Bringing the hay home is an annual event. Timing is everything when harvesting hay and this year it was particularly difficult with all the rain we've gotten. We buy our hay from Julie and Will at
Aspen Croft Heritage Farm. Eventually, the hay was able to be cut and we lucked out with a few days of dry weather which allowed the cut hay to dry sufficiently in order to then be baled. In preparation I cut a new doorway out of the side of our barn to allow my new (really old) hay elevator in. I bought this elevator from a farmer friend Larry, who hadn't used it in years. The electric motor needed to be remounted as did the wheel but it worked perfectly.
I also cleaned out the loft completely and snugged the hay mow tight against its frame. This was previously the access point where pigeons would enter/exit the barn. With the door shut on them finally, the loft is pigeon free.
Julie and Will were kind enough to deliver the hay in two loads. The first came one Sunday afternoon and the second a couple Sunday's after that. So much for rest on the Sabbath! My folks were up for the second delivery so my dad helped unload and my mom took some photos of the process.
Beth got into the action once Ella went to bed for the night!
Three hundred and twenty five bales later and the loft if full and we're ready for winter.
Even now, a few weeks after we got the hay all in, when you walk near the barn you can catch the sweet aroma of the hay in the loft.
Ella absolutely loved the Aspen Croft tractor while it was parked at our house.
