Before the grass grows, again…
☆ April 6, 2010
…..we feed hay to the cows and the yearling calves and the horses and the bulls and Daisy. These animals need sun-dried grass and alfalfa to survive until a proper ratio of moisture (snowmelt, rainstorms) and daylight and warmth (come on, sunshine!) compels green grass to emerge, once again, from once-frozen ground.
It’s a thrilling sight, to see blades of grass peeking through dirt. It’s taken me a few hard years in Wyoming and a soul-connection with a few beloved herbivores to truly appreciate the miracle.
Through the winter, and until the new growth is lush enough to sustain these animals, Mike and I feed one-and-a-half tons of hay every day. Sometimes we feed giant round bales that weigh 1000 pounds each. A special truck does the heavy lifting. Sometimes, we load small bales by hand. 3,000 pounds each day.
The second-best part of loading so much hay by hand is knowing that, because of our hard work and physical effort, the animals are happy and nourished, well-fed without ever having to experience the anxiety of foraging in winter. The best part is being able to beat exceedingly macho guys at arm wresting.
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23 Responses to “Before the grass grows, again…”
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April 6th, 2010 @ 3:50 pm
The better aspect of arm wrestling is when you get to compete with your OVER THE TOP move. Eat your heart out, Stallone.
April 6th, 2010 @ 5:01 pm
I LOVE this picture! It’s soooooo good. I love the cattle lining the horizon, with the snow-tipped mountains. Great photo!
April 6th, 2010 @ 5:33 pm
One good thing…it sure keeps you in shape!
April 6th, 2010 @ 6:12 pm
Winning at arm wrestling against exceedingly macho guys…how good is that?
April 6th, 2010 @ 6:34 pm
P90X eat your heart out!
April 6th, 2010 @ 6:34 pm
There is something very rewarding knowing that you are helping nurture and being a part of the cycle isn’t it….
April 6th, 2010 @ 7:28 pm
Now that’s what I call a productive day at work – definitely has a purpose! Hope the grass grows soon.
April 6th, 2010 @ 9:08 pm
I remember those summer when we had to stack 7,000-12,000 bales of hay to last a horse farm for the winter. We were buff machines by the end of the summer. Then Thanksgiving and Christmas rolled around.
April 6th, 2010 @ 9:39 pm
Ha, the best part of growing up on the farm was watching the gym rat weight lifters our neighbour would hire to help load tractor trailers of hay for Florida, and I was a 15 year old girl and could out work all of them throwing bails all day. I’ve never seen my Dad laugh so hard in my life as when they all left after just a half hour.
April 6th, 2010 @ 10:01 pm
I like being reminded of the cycles out there and of that animal-human connection that can’t be broken. Hadn’t thought of the positive aspects of arm wrestling thrown into that mix…COOL! :>P
April 6th, 2010 @ 10:56 pm
Makes me think of the photo you titled “The Dignity of Work”, or words to that affect. Your description brings up memories of feeding cattle on my family’s ranch, decades ago.
I love doing physical labor and hitting that crucial combination of skill and strength. I worked in a sporting-goods warehouse for 16 years: sometimes it was boring, but the physical aspect was often enjoyable.
April 7th, 2010 @ 12:20 am
Love the photo…Our hill are as green as England right now in the central coast..
Oh Happy Birthday to Charlie who shares the same birthdate as me… April 7
Marlene from Cambria
April 7th, 2010 @ 5:48 am
Love it. Muscles from genuine work are the best! Thanks for sharing with us! And in response to your twitter comment about the teleseminar – yes…you should. I know a handful of people that would pay $ for that if it was coming from someone sincere and honest. (like you)
April 7th, 2010 @ 8:31 am
Did you ever imagine that you’d be doing something like this when you lived in NY or CA? For those of us who’ve been doing it a good chunk of our lives, I guess we don’t think it’s terribly out of the ordinary~but I still really enjoy it.
April 7th, 2010 @ 9:43 am
so when are you gonna let sarah have a go at Hay feeding?? i would love to hear her story!
April 7th, 2010 @ 9:45 am
JK, just realized that already happened! ha, sorry.
April 7th, 2010 @ 11:29 am
Love the sound of cows crunching on hay…
April 7th, 2010 @ 11:44 am
There’s something so satisfying about completing a day of hard physical labor.
April 7th, 2010 @ 2:40 pm
Sounds idyllic as I sit here in my office surrounded by concrete. Actually got to watch one of the large rolls get flaked off last night, went to see “Sweetgrass” since I am a descendant of a Montana sheep rancher!
April 7th, 2010 @ 4:27 pm
Did you get this snow the past couple days at your place? Woke up to snowing this morning, now it’s cleared off and melted and windy! Amazing how 30 miles can make a difference! Calves are loving it and so am I… one day we shall meet up for our get-together… on a Goldilocks day, preferably!
April 7th, 2010 @ 7:19 pm
Well, let’s see some of those arms that could out do Linda Hamilton in Terminator! I’m a generation older than you, and the arms are a dead give away to your age if you have “flaps’. Buying mulch this weekend & hope I can manage those 50 lb bags.
Oh, to be young again and finding the path that works right. Not so many people have that advantage. Guess that may be why your site(s) are so popular.
Way back in your start you said something about blogs and how some folks had their mortgage paid w/ them. Is it working for you now?
April 7th, 2010 @ 8:24 pm
What’s arm wresting?
April 8th, 2010 @ 9:23 am
kris ~ ha! no, not quite!
leah: http://www.kansasstatefair.com/pagedescription.php?pages=sf&id=123