‘This is weird.’ John said, as he trudged back from the house to the hay field. He had checked the weather again when he went inside to take his cherry pie out of the oven (the cherries are ripe!) .
“It looks like every storm that is coming our way today hits something and kind of shatters and parts and goes around us. Like a wall is there or something”.
“Ah”. I thought,” as I unfurled another windrow to the gathering breeze, the skylight of blue directly above sending in a searchlight of drying sun.” That is A Fellowship of the Farmy Wall.” But I said this to myself because the best magic is a secret.
In the early morning we had read a forecast for rain and storms but then very strangely it had started to clear. So we had optimistically gone out and begun to spread the windrows apart, gently easing the damp hay out from under the dry hay. Up and down and up and down getting two acres of hay out and fluffed back up. All by hand, two of us with forks, John going in and out at times to attend to his cherry pie. It took hours. And as we worked the day got warmer and the breeze built as it ran straight in from the South. The hay was drying incredibly fast. Magic fast.
After a while John had gone in to check the weather forecast and came back with this interesting discovery, as I stood in the field with my rake and watched another huge mean black rain-cloud roll in from the West then swerve and run out to the North. The whole North and West horizon boiling with black clouds raining on corn fields a mile from us, but our hay field began to dry. Hope scampered along the rows. By 9 am the sun was midday hot out, a dry heat. And a determined breeze began to giggle down the rows stopping to chat and rustle, butting in on the settling of the alfalfa and grass, lifting the drooping stalks. As I threw a forkful of hay up the breeze caught it and added a conversation of voices, buoying it up, spinning and dropping it neatly onto the new row. Like a joyful friend the breeze and I worked together down the rows.
I did not feel the pains in my wrist or my back until later, as the breeze and I sorted and reshuffled the drying hay. Was that you? We worked faster as more rain clouds gathered and loomed above the neighbouring fields then turned and hightailed it in the other direction. Did you do that?
We began to take the day seriously, the first rows narrowly passing all the dryness tests and the sky above our heads blue and hot. So, late in the afternoon tentatively we hooked up the baler and began to bale the hay. The knotter knotted. The bales were not too heavy and gathering confidence we began to smile and even cheer a little as slowly and carefully we brought the hay in. We brought in 64 bales before the dark and the weather sent us home. We stood them on their sides in the barn, with room to breathe around them. We have half the field still to dry and bale but 64 bales is over a months worth of winter hay for two cows, the pigs and a bunch of sheep.
In a week or so when I am sure they will not heat up, they will be pulled up into the hay loft. The animal pantry. Now who does not believe in magic and miracles and angels?
Good morning. I am late today. The internet was down when I awoke so I did the farming first. There are showers around for the next few days (one on my head right now) so in the next dry spell we will return to the field. I am much impressed with your ability to hold the weather at bay plus blowing all that hot dancing air down the pike, for a good 24 hours, saving over half the crop of hay. Don’t tell anyone what you did though, they will think we are all bonkers. But I know.
When we bring in the next half it will go straight to fattening the Bobby. And I will close up another field for hay, as a trade. Hopefully this way we will still get in the 400+ bales I need to get us through this winter and into next spring.
You all have a lovely day.
Your smiling friend, celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
78 responses to “Do you believe in miracles and magic and angels?”
“Every time I hear a newborn baby cry , or touch a leaf, or see the sky….” Or see piggies and lambs and cecila…I believe!
I think dear Alice has said it all… so glad to hear that the weather gods heard the pleas all round the world as well as yours ! And so glad you’re back to your usual soaring energy and good spirits…and may the miracles keep coming…
Albert Einstein said, “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” I’ve never been able to do anything other than the latter. Hooray for getting some of the hay in! xx
I like that the hay work didn’t get in the way of other important work… cherry pie making 🙂 That is the way to do things – just do what you can and know it is the best it can be. I think one of the keys to tomorrows miracles is believing today in what you already have.
Stunning.. morning elladee, are you having all that terrible rain over there too?c
It’s not so terrible, no flooding in the inner city areas where I am… just taking its time to move along… I’ve had washing on the line on the balcony since Saturday. It will pass though 🙂
mine has been out on the verandah the last few days too! bloody rain!! c
Of course it was us sending the good energies your way!! Shhhh, our little secret. X
Mums the word!! c
Those piggies are already looking bigger. The pie looks delicious.
Of course I believe! So often, well actually always, when i stop by here I think that your posts would make a wonderful scene in a movie or a book. I love southern movies and books. Have a great week. Greetings to the Fellowship wind!
The Wind of the Fellowship! perfect granny! c
Granny?! Mistaken identity… of sorts. I wondered if that might happen. Not a problem. Made me smile. We just had a mega thunder storm here. Lightning hit and shaved a tree next to my house. I thought about those clouds over your fields. I love a good storm, though this was a bit close.
Altho’ our wind at the moment is howling at an alarming 100 km or so and my surrounds look like lakes, I am SO incredibly happy a ‘hundred thousand miracles’ [you should listen to ‘Flower Drum Song’ 🙂 !] are working for you and the wind is giggling and, in the process of having brought in a 1/6 of what you need for feed you have played games with it!! And the cherry pie pie tops it all! [Oh, I could hug those playful piggies having a wow of a time whatever the clouds!!!!
morning eha, darling girl! c
Remind me of that old McDonald’s song, “You deserve(d) a break today!” What luck! I’m so glad that you were able to get so much hay baled and in. Let’s hope that once this rainy system heads the East, you’ll have a number of warm, low humidity days to dry out the rest. Keeping my fingers crossed.
I also believe in the power of prayer. Wish I could have been there to witness your miracle first-hand. Piglets appear to play like puppies and kittens do.
Yay! Positive People Power. So pleased you had some success. Having setbacks makes us appreciate when things do go right. That cherry pie looks delish 🙂 Joy
I believe – I hope that in some little way the Fellowship did manage to Magic Up some good weather for you 🙂
Isn’t it wonderful? 😀 So glad you were able to get it all done. And say, if we can’t help you eat the pie, can you share a recipe? I looks simply divine!
You have such a way with words: “animal pantry”, “Hope scampered along the rows”.
Yes the best magic is secret. No doubt lots of thought waves were directing the winds and clouds this day?
(I remember old tractors fluffing hay with big spinning teeth. Can’t imagine doing that by hand – even though that was a little place)
Happy piggies have to make you smile
Wow! Yea! Miracles indeed, and with so many of us holding you, I’m not surprised. I went to bed thinking about you hay and the sun needed to dry it. I even said to the sun, ‘I don’t need you here. Winter is your off season anyway. Go where you’re needed.’ And then I read this (a day late, but I had a busy time) and I’m skipping and dancing for you.