Hay, Straw and a Heat Wave...

Jim says that the week that the barley is combined is always the hottest week of the summer, and this year is no exception!

But first, there was hay to unload.  Jim's in the middle of 2nd cutting of hay this week, and with no rain in sight for several days, he was able to get several wagon loads of dry hay.  We pulled a small crew together and they got it unloaded this morning.  Oh boy, was it ever hot! I think the temperatures were close to 100% today.  Yuck.

Just a few short weeks ago, this mow was completely empty, and housed a puppy kennel for the chilly nights (which are but a distant memory)...

We'll see how full this mow gets this summer.  It's not quite at the half way mark yet.  I climbed up the elevator for a different perspective.

The crumbs left in the wagon got shoveled into the hay racks in the meadow, for an evening snack for the cows.  That's the first place they go when they're left out of the barn for the night...and if there's nothing in the racks for them, do we ever hear about it!

Then it was time to head over to the barley field.  Those windrows of straw are what was left behind by the combine...

Jim started baling around lunch time, but the straw was still a little tough, so he stopped and waited a few hours to try again. It was nicer (drier) by then, but still not as nice as he would have liked, so he left the rest lay for another day.

I'm glad today is almost over, and right now, I'm thankful for a shower, clean clothes, and for the cool breeze blowing in the window beside me.

4th Cutting Begins...

Look!  It's a new style of lawn ornament...

This used to be a regular occurrence, but this year we haven't had much luck with baling dry hay because of the weather.

Finally this week, we got a forecast (that actually held true!) for a long stretch of dry weather which just so happened to coincide with when the spring seeded alfalfa was ready to be mowed.  Jim mowed on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, and last night was able to get it baled dry.  They finished unloading around 10:30 last night.

You can easily tell which is the newly baled hay, by the color difference.  The brown hay has been cured for about a month, maybe longer...

More empty wagons sitting around this morning...

Jenna and I took the truck (with the dogs, of course) up to the fields and she picked up the bales that missed the wagon last night.  Then she threw them into the hay racks for the cows' bedtime snack tonight...

Of course the dogs found the best possible spot for "helping".  Any time Jenna takes the truck anywhere, the dogs hop in the back for a ride, and as soon as they stop and the door opens...in they jump.  Murphy called shotgun.

What a life.  Follow their girl anywhere and they're happy!

Jim is now mowing 4th cutting at the other farm, hoping for more dry hay at the beginning of the week.  It sure is nice to see the mow getting filled up.

Everyone around our house likes to feed dry hay better than balage, and there's nothing quite like it for keeping a cow's rumen in good working order!

Breathe Deeply...

Breathe deeply...

Ahhh...

There's nothing quite like the smell of freshly mowed hay...

I wish I could bottle it up!

...and just for fun...

I snapped this picture of our Amish neighbor mowing his hay in the field next to ours...

Wishing for all of you a beautiful spring day!