Feeling Rich

There are a couple of things that can make me feel really rich.  No, not paying all my bills on time or paying down or off the credit card, although those are good things.  I feel really rich when I have a barn full of hay.  Note that a barn full of hay does cost more now than it did in years past but it hasn't risen nearly as much as the price of almost everything else.  A barn full of hay feels solid and healthy.  It smells good and feels good and looks good.

These pictures really don't do my new hay justice.  It is fine and green and so far I haven't seen many weeds.  It was cut last fall as a blue norther was blowing through.  The cut hay has to dry before it's baled or it will mold but hay that's cut in the summer heat will turn brown as it dries.  Hay cut in a blast of cool dry air from the north dries green.  I'm no nutritionist so I don't know the relative worth of green hay versus brown hay but the green stuff sure looks better.

Bless Larry Janicek, my hay man.  I've been buying hay from Larry for over 20 years.  That kind of relationship has perks.  Like Larry calling me when he starts to run low on hay to make sure I have plenty.  And rushing out a load of hay when I need it, like this weekend.  I talked to him on Saturday morning and he was here with 150 bales on Sunday.  Yea for Larry!

Last night I put out three bales of hay for the critters.  The ponies Jazz and Steele got one bale.  Eclipse doesn't have the teeth or saliva production for hay anymore so he missed out on the treat.  One of the costs of getting old.  The goats got a bale in their hay feeder. The llamas and alpacas got a bales worth of loose hay.  There is always loose hay on the trailer when the bales are unloaded.  Larry and his guys always sweep it off onto the floor of the barn for me.  I forked it all up into the back of my mule and forked it out into the hay feeder.  More work than tossing out a tightly packed bale of hay but it's the only free bale that came off that trailer.