Man, I've been getting my ass kicked all week. I tried baling on Monday, and it just so happened that everything I did leading up to it had been the wrong thing to do. I started by mowing late Friday afternoon, so I didn't get much drying time then. I let it lay on Saturday, instead of tedding it. Probably should have tedded it. Then Sunday, I figured that since it was second cutting I'd double windrow it. I failed to take into account the 5 weeks between mowings, and the 6+ inches of rain it received. So the windrows were huge, and I'd moved the rows of wheels together so my double windrow would fit in the baler. So that caused it to kick clumps and crooked windrows. When I tried baling it late Sunday, it was way too wet.
So on Monday, I left work at 11:30 and rolled the hay over. I thought I was doing a pretty good job, but the wet stuff would roll on top of the dry, and the weight and momentum would carry it right back down to the bottom. So when we started baling, I had huge, clumpy crooked windrows with wet stuff on the bottom. The first load took a lot out of me. The bales were coming faster than I could move them, they weighed a ton, and it was hotter than Billy Hell. By the time I got to the front tier, I really needed a break. Then we started the second load and I was really dragging. Luckily (not really, except for the break), The baler broke a string, and we went and got another bundle of twine, then had to feed through 5 busted bales. After we got going a little while, a shear bolt gave way, and I got another break. We wrapped that wagon up, and it was on to the third one. By halfway through this one, I knew I wasn't going to get it finished. When I got to the front tier, I called it quits. Dad pulled the wagon to the edge of the field, and I creeped off and laid down in the shade of the wagon. I had never felt so exhausted in my life. Dad asked what was next, and I said, "break." I laid there for 15 or 20 minutes before I felt good enough to get moving. So we started moving the wagons over to the other farm where I could put them away. After we did that, we ate, and I finally felt good enough to unload a wagon so I could finish the field on Tuesday.
We managed to load the last wagon on Tuesday, and then I took off the rest of the evening to visit with my friend who was celebrating his birthday. But yesterday, the crew baling the straw had managed to load all the big square bales up, so it was finally time (not really, we just didn't know what else to do with the seed) to plant the double crop beans. So right after work, I moved the seed wagon and planter up there, and started planting. I was having some issues with a row sensor, and ended up just ignoring it. I was almost done with that when Dad, who I'd had go feed my cows, told me the one cow who was really, really late on calving was in labor. As soon as I finished the field, I ran home, got the pulling chains and a flashlight, and headed over. Sure enough, she was in labor, and I could see one very big hoof and a tongue. I went back up to the barn and got the chains and some gloves and came back. After about 20 minutes of messing around, and a lot of bellowing from the cow, I managed to help her get the calf out. After that, I was pretty beat.
Today, I'm taking it pretty easy.
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