Isn't that what straw bales are for? Sitting fireside on a fall night, roasting a hot dog with 1000 of your closest friends? Well, we have the straw bales for you! I'm not sure if it's really 1000...or if it's more or less...I'll get back to you, but judging from the straw that has come out of Joe's pockets and the sweaty shirt that is draped over my deck railing, we have baled a lot of square straw bales yesterday and even more today.
Not hay bales, mind you...straw bales.
There's a difference, didn't you know? The agricultural readers out there will probably correct me or laugh at me, but from my limited knowledge, when Joe mows hay, he mows it, rakes it (which is like combing it), and then bales it up in large, round bales, which we use as feed for the cattle. This is done multiple times of the year, and is a constant source of stress and weather related swearing.
Straw, on the other hand, is done once a year, with a crew of people, and is baled up in square bales, racked on a hay rack (think homecoming floats or hay rack rides at the apple orchard), and stored to also be to bed down barns in the winter for the cattle, among other things. My dad, our employee, and a couple of his friends/relatives are out there working alongside Joe to get this task completed. Part of the fun of this job is that it always, without question, has to be done on one of the most hot, humid and sticky days of the summer. Didn't you know that, too? Well, that's not entirely true, but if you were to ask around the countryside, the majority of those who have dealt with straw baling would agree...it's hot, it's sweaty, and it's backbreaking work. Talk about awesome cardio...maybe I should have gone out today!
Anyway, no, we are prepping to host the world's largest wienie roast this year, but we do have a heck of a lot of straw bales en route to the barn right now. My hope is that Joe will finish up this task in a timely manner, and try to remember to shake out his pockets before coming inside next time!
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