They say you have to make hay while the sun shines, and that is literally the push at Keewaydin this week. In the Driftless area, where the ground seems more and more saturated every season, even on our ridgetop farm, these dry days are highly sought after. Most mornings, Papa Rich (head of hay operations) will call Rufus up and ask, “How is it up there? Is it dry?” Many days the answer is no, but we have had a merciful window the last couple days, in both the weather and the machinery. We have experienced a handful of typical hold ups; lack of proper equipment, breaking down equipment, and the infamous sinking of the equipment down into a wet field. As you may know, all these processes must be comprehensively sworn through. Certain words and phrases take prevalence in conversations between man, metal, and firmament. But, today there was a breakthrough. Between Papa Rich and Rufus, almost all the hay, barring the most sodden areas, has been cut and raked. While Rufus was working on a wagon, he came across a nest of angry bees, one of which stung him in the face. He has previously had allergic reactions to being stung, but in recent years they have not been as severe. It still scares me though. He takes a couple benadryl, sends me to town for wasp and hornet spray and gets back at it, because…well, you have to make hay while the sun shines.
~Joy