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Check Off That Box

It was a balmy 97 degrees here today so of course what better way to spend the hot and sunny afternoon than putting up hay for this winter. 

254 bales of first cutting grass and alfalfa mix hay is now in the mow. We still had hay left over but now the barn on both sides is nicely supplied for the colder months.

We got a good price on it, first cutting tends to be a little cheaper anyway but it is great for what we need. I would like to get a bit more stacked in the barn and some round bales of cheap grass hay for them to chomp on. My concern was that if the heat and dry weather continued the next cutting may be poor and prices could skyrocket on hay. If they do we are in good shape anyway and if they stay low we can keep putting hay in the barn. 
It was stupid hot in the sun putting bales on the elevator to ride up to the barn but luckily I have my boys to help plus an Amish guy who we are working with on this, he needs someone to pull his wagons around and we needed an extra hand to put ours away so it worked out for everyone. 
At a minimum now I know that my heifer will have enough to eat this winter as will the horses. That is a relief, one less thing on the list to worry about for now. Whether you survive a bad time or not will depend on how you spend your hours in the good times.

8 Comments

  1. Steve S

    LOL. There's some kinda rule about high temperature and putting hay up; or stacking it on the drag in the field. And of course the uniform if the day is long sleeve flannel.

  2. Anonymous

    have bein doing wood splitting here myself. got a whole lot of dead firewood from my neighbor and the tree guys doing the dropping. close to 6-10 cords worth of ash and breech with a fair bit of white oak. the best firewood I gotten around here was close to 240 a face cord. so I am more than willing to split wood in this heat if it going to save me money. heating oil is 5.40 per gallon around here now.
    the guys doing the cutting and dropping of the dead trees got ice cold ice tea a couple of times during the day and 2 cold beers each for the ride home.
    the boss told me they never gotten cold drinks before while working from anyone.
    as for the whole drinking and driving thing, when I was a teenager, the concrete crew I worked with drank cold beer on the way home every day. no more than 3 beers each. the ride home was at least a hour or more damn near everyday. as the boss used to say a couple of cold ones to take the edge off and no more. he was a good boss, had the same work crew for the 4 years I worked 'with them.
    and after 8 this am , I be out running the splitter again, as I am only a third of the way done.
    my carport has 4 rack of split firewood equal to 4 cords and I still have a whole lot to go.
    was thinking of selling some, but it might be better at this stage in fun and games to come to keep
    it all for home use. I have used wood heat for the last 2 winters here now as it is quieter and smells better than the stupid oil fired hot air noise box . the power went out a few times in the winter around here due to storms or the drunk driver (they get the power back up in hours in that case)
    but one time is was out for 3 days, we stayed warm and had hot food thanks to 2 wood stoves.
    the locals thought I was nuts to install wood instead of pellet stoves. thing is pellet stoves NEED
    electric power to run. as for wood stoves, there fuel all around me here in the woods.
    and now with fuel prices going up like mad, you can not find a wood stove for sale anywhere around here from what I hear from my neighbors who are trying to get one these days.
    I am thinking a whole lot of people will be getting cold this year with the price of fuel bein what it is.
    and doing the work myself, I can put the money spent of firewood toward stocking food now.
    I am thinking fall is when the fun and hunger games will begin here.

  3. Arthur Sido

    I really need to get a wood stove in our place for alternative heating, we have the chimney set up and just need to get the stove hooked in. One more project that needs both a little time and a lot of money.

  4. Anonymous

    This dude back where I worked at the styrofoam peanut factory, he like converted the toilet into a bong and you just sort of put your face over the seat. It was pretty bad ass. One time I went in there and someone had used a number two…so I fished it out, loaded it up. Gotta do something to get through that shift. Later on when I became an adult I was like man that’s gross. But that bathroom was totally awesome in high school.

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