Posts Tagged ‘Wintervale Ranch’
Delilah Maturing
A shot of Delilah taking a moment to look up when we do a status check on her. We have been giving her chances to roam off-leash while we are working around the property, but we try not to let much time pass between our calls for her to confirm her whereabouts. So far, so good. She seems to have picked up some new insight about our expectations after her recent re-training time back on the leash. I won’t be surprised if this lesson will need to be repeated several times before she ultimately overcomes the urge to take off and explore distant properties, but for the time being, we are enjoying this little period of success.
Our little baby just might be growing up.
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Busy Days
I sure understand now, the old saying about making hay while the sun shines. The hay-making in these parts is happening all around us now that we are experiencing dryer days. Finally, even our field has been cut. Unlike last year, when our neighbor came over with horses pulling a sickle-bar mower, this time is was done with tractor power.
With our friend, George, too busy getting his own fields cut and baled, we went with a second option that took advantage of proximity. The fields next door to our south are rented out, and we sent word that we would like ours cut when the person comes to do those. Now a 3rd-person connection, I only know him by his first name, Ed.
The hitch here is that this guy only makes round bales. I don’t have the right setup to move those behemoths with my tractor, so they are no good to us. I have a couple of days to try to locate someone who has time and can make small bales. If I’m unsuccessful, we’ll have him go ahead and round bale our field and we’ll hope the neighbor with cows will take them off our hands.
Our need for the hay from our field —which is far from top quality horse hay, due to the ratio of weeds to desirable grasses— is greatly reduced since we connected with a local grower who makes small bales. We can afford to let hay cut from our field go to someone else. The most important thing for us is just getting it cut to encourage grass growth and discourage weeds.
How organic of us!
Speaking of our local grower, I made three trips to his place yesterday, hauling a whopping 120 bales. As a result of some weird law of physics, the bales get heavier as you lift more and more of them.
The days of hay-making are keeping me busy as ever right now. When our shed is filled with bales, it is going to seem like I suddenly have a lot less to do around here.
…Until I think about the woodshed roof laying on the ground.
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A Day
The day starts early, when Delilah announces she is awake and wants to get out of her crate. Yesterday, it was 5:30 a.m. I take her out for a short walk and then grab some breakfast before heading down to feed the horses. I put out 4 pans of processed feed and walk to the far end of the paddock to open a gate that allows them access to the grazing pasture. Normally, I also grab the wheelbarrow and collect any overnight deposits of fertilizer.
On this day, I planned to grant Cyndie her wish to have a mowed path inside the fence of the hay-field for riding horses. She also asked me to cut the area where we envision putting a riding arena. In order to do that, I would need to disconnect the new chipper from the back of the tractor and remount the brush cutter.
We have been without the loader bucket on the diesel tractor for some time, as it was taken to a weld shop for use as a template for a new hay-fork we are having built. The bucket was returned to us on Saturday, and I was excited to finally be able to put it to use. As long as I had the chipper removed, I thought I would scoop up the last of the winter pile of manure in the paddock before hooking up the brush mower.
That bucket can move a lot more stuff in one scoop than the pitchfork and ATV trailer method I had been using. The challenge then became figuring out where to dump the very heavy load. I got stuck trying to back out of my chosen dump spot, spinning two big divots in the gravel driveway.
Earlier, I had been moving a pile of unusable hay from the hay shed using a wheelbarrow, to make room for the new bales. As I drove by on the tractor, it occurred to me that I could move a lot more hay at one time with the bucket. I scooped up a huge amount and headed up to where we are filling in a ravine above the barn, just off the paved driveway.
I knew I was taking a risk as I dropped down off the pavement and partway into the ravine. I tipped the bucket to dump the hay and then tried backing up. No luck. Both large tractor tires spinning. I needed to use the bucket to push myself out, wreaking havoc on the lawn the whole way up. There is a reason the diesel tractor is not the best tool when the ground is wet.
Before I got myself in any more trouble, I headed up to get the brush mower attached. I was a little worried about running into trouble mowing wet areas of the field, but it turned out to be okay. I cut a path around the perimeter and then knocked down an area in the rough size and shape of a riding arena. It’s not possible to cut right up to the fence, so I went and got the trimmer to clean up the edges.
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I am not the fastest guy when it comes to doing things, and the trimming is a project I could work on all day and not get everything cut, so I made a point to only go part way along the fence line. I was aware that I started shortly before time to feed the horses in the afternoon, and I didn’t want to leave them feeling neglected. They were anxiously waiting at the gate for me when I arrived.
While they ate, I went back to hauling hay with the wheelbarrow, taking one short break to make a pass through the paddock to collect the day’s production of fertilizer. When Cyndie called to check in and report she was heading home, I was surprised to discover it was 6:30 p.m.
Trimming isn’t done, and removing old hay was not completed. Even with long days, there isn’t enough time to get everything done. Those chores will carry over into today, along with the plan to haul more loads of hay from our supplier, and with luck, get started on this week’s lawn mowing.
