Making Hay While the Sun is Shining.
While the calendar says we are officially in summer, here in Oregon, summer doesn't really arrived until after the 4th of July. So when we get a few sunny warm days, the farmers get real busy. We live on 10 acres of which about seven is left in grass and it needs to be hayed. Some enterprising young guys ( teens actually) contract to hay our field and all the other small acreages around us. It is a win-win situation for all of us. So with the threat of rain starting on this past Friday, the fields were alive with activity. Here's the pictorial.
The hay was cut a few days earlier, and now they are doing the swirling to it. It fluffs the grass up and lines it up in a windrow to make the bales. Tony is busy on our field rototilling our flower beds for new hoop house to be built later.
Here's the swirly line of hay in a windrow on the right side.
The first baler of the hay comes in next. They are still baling hay on the adjacent property.
Now two balers are working on the hay, while they are picking up the hay on the neighbor' land.
The clouds are thickening and it is suppose to rain tonight. Hurry, hurry....
This is a mechanical tool that picks the bale up for them, but they are still hand stacking and some of the guys are actually bucking the bales up by hand. Awww... youth.... strong....
The field to the left of us is done and now all the guys are working on our field. The sun is going down, the rain clouds are building and they are getting close to being done.
The shadows are lengthening and it will be dark soon. They finished after dark by the headlights on the trucks. About a hour or so later, the rain came.
So we need to get our work done while the sun is shining. Actually we work in the rain too. It is Oregon after all, if you wait till a sunny day to work, no flowers would ever be planted or picked.
Whan the sunne shinth make hay. Whiche is to say.
Take time whan time cometh, lest time steale away.
Take time whan time cometh, lest time steale away.
John Heywood
1546
I hate mowing. How exciting another hoop house? What will you put in it? Oregon, rain? My son seems to think if it's raining you go inside.
ReplyDeleteI know this post is about hay baling, but seeing those photos of your flowers growing in the foreground and the hay making happening in the background really makes me want to visit your farm! It looks beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the nice compliments. Still looks pretty messy in our eyes but we just keep working.
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