Would you just look at all that hay! That's all hay that we cut from our own fields, stored on two hay racks that Brandon built. They aren't even completely filled up yet!
As you may remember, we've been making small bales of hay with the home made hand baler. It makes tidy little square bundles of hay, perfect for stacking. Baling the hay with the baler is quite, meditative work, that uses plenty of arm strength to load the hay in the top, and to compress the hay into bales. We filled our available space with bales, and then wondered how we were going to store more. After all, I used up three giant rolls of hay last winter to feed the goats and donkey, and this year I have an extra goat and donkey to feed. Thank goodness other folks put their good hay storage ideas on the interweb, right?
Brandon loves a carpentry solution to a problem, so he had the two racks built and partially loaded before I even fully understood what he was planning. I think each rack cost around sixty dollars for the wood and the tarp, and we hope they will last many years.
Wendigo is an excellent mascot for our haymaking, as she sports a Scythe Supply hat!
There is some danger in making hay. Danger of bee sting! In two places in our fields, Brandon has disturbed nests of giant black and white bumble bees while cutting hay. The bees swarm into the air when they are disturbed by the mower, and Brandon has to make a quick get away. He's been lucky so far, even once jumping from the stalled out tractor and making a run for it. I snapped this picture of Brandon as he was gearing up to cut the hay near one of the nests.
I now know why a tractor with a closed in cab would be nice!
Last evening, as Brandon and I were forking a row of cut and dried hay onto our small trailer, which we pull with the jeep, we were talking about why I love hay so much. I really do get a thrill from making hay. I like to bring in a load of garden produce or a pile of eggs too, but I didn't know I would get so much satisfaction from harvesting hay. I should have known, considering I've always loved plants, and hay is plants. It's like I'm hoarding up mounds of plants! And you know who loves plants even more than I do?
Peaches does!
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