All in a day’s work!
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Managing Tasks
It’s the middle of July and we are experiencing a cold spell to go along with the latest batch of passing rain showers. I finally pulled out a long sleeve shirt yesterday afternoon because I was getting a chill while I sat inside, waiting out the rain. Monday had me back at the 14-hour day, caring for animals and working on chores around the property.
On Saturday, I had a chance to do a little test run of the new wood chipper. Works like a charm. I’m looking forward to grinding all the piles of branches we have laying around.
Yesterday, I worked on cutting down small growth to open up a path for installation of electric fencing that will enclose the back grazing pasture. The area where I was working is down by the drainage ditch that runs along the southern border of our property. I am also working on cutting down the trees that have grown down in that ditch. The combination of cuttings from those two areas have made for several significant brush piles that I will be turning into wood chips. What fun!
Any trees that are too big for the chipper will be turned into firewood. Too bad I don’t have anyplace to stack firewood right now. Rebuilding the woodshed remains a priority, but it is below hauling hay and clearing a path for pasture fencing.
My other priority is to try to get 8-hours of sleep a night. I need the rest since I am working the long days. Unfortunately, my latest attempts have been foiled. Feels a little like burning the candle at both ends. It’s hard because my manager in this new mode of working self-managed, is a real task master.
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Weather Weary
The first full week with Cyndie working her new job and me working at home as full-time ranch manager is behind us. She came home and went to bed with a headache and I am physically exhausted from working 14-hour days. Will the weekend offer us a chance to relax? I’m not sure.
I wasn’t able to get out and test the new wood chipper yesterday, after a morning of rain and an afternoon of hauling hay. I stacked 80 more bales in the hay shed. It’s beginning to look respectable.
I wish I could say the same about our uncut field. As feared, the weeds are maturing and weather hasn’t offered us much chance for enticing any willing neighbors to help turn it into bales.
I take some solace in the fact we are not alone in being unable to cut. I’ve been hearing a lot of talk about the tribulations hay growers are facing this year. We are lucky to have found a supplier who has some high ground, though he still battles the frustration of squeezing the process of cutting and baling into the short number of days between deluges.
Ideally, the process involves at least 3 dry days in a row, but we’ve been hard pressed to get 2, and the rain amounts have continued to be significant. That means the next sunny day or two after a rain event are often lost to waiting for the ground to dry up again. It just doesn’t seem to happen.
This also impacts my plan to do some wood chipping. One of the first areas with cut branches that I am hoping to grind into chips is at the bottom of a hill in a very wet spot. Getting down there with my tractor holds the potential of becoming a muddy, messy affair.
No matter how much control we pretend to have about eventual outcomes, the days will always be a delicate balance, subject to whatever nature chooses to offer or inhibit.
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New Accessory
No more burning brush piles for us. Yesterday, I brought home a new chipper that will be powered by the PTO of the diesel tractor. We could use the wood chips and we have plenty of brush to grind up, so it is a win-win for us.
I’m a little worried that I might turn into a chipping monster now that I have one of these things. I guess it will depend on whether I can stand the racket it likely makes, and how well it actually functions.
I was able to use the tractor to lift it off the truck, and once on the ground, get the chipper mounted on the 3-point hitch on the back. Then I needed to pour through the manual for information on how to use it. The instructions are very simple and straight forward. The hardest part was wading through the pages and pages of safety warnings to get to the operating instructions.
So, today I hope to get a chance to fire it up and give it a try. It will be tricky because I’ve been informed there are hay bales available for pick up from our new supplier, and that project has first priority whenever it isn’t raining. I’ve got 160 bales already stacked inside our hay shed, but that’s less than a third of what we are hoping to stock pile to get us through next winter.
It is pleasing to discover that for our purposes, the size of the hay shed we built has turned out to be perfect.
If we add any more equipment after this wood chipper, I think we’re gonna need another garage. I got it to fit inside the shop garage, but just barely. I’m happy that Cyndie and I both share a strong desire to avoid storing equipment outside on the property. We’ve given in once already, for the truck, but we’d like to leave it at that if we are able.
That just means that before we can add anything else, we will have to get rid of something to make room. Check with me in about a year and we’ll see how well that plan works for us.
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Renewed Hope
I have been purposefully mute about anything to do with the second tree we transplanted to the center of our labyrinth because I thought we had failed again and it hadn’t survived. It looked so good at first, but then suddenly the leaves all shriveled. Since it was early in summer, I figured the tree was doomed. How can a tree survive the long summer with no leaves? I didn’t want to waste any more time writing about it, talking about it, or thinking about it.
I dragged my feet when Cyndie suggested we just buy a tree to plant there. That’s not what I wanted, but I didn’t really offer an alternative. I figured, if I didn’t think about it for while, maybe the problem would go away.
It is possible that it did.
