Sonny
June is typically the early cut month where many in the East start bailing hay. We will be back in September for the second cut. Some make square bails and other do rolls. John raised miniature donkeys so square bails suit him. They typically stock about 500 or so in his loft to make it through the fall and winter each year. I think the trailer handled about 75 bails stacked on it.
John bailing
On Tuesday he cut the hay field and afterwards there were several good sunny days for curing. John went out a couple of mornings when the dew was clear to ted for even better drying. Then on Thursday he changed out the tedder on his Ford tractor for the rake and about 2pm got to the field and started raking his windrows in the field. On Friday morning the tractor was ready to go with the bailer hooked up, by mid-day John was making rows. Linda and I showed up mid afternoon to give him a hand. Now with the rows cured and ready to go, John got busy.
Loaded Down
Linda and I grabbed John’s other tractor that was already connected to the car trailer and we started stacking the bails from the fields. While Linda and I got started loading the bails on the trailer, we noticed John and Carol on the far side of the field behind the bailer. Seemed the twine broke several times and the knotting thingy (a technical term) was hung up.
Using pliers, a knife and a couple dozen bad words they got it fixed up and were back to bailing. After a couple of trips to the barn we got the hay in the loft we were finished.
John worked me until I was exhausted. I was toast. I quickly gained a new respect for what John and the farmer goes through. I thought to myself…this was just hay today. Thinking back I think John still had plenty of gas left in him.
Insert Technical term here
Off-Grid in West Virginia 
It is Tuesday and I’m still not recovered.
looks like the thing-of-a-bob came undone…..
I was just talking to a friend of mine, about stacking hay when I was a teenager, for 75 cents an hour. It might of been a 1.25 an hour. can’t remember, cuz my sis did de-tassleing of corn and she could of made 1.25 an hour….I was was wishing for that pay.
When I was a teen in southeast Missouri, I also did de-tassleing corn when I wasn’t loading hay bails. I remember the corn always being wet and getting loaded down with pollen.