Herbie has to go back to work at 2am on Thursday morning, so early night tomorrow, after 17 days on the farm. We didn't get to Sleeping Bear Dunes, hopefully next time, but had a good time here.
He cut the hay yesterday, and today we spent up at Jackies' lake house, taco salad for lunch, a few times around the lake on the pontoon, a walk down to the river on the other side, a visit to The Cheese Factory (Herbie had never been) to buy cheddar cheese and a Summer sausage, plus a visit to a few Amish farms, a tarp guy who built a buggy in his spare time last Winter, a family who made rustic furniture, a produce farm where I bought a bushel each of onions and tomatoes.
Thank you Jackie and Gary for your hospitality, your "lake cottage" is great 😊.
John and Angie came over to the farm last night, and we spent an evening at their place on Sunday night. Izzy, their 3-year old granddaughter is a riot 😜 and we're in the egg business together. She shares their extra eggs with me, and I share half the sales proceeds with her. Ally, their eldest granddaughter wasn't feeling well, and the baby was all serious. Angie sent me home with jars of apples - a red hot cinnamon one, canned juice and plain sauce. And then last night they brought an apple crisp over that daughter Jessie had made. Yummy. I hadn't tried one before, and Herbie loves apple crisp. Maybe I need to find a good recipe and add it to my repertoire. We had zucchini bread for dessert today at Jackies' with the most amazing Butter Pecan icecream. Think I need her to order us a tub as the shop closes for the Winter next week. She said their Raspberry icecream was also wonderful. Hmmm, think tomorrow I'll go make space in one of the freezers.
Anni is preggers 🐻. Due around October 11. Think this may be her last litter.
Was late milking Daisy May today as I thought we'd get home this afternoon, but we stayed much later with the Philips' than I thought. When we arrived home, I went to fetch her and she came immediately I called. Herbie was sitting on the back patio, scratching Rosco when he heard feet, looked up to see Daisy May kicking up her heels and then going directly down to the milk parlour while I was still leaving the pasture after closing the gate behind her. She's become a delightful cow. No messing in the barn, eats her grain, drops her milk in about 4 minutes, and follows me (OK, the grain scoop) back to the pasture after I've finished cleaning the milking equipment. Herbie filled the 2 low troughs while I milked, then I joined him on the patio to enjoy the beautiful evening. It's crisp at night, Autumn is on her way.
On Sunday, I did 3 trips to Vermontville to pick up 29 round bales of hay, and Adam brought one load of 10 bales, then Monday morning I did another 2 trips and Adam did one - total of 70 x 900lbs round bales of first cutting mainly grass hay. So think we're set for Winter, plus his brother-in-law may be interested in buying our horses. That will cut our feed bill for Winter 😊. Hired a trailer from Russ and it felt as if I spent 2 days in the truck ! But I've learnt how to drive hauling 10 bales at a time, plus I can off-load a trailer with some help from John ! On the 2 trips that Adam delivered 10 each, he off-loaded both trailers by pushing the bales off ! Oh to be young 😝. Herbie off-loaded my 2nd load while I had lunch, so John and I off-loaded my 3rd load on Sunday by pushing them off together. Neither of us could budge a bale by ourselves, but together we could tip those babies over. John and Angie came to fetch their milk and I was talking about how this skinny young guy just hopped up on top of the stacked trailers and pushed them off, while Herbie used the long strap and tractor to off-load. John got a glint in his eye wanting to try, and after pushing without success, I climbed up and helped. Herbie got a brainwave to offload my last trailer, hooked the 2 center bales and pulled them off with the tractor, thinking that the top 2 bales would fall into the hole and push the end 2 bales off. No way ! The 2 top bales just sat up there with a hole under them. Took photos with Herbies' phone as my battery was flat after the 2 trips, so will download them and the video I took tomorrow and add them to this post. Not the video as this webpage is the free version so I can post photos but not video.
Now when I look out our bedroom window, there are 70 bales of hay, plus the squares we baled under the tarp, out back. Beautiful sight. But I still have to let Mike know I will probably not be buying any of his hay this Winter.
Have a hen sitting on 13 eggs in the square bales under the tarp, so maybe there be more chicks coming. Herbie told me there were eggs, but not that she was already sitting, so I disturbed her. 13 shiny eggs and 1 freshly laid, so I only took the one and although I checked on her today, I won't shoo her off them again. Sorry girl.
Well, time to sleep, so goodnight.