I AM MAKING MY OWN HAY

A personal story

by Deborah `Moon` Moen

Deborah Moon Moen August 8, 2012

Providing food for my livestock is rewarding.

While I cut the hay, I become like a true pioneer woman.

 

Hacking and cutting, soaking up the sun, wiping my brow, and finding coolness in the shade and a frosty glass of iced tea, is a labor of love for me.

• We plant it
• Water it
• Let it grow till about 1 ½ feet tall
• Cut it
• Let it dry in the sun
• Rake it in long rows
• Pitch it in the wagon
• Cover it

Startin' it up is a hoot.

I use a heavy duty weed whacker.

1. I pump it
2. prime it
3. pull on the cord
4. the motor whirls and grinds
5. I heft it off the ground
6. swing it gracefully from side to side, low to the ground.

“Better move!” I say to the mice and moles, “Here I come!”

The hay falls down.

In time I am through. I ask the sun to bake the hay. By noon I am back with a long metal rake with a wide toothy comb. I pull the hay into long rows to help it weave together as it dries.

Raking rows LUF 2012

Afternoon I pitch the hay


 I hold the big black tongue of the wagon and pull her into the rows. As I pitched the wagon is filled with heaping mounds of sweet smelling hay. Husband loved my nice straight rows and I could tell he wanted to load the hay too. I decided to share the hay. I got a big grin from him and he went right to work. A labor of love.

Paul pitches hay as the storm clouds approach Little Utah Farm.

And then to dwell in sovereign barns,
And dream the days away,---
The grass so little has to do,
I wish I were the hay! ~ Emily Dickinson 1890 " The Grass"

My favorite part of home grown hay

Here is a very short video (30 seconds) I made of our llamas eating the home grown hay.

 

 

 

 

Thank you for coming by to visit Little Utah Farm. The rains came shortly after the last stalks of hay were tarped and tucked away that day. But that is a story for next time...

Until then believe in your dreams,

Deborah `Moon`

 

http://www.hayinart.com/001405.html#greenwell

Emily Dickinson(1830-1886).
“The Grass”
from Poems (1890)

The grass so little has to do,---
A sphere of simple green,
With only butterflies to brood,
And bees to entertain,

And stir all day to pretty tunes
The breezes fetch along,
And hold the sunshine in its lap
And bow to everything;

And thread the dews all night, like pearls,
And make itself so fine,---
A duchess were too common
For such a noticing.

And even when it dies, to pass
In odors so divine,
As lowly spices gone to sleep,
Or amulets of pine.

And then to dwell in sovereign barns,
And dream the days away,---
The grass so little has to do,
I wish I were the hay!

Farming is Fun

Our new windmill needs to be fastened
down in the howling winds.

Our parents grew up on a farm. Mine in Indiana and Paul's in South Dakota. They chose the city to raise their families. Paul and I dreamed of farming. Sometimes you just got to pinch yourself when your Dream is realized. Everyday we appreciate and LOVE our Farm.

The rising summer sun makes a bright golden haze on the fields.

We just harvested hay. Arapaho, our llama,
 thinks it's good and ready

Our little alfalfa field is very beautiful and yields about 1/2 week to 2 weeks worth of hay. It is just big enough to give us a farming experience. We cut it with a special blade that fits in the weed whacker. Then we rake it by hand and stack it in the sun. When it is cured about, 3 days, we put it in the wagon. We just picked up 5 bales of a blend of 60%Timothy grass and 40% 'alfalfa. First cut may contain fox tails so we check it before we buy it.

We love our tractor

This me on the tractor.  Paul taught me how to run it and use it. I like looking back at the earth as it undulates under the sharp blades and the smell of earth and the promise of crops to come.

The Wild Jungle of Love

The Jungle of LOVE is Paul's creation. It is the lushest place in Cedar City Clay. A magical place with ground cover that protects the wildflowers. Next year I will plant one in my cornfield for protection from harsh winds and hard clay.

Ok now you gotto realize that 2 years ago these were 1 1/2 ' sticks with a few roots. I ordered 64 willows and trees and the post woman drove up with one whimpy green plastic bag. Pretty disappointing after wanting for those lovely trees and flowers in the catalogue. I commenced to digging forever holes and planting forever trees and willows. Today they are growing so nicely. See? Taller than an elephants eye and great wall for wind and snow for the llamas. The man in this picture I LOVE. He is so handsome and willing, don't you think ? ♥ PAUL ♥ Is my LOVE Husband ♥

Bizzy Beeezzz in The Jungle of Love

There are plenty of happy bees on our organic farm. They are so buzzie and bizzy, and gather so much yellow pollen their little legs are full of it. I love this wildflower garden and so do they.

This spinach is divine. I snip off the leaves as
 I use them and pinch the flowers off

My first cabbage ever. Ain't she pretty?
We have beets, Italian parsley and
chamomile too.

Rainbow eggs everyday

My girls are so sweet. Henny Penny, Betsy
Callie and Peck. I have 6 more.

Sunsets are absolutely scrumptious
with drama, color and variations.

Each day here is weaves a story of precious memories of textures, color, sound, and temperatures are a  reflection of our life long dream of living in the country in a rural setting. Farming is fun.