Hay Time!

For us, the first hay is a Godsend - because the weather plays the ultimate role in achieving great horse hay...

First it is late, we are ready to bale today after much summer rain - since spring went without rain this year - the rain Gods sent it to us later.

It is July 12th - the timothy headed out 2 weeks ago - approximately - an is going to seed - see photo.

so what you want ideally is when that is just nice and full and green - newly formed.

however the alfalfa is in good stead.

Gene is working the tedder - which takes the hay cut the day before  - spins it outward to fluff it - to dry in a single layer - sun and wind acts to preserve it - dried to perfection.  Gene will typically ted twice the 2nd day - once the day we bale - today - and he will rake it before baling it.   The rake pulls the hay into a row for the baler to swallow easily and put out square bales.  Since the ground was wet on Day one - he also raked it afterwards to dry the ground out underneath.

Gene is dressed with a hoodie to protect himself from all the bugs that fly into him and bite in the process of messing with tall grasses.

and we do it all for these beautiful horses and customer's animals, to keep them healthy in the winter months.  Hay is the ultimate in preserved foods...

Little Pink Houses For You And Me

a small barn-like structure like is a nice design for a small house - one in which Gene and I will live in our "retirement years" - he's just the guy to build it!  I think this tiny house movement makes so much sense - except for the loft sleeping area - they can be designed with a few rooms - one for sleeping - and still fall into the category of small houses.

The NJ beach town of Ocean Grove has the tiniest historic houses - this is a photo of one of the tents in town.

The tents from FDF days on our farm for four years were 522 sq feet had 2 bedrooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom - ample room for living comfortably!

Tomato stakes and other garden accessories

the first 300 tomato stakes lasted over 15 years, made of locust they are strong enough to hold 8 foot tomato laden vines - and get pounded in annually...  after years of use and weather damage, they may break below the soil, being hard to remove out of the ground...we have new ones this year and sold a few hundred, as well.

storm fallen trees get cut into fence posts on the wood mixer, with scrap made into tomato stakes.

portable pea and bean trellis.

Masonry

Brick work involved removing pounds of dirt and resetting old brick - just as good if not better than the original foundation.

Restoration 2015

.........................................screen door needing some difficult repairs

mason work

.....................................spindles made from douglas fir

 .......................................put together, looks just like the first time

The Hay Season

as we approach another hay season, what it means to us:
waiting until July
getting equipment ready
buying baling twine
clearing old hay and sweeping out the barn
watching the weather again and again
mowing the perimeter of the hay field
mowing the hay field
teding the hay
raking the hay
baling the hay
working in 80 degree weather directly in the sun
working a minimum of 3 days to get each batch
heavy lifting, lots of it, to stack  hay
working inside a hot barn
weeding out any bales not dry enough to store
having equipment fails and scrambling to fix them
having lots of green dry nutritious hay for horses and farm animals

when hay is done well it is a rare commodity, Gene does it really well! Thanks Gene...

Wood shop Items for Sale

LATHE - GRIZZLY, like new - $650
Delta Scroll Saw - 18 in Variable Speed - $250
Joiner - 11 in - Navy Yard - $600