Be Ye Separate

Planning ahead:)

Blessings from Heavenly Acres!

   Just when we think we've finally gotten a day to slow down and get our regular routine tasking done, up pops something that cannot be put off yet you had hoped it would be at a more "convenient" time. Like my gram always said, "Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans":P Today it couldn't have been more true:)

   My very dear friend CaraDD phoned to say she had found grass hay at a great price and the man said it's in the field, just come get it and pay me later. The Lord was being very watchful of us as we are at the end of the money for this month and would not be able to do anything about the much needed hay until Monday:s God has been so good to us for certain:)

   The man had said there was about 150 bales in the field and we could have it all since it is supposed to rain tomorrow and it would rot in the field. We were quite excited as we are in great need of about 6 tons to get us through till next spring. We had been praying over this matter as the hay has been mighty hard to come by this year. You see, it rained so late into the spring that the first cuttings were mostly washed out. We knew the Lord would guide us and boy did He:)

   CaraDD showed up here at our place with her pickup. We took her pickup, my sons little ranger pickup and my Excursion with a car trailer hitched up. Another blessing was that it was only a few miles from here so we didn't have far to go at all.

   We all drive out in our little caravan of vehicles and into the field and lo and behold...he miscalculated a bit. What we had anticipated would take one trip turned into 2! And we nearly had to make a third:P My son was able to load 15 bales onto his little pickup, we got 24 bales into CaraDD's pickup (much more than she thought would fit), and 72 bales on the trailer (the first time).

   My son drove his pickup home and parked it and the rest of us rode in my car/trailer to unload the trailer so we could go back for more. We left CaraDD's pickup there since it would only be in the way when we brought the next load in. Matthew's poor little pickup is under quite a load:P I will take pictures of his little pickup tomorrow when it's light and share it:)

   We unloaded the trailer into the front of the house. CaraDD, being the creative and silly thing she is, entertained us all by building a straw house:) We played along and had fun building up walls and even a patio of hay. In fact, Mary-Ann furnished it!:P It didn't take us any longer to unload, but it did make it a little fun and less of a chore:)

   We went back to the field for our next trip and counted things out figuring if we added a 5th tier to the trailer load we could get it all on there. We did get it all on there with a little room to spare! Glory be!:)

   We got it all back home, CaraDD took off for her home after retrieving her dog from my house and we decided to wait until morning to unload the second trailer. It was awful dark and we were just beat. I grabbed the role of greenhouse plastic and we were able to cover all the hay and then some:) We covered the entire trailer, moved all the "house" hay into a closer stack and covered that, then covered Matthew's truck:) That stuff is much better than tarps:)

   Tomorrow we will put down the pallettes into the lower yard near the animal pens and get that hay transferred back there for safe keeping. We are going to put up a couple of those portable carports as a makeshift barn for winter to protect it all.

   I must say I am very impressed with CaraDD's stamina:P She is one tough homesteader:P If it hadn't been for her and Matthew I don't know that I could have finished all that. I don't have a LOT of strength as it is and with the heat and all, I was doing the best I could. Mostly they had me trail the car while they bucked the hay to the two girls on the trailer and they stacked and packed it.

   CaraDD got what she needed and then some (a little over half a ton) and we got a little over 4 tons. We only need 2 more tons and we will be completely prepared! God is so good!

   Tonight I am itchy, stinging arms and legs, sneezy and wheezy...but we have hay!:P Poor CaraDD was sneezing the entire time we were out there poor thing. I was surprised I hadn't been but sure enough, it started about an hour after we got home. Matthew is exhausted and sunburned (I think we all are:P) but none the worse for wear. Mary-Ann has a rash all over her arms, legs and face from the hay. My arms are covered with an itchy rash as well as my legs and the tops of my feet and my eyes are like sandpaper:P  But I am blessed and thankful for what the Lord provided:)

   Have a blessed day tomorrow.

God be with thee!

Sister Lori

Wow

{ 03:35, Thursday, June 28, 2007 } { Posted by cindy }

That is a true blessing. I pray that you find the other two tons needed also. That must have been a lot of work. I pray everyone is no longer itchy and wheezing this morning. Healing to you all!!

Be blessed

~~Blessings!
It was a lot of work but we are so very blessed:) I couldn't have done it without our wonderful "crew":)
My arms are still itching but the sneezies are finished. Mary-Ann, Matthew and I are sporting a nice red tint to the faces, necks and arms this morning though:P And I have a killer headache but that too shall pass:)
God be with thee!
Sister Lori

Edited by SisterLori on Thursday, June 28, 2007 at 12:01

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{ 06:12, Thursday, June 28, 2007 } { Posted by haflinger }

Wow sounds like alot of work but praying does help.. And your prayer was answered. Here we are just doing the first cut of hay. If the farmers are lucky they might get three cutting..Here the price of hay per bale is $3.75 IN the field for pick up is slightly cheaper..
love&peace haflinger

~~Blessings!
We picked this up for $2.50 IN the field and that's expensive:s In fact, this year we've seen the basic grass hay for over $4.00 a bale which is practically unheard of. What we are finding too, is that most of the ranchers are going over to the round bales and so finding baled hay is challenging.
It was a lot of work and if it wasn't for CaraDD, Matthew, Mary-Ann and Kristina (our future daughter-in-law) it would have taken days to do. We hope to one day have enough land to grow our own and never have to search again:) (Lord willing)
God be with thee!
Sister Lori

Edited by SisterLori on Thursday, June 28, 2007 at 11:59

Bringing in the Sheaves?

{ 08:10, Thursday, June 28, 2007 } { Posted by CaraDD }

I'm just glad we got it in! When we headed to SisterLori's with the second load, it was still mostly clear sky, but by the time I got home, it was clouded and now it really does smell like rain. Thankfully at 10:30 last night we didn't have to unload...I was able to back in far enough that it was under cover in the tractor shed.

What I like about haying, is that it's the first step toward being prepared for winter. I love that "full pantry" feeling. Now that my animals pantry is full, I can get back to filling one for us humans!

Hope all is well over there Sister! I hope Matt and Betty aren't too much the worse for wear! Woo-hoo...only 80 more bales to go and you are done, too :P

~~You are right about the "full pantry" thing. We were sure worried we wouldn't find enough if any at all. Thanks so much for calling around:)

Gott bi mitt du!
Sister Lori

Edited by SisterLori on Thursday, June 28, 2007 at 11:55

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{ 20:56, Thursday, June 28, 2007 } { Posted by meme21713 }

An unexpected turn of events for you but what a blessing, and what a GREAT friend you have...Debbie