Hay Feeding

I have recently been inspired by this blog: Pioneer Woman and so I'm going to post a little bit more like she does and see how that goes. No promises about maintaining this, just an experiment. If you like it, let me know!

Ryan currently is feeding hay from the bales he had made last fall, but we're still low tech around here. So here is how to feed a small flock of sheep with a bale of hay:

Unroll your bale a little and grab a pitchfork. We searched auctions for months for a decent pitchfork, but I think we ended up just paying the $60 for this one new. It's surprisingly hard to find a pitchfork at auction in decent shape.

Move some hay onto a tarp, basically whatever you can tote around.

Pause to contemplate life while the ram and cows behind you try to figure out how to get some of this fresh hay.

Haul your tarp down the hill. The ram still wants some, so smile at him as you walk on by.

Wrestle the tarp in through the sheep pen gate. Today, only one got out so we're doing pretty good! Luckily the lazy photographer could reroute her back into the corral.

Slide the tarp out from under the hay. This one's tricky because the sheep like to stand on the tarp. So the old "pulling the tablecloth off the table while it's set" trick comes in useful.

Stand back and admire your handiwork again. That and think about how the pastures are almost ready to be done with the whole hauling hay thing and the ewes will soon have fresh grass to eat.

So now it's time to go feed the ram and cows before they bust down the fence in search of hay.

Doing things "The old-fashioned way"

We went to a farm auction yesterday (7 hours in the sun, Ryan's a little crispy) and I was struck at how many things we were trying to buy for their original intended purchase while bidding against people trying to buy them for home decorating or other purposes. The example that sticks in my mind is that Ryan was bidding on an egg scale (that tells you what grade/size they are) and lost it at $25. He asked the guy who won it why he bought it and the guy said, "for the novelty of the thing." I think that's kind of sad. So I'm posting a picture of our clothesline and compost pile because it got me thinking about how many things we do "the old-fashioned way" around here. If you think about it, hypertension and diabetes weren't the kind of problems they are now when we used to eat the old-fashioned way and maybe we are starting to realize that.

On a lighter note, it's now lily season!! Anyone who knows me knows that lilies are my absolute favorite flower and this is the first year we've started getting them into the garden. So I am awaiting each one in eager anticipation as it buds and I get to discover its color (since I have, of course, completely forgotten which lily we planted where). We don't buy very many lilies and instead spend the money on a few quality lilies, which we get from Old House Gardens (www.oldhousegardens.com). I highly recommend them, we always get a personal note written on our order and they also sell heritage tulips, daffodils, cannas, hyacinth, iris, peonies, and other bulbs! We love them. Although last fall we did cheat and put a few cheap lilies in the garden just so we can have some time to establish the better ones. So I'm not actually sure where this one came from. My "citronella" lily from OHG is going to bloom soon, though, so I'll try to remember to post you a picture!