148 Bales
Haymaking has commenced with 148 bales of rustly dry hay.
Not quite all in the barn yet, but the girls and I will finish that today.
The only hiccup was when the hay man and I went to push my hay rack out of the barn where it had rested for the winter and it had a flat tire. So he piled it all up on his one, which looked precarious coming in out of the field.
One hundred and forty eight bales of good grass hay is a fine beginning. We need about ten times that by the end of summer. I am greedy for hay and never satisfied.
I feel like a real farmer when I can bring in the hay. Especially when driving from one barn to the other dragging a trailer load of hay with my helpers resting on top.
Of course the worst part of being a woman farmer is that you have to swap the hat for the apron at the end of the day. And I was tired, so we ate a simple, quickly prepared and simply delicious spaghetti carbonara with fresh eggs. With both the girls helping we were eating in no time.
I hope you have a lovely day.
Love celi
46 Comments on “148 Bales”
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Hay Hay Hay! Sorry – I had to go there…..
Sad note and a huge thank you to this fabulous community: Mom passed peacefully yesterday. Many of you have reached out to me through all of this and I thank each of you for your support and prayers.
{{{{{HUGS}}}}} to you as I extend my sympathy at the loss of your mother.
My sympathy for your loss. Be strong.
You are in my thoughts and prayers.
My sympathies. My mom passed away one year ago yesterday. And I scattered her ashes yesterday under pouring rain in our forest in Dordogne, France.
My condolences. I lost my mother when I was 22, and I know how hard it is, even though she was finally free of pain, and no longer so very tired. You are loved and cared about here in the Fellowship. There are plenty of ears to listen and shoulders to lean on in this wonderful group of people.
I’m very sorry for your loss. I know you did everything humanly possible for your mom, remember your traveling for literally hours taking her to the hospital for treatments in ungodly early mornings…and at one point being turned back due to some ridiculous scheduling error.
My condolences. It’s a blessing it was a peaceful passing. Will keep you and yours in my prayers.
I’m so sorry for your loss Pat. Big hugs. Sending you strength and comfort.
I am so sorry, Pat, to hear this news. It has been a long illness for her and, I would agree as earlier said, a blessing she passed peacefully. Please accept my condolences and prayers, for you and your family and for the progress of your Mum’s soul.
Sending hugs to you Pat.
My heart is with you, dear Pat. I messaged you on FB. Much love, Gayle
Sincerest sympathies to you and your family.
I am so sorry. My sympathies to you and your family as you move through these next few days and beyond.
Oh Pat. So sad that you have lost your dear mother but so grateful that she went in such a gentle and cared for way. And in the autumn we will be sowing a field of wild flowers for her.. it will be on the headlands of the creek, right by the bridge where the fire burnt off all the wild plants. We will be clearing it this summer and It is already called Pats Mums corner. Many thanks for the wildflower seeds! c
Oh, Celi! You made me cry. Loving blessings to all, Your Gayle
Condolences on your loss, Pat.
Thinking of you and your mother’s spirit, wishing you peace and comfort ♡
Pat, I join with all the fellowship members in offering my condolences and healing hugs for you. Hold tight to the good memories, they will help you through! xx
So sorry your mom is gone but so thankful it was peaceful. From experience: you will never ever regret the time and care you gave her, in time you will be able to draw comfort from that.
Oh Pat – my condolences, I’m glad it was peaceful. But also I’ll continue to pray for strength and grace for you and your family. I lost my mother 14 years ago in March, she was 89 and I still miss her every day. There are no limits on love, the outlines move and change, but there are no limits!
Chris S in Canada
Nice work with the hay 🙂
Tired or not, carbonara is always a good choice. Yum. I can almost smell the hay 🙂
oh wow thats a good start 10% already done only another 90 to go
Sent: Tuesday, May 24, 2016 at 1:15 PM
Yay for the hay. Your bales are a sensible size, woman-handleable. Nowadays they only make those whopping rolled up bales, so machinery needed to move the darned things every time.
I did a couple of haiga on your pictures this morning. (Aunty Del’s hanky and snotty-nosed ploker)
Love and wishing you good grass-growing weather.
ViV xox
We have big round bales not square ones. Yours seem easier to manage.
Congratulations on the first load of the year. May there be many more; make hay while the sun shines! I like the old fashioned small bales with two strings of twine to swing them by. Time was, I swing bales all afternoon. Now, I have to leave it to those younger and stronger, but admire your good sense in keeping to the small ones. So much easier to stack, too! Have you ever thought about making silage? It’s supposed to be very nutritious but I don’t know enough about the process, equipment needed and the by-products to have an opinion.
What a beautiful sight, a wagon load of hay heading into the barn.
That feeling of accomplishment at the end of a hard days work is like nothing else. Cooking at the end of it would be hard for me. I’d go to bed without supper but of course you have other mouths to feed. I wish you 10 more wagon loads this summer so there will be no hungry creatures this next winter. It’s like a breath of fresh air popping by here. Have a lovely day.
No magic lamp? Wouldn’t be nice if all kitchens came with one of those! Good start on your haying.
What an amazing sight. I’m betting there is no such thing as sleepless nights on your farm.
Sounds like a most productive day with, at the end of it, a bunch of tired but well-fed creatures. I love the photos of the cart piled high. Must make you feel really great! Hope you have a lovely day also. ~ Mame 🙂
The proverb was recorded by John Heywood in 1546: “Whan the sunne shinth make hay.” It appears to be of English Tudor origin. The phrase was used in a non-farming context in 1673 in Richard Head’s Canting Academy: “She … was resolv’d … to make Hay whilest the Sun shin’d.”
I’m jealous and happy for you. I miss having my own hay. Enjoy:)
A fantastic achievement!
Baling hay in shorts! Brave girls. And love seeing the photos of them. BTW, great call you made on getting the hay cut.
Ten times more?!? Oh dear. I surely hope your weather continues to cooperate!
I wish I’d win the lottery – I’d bring my man along and he could do the cooking! As long as there is a barbie he’s happy as a pig in mud 🙂
I want your man!! I can supply all the fresh food for the barbee!
148 bales in one day, you girls did well. May the weather go with you for ten times more this season!
I envy you the small bales, no one around here seems to do them anymore. We get the big squares, 300 to 400# each. I hear you on cooking. Worked outside in the yard and garden all day in the 84* temps and came in after feeding all the critters and thought – drat – dinner! Were it only myself it would’ve been an icy lager and some crackers!
We got rid of our hay equipment last year and now no longer make our own hay. I confess that I do kind of miss the satisfying feeling at the end of a long hay day.
Growing up on the dairy farm, I helped my dad bale thousands of square and round bales. Now we bale round bales exclusively but I will never forget the hot, dusty work that came with loading and unloading those wagons. The rewards were measured by how full the barns were by fall and how well fed we were able to keep the cows in the winter. Thank you for sharing your hay day story.
On a side note, I know that you have stacked memories and blessings from your mother that far exceed any hay baling could ever measure. I hope you and your family find comfort and strength in those memories. Sending prayers and peaceful thoughts your way.
Your hay is gold. solid gold. It represents so much for you. Isn’t it funny what makes us “rich”?
p.s. the beauty of Italian food is just that: delicious, quick, fresh ingredients left largely to their own devices.
“I feel like a real farmer when I can bring in the hay” – yes you are. Well done (and you always worry about the tires) Awarding a fine pair of farmer overalls to you. Congrats and let the hay growing continue.
The hay looks perfect – good for you … and the girls. It’s a lot of fun to see photos of the two girls. They look like wonderful young women. You know, I just thought how much I’d love to have even 1 hour back at our farm during this time of year. ; o )