Every summer I need to fill my barn with hay and my woodpile with wood. Well, this year I really fell behind. My barn was getting empty. On Saturday I was down to 11 bales and I use a bale a day feeding my three horses.
So, I figured that instead of 5 trips with the truck and trailer @ 75 bales a trip, I would buy a truckload and get the barn filled in one shot. This would also cut out the wear and tear on my poor truck. Besides, with the price of gas, it averages out to about the same cost as the delivery charges. For the last several weeks, because of all the rain, everyone I called told me they had rained-on hay or that they would have hay in "two weeks". I was starting to get worried. Finally, Friday night, I spoke with Paul and bought a truckload of hay: 200 bales of grass and 100 bales of alfalfa.
It was to be delivered Saturday afternoon. Then I got a call from Paul saying they had loaded 200 bales of the wrong hay and had to unload and reload it, so they would be coming by on Sunday morning instead. Well, around 12:30, I called Paul and this time he told me that the guys delivering the hay had turned a corner too sharply and dumped the load. They were reloading the hay as we spoke and would get to my place as soon as they could.
When they finally arrived with their semi rig and 40 foot trailer around 2:30 or so, I quickly realized that they weren't going to get very close to the barn. My barn has a high, wide doorway and my husband could back our long bed pickup and 8 foot trailer up and into the barn but there was no way any rig this big and long was going to make it in.
As a result, they unloaded the hay in the arena in two stacks. This meant my two sons and I had to bring it all into the barn ourselves. We used a wheelbarrow to carry a bale or two at a time and also my son's little pickup to take 20 - 25 bales at a time into the barn. Jeez- almost like going to get it ourselves, huh?
It took several hours but we finally got it all inside the barn. WHEW!!! At least I think we got 300 bales. Because the truck came with the stack jumbled and we loaded it into the barn in staggered rows, there is no possible way I can actually count them. I guess I'll just have to trust that they're all there. One thing's for sure- that hay has been around!
Oh, did I mention the poor hay guys also got a flat tire on one of their trailer tires? Good thing they had dual tires. Jeez, what a day!
Now, for the wood...
It's not really work - song: Modern Love (David Bowie) album: Let's Dance
7 comments:
"Two weeks" seems to be the stock answer from all hay guys this year. What a p.i.t.a hay is. Glad you've got the problem resolved for another year. Paul wouldn't happen to be Paul Payne, would he?
no, it's Paul Maestas at Sandia Pueblo. He seems to have a lot of hay fields. He's off Tramway on the way to Bernalillo. I'll probably go over there some time next week and get a few more bales of alfalfa. They're cutting and baling this week so it should be ready by next week providing we have no rain. My horses really don't like grass as much as they do alfalfa.
Wheweee! I saw the truck pull up on Sunday and I was wondering if you guys were unloading the hay yourselves or if the hay guys brought their own crew.
I suppose your strong sons and their friends came over to help then?
Wish I could have helped in some way, but I was laid up after pulling a muscle in my lower back last week, and John was in Maryland with the boys attending a wedding, and had just gotten back home Sunday morning.
I betcha didn't think to take a photo of that huge truck in your arena, so since I was so impressed with it all, I took one for you. heehee
I'll post it on my blog in a bit.
Oh and what it is about horses and grass hay. They love it fresh on the ground. But when dry, it's nasty?
We bought a couple bales of grass hay for Baby Doll and she sniffs it and then looks at us like, "You don't expect me to eat THAT, do you?"
haha
~Lisa
Oh, but I did snap a photo or two! LOL! See?
hahaha! Yep, you really are a true blogger.
I love what Linda over at the 7MSN says, "If you don't blog about it, did it really happen?"
hehe
:)
~Lisa
Lisa~ sorry about your back. I called you yesterday to ask you to come out and play with me. Hope you're feeling better soon.
That sounds like a nightmare! Poor guys--all of you!
I went with my hubby and friend and helped stack 280 bales one time and was wiped!
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