Hay

The main theme of our summer has been hay baling. Ramont and my dad (and, on occasion, I) have mowed, raked, baled, loaded, and unloaded between 4000 and 5000 bales of grass hay this summer. Ramont gets the prize for lifting every single one of those at least once, often twice.

Alas, I don't have pictures to illustrate the whole process. Here are just a few.
The first two are taken beside the fields we rent near Delft.

This was a common morning sight on my folks' yard: several racks waiting to be unloaded before it gets too hot.

This year we discovered that unloading hay is a great family affair. The baling itself doesn't work so well, since the kids would have to be either on the rack (no room) or running alongside the trailer for miles at a time. So, Oma has been a patient babysitter.

All those bales are stored in various sites around the area, and will get sold throughout the year to private individuals or at area hay auctions.

One recent morning we put a few loads into the barn where we live.

It sure smells nice in there now!

Another job done.