Hay Season

We went to Parowan on Thursday (June 20) to help with the cow herd, the first hay crop of the summer, and for a getaway to Co-Op.  I left my camera at home so all of these pictures are thanks to Kristen.

 It wasn't until this week that I finally began to get a picture of how hard Alan, Mike and Alma work on the farm during the busy summer season (they work hard ALL the time, but especially during the harvest).  I've always known these men were tough as nails, going out in all kinds of weather to feed the cows, fix equipment, plant, cut, etc., however, I had never been there to see first hand how they go-go-go during the haying because there really is no other option.

I kept talking late into the night, first with Marie and then with Kristen when she showed up from Cedar City, thinking Burke would show up at any time, but the hours kept ticking away until it was beyond ridiculous to keep waiting.  I don't regret waiting up though because I had a wonderful talk with my mother and sister-in-law. I love how completely comfortable I feel with my in-laws.  Krissy has a lot of big things happening in her life right now and I love to hear about her experiences and try to help her through them in any way I can.  She is a gem.

Burke has been dying to go up and help out all week and he was thrilled to death when we got there Thursday night at 9 o'clock and Alan was just getting ready to go back to the farm and bail through the night.  Burke's face split into a giddy grin as he headed out the door with his Dad and wasn't home until 3 AM.  Alan had pulled several all-nighters that week already and kept his exhausting pace until the work was done on Saturday.  I was amazed by him.

 Because Burke was out so late, we ended up getting up too late the next morning to help with the initial 5 AM cow herd to the mountain, so Burke went back to the farm to help bail some more (I think?) while Kristen, Daphne and I went to meet the herding crew for lunch.  We were able to see the last half hour of the herd and Daphne was beyond excited to ride a horse for the first time with her cousins.  She didn't ever want to get off!

Later that night we met up with our neighbors Ashley and Aaron Bunker and went to Co-op to camp for the evening.  I was so glad Kristen and her boyfriend Nick decided to come up too and we were all having a good 'ol time waiting for our tinfoil dinners to cook when I accidentally locked the keys to the trailer inside the trailer by closing the door so flies wouldn't get in!  AH!  I was horrified as all of our gear was inside and because that meant Alan had to make a special trip up the mountain to try to see if Uncle Chauncey's key would fit the door.  Despite being exhausted and having so much work to do, Alan came up immediately and he was so patient, not acting frustrated with me for one minute while he tried the keys - they didn't work.  I was feeling like a first class idiot at this point when one of the small keys opened a tiny compartment at the base of the trailer where they kept a hose and other materials and led into one of the kitchen cabinets.  I was praying my little heart out that we would be able to get in and miraculously I was able to squeeze through that tiny space into the trailer and open it from the inside.  Hallelujah!  Everyone was so nice about it and never made me feel bad.  I think I would have burst into tears if they had even joked about it!

The rest of the evening was so fun, launching potatoes through Aaron's potato rocket, watching Daphne play so perfectly with the Bunker's 5-year-old daughter Olivia, holding sweet baby Grant and laughing and talking until the moon was high over our heads.  The next day we had a fantastic breakfast, took the Bunkers around the property and were back down the mountain around noon.  Burke went almost immediately back to the farm, this time to run the telehandler and stack the completed hay bales on the truck and unloading them at the hay barn.  Krissy, Daphne, Marie and I went to dinner at the Parowan Cafe (they were so patient with my busy lady) and then went down to the farm to see Burkie in action and take dinner to he and Alan.

It was so fun to see Burke cruising around so expertly in the telehandler.  I sometimes forget that he has this amazing set of skills from growing up on a farm that I don't often get to see displayed since he chose a different career path.  Nothing gets Burke more relaxed than being out on the farm, running the equipment and contributing.  It's therapy for him.

Daphne and Daddy in the telehandler.

As we waited for Burke and Kleigh (a retired man in Parowan who started working on the farm because he wanted something to do - he's a hoot!) to finish stacking the bales in the field, Alan told us that this first crop had far exceeded their expectations.  He attributed their growth to 3 things:

1) Having a missionary (Brett) in the field

2) Paying tithing

3) Keeping the Sabbath Day holy

Kleigh joked with Alan about how every Saturday he gets a reminder to make sure the machines are off by 11:59 PM.  Besides feeding the cows (which has to be done on Sundays), the Adams Farm ceases to operate on the Sabbath and year after year they have seen the blessings of reserving that day for rest and worship to our Heavenly Father.  I was very touched listening to Alan acknowledge the Lord's hand in their success and know for myself that when we keep His commandments we are blessed.

  

When the machines were all put away, we piled in the cars and drove to Kleigh's house where he was keeping Mike and LeeAnn's new puppies while they went out of town for a few days.  Sally was such a proud, protective mother.  I loved watching her run in circles to keep her eye (and nose!) on all 5 pups.  I haven't been around brand new puppies like that in years and I couldn't help but ooo and aww over the darling pups.  Daphne loved them too, but unfortunately didn't quite understand the need to be gentle and dropped a poor pup on the pavement. :(  So sad!

Kleigh also gave us a tour of his "animal museum" in the basement of their large home.  For a non-hunter like myself, it was a pretty disgusting sight.  I wish I had the exact number, but he had to have at least two dozen animals stuffed or mounted around the room from all his different hunts.  Elk, deer, a bobcat, and even a nearly six foot tall black bear.  He had tanned pellets from rabbits, badgers, foxes, etc and horns galore.  It was fascinating, but it also made me so sad for these beautiful animals killed by just one man and his family.  I am grateful the Adams men are not gung-ho hunters and that the deer hunt in October is the only time they try to kill animals.  Even then, I have a hard time with it, but have to remind myself that I was raised with a very different mind set towards weapons and hunting.