Wow! What a busy weekend we had here on the farm. Finally,  the weather was hot and dry. No rain fore casted until next week; a farmer’s perfect hay day. If there is one thing I have learned and learned sometimes the hard way is the knack for drying hay. I am no expert, but I can now talk “haying” with the best of them. We baled up darn near  500 bales. And we are thankful for a window of opportunity to do so.

I also started bush-hogging the horse pastures. The iron weed, in many places  was hood high on the tractor. It hadn’t yet busted out in bloom, but all the while I remembered  picking for  my Mom  beautiful purple bouquets of what is referred to as a weed,  from the cow pastures on our farm in Buford, Ohio.  

Wildflowers growing in the pasture.

Then unexpectedly,  I found some beautiful wild flowers growing in the horse pastures. Who planted those there? I didn’t mow over these, I mowed around them for the time being.  The sky  was so blue with the most gorgeous, billowing clouds. Right from the tractor seat I drank in  all of God’s handiwork. Beautiful indeed and so nourishing to my soul. 

On Saturday morning, we got up early to do some yard sales. We love yard sales, don’t you?  We found so many useful things. One of my best finds was this small, porcelain cooking pot. I have used it  already  to hard boil eggs. 

Isn’t she a cutie! I love the smallness. And I love the price $1

 

I can hardly believe it. I raised these carrots. myself. A little sand mixed in the raised bed worked!

I was excited to pick our first ripe tomato which we ate on our George Forman grilled hamburgers! And I also picked green beans.  I have planted sugar corn, three times now. It comes up sporadically and then it disappears. Rabbit s or deer are a nuisance for the garden. Now I know how Mr. McGregor felt.

My green bean tower from the cold frame I made in the spring.

During hay season, which is always hot, and very good for hay drying, we have learned it is too hot for us,  so we jump in the pond and swim in between  raking and wagon loads. It is refreshing and makes work so much more pleasant and helps guard us from heat exhaustion.

The view of haying from my tractor seat. Windrows of raked hay in which the baler gobbles up and makes hay bales.  Amazing to me that someone could figure out how to make such useful equipment.

So here’s the thing: Work is good as you can see above. Rest and  Relaxation  is good too.  Have you ever heard the proverb that says,   he who doesn’t work doesn’t eat?   And  have you ever heard,  an idle mind (or is it hands)  is the devils workshop?  So work is good. Rest and Relaxation  to replenish one’s self is good too. Even if it is relaxing  in the pond during the  middle of working. Or is that called survival?  It doesn’t get any better than that because somewhere it also says:  all work and no play make Jeff a dull boy! And me too!!!! And that’s a fact. 

Take Joy!
Sherry