to see pics of the two of you after you finished! Lamb’s Quarter. When we see it in our garden we always leave some. The kids nibble on it raw and we love it steamed and drizzled with butter or bacon grease or scrambled in some eggs and fried potatoes! Hope the ribs were good. I’ve got a couple packs of pork ribs in the freezer from our last hog to fix. But not in the next week we’re going to be heating up also so cooking well be minimal! Saying a prayer for the Old Codger to be safe during the heat that’s coming your way. (And we’re getting to use our milk now and we made cheese using vinegar 2x yesterday! YUM!
isn’t it wonderful to be able to eat your own cheese, i am making another fresh cheese this morning before it gets too hot.. it is great on pizza! I put lambs quarters in my weed salad too. Your cows milk cleared quickly, that is great! Lovely to see you missy.. c
Yes, girls can drive tractors, too. And this girl has. I also wrote a blog post with that title in 2010 and you might find it interesting: http://mnprairieroots.wordpress.com/2010/03/30/girls-can-drive-tractors-too/
I love the smell of freshly-cut alfalfa…
And it’s hot in Minnesota, too, Heat index over 100 degrees and feels like a sauna outside already this a.m. Glad to hear that folks will be popping in on Dale.
It is the humidity that gets me, we do have a breeze here today, actually it should blow, so it will not be that bad.. c
I’m glad that someone will be checking in on Dale. I do the same with my neighbors when the weather hits the extremes. You guys really put in a hard day’s work getting that hay put away. Thank goodness because today is heatstroke weather. I hope you can get your chores done early so that you can find a cool place ride out the afternoon’s heat.
Good morning, Celi!
I am seven miles away from dales house and they are only a mile so they do the days i cannot.. the idea is that they are going to try and get him to visit today at their air conditioned house, but he always says No.. c
Maybe in that reflected tree?
Another lovely post. I don’t envy you that heat!
Oh dear, I’d be one very grumpy person working in such a temperature! Also, we get such entertaining shots of the animals, I think that we should have had one of you two with your dusty faces!
Christine
Oh christine, that would be way too entertaining! c
Kupa looks so gorgeous and serene in that last photo. Have a good and sunny (but not too sunny) day, C!
Morning Ksenia! c
Yes, prairies. You might be getting our heat–was 107 for 2 days, and the nights were hot. Fussy night, I call ’em. Tell Dale that the oven is for winter!
Thats why we cooked them yesterday morning, now he can munch on them cold for a few days! Fussy nights is a great description! morning Alice. c
Let’s see. The hay looks great. That’s one of the criteria for our property search is haying fields. I would have loved to have seen a picture of the two of you with your dirty faces! It’s nice that you have a pool to cool down in after a hard day’s work on your farmy. We’re also expecting temps to go up for the next week. We’ll be in the 90’s which isn’t extreme except if we get high humidity. I use my crock pot often when it hot or we snack on cold stuff. I bet Mr Dale enjoyed his ribs. It’s great that you can help him in gaining his independence back. Praying for him and you as you are dealing with the high temps. Have a great day Celi and try to stay cool!
It is only a couple of days of heat, not like some areas of the country that have get used to heat like this.. it is just a hot spell then we are back in the nineties! c