All Hail. All Hay Under Cover.

236 bales of good hay. Beautiful hay actually. Green and dry and smells divine. Airfreshner for the barn. 

The weather yesterday was cool with a stiff drying breeze. No humidity. Good for the hay and the team gathered to make the hay. 

I pay the hay man and his sons by the hour so we work fast.  The fastest period is unloading one hay rack of new hay into the barn then racing the empty wagon back out to the field for the changeover as he finishes loading the second hay rack.  

With the last wagon full I climb up and throw the top twenty or so bales off the top so it is a shorter stack on the wagon then rev up the tractor and  pull the whole thing straight into the white barn and leave it there – to unload at a more civilised pace. I still have to milk the cow then make dinner (thanks gods for Chg Johns hay-making-day-ravioli)  so by late afternoon I am very pushed for time.

This is on the West side.

Above is a View from the top of the hay.  I am always on the top to throw down the bales. I can free free solo straight up the side like a spider. No ropes – all hands and feet, straight up the pile.  The closest I can get to rock climbing out here on the planes.

There is an odd collection of exposures in this page.  I seldom check shots as I shoot during the day. I collect images as though there is film in the camera carefully framed then click then move on though I do have the knowledge that it is digital and I can check and delete as I go.  I never do. Checking to see if I got the shot is not automatic muscle movement  when I am working fast.  I always get surprises when I go into my virtual dark room each evening. Pity I am not as careful with the exposures.

Alissa and John (who  left work on time to get down to help us thank goodness)  loaded the last of the bales into the barn while I milked the cow and that was the last work of her season here. She is off to one of the Carolinas next. Leaving this morning.

She was a great worker – strong and kind and I will miss her enormously.

Lady Astor  seems to have done damage to her udder when she was in heat and riding all the other cows day before yesterday.   She was throwing herself and her big udder about before I saw what was happening and locked her up – most unladylike, the udder has changed shape, dropped actually, and the milk is not right. I suspect the lining of her udder has broken capilliaries. I will milk her more often for a few days until it goes pure white again. But along with the  trauma it looks like there is ligament damage, her udder has gone long like Daisy’s was, lucky this is her last milking season.  She has to be very careful now not to hurt her droopy boobs further.

Today Samantha and I are working on the newsletter. Join if you would like to see the other side of The Kitchen’s Garden at work.  (The join button is right below the comments section – look for the word LETTER)  I am loving the Amazon and Zazzle shops featured in the newsletter. It gives me a real focus as the season winds down.  Don’t look at the shops until this afternoon though,  today I am loading all the new stuff.

Our new cartoon is great! You will see later today when the newsletter comes out.

Now to the final new project this year! You will remember that I have finished the woofer program. I am making the gardens prettier and more park like.  The farming goes on. But I am creating a new emphasis and making the farm more visitor friendly.

 I have opened the Coop as an Airbnb short term rental.

It is called the Kitchen’s Garden Retreat.

Here it is.  To tell the truth I am still tidying and dressing it for guests so the pictures will change as I get it all ready to go.  But I thought you might like a preview of what is in store.  And any suggestions are welcome.

I rent airbnb, as I travel in the winters, and love the concept.  There is very little accomodation out this way so I am hoping that if people have weddings or events in the area and need extra space they will find me.

OK – time for me to get to work!

I hope you have a lovely day.

Love celi

WEATHER – Beautiful