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I have learned so many new things this summer. I have learned about haying, kittens, gardening, more about the boys, new things about Luke, and some interesting things I didn’t even know about myself.

First off haying. At the beginning of the summer I knew next to nothing about growing, cutting, baling, stacking, the equipment used, and selling hay. I will never ever claim to be an expert (I am far from that) but here are some things I have learned.

First you cut the hay with a hay bine. A fun fact that Pops told me, baby deer like to lay in the grass to hide and they don’t move even when they hear a tractor, but you can’t see them till it is too late. WHAT!!!! Thankfully no deer where harmed in the cutting of the hay. I have also learned that Luke looks good on a tractor, oh wait I already knew that.
Sometimes you get gorgeous weather and baling hay is fun. 65 and sunny and low humidity makes for a great day. That beautiful green and yellow machine is the other member of our family, Purdy the 630. A few days after you cut, depending on the weather of course, it is time to bale. The goal is to let it dry in the field and not get rained on. We did great with the first cutting. It is a super cool thing to see 3 generations working the fields.
I have also learned that the boys love riding as high as they can on the bales and climbing the wagon sides. I hear the view is good from up there.
Tuck and Max have become great farm hands. Almost always willing to help when a tractor is involved. They have their work gloves, hats, boots, just like Dad and Pops and they are ready to farm.
After you bale it’s time to stack. From the wagon, up the elevator and into the silo (we don’t have a barn with a hay mow). The mountain of hay was very tall by the end of the summer and had to spill over into the barn. Pops looks pretty good for celebrating 70 this summer!
He is smiling because the wagon is empty. I like his smile, it makes me happy ?
This is what Zac does instead of baling. ? I have also learned it is easier to let them play naked in the mud, and then send them to Mimi’s porch to get washed off ?, but seriously she has a hose.
Our second cutting was MUCH hotter, late July brings just a touch of humidity around these parts (sarcasm). But Max is a trooper, that kids doesn’t mind a little sweat if he can be near the tractor. He is a hard worker and does not quit.
It was hot and dusty! I can assure you that face covering is not for Covid. I have also learned that hay can be very pokey and itchy. Actually I have been told, I can’t say I learned that first hand.
By the 3rd cutting, it was much cooler and even a sweatshirt felt good. Tucker stacked almost two rows by himself with only a little assist from Pops. So they are taking a well earned break.
Well, well, well. Look who is driving the tractor. Luke had to run the RV to Minnesota and it was gonna rain, so Pops said, “Are you ready?” So you get on the tractor and do what you are told. Turns out it is kinda fun to drive that big tractor up and down the field. The sound of the plunger arm pushing the hay into bales is strangely comforting. And it turns out – it is a great place to sing a wide selection of show tunes to my hearts content. Yep I went through as many classic Disney songs as I could come up with. As loud as you want, cause no one on the wagon can hear you ☺️. (I also learned that I can’t drive in a very straight line and take a selfie, focus Julie focus.)

Overall it was a successful haying season. Our equipment was pretty much functional, the hay grew, got cut, baled, stacked and some of it even sold! And more importantly the boys had a great time, learned a ton, and got to spend time with Pops and Dad, so I would say we did pretty well.

I have never been a lover of cats. Mostly due to the fact that I have a pretty valid allergic response to them, so touching them does not produce any type of pleasurable reaction. I have always tried to keep a healthy distance. So when Luke says we need some barn cats to eat the mice you can guess my reaction. Well, Luke can be very persistent when he wants to be. So he found free barn cats on Craigslist, and what do you know we were the proud new owners of 3 new kittens. Mittens, Chassis, and Pickle in the same order as the children who named them. When we got them we warned the boys that they might not live for one reason or another and that was the life of a barn cat. If you have any experience on a farm you can probably attest that some might call them lucky if they make it through the summer. Well unfortunately for Mittens he was not so lucky. Tucker’s kitten met an untimely and still a bit of a mysterious death. But Chassis, Max’s black cat, and Pickle, Zac’s cat that we call sweet Pickle, have used up several of their 9 lives but continue to live on. These sweet little kitties have become some best friends for the boys. They love being played with and pet and try to make a break for getting in the house anytime the door is open. They do however still sleep in the barn but so far need to work on their mousing skills.

This is the very first day we brought our 8 week old Kittys home
I can’t even handle the crinkle nose
  • Pickle just checking out what she is missing inside
  • Hard to see but Chassis is in-between Luke’s legs just trying to help I am sure. I missed the picture of him on Luke’s back.
They like to go for walks with us up into the woods, they are a little more like dogs than cats sometimes.

Turns out I do like our sweet barn cats, which I cannot even believe. I even break down and give them a few pets occasionally. It is hard to resist when they literally flop over when you walk by hoping for a belly rub. But then I quickly wash to get rid of the “cat germs” as Tucker calls them. But they get enough love from everyone else on the farm to make up for my lack of enthusiasm.

Mimi and I started a garden this spring which I have to say was a learning experience and for the most part successful. We used the “square foot garden” technique. It worked great for some things and others not so much. We learned the zucchini, cucumbers, ground cherries, and tomatoes need more space. But honestly duh, we both could have told you that before we started. We thought we would give it a try and do what the book said, we will not however be doing that again. It was a fun garden and the boys love to eat tomatoes and ground cherries right off the plant. They all love to help pick veggies. I got to cook some delicious treats from the garden and I also have loved cooking up all kinds of goodies with yummy seasonal fruits from around here. It has been a summer full of lots and lots of cooking and baking.

I don’t even have a picture of the garden at the end of the season, but the second picture was taken June 13th, so just use your imagination. It was nuts.

It has been a really fun summer. The boys have grown like crazy, physically and emotionally. Luke is in his element and just loves being back on the farm where he grew up. And I have to say I love the wide open space, the peace and quiet, the small town living, and not having a busy schedule that we are constantly trying to keep up with. It is a very different life than we had in the suburbs and I am honestly thankful that we had the extra time here that we were not expecting. Never thought I would like living in this little cow town, turns out I do. I am so thankful that God knows what we need even before we do. We needed this summer on the farm.

Live your Adventure,

Julie