Farmerama Chocoholics (not so) Anonymous

Gemini Captain LDCrow	Zodiac Captain CaliChrome
Team members Clashstrummer JJenks TCRooster	Team members pnp labmommy30 Arielh

 

Do we say what zodiac we are?
I am Aquarious.

 

Well I'm honored to be the team captain. My first move to get us into shape is to bake some chocolate chip cookies cause we are going to need our strength after all.

For anyone that wants to build their upper arm strength I'm taking volunteers as we have to do some hay bailing tonight. This involves picking up the bails and tossing them onto the back of a flatbed truck, excellent workout. We do it at night with floodlights from the tractor as it's to hot during the day. I'll be glad when we can hire back our temp hands and I won't have to do so much of the field work let me tell you.

 

LDCrow - I am not a night owl but I will help you drive the truck while you sling hay bales. I will eat the chocolate chip cookies to stay awake. The more I eat, the more I will workout my jaw muscles...does that count as 'exercise?"

All kidding aside...I remember working in hay when I was younger and yes it is a hot and itchy job. I think one year the bales were close to approx 75-100 lbs. I couldn't throw that weight now....

 

This is the first cutting we've had since last November because it's been so wet. It's going to be goat hay since it's so full of weeds and those bails are only approx 50 lbs each. When we bail for horse they weigh more around 75 each and I don't normally sling those. When we roll for cow hay those are moved with a front loader. We get things up and running and we will hire 4 to 6 high school boys on for the summer and I will go back to keeping them in coffee, Gatorade and food.

 

LDCrow, I still move bales in my loft. It's only about 5 feet tall at the point so it's a bend over job. Can't do it at night as my help sending them up the bale elevator isn't available then. The guy who bales tends to do 100 lb bales. Ugh! At least my hay gets delivered to the front of the barn!

Yep, pnp, it's an itchy, hot job. I wear long sleeves, jeans, socks and shoes to prevent as many scratches as possible.

Arielh, it isn't necessary to tell us your sign if you are not a Gemini. Everyone else is on the Zodiac team. Glad you can join us!


We can still use some team members for Zodiac! We get 2 for each one Gemini has.

 

Cali, we would be the ones doing the delivering of the hay. I hate to move bales in the barn as I have to also wear a fresh air mask then. I can get away with the hay dust outside but in close quarters it just chokes me and yes we all wear the same type of get up of long sleeves and jeans with boots.

I honestly leave a lot of the major heavy work to my brothers and DH but money is tight with the bad weather we've had so it's all hands on deck during these times. Which unfortunately means my sister in law will be making the coffee tonight. I'm amazed my brother hasn't starved to death yet as she is the worlds worst cook. Better get those cookies in the oven so at least we will have some high energy snacks for later.

 

I'll pass on the hay lifting as I'm highly allergic. I'll gladly help out on those cookies though! Actually that sounds good I have some frozen cookie dough in the freezer that needs to be baked.

If you guys are able to move around heavy hay bales I'm thinking my only advantage my be that I'm super tall. I'm athletic but more in the biking/hiking way not so much in the heavy lifting aspect of things.

 

The guy who does my hay has one of those bale collector/stackers and can drive right up to the front of my barn. He's usually delivering from my next door neighbor's field so it is no extra effort on his part. We won't be haying for another couple of weeks. First cutting usually occurs around the Fourth of July. Second cutting depends on rain AFTER we get first cutting up. Mother Nature doesn't always co-operate. I only put up 3-5 ton depending on how the winter went so second cutting if there is one goes to the neighbor for the two sheep they own. It's usually mostly alfalfa and I prefer not to feed it to my horse. She doesn't work and is an easy keeper.

Oh, and just to keep the thread chocolate related, I just ate a Wilcoxson's Fudge Bar! Read it and weep!

 

Is sounds you like it. Is it with chocolate? (I searched google about it but I didn't find it)

 

It's a Montana Ice Cream Company. Yes, It is a chocolate Fudge ice cream bar. They don't have a website. You will just have to come to Montana to try some.

 

I'm up for hay baling as a fellow country girl, been doing it for years and now I have my own barn to lug the bales into! Might I also suggest welly wanging as a warm up?

 

welly wanging? Something to do with Wellington boots?

 

Yes, Cali. The aim is to throw a Wellington boot (welly) as far as you can. We didn't have shotput at school, we had welly wanging. Our start line for races was also not painted on, but was a line of damp sawdust and our holding pens were mapped out with straw bales! The countryside is a funny old place!

 

Make do with what you have at hand!

 

Hope all you members are having a good MM so far. I'm busier than a one handed paper hanger today so just popping in and out to rotate crops around.

Friday afternoons are my bread baking day so I can offer some fresh homemade bread.
One could always add some Nutella I suppose.

 

Welly wanging, that is so funny TC

 

I got an early B Day present today as a friend sent me a gift basket full of chocolate. I am not familiar with the brand of chocolate "Choceur". Upon further inspection I discovered it's Austrian and perhaps it's their equivalent to Hershey's but to me it's some pretty amazing stuff. I've only sampled two of the many kinds in the basket and both are amazing. One a smooth dark chocolate and the other a milk chocolate made with hazelnut creme. So unbelievably good. Now to find a good hiding place to insure my chocolate stash will last a good long while.

 

It may have been a mistake to mention your stash at the meeting!

This group is very good at sniffing out chocolate near and far!

 

I would get a great giggle out of knowing what your potential hiding places are and then the one you finally settle on! LOL My secret stash has been all over the house over the years. There are some days I don't know my own name but I have never forgotten any chocolate