I’ve been blessed by a rainy summer which provided Claire & Honey plenty of grass to graze on Casa Claire. It’s also given them lots of tree leaves to forage.
I haven’t had to supplement their greens with hay.
My last delivery of hay was in the Spring, and I pretty much used up the last bale in early May.
Of course the price of hay, like everything else, has practically doubled over the past 2 1/2 years. Go figure. When I called last week, my usual supplier wanted a ridiculous amount of money for my usual order.
Fuck that.
And now there are all of these new companies selling hay on line using a new process called compressed bailing. Same amount of hay in a bale just compressed into smaller sizing, with plastic bands, not string. Great for storage purposes.
Not great because they don’t deliver if you don’t buy three bundles of 18 bales each. Why would I need 54 bundles? My Toyota can hold maybe 4 bales if I pack it. But then it takes 6 months to get all of the hay strands out of the car. Been there, done that.
Well, when I was first building Claire’s barn, I needed rubber mats for the floor in the stall area. I went on line and a local guy, Tom C, had a few extra he was looking to sell. Turns out there were just enough panels to complete the stall. Claire’s luck.
Tom also mentioned that he sold hay. That stayed with me.
I had kept his number, and when I was researching potential hay suppliers, remembered him. Gave him a call.
Seems he still bales the hay the old fashioned way, and is right down the road – 5 minutes from me.
Called and asked if he had any to sell. Voila. He’s delivering 20 bales at noon today. That should hold me to November. I will use him going forward.
And he did not gouge me. Fair price. Last of the nice guys.
Must be a Tom thing. Or Claire’s luck.
Either way, I am the luckiest guy in the world, and Claire and Honey will continue to enjoy ample supplies of hay this winter.
Of course, anyone who has watched my videos know just how much fun I have carrying, tossing and stacking hay bales and filling bags and racks. Back to the grind. Green Acres. Honest labor.
But there is no better feeling than knowing that you can feed your family. Especially in the winter. Again, I am blessed.
Well I got my other chores out of the way yesterday. Got to stop by O’Shays for dinner with Lisa and see Lonnie, Jen, Kyle, Greg, John McBride and the rest of the gang.
Going to take care of the edits I have been collecting from my diligent and selfless inner circle. Amazing the shit those elves typed into the manuscript. I think they are doing it on purpose. But I need to be careful, they’ve been watching the UAW strike on the news.
Again, I am the luckiest guy in the world.
Well, it’s time to get moving. A kitty to cuddle and rounds to make.
You fine, five readers give the Lord this day of rest, watch some football, gather as a family for dinner. Invite some friends and neighbors over. Enjoy the moment. Love.
But most of all, make today a great one.
One Response
On trips back to the homelands in Ireland, the two toughest and most enjoyable jobs were “saving the hay” and “putting up the turf.” Even w the itching and sweating w the hay and the sweating and muck of tge bog, there is something cleansing about that backbreaking work.