We had a hay day!

We had a hay day, and honestly while it was happening it really was not fun.  Last year we had the luxury of a few extra adult hands and equipment that did its work as needed.  This year it was just us and the kicker off the baler kicked out as did the elevator up to the hay loft.

It really would have made for an excellent reality show...... Young Family of 10 attempt to bale hay by hand on one of the hottest days in July.  We did our best to document the event with many photos and a few short video clips.
   

While Paul finished up the baling the three older boys and I loaded them up in the pick up truck.  I was behind the wheel but promised James if he gave good effort with the lifting I would practice driving in the field with him sometime so he could help drive if needed in the future.

For the moment though, we just had to get through the task and no one was excited about it.  

I pulled more than my weight with the unloading and stacking.  As did the two girls inside. Maryanna and Clara were responsible for feeding the younger three, changing diapers and putting them to bed, something they have never done on their own before.  

They did okay until bedtime when Henry and George came charging out to the hay field barefoot and half dressed in jammies screaming for me to tuck them in bed.  I had to tell them we all were being stretched, I pointed to Paul who was barely stopping to drink, I showed them my clothes covered in sweat and hay, and the older boys also all pooped and sweaty, even the girls were doing hard jobs and it was their job to simply rest safely in bed.  I promised they could participate in a few years after many many good nights of growing sleeps.  They took it well and we proceeded without anymore (little) kid interruptions.

William is who is so observant of wildlife spotted a snake wiggling out of one of the bales.  We took a short break to release the creature but we're not sure it survived.

I kept pushing the older boys and at one point I was called a "monster".  I was told, "you have no idea how miserable I am", "I just may die in 5 seconds", and countless "why are we doing this"? and "how much longer do we have to work"?.........

And honestly Paul and I did not say much, we'd simply pass by with thumbs up too focused and too tired for anything else.     

With the younger three in bed Clara and Maryanna were eager to help the big kids.  For them it was exciting and they gave it every once of muscle including those that made their eyes shine and smiles bright.  They may not have been able to lift bales but their enthusiasm sure lifted our spirits.  

We worked till moonlight getting all the bales off the field.  The fireflies and bats joined us and it was a beautiful display.

The next day was Sunday and usually we observe it as a day of rest but with rain in the forecast we needed to get the bales in the barn.  A neighbor came by and helped us rewire the elevator and that made the job actually possible for us to finish. 

It was another hot day.  The younger ones participated still in their church clothes. And after experiencing all the bats waking up in the barn the night before Peter took refuge with Archie in the shade of the hay wagon.  

I believe we ended up with around 250 bales. We've actually been concerned about the productivity of the hay field but decided it was a blessing this time around, we may not have been able to handle more than that.  Paul wondered how a big mac could cost only $.99 - we are working so hard for our food!

The best part about finishing was reporting it to my parents, I got to apologize for all the times I complained and tried to hide from the work they provided for me as a kid.  Looking forward to a similar conversation with my own children many years from now.

Here is a short clip.  The work looks easy because it was once we got the elevator running. Glad to have the help of many hands and glad the work is done!

Family Hay Day from Freden Farm on Vimeo.