Hay

I might have a new guy to cut my hay. He will give me a call beginning of next week. He is a young guy that is going to school to become a teacher. He is a mennonite. He has been teaching in a mennonite/amish school, where you don't have to be certified or licensed. I applaud that he wants to improve his education so he can pass it on.

We talked at length. He looked down my post holes. Said I was doing a lot of work. He also said that if I had wanted help with post holes, he and his family could have shown up and could have had fifty holes done in an hour or so .... AN HOUR OR SO? WHERE WERE YOU TWO WEEKS AGO!!!

We will work a different deal then I had before but it should give me some cash to get things done... not a lot of cash, but some.

We talked about grasses, soil depletion and fences. We talked about horses. When I mentioned laying out my round pens, he asked if I would use them to break my horses. I kind of chuckled and told him that, "we do not break horses". He tried out some other verbs. I told him "we train horses, so they have better options for surviving in the human's world". Then he chuckled.

Perhaps this is the way this will work out for us... better options all the way around. I will know by the beginning of next week.

Louie

Hayfields and Horses

When we first came here, the majority of the property was under the crop reserve contract. Because of this we had almost no access to our own land. The horses, by necessity were in a smaller pasture arrangement right behind the house. Whatever I did outside they were there watching me. I think they realized that if they starred at me long enough that I would cave in and take them some grain, pull some grass for them or sometimes mow the perimeter for them. We refer to the mower as the salad shooter. But now they are in a pasture at the back of the property. Part of the front pasture has been taken down and returned to hay. the rest has been changed up, realigned. Measured up and made a much straighter rectangle, as the old wonky one was driving Mac nuts.

But I miss their faces. I miss them calling to me. I miss dropping everything and just hanging with them.

We had wanted to keep as much ground in hay as possible in order to make money. Then the spring was so long and cold that it was a very slow start. Then the weather so wet, it was almost impossible to get into the hay field to cut and bale. Now we are looking at a week of temps in the nineties and hundred. The grass won't grow when it is so hot. It looks as if this isn't going to be a good hay year.

If I had the money, I would just set a lot more fence and do rotational grazing with the girls. At least that would save me from having to buy so much hay and the best part would be that I would get to see them more often. They would be there reminding me that they are the reason that I started all of this. They are a great deal of my quality of life.... especially important in case there isn't long life.

I spend too much time thinking about money. Thinking about how to make every thing better "if i just had this much money I could do....." So, I am going to give up on some hayfield. I'll find a way to fence..... somehow. The girls and I are going to have more quality time and I know I'm going to be happier. That, after all, is the goal.

Louie

A Big Day!!

We're going to have a big day!!! It is suppose to be hot, hot, hot!!! According to the weather man and his bank of computers, it should be 95oF. with a heat index of 105oF. We have decided that we should go out under the trees where I have cleared brush and mowed. It is so nice and cool there, especially when there is a breeze. So we will accumulate all of the scrap bits of lumber from around the place and build stuff.

First things on the list are camp style chairs. Mac is tired of sitting on upturned buckets. The sharp little edge puts a big dent in his butt. Having ever had chemo seems to give a person a delicate butt. However, after some time even the hardiest butt will not be able to tolerate the edges of a bucket bottom.

Once we have the chairs we will need a wee table. Mac says that if you don't have air conditioning then you should at least be able to sit under the trees in a comfortable chair, with a beer. And the beer has to be set someplace! It's good to have goals.

The other part of the "big day" is that yesterday the hay was mown!! WOOHOO!!! Today it will be raked and tedded and tomorrow, hopefully it will be baled. Just in time to avoid the rain on Saturday. That feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders!

Today I will also revel in some new found friends that I met yesterday. They are folks who are also involved in the Parelli organization. They have a really lovely little farm and they sponsor clinics. I asked if I could barter work for auditing clinics. They are going to give it some thought. It seems that just everybody goes to teach at their farm. I could learn soooo much and this could put me back on track with my horses.

All of a sudden, doors are opening for me. First the web page, the hay, new and incredibly helpful new friends, and a place to plunk down my butt at the end of the day. I'm absolutely gobsmacked..... and thankful.

Louie

The Little Farm

Now that we are released from the government conservation program, I am free to start the journey of creating the little farm. While the program could be an asset for larger farmers, it really was too one size fits all to work here.

So, we begin....

Today I call a neighbor that cuts hay on shares. With luck we have a five day window of clear weather. Later this week I could possibly have my first cash crop. This in turn should help fund the next thing. The next thing is a few chickens and some morel mushroom spore. If I do this right then next spring my first flush of morels will sell for around $30-$35 per pound. That will give me cash crop number two.

The second cutting of hay will pay for my hazelnuts to be planted next spring. I won't see a return on this crop for about five years, but it should give me a return for thirty to fifty years depending on how well the trees are maintained. That will be cash crop number three.

I don't know if the third cutting will be sufficient to pay for the wine grapes. That may have to wait until next spring. They will be cash crop number four.

On the livestock front... there will be some chickens. Some for eggs and some for the freezer. Perhaps we will raise a couple of feeder pigs, also for the freezer. We have talked about beef but I don't know if I am ready for that yet. I'm also looking into having some of the Old English Babydoll Southdown sheep. They are suppose to be better tasting. They are suppose to have a wool that rivals cashmere and they are suppose to keep vineyards clean without eating on the vines themselves.

And it starts today. Today I call a neighbor that cuts hay on shares.

Louie