First on the list was to get the four wheel lines up and running. It's been a pretty dry spring, cold and windy but dry. The weed killer was sprayed on May 3 which is way later than we would have liked, but with the wind we were just out of luck.
The alfalfa is already 6-8 inches tall and was lookin' mighty thirsty!
My Man is filling the #2 mover with hydraulic oil.
The movers are ancient old, but we just take care
of them the best we can. New ones are expensive!
Of course we had lots of help from the pups...well, Bella Jo
'n Cindy Sue kept the sage rats at bay while Cowboy...
...well Cowboy seemed to be more meditative...I wonder
what goes on between those ears?!?
We laid out the West field main line and flushed out
all the dirt and weeds the blew into them
during the winter.
The following photo is one of my favs of the day. This is our neighbors (husband and wife) dragging their field for the hundreds of sage rat dirt mounds before they turn on their pivot and disking up a corner that needs to be planted.
I'm not sure how I did this, but the tractors are just across
the fence from me and the rim in the background
is actually about a mile and a half across
the valley...it looks like it's right there!
OK...I know it looks like all I did was goof off taking photos...ask My Man...I really did work too ;~)
I loved these grass heads at the pump. We don't
usually let the grass get this tall...sneaky snakes
love to hide in the tall, wet grass!
So, after all the lines are unblocked, straightened and checked to see if the motor's are going to work...and the main line is laid down in the West field (the East field has an underground main), we're ready to fire them up!
And we have water...and no leaks or bullet holes...
and we have happy alfalfa!
Then to make me happy...I got a new pair of these...
Out with the old and in with the new...wet feet are the pits!
The old pair survived 4 years of hard labor and
blew a hole last fall...time to go...
But, I'm going to miss those higher
tops when the alfalfa gets tall :(
It was a good day...just ask Bella Jo...
I think she's "done"!
Four years sounds like a goodly amount of time for those rubber boots. Wish mine held up that well.
ReplyDeleteBullet holes in the hose.....is that from shooting snakes??
Bullet holes? Shooting varmint?
ReplyDeleteOur alfalfa field, well you would be extremely jealous I will say. I'll see if I remember to get pictures within the next few days it's above my knees already and it doesn't even have flowers on it yet.
Rising Rainbow~bullet holes in the pipe from .22 rifles...shooting at sage rats. They're not done on purpose, just sometimes one will ricochet (sp?) off the ground into a pipe.
ReplyDeleteSydney~Sound gorgeous. We're 1-2 months behind on the growing season around here from everyone else. The daffodils are just done blooming now.
It looks like a day's work well done!
ReplyDeleteI always like it when I can look back and see something that I've accomplished!
This post only confirms what a very lucky dog Bella is ... she has found her little corner of paradise! Very lucky/happy dog indeed!
ReplyDeleteLookin' great!! Cool pics too, how are the owls..;-)
ReplyDeleteJust looking at pictures of wheel lines makes me shudder. I hate the things and am thankful we no longer have them. I'm glad you get along with yours.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a productive day! I love the pic of the 2 tractors and the one of Cowboy's ears. It was definitely time for a new pair of boots. I have a knee high pair that I used all winter with fleece liners except mine are hot pink :)
ReplyDelete4 y ears out of rubber boots? I think thats a record.
ReplyDeleteI love the view betwen Cowboys meditative ears :)
a good hard day's work for Bella Jo!
ReplyDelete- The Equestrian Vagabond
It does look like you all had a good day! I love working outside, even when I'm exhausted at the end of it all.
ReplyDeleteDoes tearing down the sage rat holes do any good? Don't they just rebuild them?
Your pictures made ME feel good after a good day's work! ha! ha! Don't ya just love how the hills are so green right now..won't be that way for very long with summer's heat fast approaching...seems like we might just have a short spring! I would look forward to looking out on water spraying on those green fields when the weather was hot.
ReplyDeleteLove the day in pictures......a telephoto lens compresses the view in a picture, that's why it looks like everything is so close when actually it isn't....I just read that bit of trivia today.
ReplyDeleteI could smell the water on the good black soil.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me daydream about cupping my palm on sun-warmed dirt and chewing a sweet stalk of new alfalfa, all while I sit trapped at my desk. Thanks.
Susan~I wouldn't say that we get along with the wheel lines...we have an understanding. With the odd shape of our fields, wheel lines are the only option...sure wish we could use a pivot!
ReplyDeleteSarah~By now, most of their digging is done and we flatten out the dirt so it won't get baled up with the hay...dirty hay sucks, and your customers don't like it much. They still make some hills and we kick them over as best as we can. With just 45 acres, we can do that. All those 160 acre pivot farmers probably don't do it.
prairierunner~Thanks for that tip! It makes sense now.