The Ox Was in the Ditch 1999

Hay raking

What a sight to behold.  It was a fantastic boost to my faith in humanity and it was simply neighbor helping neighbor.  This sort of help is not as common as it was in years past when neighbors would gather in to help raise a barn, gather crop for a sick farmer – or share work in log rolling.  It’s a comfort to know we live in a neighborhood where people are willing to step in and lend a helping hand to those in need.  The recipient would have done the same thing his neighbors did if the shoe had been on the other foot, but he was (and is) so grateful for the help. 

Last week started off much like any other and it was time for the hay to be cut – 47 acres of it.  The mowers came and did their job laying the tall grass on the ground to later be made into rolls of hay.   This process takes several days (depending on the sunshine and wind, plus the height of the green grass) – the grass has to dry out enough so the hay can be rolled and safely stored away for winter feed. A day or so after the mowing, word came that Katrina was on the way and the real action began to take place.  The farmer (the owner) began the business of fluffing.  For you city readers – he hooked the big John Deere Tractor to a machine (called a fluffer) with wheels that turn, raising the grass up off the ground enough so that sun and air can more easily pass through it thereby hastening the drying process.  The weather on Saturday cooperated – it was hot and dry with a nice breeze and the day was spent on the tractor turning the grass over and I’m sure praying.  It’s much better hay if it doesn’t get wet before it’s baled or rolled in a large roll. 

Putting up hay today is a far cry from how it used to be done.  In my young days, the grass was cut, raked and then put in stacks to cure X number of days.  Then the mule drawn baler was brought to the field and the stacks hauled to the baler.  The baler itself was powered by a mule, too, but the farmer did lots of manual labor with a pitchfork and elbow grease.  Then the bales were loaded on a two-horse wagon, hauled to the barn and manually hoisted up into the loft of the barn to be stacked for safe keeping.  Today sometimes the farmer here makes square bales for the barn loft, but he has a conveyor that takes the bales up to the loft. 

Back to the story, following the Saturday fluffing, it was decided that the hay would be ready to bale the next day.  It could have waited until Monday; however, rain was predicted for late Sunday afternoon and that would have thwarted any hay baling for Monday and maybe several more days.   The decision was made to try to get the ox out of the ditch on Sunday.  So with that big John Deere Tractor now equipped with the large hay rake, about noon I saw the farmer roll out of here going in the direction of the largest hay patch and the push was on. The plan was for him to meet the baler in a certain field.  I wish we had of gone to the field to watch the operation, but didn’t think of it in time (all I could think about was watching the Atlanta Braves) – isn’t hind sight wonderful?  After a few hours had passed, we saw the rake come through our yard on the way to yet another field and right on his heels was the baler.  In another minute or two here comes this huge trailer pulled by Neighbor # 1 and his pickup truck and loaded with beautiful rolls of hay; then right behind him came Neighbor # 2 on his tractor to unload and stack the rolls in the pole barn.  What a sight – I couldn’t believe my eyes.  They hurried to get the hay in the dry, as by now thunder could be heard in the distance.  What I didn’t know was that Neighbor # 3 was waiting in the field with his tractor to reload the trailer on its return.  With the thunder getting heavier and heavier, the team moved a little faster and just as soon as the hay was put away from the large field they moved to the smaller field and as quick as the baler released the roll it was loaded and readied for moving. What teamwork!  Just as the last rolls were being put in the dry, the rain came and it did rain.  The farmer waved goodbye to his helpers and he went about the business of changing the gates so the cows could go back to their grazing.  Of course, he got drenched in the process, but that was minor for him – the big thing was that the hay was in the dry.  Now Katrina could come on through and do her thing. At this writing, we await her arrival.  Neighbors helping neighbors has to be one of the best parts of living in the country and experiencing country living.