The last of the alfalfa hay is in. The hay field was raked into windrows yesterday morning. Then the radar began to threaten rain. Radars can be very threatening. And rain is only a threat when the hay is laying all defenseless and golden on the ground. Otherwise I would say that the radar was promising rain. How fickle. Frailty thy name is weather. 
The twist test showed that the hay was good and dry. Thank you Linda on your Colorado Farm for your help with the finer details of haymaking. So much to learn as I began my journey of a thousand turns in our little two acre field. 
TT had the camera. The dogs and John walked with me to make sure everything was in working order before they went off to get the truck and load. 
Often we have trouble with the bales not knotting which can be fixed if caught in time. Our bales are never that tight anyway. Which is another skill we will learn as we go along. The baler is so old and we are so new. 
In the end we brought in 40 bales. That is not a lot but in such a dry year it is better than most. That will feed Daisy, a large lactating cow, for about 30 days. I am still hoping for some late summer rain so we get a bit of grass growing. Well a girl can hope. The neighbours came down to help and each small precious bale of nutritious hay was lifted one by one into the loft and carefully stored. We were all very hot and covered in dust, streaked with sweat and had tiny shards of itchy hay stuck to our bodies. The feeling of growing and baling your own hay is deeply satisfying.
Good morning. Just as we were all standing around the trucks saying thank you and good bye yesterday, it started to rain. Then it stopped. We all looked dissappointed. But an hour or so later just as I was fully engaged in milking and feeding, the wind came up and it poured down. I had to pull on my oil skin and button it to my ankles. I came in from work dripping, my face and hair washed by the rain and The Matriarch was unpacking dinner. What a perfect day! Then later in the night it poured again. How brilliant was that.
That kind of timing is straight from heaven. And now that the ground is a little damp I shall weed again today. Being Sunday, and as you know I don’t cook on a Sunday.
Have a lovely day. You can uncross your fingers now. I know how difficult it is to type with crossed fingers!!
celi
On this day a year ago.. a little walk down the back.
The Kitchen's Garden 
45 responses to “Make Sun then the Hay Shines”
How lovely the rain has finally arrived. And just after you finished your alfalfa harvest too – perfect timing! xx
I know you are dancing little jigs thinking of your hay safely stored and rain afterwards, Miss C. Some days life is good and the fates are kind.
I love the second last pic – just too adorable – would you look at that face! How fabulous to have had such a successful day C and talk about the rain being perfectly timed too!
🙂 Mandy
I never realized the far reaching meaning of the expression, “Timing is Everything” until adulthood hit. Now it seems to apply to everything.
I always wondered how those bales of hay are formed and tied. Thanks for the lesson; I’m becoming a proxy farmer and bee-keeper since connecting with you and your blog.
Bless the rain for its patience until needed. Happy Sunday to you all. Bread undercover, rising. I cook a lot on Sundays.
You are a legend!
Such good news! Late yesterday afternoon, when I was about to jump in the shower (Saturday is Date Night, without fail!) I heard on the news that there were strong storms raking your area. I said (out loud) Please let Celi and John have gotten their hay in first!
Happy Weeding today…keep wishing cooler weather out our way. it was 76F at 5 am this morning, 80% humidity, and not a breeze to be had 😦
finally the weather works for you! i hope you get more now so new grasses grown and all the animals can eat some fresh greens before the growing season ends. we are due for rain here too! fingers crossed!
Bravo for getting it in: I well remember that dusty-itchy-scratchy feeling from the days when we were neighbours that went to help. But I go further back than that, before knotty problems with balers: as a horse-made teenager I used to help when the riding school made hay in the wide verges of the Bath Road, and even in the cemeteries. No bales then – we built good old-fashioned haystacks, being careful to leave a bit of a tunnel so we could creep in to the middle to chat and snooze and daydream.
Glad you’ve got some well-timed rain as well – it’s wet here, too. What’s new?
This brought back memories of living on my parents ranch. My father had a hay bailing business which was so dependent on the weather. Glad you got your hay in before the rain.
Oh! so pleased we can uncross fingers. I look forward to a decent shower of rain……the soil is bone dry at the moment.
Will you be taking Ton to the 2013 RSPCA dog olympics, it was today………perhaps they could create a frisbie event for him…….undoubted gold medalist!
Well done on the hay Celi! What an exciting feeling to have your own harvested hay in the barn!!! Are you sowing any fall crops in your garden yet? We are beginning to. This last month of super dry weather has been tough on all our plants. Hopefully all will perk up soon, as it rained this morning!!! Yeeeeehhhhaaaaaaa!!! Happy Sunday!!! xo
Celebrations all round – the sun shone, the hay is in, your neighbours helped and then it rained in time for you to do the weeding today. And will you tell TT he’s getting good with the camera work – love the shot of the old dog (brain can’t remember names today) with the tractor in the background.
Hooray! So glad rain is making an appearance, Celi! Well done on that months-supply of cow-feed. Hope more grass grows soon, for you.
The dog-and-tractor shot: priceless.
Monring C! Hope you’re having a good weekend!