The Farm Sale...

Today was the auction of "the other farm"...the farm that has been in Jim's family for many many years.  It's the place where Jim's dad and his siblings were born...it's where Jim was brought home as a baby...it's where the cousins spent countless hours of fun together at Grandma D's house...it's where Jim and I lived when we were first married twenty five years ago...and where we've worked ground and housed our bred heifers and dry cows for just as long.

It was a beautiful day today...temps somewhere around the 40's perhaps...I didn't look, but it was pleasant to be outside visiting with family, friends and neighbors at an auction.

I took some pictures to capture the events of the day...

People came via various modes of transportation...

Looking out the kitchen window from what used to be our upstairs apartment when we were first married!  The auctioneer set up his truck in front of the barn...

There were a lot of family members, friends and neighbors who came to the auction.  Some were there for moral support, some for curiosity, and several who came to bid...

A bunch of the cousins were there...

The heifers were non the wiser, but were content to munch away on the feed.  They have no idea that in a few months, they'll have a new home.

It was a little bittersweet today.  It was time...but there are a lot of memories of "the other farm"...many more for Jim than for me, of course, but still, memories.  Memories of playing scrabble with Grandma D on winter evenings when we lived in the upstairs apartment.  Memories of the kids helping to pick up rocks in the fields before Jim would seed alfalfa...riding on the back of the grain drill...taking lunch and cold drinks (or coffee!) to him when he was baling hay or cleaning out pens.  We all helped on occasion to feed the animals or bed up the heifer pens...we pulled hay wagons back and forth between the farms...took dry cows over and brought springers back home...and the list goes on.

Now there are new owners, and it will take some getting used to, not making the daily dog-leg turn across Rt 896 and in the driveway!

Amish Farm Sale...

What a fun morning...after being cooped up all weekend with the big snow!

One of our neighboring Amish farmers had sale today....

One of the married sons will be taking over the farm.  The cows will be sold, and he will be growing produce and raising beef cattle, so there was a lot of equipment for sale today.

How do you have a sale just days after a major blizzard?

I asked one of the sons what they did, and he said they hired someone to come in and move snow.  And move it they did!  There was a cleared area for parking...

...and a snowbank for scooters...

The horses were unhitched and spent their morning in the barn...

As we walked in, we were greeted by the wonderful smell of barbecue chicken.  Neighbor Leroy was in charge of this, and it was delicious!  Proceeds from the food stands at Amish sales usually go to benefit someone...either a family in need, or in this case, the school where most of the neighbor kids attend...

The home made soft pretzels were good too...

While the women hung out in either the house or the shop where food was served, the men gathered out behind the barn to bid on or watch the farm equipment sell...

The young guy in the middle holding the iced tea is one of the farmer's sons. He said he's excited to see the coming changes, but will probably miss the cows too...

Temps are in the 40's today, so there was an abundance of mud.  I sure hope these guys take their boots off before they go in the house...

The last thing to sell were the mules.  The boys led them back and forth between the crowd.  They sold for $2500 - $3500 each...

They're huge animals, but so well trained...

It's always fun to go to these sales and spend time with our neighbors. Everyone enjoys talking and catching up on the latest news in the neighborhood, and supporting the family having sale.

And I was especially glad not to have to make lunch today!