First Cutting

First cutting refers to cutting and making hay for the first time in a season.  Hopefully, we can get four cuttings this season.  We started cutting hay about 8 days ago and finally 2 days ago were able to start baling it.  My dad and I started day 3 of baling this morning at 5 a.m.  There are a few more days/nights of baling until we get all of first cutting baled and stacked.  When I say there are days and nights, I mean it.  Depending on the type of hay we are putting up decides what time of day we can bale.  If it's grass hay, we can bale in the afternoon into the evening.  If it's alfalfa, we can bale during the night and sometimes into the early morning depending on the temperature and dew.  This making hay stuff is tricky business, but when done right is quite pretty and profitable. 

1. First, my dad cuts the hay with a swather.

2. Next, he fluffs it with a fluffer so that it drys quicker.

3. The hay is completely scattered after being fluffed.

4. Then the hay is raked with rake pulled behind a tractor.

5. The baler, also pulled with a tractor, follows the rake to make cute little rectangular bales.

6. After the baler, my dad goes in with the harrow bed to pick up, and stack the bales in the barn.

(Sorry, but I don't have pictures of everything because it is difficult to take pictures of the last steps because I'm driving one tractor or another at this point.)

Normally, we start first cutting in May and would be making second cutting right now instead of first cutting.  Due to rainy, cool temperatures, unpredictable, and over all cruddy hay making weather we had to wait to start making hay.  Let me tell ya, farmers were getting antsy just sitting and waiting for the clouds to clear and let the sun shine warm.  Let me tell ya, we are so happy to finally be putting up some hay and we will be even happier when a semi truck comes to haul it away!!

Laura Visits!

Well, about an hour ago Laura left.  She got here Monday afternoon to spend two nights on the farm with my family and I.  It was sure great to see her because it had been a month!  We had a good time catching up, riding horses, playing with Erin's lamb, talking about apartment stuff, doing hair, doing nails, and having a mini bonfire! 

We rode horses, which was a first for Laura in a really long time.  She got to ride Slick and I rode Daisy.  First we rode in the pin and then we moved out into one of my dad's hay fields for a little trail ride.  Slick was so good for Laura and Laura enjoyed riding her.

I really introduced Laura to the farm life when we played with the lamb.  Erin has this lamb, T-Rex, for her FFA project.  He came to the farm about a week ago and is wild-he is hard to catch.  So Laura and I went out and roped him.  But once you rope him, he runs faster trying to get away.  That means you have to pull the rope in towards you so you can hold him down with your hands.  Its was sort of a wild event but we got him!  He was very happy to eat the treats we gave him once roped!

Laura and I are all about painting toe and fingure nails so we made sure we got that done while she was here.  When we went to Wal-Mart we picked up those stick on nail polish packets to try.  We put them on when we got home, and they are really quite neat.  She put leopard print on her toes and I put a flower print on mine.  They are cute!

The last event that took place during Laura's visit was the mini bonfire.  We made a little fire, roasted hotdogs, and made s'mores.  It was fun to spend more time outside, and my mom, dad, and Erin joined us outside at different points.  It was a tasty and fun evening!  The fact that Laura was able to come hangout and visit was great!

Us just taking some fun webcam photos!

Jeeping

Last December my dad bought a 1961 Willy's jeep.  Its' a CJ5!  It's red, tiny, and just the cutest thing with four wheels!  Since he bought it, he has been doing little repairs and fixing it up.  It looks great and runs quite well. 

Yesterday, for our Memorial Weekend outing, we took it out for a drive.  We just drove around near our house out by Mardon and Pot Holes.  It is amazing how different the view is at 20mph compared to 55mph.  It was really fun to take in all the sights at a slower pace, even though, I've seen them many times before.  It's neat to notice the little things.  It was a good three hour jeep ride minus the fact that we all had sore backs and bottoms at the end.  Let's just say my dad's little jeep dosen't have plush seats or much supension.  We might have been going slow, but we felt every pot hole and bumb in the rode.  I'm glad we went for a jeep ride. It was the perfect day for it-it was a holiday and the sun was shinging and warm with a light breeze.  Wonderful for family jeeping!

My dad driving his little red jeep!

A veiw of the Royal Slope from the top of Frenchman Hills as we headed over to Mardon.