Yesterday when I was down mowing the labyrinth path, I glanced up at the branches when I got close to the center and there before my very eyes were some brand new leaves! Lots of them, actually. What a thrill! It may not be (forgive me for this) out of the woods yet, but for the time being, all is not lost. There is hope once again that it might survive.
And with that hope, we are feeling a wonderful boost of precious joy.
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Hay Day
Picking up hay was delayed yesterday as a result of some light rain showers that moved through. Even when it wasn’t raining, the high dew point temperature made everything feel wet. I took it as a sign I should tackle some of the indoor chores that I’ve been neglecting, so I lingered in the air conditioning to finally pick up and put away bike stuff and camping gear that I’ve been ignoring since I got home from vacation.
I made it outside eventually, and headed down to clean the paddocks while I waited for a call from our hay guy. I pretty much had a days’ worth of work completed by the time I went in for lunch shortly after 1 o’clock. Just as I finished preparing my food, the call came for me to go get the hay.
As I pulled in their driveway, I spotted our new favorite hay dealer headed around a barn on his tractor, glancing back in the nick of time to catch a glimpse of me. Tom seemed very friendly, for a guy who at the same time comes across as all business. Without a greeting, he called to me to drive around the barn, guiding me as I backed the truck into position at a hay wagon. We’d hardly exchanged words and he was tossing bales into my truck bed. He told me that I wouldn’t need to bother strapping the load down if I placed the bales exactly as he instructed. I was all ears.
Much to my surprise, we fit 40 bales on that truck. It worked so well for me that I’m hoping he won’t object to our making many trips back to his farm, picking up as much as he is willing to sell to us, but in 40-bale-at-a-time batches.
If I borrow a trailer, things just get that much more complicated, including the time involved to load and unload. If I’m working alone, which is what will most likely be the case, 40 is a good number that I can move in a relatively short amount of time (before my body starts to get too fatigued).
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Gettin’ Ready
Even though we haven’t cut any of our own hay yet, there is still some to be had from other sources. Cyndie has connected with a local grower she found through the people from whom we purchased our property. The trick is, we —or more correctly, I have to haul it with our truck. Cyndie is up at the lake for the holiday weekend.
Our pickup has only a 6 foot bed and I am not expecting we can fit very many small bales back there. I’m framing it as something of an ice-breaker meeting with the grower and a chance to sample his crop. If it seems like a good fit for all parties, we could borrow our neighbor’s flat-bed trailer to go back and get more.
I’m supposed to show up at 9:00 this morning, so I did some cleaning and rearranging in the hay shed last night to make room for new bales. First, I moved 28 small bales that remain from the batch we received near the end of March, putting them on the other side of the shed. Then I struggled to roll one last large 700 pound bale of the ditch hay out of the way.
I’m ready to see what the day brings.
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Inexplicable Realities
How did I spend my 4th of July Independence Day holiday? Mowing. We have finally begun the transition from too wet to too dry. It’s crazy how quickly the environment seems to swing from one extreme to another. While there are still areas with standing water, the grass growing in places that have dried out is already beginning to show a little stress. The happy medium is an elusive ideal.
Last week when I mowed, the residual clippings were excessive and left rows of dead grass. I didn’t bother with picking them up at the time, and after a few days I realized it was significant enough that I wished I had. It inspired me to pull out the grass catcher option this time, even though it annoys me to have to stop and empty it as often as needed. It worked pretty well for the most part, but when the tube rising off the mower deck would plug, the clippings and mud accumulated around the blades beneath the deck.
By the time I finished, it had become a hellacious re-molded surface under there with barely space for the spinning blades. Yikes!
I got another chance to practice removing the mower deck from the tractor.
I’m feeling less anxious about finding someone to cut our hay field after talking with my next door neighbor to the south. In hind sight, I discovered that my usual pattern of allowing myself to endure pressure about doing things “correctly” (like cutting when it is time to cut) is one of the primary forces causing my angst. Just hearing from the neighbor that we can’t cut here yet because it wouldn’t be able to dry enough on the ground, brought me a huge sense of relief.
It didn’t hurt that he also mentioned that the person who rents his field, and will be cutting hay there as soon as possible, would probably be able to help us out if my first option doesn’t come through.
A few posts back somewhere, I made mention of Legacy and Dezirea being hesitant to pass through the gate to our grazing pasture. I think I figured it out. It wasn’t just because the ground was so saturated there, but because their hooves sink so far in the muck that somehow the electric wire running underground between fence posts had gotten nicked and was arcing in the mud. It was hard for me to hear, but they obviously sensed the problem and it made them very uncomfortable.
It is feeling lately as if the line between functioning and failing is a very fine one, making it all the more challenging to reach the goal we are seeking. Our sights are well beyond merely functioning. We hold a vision of positively thriving!
Time for me to go mingle with the herd and practice absorbing more of their amazing horse-sense.
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Relative Something 