Little Square Dance

I love little squares. Some people call them idiot cubes, but I call them character builders. They separate the men from the boys. When I was a kid, my granddad used to pick us up, and out to stack hay we'd go. Those July days were exhausting. Especially for young boys who didn't have much muscle tone yet. But what I remember most was the unspoken competition that went on between us. If Mike could pick two rows at a time, I could do three. If I could stack four high, Nate would do five. Those were formative years. Every time I smell alfalfa or pick up a small bale, I think of Grandpa S and those hot summer days on the Gooseberry. God bless America.

Crossfit for Cowboys

God provides. Bill and Joanne Fields had been putting up the grass on their little ranch on the prairie for the past few years. But with having to put their horse down this fall they had no use for it anymore. So they turned to Fr. Bryce who will always accept free hay. 

We've been picking at the stack of grass all winter but with a herd of hungry cows now, she's going quick.

Joanne has been great to visit with as we load ole Patty. She gives me horse training tips and brings me cold water when the sweat starts to roll. But what I'm most thankful for, is that she closes the gates for me when I leave.

The girls are doing real well on this Crested Wheatgrass. To date, the herd stands at 11.

Hank Williams even made a guest appearance. 

I've been using these nets for round bales. Just stuff them full of squares and the let the girls have their way. It slows them down and they don't waste so much.

The Geis's also set me up this open feeder. It works well with grass hay because they don't root around as much. 

Isn't that a pretty site. The girls are eating about 6 bales a day on average. So this little stack will last us around 10 days. If we can make it through May, and the Lord provides rain, we should have fresh green grass ready to graze.

I was telling Gerry that I enjoy feeding little squares. He agreed, but made the distinction between feeding and stacking. Stacking is always hot and you have to throw them high. Feeding is usually cool and gravity's on your side. Of course, my experience of little square bales comes from a few summers as a kid and load here and there. My dad would write a whole different story.