Our little corner of hay finally produced well enough to bale. It's a grass/alfalfa mix, but the alfalfa has a stronger presence. She's thick though, and will serve well our part-time ranching purposes.
I've chosen two forms of haying that no one wants to help out with, hand-line and little square bales. I jetted back home a couple weeks ago and pulled off the 40' joints of hand-line.
Then Dad windrowed it. Beings Worland has been getting so much unexpected rain, he had to rake it a time or two.
Once he baled it up, I came back home to pull it off the field.
Mom cooked us up a good ranch breakfast.
Then Dad and I went to work. He drove...
While I stacked.
About 100 bales. Good hay, but discolored from the rain. Cows will enjoy it through.
Once loaded I headed it back over the mountain to Campbell County. 1st gear up. 1st gear down.
Help wanted.
Hobby ranching is a lot of work. I wouldn't have it any other way though. It's the work that makes it fun. Special thanks to Dad for putting up with me and for putting up my hay. Now I just have to haul it to the corral and stack it. Any takers?
"Hobby ranching is a lot of work. I wouldn't have it any other way though. It's the work that makes it fun."
ReplyDeleteI'll confess that one of the reasons I follow this blog is due to your ranching entries.
I'm a native born Wyomingite and have always been strongly drawn to agriculture. My family additionally has a connection with it. Most of my adult life, being a rancher is all that I really wanted to do, but I've never been able to make it my full time job. My wife is from a ranching family, and we are part of her family's operation, but in recent years, as her younger brothers have become adults, and as the pressures of work tie up my time, my getting to do agricultural things has decreased enormously.
I'm in one of the profession's by occupation, and externally, if you looked at me, you'd regard me as a success in my secular career. Not having been able to make ranching my full time job, and I did try when I was younger, and before land prices were driven up by people purchasing land as playgrounds, I made a serious attempt to see if I could pull it off. The fact that I did not, and I’m now kicking off my sixth decade, is not only one of my great failures, but in spite of everything else, successful office job, marriage of almost 30 years, two great kids, it's why I define myself as a failure.
Indeed, while I'm sure it's my fault for not seeing open doors where they are open, I've wondered from time to time why God would give somebody such a strong desire, with no way to fulfill it.
God bless you, brother. That's a tough tension. It speaks of a bit of the human condition. We often find ourselves stuck between two worlds, the place I want to be the the place I'm actually at. The truth is, the place I really want to be, the Kingdom of God, is right here, right now. God is always present. He's not in the past and He's not in the future. He is now. The trick is acknowledging this reality at every moment of every day. Then it doesn't matter where I find my self physically, spiritually I'll always be home with God. peace, man.
DeleteShoot me an email at wyomingcatholiccowboys@gmail.com and I'll send you my book.
"Shoot me an email at wyomingcatholiccowboys@gmail.com and I'll send you my book."
DeleteI'll do that.