Day 193

Pictures from Wednesday...written on Thursday.
Well, because life isn't exciting enough and we simply don't have enough going on this week getting ready for the next two weeks (12 days of friends visiting, an OSU class here, a small graduation party, a three day camp)... this week has been the stomach flu. One of the most entertaining (not really) and annoying things about having a large family is getting to watch people topple one by one with the stomach flu. You know you are pretty much doomed... you just never know how doomed. About half the family has ended up seriously sick with this one.

And of course, this is the week we are supposed to buck hay. Thank God, we got the hay we needed this winter bucked into the barn before the boys got smitten with the flu! We got about 17 tons this year, which is really good. Last year we got almost 20 and that was supposed to be a good hay year. Well, this year, we didn't hay 1/3 of the top pasture (prob at least 3-4 tons) and one of the other pastures was pretty sparse as I didn't graze it wisely this winter.

Martin (our neighbor) took the whole lower field which came to about 10 tons, or 400 bales.
We took in 65 bales from the top pasture. And another crew is coming in tomorrow morning to pick up the rest, praying a rainstorm doesn't appear tonight (unlike last year)! It's much nicer selling it direct from the field...

Also, I was very happy that the haying guy said that our pastures were the best pastures he had seen. That made me really excited. I'm slowly but surely learning pasture management!

Now, I know that wasn't all very exciting, but my goodness, it's helpful to have this stuff written down so I can reference it next year. :)

Now for pictures.
1. My feeble attempt at taking pictures of Andy and Daniel bucking hay while I drive the tractor still half recovered from the flu
2. Daniel working hard... and I really thought I had more pictures... I guess I'm semi delusional when sick.
3. Which speaking of, I have no clue when or why I took this picture. I think I was thinking of the fact that I had fallen asleep sick on Monday night in this clothing and hadn't changed out of them yet. Not the most practical clothing to help buck hay in...
4. What I wish I had a picture of? Dad teaching Daniel how to drive the tractor while I bucked hay for a minute...