Summer Memories About Thunderstorms and Hay Making the Old Way...

Bob Berndt and Jim Groves share memories.  Bob begins with this on June 10, 2016:

One of the Midwest's summer spectacular events is just coming to an end.

A big boomer of a thunderstorm. You all remember how so often after hot summer days, big storms seemed to follow. We hit the mid 90's today, and sure enough, late afternoon the sky's clouded over, and the winds picked up. Got really dark as heavy rains with some small hail hit. Nothing for lightning here, but a lot of thunder.

This is the kind of weather that makes farmers tremble these days, as in the past. Young corn could be shredded by the hail, and take the whole crop out. I remember the days being on my uncle's farm as well as the summers I worked for the folks. In August when the oats were looking so good it seemed too often that some storm came along and flattened it all. One summer working at the folks, Debbie Heuer had a field of oats across the road from our barn. He had swathed it, but a storm came along and really drove it down in the ground. No way was it going to dry. But nothing was going to go to waste there, as for the next day or two, Debbie and Jesse were out there with pitch forks, picking up all the rows and turning them over so it would dry. Talk about working by the sweat of your brow. Brutal.

June is Dairy Days yet in Wisconsin. Butterfest in Sparta this weekend, and local events all over the state. Here is a website to see what you are missing out by not being in Wisconsin in June.

http://www.dairydaysofsummer.com/

Strawberries are in full swing, and yes indeed there is rhubarb around too .

The biggest scent of the summer, the smell of fresh hay, is also in the air as haying is in full swing. The days of even the small square balers is almost a thing of the past. So much goes into haylage, and first crop was cut already in May. What is baled this month is either in these huge round or square bales.

Haying on a small Wisconsin dairy farm is a good topic for another day.

So many memories of haying. Right now sitting in the cool of air conditioning, and not thinking about two loads of hay to stack the next morning seems ok. But mowing hay in the relative cool of the morning was nicer than on a hot afternoon when you were getting close to the roof.

Bob

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Now Jim shares his memories about haying when we were still using a team of horses for the work.

Dear Bob,

1.  Thanks for stirring up the memories.

Jim Groves, Marvin Hunger and Jesse Heuer at Cross Ridge School Reunion in Sept. 2015

2.  I guess you didn't get to see Jesse Heuer last September at Cross Ridge School.  He had been very ill and had surgery in Arizona (I think) so was just fortunate to be alive. (I think his surgery might have been in CA - Lee)

3.  Before we got a power hay lift in the barn, we initially used one of the horses to pull the rope to unload the loose hay from the hay trailer up into the mow.  I had the horse step on my foot once which wasn't much fun as my duty then was to lead the horse out north of the barn pulling the rope.

4.  Dad had to take the worst job of mowing the loose hay in the early years before we got the small round baler.  On a hot, humid July or August afternoon mowing loose hay could be brutal with the sweat running down your face and the hay chaff falling down your neck inside the back of your wringing-wet shirt.

Haying on the Groves farm near Viroqua, WI.  Grandpa Bill Groves is raking hay with the team of horses.  Perhaps Mom is driving the tractor with Dad or Hubert on the load.

 5.  Since I'm into talking about the loose hay days (before bales), let me provide a program lineup of the players:  Dad - mowing/pitching hay in the barn; Mom - set the hay fork on the wagon;  Jim - lead the horse/later drove the tractor to pull the hay fork into the mow; whichever girl was not doing their nails - pull the slack rope back to the barn to prepare for the next hay fork load;  next available girl - bring fruit jars of cold water from the house to the barn. (Note from Lee:  I was right there slaving away leading the horse out and back also.  My nails had no idea that filing and polishing existed!)

6.  Yes, it sure would be nice to smell some drying alfalfa about now; that really is a favorite scent of the summer farm experience.

Jim

P.S.  Bob, you should write a book, you articulate well.  We can visualize what you are saying.

Carolyn

P.S.  Bob, you can write your stories and share them on this blog as you prepare the chapters of your book.

Lee

June 12, 2016

Kathy Gettrust and Barb Drew  "haying" in Norway after just having their nails and hair done!

Sisters Barb and Kak are in Norway this June 2016 for Barb to speak at a medical meeting and for Kak to celebrate her 70th birthday.  They sent a photo "claiming" to be haying in Norway!!!  And to communicate that years ago they would not have been in absentia for haying help because of getting their nails done but because they were fighting over hair rollers!  That would have been a real possibility!