And then there were three
Another woofer arrived today and now I have a crew of three. There is always a kind of shaking down when a new character enters the mix and thankfully this girl is getting along just fine with everyone. So we are good and we are getting Heaps done too!
And on Thursday two more people arrive and we start fencing. I am loving it!
Yesterday was a busy day for me because as well as everything else, plus it was my day as Kitchen Mama, I had to rake the hay. Basically this means rolling it over so the other side can dry. After all the rain we had on Saturday and Sunday I was reluctant to turn it until it was good and dry on the top. But that hot Sou’west turned the fields into a tumble dryer.
And it dried very fast. As I turned the hay some of it was actually blowing away, so I stopped and finished after dinner when it was calmer.
Here is the rake. 
BooBoo always stands on the tractor seat behind me when I work the hay. Two back feet on the seat behind me and two front feet on the arm rest and I rest my back on his haunches because it is impossible for me to sit back into the seat AND reach the pedals and my legs are long, so I sit on the edge of the seat and Boo sits in the back of the seat and I lean back into him – tractors are designed for large men not small women. Boo makes my ride comfortable.
Here is my view looking back onto the rake as it turns the hay into windrows.
Here is the view ahead of me.
I worked until the light was gone. It was cool and gentle. Perfect for the job at hand.
Today I hope to get the second load of hay into the barn. Are you still counting? I will let you know the number in the morning tomorrow.
Also today we will be moving Tahiti and Molly into their summer field. Both are looking a little chubby and neither should be due before late August at the earliest – that is to the date of the break out. So they can hang out down the back and quietly gestate.
I hope you have a lovely day.
Love celi
34 Comments on “And then there were three”
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Ooh, the smell of cut hay!
Another of Boo’s essential tasks: Hay turning assistant and Celi-Backrest. I can smell that freshly turned hay so clearly in my memory… They don’t make a lot of hay here in the tropics. Perhaps it’s too damp. All the grass that’s cut seems to go straight into silage bales. Now THAT smell I don’t love.
For a second I thought you had a new dog …then I remembered that a woofer is a volunteer – doh!
Cecelia..I know you are from NZ but where is your farmy…I thought it was Colorado but linda says no..so where?
Sent: Tuesday, June 07, 2016 at 1:05 PM
Central Illinois.. c
Oh Boo! What a wonderful helper you are – now if you could only figure out how to run the tractor and free up some of Miss C’s time!
seems there was a rookie on Sunday weather forecast. Four sunny days, he said. South of France cut the hay … and then the rain arrived. Fields littered with half raked or half baled hay. We just fluffed and are now waiting for the sun to do its magic. This sort of elements in action keeps you real. Not everything can be fixed with an online update.
That Boo has so many roles, and now he is an armchair! Wonderful dog. The hay’s gone from the field by the house, but vast trailer-loads are still trundling past from dawn to beyond dusk. Summer came yesterday and today and they’re making hay while the sun’s shining. It may be winter again tomorrow.
Good haying,
love,
ViV xox
This post makes me very happy. I think it’s because I think of you alone with your dog, busy at your hay-making in the coolth and low light of the fading day, feeling, I hope, like the queen of your own little empire.
Well, google confirms that coolth is a word. Until I looked it up, I thought that I (and then you, too) were the sole users of that word. What a bond I felt with you! Then, turns out it’s a word!!! Oh well, still that thought that bond of unity remains. Cheerios, Wheaties and Cornflakes! Much love, Gayle
Yes! At least in my family it’s a word. My brother and I use it. So that makes is all family, sort of. Linguistic ties. I love that Word and I love it that you use it too.
oh lovely sunset and oh such a lovely Boo
I felt lulled while reading this. The views are stunning. What would you do without Boo? It’s like he instinctively knows what to do to help you. I know you have trained him well but his heart is with you at every step. I hope all goes well today.
Loved the photo of Boo and the sunset.
Linda
These are great photos and I loved being able to see the fields, the hay and Boo on the tractor. Thanks for sharing these aspects of your farm life. More please.
And how can we get that sunset photo? I want a HUGE one hanging in my house. What a perfect shot.
Boo has so many jobs. I remember early morning tractor rides with my dad. There was a seat above the wheel. We still have the old Porsche tractor and my brother takes his grandchildren for a ride.
Love that Boo ‘goes along for the ride’!!! My husband, who was VERY short but was able to drive our old tractor with no problem. I wonder if the old tractors in Quebec were made smaller ’cause all the people ‘way back when’ were pretty short there. Not so in the States!!! ;o )
Boo is sure a wonderful companion. I love the photos of you driving the tractor in the twilight. Such a peaceful – and cooler – time at a farm!!
I love the idea of the hay raking and the image of Boo making the job more comfortable for you. The photos are beautiful.
Boo, chair cushion extraordinaire ! Yes the photos are such beautiful oil paintings. Especially Boo at sunset.
The light n his chinny chin chin.
I ♡ Boo.
Wonderful pictures and great progress with your hay. What did you make in the kitchen? It’s nice to hear you have a productive crew. I like the idea of the gently gestating pigs. Peaceful.
Sometimes I wish I had a farm. And a dog. It is such a blessing to see, and be part of (sort of), your life. Do you realize how much joy you bring ? Well, it’s true.
Hear hear! Where, where? HERE, HERE!!! Lots of smoochies and tonza love, Your Gayle
*laughter* An obvious city gal writing – and there I believed that you and your wwoofers moved up and down the rows of mown hay with those ‘hand things’ I always knew as rakes . . . hmm: well, won’t feel quite as ‘sorry’ for you in the future looking at that glorious monster. But am wondering where you have accommodation for more wwoofers – those lines behind bathroom[s] doors must be pretty long morning and night 😀 !!!
I can smell the hay from here. It must be such a relief to have it drying out so beautifully. Sometimes wind is exactly what is needed. Boo the ergonomic assistant – makes me smile.
Lovely photos… and how wonderful that Boo really is a working dog!!! 😀
Gorgeous images .. Good luck with the hay 😊
Celi, if I’m not mistaken, you farm without pesticides, etc..correct? How do you keep the weeds at bay in your hay fields?
What a lovely sunset! It looks like Boo is driving the tractor in that one shot. If only you could train that woofer to run the tractor. 😉
I would love a Boo cushion for my back, do you rent him out? I thought I had a good view and interesting sunsets, but no way do they compare with yours… the wide open space is wonderful.
Ata girl! Sounds like raking is a restful job, low key at least. I have family in Lincoln , Illinois and nearby. Beef and corn they do. catching up is important and keeping your head into the game but i guess sometimes we just have to turn on auto-pilot.
Spring is a busy time of year. I wonder how many years you have been doing this there in Illinois- such a nice state. Soon you can rest and enjoy all your preparations. Winter or deep summer, maybe only watering and watching. Do you get the early and latter rains there?
Wonderful photos again today. I have been ‘away’ and am reading a week’s worth of posts tonight. It is fun to see some of the Fellowship asking for clarification and then seeing the pictures pop up. We’ve been having a very dry spring. Lots of people worried about how slow the hay is growing. We only get one cut here … and that is usually in late July. If you get to sodden down there push some of those clouds north. 😉