Friday Farm Fun- A Family Hay Ride

We had the neighbor cut, rake and bale our grass hay this summer for half of the harvest. They hauled off their half on Sunday. Our half sat in the field, waiting. Every night this week, my husband found other things for us to do but haul the hay.

Thursday our youngest daughter and her family arrived. Both our son-in-laws don't like to sit around with nothing to do. So Erick offered to pick up the hay. I helped with the first two loads. Our 8 year old grandson drove the one ton truck in granny low. His almost 5 year old sister did what all women do, guided him through the bales.  "Turn Kelly. No Kelly. This way Kelly." While Erick put the bales on the back of the truck, I stacked them.

On the second trip, I had two kids and three dogs I was dodging while stacking the bales. The kids slowly made their way up to the top of the stack while the dogs jumped off the truck. Grass hay is soft and easier to handle than the scratchy alfalfa but it also has more loose chaff.

By the third load the kids were all digging in their pants and complaining about having hay in their clothes. By then I had to go in the house and start dinner preparations,so Erick and the two boys finished the job.It took four loads to get the hay out of the field and stacked ready to feed the horses through the winter.

My husband came home from work with a big smile on his face. He didn't have to haul the hay. I think he was secretly hoping all week that Erick would be bored when he arrived and haul the hay.