Getting ready!
Fields One and Two as we start to bale.
June 22, 2024
We got first cut off for this year's hay season and I am pooped. I don't know how my wonderful Man does it, or where he gets the energy to keep going, but he never stops...my Man is incredible. And if one thing went wrong, it all went wrong this year. My poor Man... he tries so hard and just keeps having one problem after the other...nothing it seems can ever just be easy for him, and yet he just keeps trying...he really is so incredible!!!
Saturday, he started cutting the fields. The first one went fine but the second one a back tire on the big tractor got punctured and went flat immediately. We went to their other farm and got another one of his tractors. It, however, was a monster to attach the discbine to and we fought with it, twice. The first time it decided to jump the draw pin and let go so we had to fight to get it hooked back on again...all because the first tractor was on a hill when the tire went, so we had to deal with an incline. After that, everything went well with that machine, thankfully.
The next day he tedded the fields only for it to rain when it wasn't called for on the weather sites. So, he had to ted again the next day, for it to rain again, unannounced of course. Finally, now the heat came on and we were in a heatwave that at least helped dry the hay and he was able to rake the fields and bale on Wednesday. However, he still had more screw-ups to deal with. So, asides from now dealing with the extreme heat and humidity, the baler decided to break its chain. He tried to fix it (he's just like MacGyver, he's such a smart person) but there was a part missing and he had no other choice but to find another chain...so we sat in park until he could get back (that poor Man is always running) ... and this was at the beginning of baling the first field. Then in the second field the baler jammed up, I can't remember how many times but three for sure, so we all had our chance to crawl inside and try to unjam it. Now the sun was going down and the mosquitoes had started to come out. The last time it jammed up it was dark out, so I pulled the truck over for some light and we were absolutely covered in mosquitoes. We got it going again and he finished the last few windrows just dropping them off the shoot onto the ground. All the bales were super heavy this year, but the ones he dropped were insanely heavy, and they were all a bugger to lift as the twine was so tight we had to dig to get our fingers in to grab them.
We loaded all the extra bales onto the truck and brought the last full wagon over to the barn at my residence to leave in the drive through. He put away the baler first, which always takes some finessing. Then we got the barn all opened up, the wagon in and put away, only to realize it was the better one to drive to another location that night and the wobbly load from field one should be in the barn. So, we opened the barn back up, took out the first wagon and tried to get the second wagon in only to have to unload a layer as it was not 5 inches too high to get into the doors. Oh man...it was so hot!!! And sooo mosquito-y!!! Once my Man got the top layer off, he got the wagon in, and we dragged in the bales he tossed down and closed back up the barn again. It was well after 1130pm at this point, but we still had to get the last load put into a shelter before the storm was to come the next day. So, with that wagon already hooked up to the bigger tractor we headed over to the other buildings 30minutes (by tractor) away, and I followed with the truck so that we had lights on the back. We got to the location only to not be able to open that door and had to use a different building which thankfully we had keys for. We got the wagon in and closed up then headed to get something to eat.
We hadn't eaten since breakfast, asides from a granola bar each, and we were starved. We headed to Prescott as Mc Donalds drive though was open and we literally mowed through our meals then went home. I took a shower and crawled into bed with wet hair...I was willing to just sleep on the floor dirty as I was, but I knew with the pain I was in I'd never get back up again, or I wouldn't have even bothered with a shower I was so tired and sore.
I tried to sleep but the pain was incredible. I could not find a way to be comfy as everything on my body hurt...right down to both my baby toes (which are both bruised right now). I woke Wednesday morning with a migraine, nothing new there, and that was the start of the day, everything just escalated from there. I got off the wagons a few times to regroup myself. The pain from the fibromyalgia in my lower back and hips were on fire, they are still as I sit here writing this. The migraine has been with me all week even to right now. The arthritis in my hands is so bad that I can hardly make a fist without having to exercise them first to loosen them up and the ache is incredible. I also have (only, which is amazing) three blisters on my hands, two are broken and still hurt and one is just sore but fading. I have a heat rash on the lower part of my calves but the tingle from that has gone away. I have a number of bruises on my arms and legs, but they don't hurt anymore, and the scratches from the hay on my arms have almost healed.
While baling, the migraine kept coming on hard and making me lightheaded and seeing dark spots, so I'd stop at that point before I would fall off and get hurt. I'd feel nauseous too with that and had a hard time catching my breath, so I knew I needed a break. We at least had a friend and her boyfriend's son helping, I had already warned them I wasn't doing great with my pain lately, so they were prepared to step in. I tried to help load the wagons as long as I could so that they mostly just had to finish the front where I would just be in the way anyway. I was the one riding the baler for the most part, I'd pull the bales off the shoot and toss them behind me. The other two stacked them, so once the load got to the front of the wagon they took over and I'd take a break and then find other work to do until we hooked onto a fresh wagon, and I'd get back into the front position again on the baler. Man, those two are hardworking and strong, and I really appreciated them being there. My friend is incredible, she just keeps on going, I wish I could have half the energy she has...just wow.
Our day didn't end until 1am on Thursday...we were hot, exhausted, starving, and covered in mosquito bites. Universe willing the West Nile Virus that is over in Prescott hasn't made its way here yet...no one needs that bs right now. As I sit here writing I am still absolutely exhausted. I'm in so much pain I can't get a decent sleep and have spent so much time in bed trying to rest that I haven't gotten much else done but my chores. And I only got up so I can do my chores and that's been about it. They themselves take what little energy I have left and then I am done again. It's just 615pm right now but I am more than willing to go back to bed, yet I didn't crawl out of bed until 130pm.
Last night's sleep went like this...I tried to go to bed early too, that never works for me...
Bed - 1255am
Woke - 145am - sore throat, coughing, choking
Woke - 220 - again coughing and choking
Bed - 3 - calmed down sore throat
Woke 5 - coughing and choking again with sore throat
Still awake - 540 - sore throat, sore body...so much pain...
Woke - 840
Woke - 1045
Woke - 1210
Woke - 1250
decided to get up at 130 ... didn't want to...but have animals to feed...I'm so tired, and today I am sneezing with a stuffy/runny nose and still a sore throat that makes me cough/choke.
And the entire night I had to shift, and shift, and shift, just to have a bit of reprieve from the pain throughout my entire body. This will take a few weeks to get over sadly. It was fun though...it really was!! I love farming!!! I love being out there, working hard, feeling the energy being used up. Feeling accomplished. Being outdoors!!! Enjoying the beautiful sunny summer days!! And best of all, I get to spend the time with my most favourite person in the entire world!!! He is the most incredible, hardworking, giving, loving, committed Sweetheart of a Man I could ever be so lucky to spend time with!!! I wish this every day that I had always been with him, only him, for the past 30 years plus. He is absolutely wonderful, and it makes doing all this work, and dealing with all this pain, worth every bit of it just so I can spend time with him. I wish I was 25 years old living here with him!!! It would be so much fun!!! That is my most favourite dream in the world!!! I would give up everything to just have that one little dream as he truly means the world to me!!!
Aftermath...
1st) Tried to cut my Mans finger off with the bailer.
2nd) Heat rash (was swollen as well).
3rd) Bruises.
...not too bad, considering...