UNDER COVER

After being rained on the day we were to bale and then all the next night, yesterday evening we finally got the hay baled and under cover. About one hundred bales are pretty good – a little wetter than they should be …… but I have stored them in the loft of the barn on their sides, lightly salted with mineral salt and plenty of air in between every one.  There are about thirty that are very green, almost too heavy to lift – but we had to get them off the field before last nights rain and these will be fed out in the next few days. The balance I fed straight over the fence to the waiting cows, they were too green to even last the night. But would have spoiled in the field with two more nights of rain in the forecast.

Altogether we brought in 168 very heavy bales and my shoulders ache but I needed to sort every one so the green bales did not get into the barn. They can heat up to the point of combustion. Fire is a very real risk with green bales but they will be fed out fast so as to reduce the number that spoil.

The cows will be very well fed this week.

My objective was to get the hay in so I can feed it out this next two weeks, saving the fields for when I am away in Greece. Then all John has to do for  the cows, is open and shut gates while I am gone. So Ii have achieved my objective – this is good.

Also today I am taking over half of one of the hay fields, fencing it and turning it into grazing. We need more grazing. I need those cows eating out of the fields for much longer – feeding out is crazy when they should be feeding themselves.

Even right into the winter.

Hay-making wears me out. Emotionally and physically. And hiring in the help to get the hay baled is expensive too. More fields is the answer. Or less cows I suppose!

Anyway – the hay is IN. My weekend visitors are having a wonderful time – we are eating well and working well and I can so grateful they were here for this weekend, John was busy elsewhere so they made ALL the difference and tonight I have a short term woofer arriving for a week to help me get the gardens in.

I hope you have a lovely day!

Love celi

WEATHER: Cloudy and more rain coming. The local farmers cannot believe all the rain my farm is getting. Many locals even as close as six miles away are starting to hurt. There are murmurings of a dry summer ahead

Sunday 20% Precip. / 0 in
Generally cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 68F. Winds ENE at 10 to 20 mph.

Sunday Night 80% Precip. / 0.32 in
Showers this evening, becoming a steady rain overnight. Thunder possible. Low 53F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.