A Day at Dar's

Years ago, this was one of the ' tools of trade,' to get the hay made. That, in turn, feed the cattle, to make the milk and cheese products we consume, besides the juicy steaks, roasts, and sausages we carve.

Needless to say, as times change, tools change. Our dump rake that aided in making the windrows during haying season, now sits back at the cabin as a decorative feature. I want it home, so I can enjoy it with tons of flowers planted around it, don't you think?
It was a gorgeous, blue sky, breezy, hot Saturday, so some boot-kicking ...
or other persuading, had to be done to get things rolling, no pun intended.
Fancy windrows were made. A farmer the other side of the river cuts our field so it doesn't grow up in weeds and alders.
I love the smell of fresh cut hay and watching as they roll it into those huge, round bales over and over.
On our way to another food plot that needed planting, look who landed by my hand to hitch a ride. He wasn't about to leave without a little persuading. It took a clover flower to convince him there were better places to beeee.
On the way to the plot, I noticed how nice the poplar saplings are coming since this 40 had been clear-cut 10 yrs. ago. It's amazing how quickly a forest regenerates itself.
The garden is coming along fine too, in spite of the torrential downpours we had been having. One end flooded, taking over a week to begin to dry. It is finally showing some promise of produce by fall.
Thick clover plots is what my guys are looking for in their food plots. My apologies if you do not understand, but luring deer to the plots for a safe shot at a manageable one, feeds our families and those of the community. Venison steak is one of the healthiest meats ' on the market.'

Before they get clover as lush and enticing as this, first we must...
plow, disc, pick rock,...
seed the plot, and roll it or drive over the field to press the seed into the soil so the wind and birds don't take it. Then we wait, pray for rain again, and lots of heat.

This field was quite wet already so should come fast with the heat we have been having. I suffered a little heatstroke yesterday, so I'm taking pictures while my brother and dear Willy are finishing up. Look at Bill go with that seeder.
Finally, we got to do this under the shade, rest and relax while eating ice cream cones.
The house smelled wonderful as the beef roast, carrots, celery, onions roasted in their juices in the slow-cooker while we worked. To complete the meal, all I had to do was finish the mashed potatoes and make gravy from the drippings. What a feast. It was topped off with the apple turnovers I had baked in the morning before we headed to the feed store for seed.

It was another very productive Saturday. We feel good, and want to keep this pace up as long as we can. Life is Great!

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