Hay "Day" Blues

Well another year in the hay fields always has its adventures and typical "Day" family luck. Mom wrote this as a synopsis of what happened during our first round of hay season:

"Aren’t you glad you didn’t ask me how it went yesterday? Read on.
Hayfield deal yesterday went awful- stinking hot, tractors all broke, some of them several times. Farming w/ antique tractors is stupid! And expensive. I’m tired.

H2O pump on the 35 Fergie (1960’s) went out- cost $125 - the Old JD A (endearingly called “Old John” -1949) Bill’s tractor is stuck in 1st gear got that “fixed” 3 times yesterday (2 weeks ago it got a new clutch I think) and when we finally got it started it puked! and threw out white smoke. So it’s still sitting stuck in place in the main driveway of the farm- in the way. The JD 50 ( known as “The 50”-1955) we threw $$$$ at last fall and took us 8 months to put it back together runs just ok, but its transmission/gears are messed up too- or was it something else? Anyway...It’s so hard to find good JD mechanics! Bill wants me to find a new one. LOL – can’t just throw in the towel- right? I want to quit farming, but no one else does- rats- the hay that we’ve nurtured and fed is beautiful and ready to cut and I wish the good fairy would come along and bale it and stack it in our barns! Do you want some??? LOL- we could order that too while we are at it. This is making me laugh.

Last night I got 3 hours of sleep worrying about Blake, Andrews foot, Erin’s ankle, Bill’s head. Hm… and everything under the sun [Including the Hay mom?!]. Buddy got his light duty 2WD truck stuck in the creek that runs pretty dry most of the time except when you need to cross it (too much rain). 2 bales fell off the load in the creek. The rest of us have 4 WD trucks. Sometimes those work!! Andrew got his foot literally run over by the “lady” driving Buddy’s truck and partially loaded hay trailer. Buddy is a client of Jim’s that buys the "icky" fescue hay. Andrew had steel toe boots on.

Blake over-did- it and started into heat exhaustion- we had to drench him and I forgot he got a really bad sunburn - opps.

the day before Bill smacked himself with the pry (crowbar?) bar while trying to change out the broken air compressor (this is the 4th defective air compressor by the way). He used all of the shop rags up trying to stop the bleeding. He didn’t think it needed stitches. Blake had just gotten to the farm and walked in to the shop, saw all the bloody rags and asked Dad if he had just slaughtered a hog? Bill said he only saw a few stars this time and they eventually went away. He only took 2 Advil this time, not as many as last time (a while ago) when he hit himself in the face while changing a tractor tire. I heard (and watched) him spit a few teeth out into the sink.

When Erin arrived, right off the bat, she tripped carrying a bale of hay and fell completely down- all the way down- flat out- we asked her if she was sleepy. Thought it was a funny place to take a nap. Don’t you think so too? Blake, from the hay wagon, asked how I didn't see that BIG hole - he could see it from the trailer!

This is the story line for the new movie- the “Farm Pit,” like the movie- the "Money Pit", but in rural setting with the typical “Day luck” attributing to the theme. LOL even if you ain’t got “Day” blood in ya its inherited. It goes with the territory, I know firsthand, Really.

I knew you’d understand. I think I left out some stuff that happened but there comes a point that you just can’t read or write anymore…… I’m transitioning between laughing about all of this and crying! [Mee too, the first time by the middle I was crying and by the end Laughing hysterically!]

On Monday- It was a pretty site driving out to the Henry County 60+ acre farm Monday with our lunches and seeing 3 generations (Jim, Bill and Blake) on the tractors plowing and planting corn. And yes, for a few hours all 3 tractors were working. I need a nap."

So when we doing it all over again? The hay looks beautiful - Vinny was most happy to see it in the barn last night!