They say (though I am still not sure who They are) that one definition of madness is to keep doing the same thing expecting a different result. Hoping that by repetition one might magically break through and achieve success.
So when, once again, I fluffed up the rows on the rained-on dried-out hay and once again it threatened to rain just as John came home from work on the one day it was dry that week which was the one day he chanced to get off work on time, and once again the knotter would not knot and once again a huge black cloud blew in to match his mood and threw rain straight at the field, and once again there was fury in the fields and once again the drive shaft broke (but worse than last time) resulting in apoplexy.
So we decided that t it might be better to get someone with more time and a better machine to do the baling. And drag this baler out to the big workshop and give it an overhaul. Then once John joins the farm fulltime we can make hay when the sun shines, not on the one afternoon he has free when the sun never shines. Sheila above nodded solemnly as she followed us in. She likes things to be calm.
You would not believe how much happier John was when we made this decision. I had not realised how personally he was taking the failure to get the hay crop in. There is just too much luck involved. And life is too short. Full time work and full time hay baling do not mix in a rainy summer.
The breeder has given me the number of a man who bales out this way, so I will call him and see if he can add our fields to his rounds.
Thank you for my best wishes and time off. I had lovely successful trip to Chicago. Having a day off with a train ride there and back, to do some thinking and some planning, made all the difference to the muddle in my brain.
Good morning. Here is a wee update on farm life.
- The pea hen is still sitting atop her eggs and by my reckoning there should be wee chick-peas fighting their way out of shells in the next few days.
- Daisy is still calm and showing no signs of being anything other than pregnant. Fingers still crossed and touching a plank of real wood.(Difficult, I know, but do your best!) Her milk production has dropped significantly and I will dry her up in the next few days. (Thank goodness)
- Number Eight has gone to piggy heaven which was a blessing for the wee chap. The other piglets have discovered their new creep run and as that is the only area with straw they burrow in there and sleep safely. So there have been no more stepping incidents. If I do decide to have more piglets I will always have a side room for the piglets to escape into. A hard lesson but a good one. Thank you Number Nine and Number Eight.
- The builders have come to their last official day and though I will miss the constant company of the Kiwi Builder I am looking forward to the quiet and being able to wear whatever I like. Some of my raggedy farm clothes are not appropriate when one has company. The painting and trim are not finished but these are two local men who will do that work at a country pace to give me a break.
- Today The Tall Teenager and I will go out with forks and man handle the last few rows of sopping hay right off that field. It will go into one of my recovering fields and I shall give Sheila and the chickens the job of covering the field and helping it to compost out there.
And who made this hole in the door? Well, the chooks swear it was Sheila the Maiden Aunt. She is doing a Linus and wanders about the farm, dragging her imaginary blankie, looking for a new place to sleep every afternoon. And she is a big overly friendly pig. So I think they might be telling me the truth for once, as you know chickens can make up some pretty wild stories. She cannot reach the nesting boxes so if I don’t get to repair this before I go away it really does not matter. We are going to run a fairly loose ship with tight fences over the four days that I am away.
There now. Good morning. All is well. It is quiet out on the farmy this morning. The only sounds are the birds chirping and peeping expectantly as they move about the trees, collecting pockets full of fresh cool morning air. It is cloudy and rained again. Ah well. I have some fields of lovely forage.
You all have a lovely day. See you tomorrow.
Your friend, celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
53 responses to “A Definition of Madness”
Beautiful as always, C. Sorry about number 8 but at least he is not suffering anymore. You are figuring out what works and what needs to be adjusted to make your farmie less stressful for all. Good for you.
Those little pigs are getting so big!
The hard lessons are the ones that stick with us the longest, sad to say. But now you have a handle on pig rearing and hay mowing, so lessons well learned I would say. I will be mowing hay myself soon if the rain doesn’t let up enough for me to cut the grass on the back lawn. My chickens can only eat so much grass, clover etc. And don’t get me started on the weeds in my veggies – never ending chore. Oh and in the other four gardens of friends I look after.Plus pet sitting has taken off big time for the next few weeks, so if I don’t write please forgive me, but I will drop in as and when I can to keep up with you
Hugs
Everyone is growing and growing. I’m so sorry about the rain. We have blast furnace wind and heat so hot your face fries…we could use some of your rain.
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
Your life is so full of challenges. Glad you enjoyed the opportunity to sort through things as the train chugged down the track.
Phew! and a good decision made. Hay is too important to leave at the mercy of a temperamental machine and even more temperamental weather. Lovely piggy pics and fingers crossed for lots of chick peas soon.
I think hiring out the baling is a sensible solution. I would not want to see John get hurt while baling because he was too tired. The piglets are filling out nicely and will be beautiful. I am off to cut the backyard grass and I will not complain about having too much rain!
I know the feeling!! and yes, tired and baling is not a good thing.. c
Over from Independence Day Challenge… those piglets are ADORABLE!
Celie I grew up on a pig farm… and your stories bring back so many memories. We once had a sow farrow in the bath, of her own choice. What a job it was. She abandoned all her litter and I hand reared them from a walk-in-cupboard in my bedroom ( my father was still building the house). Farming is 365 days a year, 24/24 hours a day… 🙂 Very hard work indeed….
brigid, what a job.. how did she get into a bath?! goodness. and you reared them, you must have been a very determined little girl.. still are by the looks of your lovely blog! c
yes Celie, it was a huge undertaking, however I claimed them as my pets, was totally distraught when my father sent them to market. I have no idea how the sow got in the bath. Thank you for your kind comments 🙂 *Brigid
Celi, so glad you and John decided to outsource the bailing – it must be brutally hard to work full time and then try to do another full day of such hard manual labour on the farm! Poor piggy eight, but probably a blessing, as you say, given how badly he was hurt. Hope you had a truly fabulous time in Chicago! 🙂
I did, ChgJohn and I had a long long dim sum lunch and just yarned, we did the art galleries and it was great.. c
Did you see Oprah? I have this notion that everyone who goes to Chicago gets to see Oprah.. 🙂
I’m very jealous, Celi. I live in chicago too and would have loved to meet you. Ah, well, maybe I’ll come down to see you.
I love the photo of the little pig alone. So very sweet!
And who knew you’re going to be the mother-of-the-groom!! Have a wonderful trip!!
I will be up again, in fact more often now that i am drying up Daisy! So one time we must sit down and lunch and a good old natter.. this summer! c
It happens to us all, then we step away, have that conversation… and all of a sudden there is a solution that makes perfect sense. I know the feeling of relief, it’s like finding something that’s lost that you’ve had a frustrating time looking for but didn’t even know was missing. Great farmy pics. Sorry about #8, it may be one of the reasons why pigs have such big litters, they are more fragile than they look. Glad you took off to Chicago for some R&R, and caught up with ChgoJohn 🙂
How fantastic that with a clear head you saw the problem and found a solution to the hay baling. Good for you. By definition you are now sane!
Sounds like a day off repays you in dividends. There’s a saying in NZ about [not] pushing sh__ uphill! I’m sure you know it.
Oh i do know that saying and feel like I am doing exactly that sometimes, but today it rained and rained and Juliet you would be so proud of me, i just downed tools and read my book. And felt not ONE scrap of guilt! c
It was cheerful to begin catching up on the farmy news with a “babe’ look-alike ‘smiling’ at us. Thought you had gone up to Chicago to find a certain present perhaps! That you and John managed a civilized lunch and an art gallery tour makes my heart sing 🙂 ! Would so have loved to sit down with the two of you, even for ten minutes . . . Do hope your John can work the farm with you soonest . . . that’s a real bright reainbow on the horizon!
How is Sheila coping on her own?