More Than About the Bees!

 Mom sent me a great article today.  Click HERE to read it.  Beekeeping is really much more than about the bees!!  I took a quick overnight trip to Freedom last night and paused for a moment next to this beautiful bee plant garden.  I realize it is important to stop and look often.  Try to make an effort to do this.  When you are feeling a good vibe going during the day, stop, pause, and take a deep breath in.  Figure out where that good vibe is coming from and then do more of that thing!!  

Good vibe picture here.  For me and the bees!! 

Bailing Grass Sucks Ass

I hope the title of this blog made you laugh and not blush or frown!  Seriously, bailing grass hay is horrible.  The long cylindrical dry stems of grass pack together into a bale that explodes if any one thing goes wrong.  Oh, we babied that field of grass hay.  Folks, this stuff should cost thousands of dollars per ton.  Mike walked alongside, up and down each row of  raked fluffy grass, watching the bales as they spewed out the chute.  He was walking because the four wheeler had run out of gas.  Walking in his not-so-good-for-a-grass-field Clogs, he paced back and forth, making adjustments when necessary, throwing up his hands (quite dramatically) when I needed to stop, and pulling out the exploded bale of hay so we could start the entire maddening process over again.  By the time we were getting to the end, the Hay Boss was leaning over holding himself up, hands atop knees, head hanging down.  He was over it.  It was clear.  

This is a picture of me as the Hay Boss adjusted the length of the bales.  Are the bales too long or are they too short?  This answer is still unknown!!  Ugh.  

A pretty imaged shared by our recent guests enjoying a family reunion at our place.  It's nice to share the house with others.  Besides keeping it really clean, people get to enjoy the place we are so lucky to have; the quiet (when the Hay Boss turns off the water pump, that is....), the hummingbirds (there are zillions this year!), the open air walk down the lane (oh, the value of open spaces on the human soul!), and the cool mountain evenings.  Thanks for the picture, Darin! 

  

Summer Insanity

It happens every year.  It's so predictable, I can look ahead and predict things will not be sane until October.  The insanity will go on this summer and be heightened by the drought, whose magnitude increases with every dreadfully hot and dry day.  The soil has turned to dust. 

We are happy to get as much water on the fields as we have been able to.  The creek is running dry, however.  Second crop still looks good and is growing fast. I expect early flowers due to the heat and the drought.  Third week of August.  That's what I predict for second cutting time......

It's lily blooming time.  Tall tiger lily buds fatten every day.  Red lilies delight and white lilies brown in the heat.  

Life's fast pace has me crabby.  I'll be the first one to acknowledge and admit this fact.  Here we are in summer, the most amazing time of the year in these mountains - even in a drought - and we run around with no time to sit and enjoy it, to go for a walk down the lane, to pull weeds and pause.  Pause to stop.  Too much, too much.  

Hay Frenzy

Despite the ominous threat of storms all around us, Mike and I got the first half of our hay crop put up and under cover without nary a drop of rain hitting the coveted crop.  Hay is hard to get this year.  Our first cutting, half of which is still standing, is sold out.  The drought has pushed hay prices way higher than the Hay Boss is willing to charge.  Our customers are getting a deal this year.  

The equipment is working well too, I have to say.  Last year, on day one, I almost walked off the job AND divorced my husband!!  It was a horrible day with equipment breaking, hay bales bunching up, etc etc.  Things went much better this year.  The addition of a backup camera on the baler was a HUGE addition; one can monitor how things are going back there closely, preventing messes from happening early.  

Look closely at the bottom of this picture and you will see the Hay Boss loading an eight pack of hay onto a trailer.  Beautiful night in Star Valley. 

Here, the smiling "hired" hand.  With good luck (which we certainly had for the first half of the crop), the hired hand will continue being happy!! 

We have an orchard now!!  Twelve beautiful fruit trees are now planted at Mike's Circle Drive place.  Caged to protect from any browsing wildlife, they are watered daily and all look very good.  Apples, pears, plums and a self-pollinating cherry accent the alfalfa and weed mix.  There is a lot of work to be done on this property!  

Meanwhile, in the garden, garlic scapes and more garlic scapes!!  With 300 cloves of garlic growing, I knew there would be lots of scapes!!  I see pesto in our future!  

Predictions of 90 plus degree weather this week and continuing dryness.  We hope our ditch keeps bringing the precious water.