To make hay while the sun shines is good advice.
I've been taking a hay making lesson in Lattimore. Literally and figuratively.
In the literal sense, Kentucky 31 fescue grass is planted in the pretty Lattimore pastures. Dad and his brother, Robert, used to plant alfalfa and they actually pioneered a drying process for alfalfa which is another interesting story I learned last week. Another day. Another blogpost.
But these days it's Kentucky 31 fescue in the Hunt Farm pastures. The cows are rotated around the various pastures to graze and to let the grass grow. Gary, Dad and Mom watch the growing grass and they watch the weather to decide when it's the right time to mow and bale the hay.
For the grass, the right time is when it has the perfect moisture content. Leafy, high nutritional and - I'm guessing - tasty hay is preferred by farmers and animals. Sight, smell, touch and taste are used to decide when this perfect time arrives. Dad and Gary don't use any kind of instrument to measure the grass moisture content. They use their senses - eyes, nose, taste, touch. Dad says it needs to look and feel right. And that you want your final hay product to be leafy not stemmy.
When the grass starts getting to the right look and feel, then everybody starts watching the weather. Because "once the hay is mowed and mashed down with the hay bind, it needs to sit in the sun to dry a little". When it is dried to perfection, Gary fits the tractor with various implements to rake the hay into rows, bale it and put it up in the hay barn. When I was growing up they always used a square baler and the pastures were dotted with little gold squares of hay. It took several strong people to toss those square bales onto a truck to put in the barn. These days they use a round baler because it is so much more efficient but I think we all miss the little square bales sometimes.
So last week was the right time to make hay in Lattimore. The grass looked and felt right and the sun was shining and - oh happy day - now there is high quality hay in the hay barn.
To make hay while the sun shines means to do something when the conditions are right. But it also means that you need to know what you want your end result to be, you need to work together with each other and with nature, and that you need to pay close attention to many details along the way. Good advice.
Here's to high quality hay - and a high quality life!
Lattimore "horsepasture" with roses in bloom and hay bales ready to be put up.
I made hay with one of my bucket list items this spring. Conditions were perfect for the Cooper River Bridge Run and I can't describe how powerful and emotional that experience was for me. I walked the 10K with Susan and loved every second of it. Even though I have an irrational fear of bridges, I appreciate this one because it is so beautiful. And who doesn't love being in the Charleston area.
Allie lived at the starting line for the Cooper River Bridge event and so Susan and some veteran bridge runners knew how to get a good start. I was the novice in this and really enjoyed being with people who knew the ropes.
I ran into my cousin David and his wife Michel at the end of the CRBR in Charleston. David's father, Robert, was Dad's brother and his partner in the Alfalfa drying venture.
I had no idea I would run into so many people at the Bridge Run. I zumba with Lynn and have known Sherry forever but had no idea that either of them would be in Charleston.
Crossing the finish line and feeling so happy. It reminded me of the way my Aunt Burnette had described a particularly meaningful event. "I am completely saturated with joy!"
The veteran Cooper River Bridge Runners and me. Everyone started out the morning together and then each went at their own pace. We had a meet up spot so we could all celebrate together.
We were lucky to spend the Bridge Run Weekend with friends and a darling set of twins. After the run we chilled on the beach and watched the building of sand castles.
We made hay back in Shelby when classmate, Batt Humphreys agreed to come speak at my bookclub. His book, Dead Weight, is set in Charleston and is based on a true story. Batt is a journalist and did an excellent job with his first novel.
I had invited Batt to speak at Literario Book Club and Linda had invited Cassandra King, who has written several wonderful novels, to speak at Fireside Books. Both authors were coming to Shelby on the same day and so we put it all together at Dragonfly Wine Shoppe and invited the public to join in on a wonderful discussion.
This was some quality hay making.
Several of Batt's other classmates dropped in to say hello and I do believe everyone enjoyed celebrating Batt's success and also telling some old high school tales.
Meanwhile, Jay flew out to Texas to visit a bit and then drive back to NC with David. After three years working in Dallas in the hospitality industry, David decided to make a move back east of the Mississippi River. We couldn't be more delighted to have him home.
David, Marta, Colin and Jay having a bon voyage dinner in Dallas.
David and Jay took a scenic tour home stopping in Memphis to eat ribs at the Rendezvous, see the Peabody Hotel and take a stroll down Beale Street. Then they stopped in Nashville to visit friends before coming on to NC. More quality hay making.
David and Jay arrived back in Shelby when conditions were perfect for planting tomatoes. It's amazing how quick they can dig deep holes and get plants into the ground. Love having them home.
With two 20something boys back in the house the cooking went into warp speed. We had a biscuit making lesson and ended up making four runs. We ate some and froze enough for a huge Easter gathering to come.
I made spaghetti one day and spur of the moment invited Mom and Dad to come for lunch. They took us up on it and we enjoyed stories around the table. Dad gave us a lesson on how to grow dogwood trees from seed.
Easter arrived and so did ALL of the family. We had Saturday night supper at our house with about 50 people including 9 under the age of 4. I was so busy I didn't get a full group picture but it was a really fun and happy time on Fairway Drive. David cooked in the big cooker and everybody brought a favorite dish and we had plenty of biscuits and cornbread!
Easter Sunday, Sister hosted a big crowd for lunch. We did manage to get the grandchildren and great-grandchildren in a group picture this time. Loved this time together.
Easter weekend I took several people to the Earl Scruggs Center for a quick tour. Dyna took this picture of Hanse, Caroline and me playing around in the banjo petting zoo.
On Easter I brought out my favorite tradition - the old rugged cross in Nanny's pitcher. I put it out on the front porch to see if it would transform by Easter Sunday morning.
The Transformation. As Easter dates move around in springtime it seems that each year the cross transforms with different colors, shapes, and plants of all kinds.
Anyone is encouraged to put any plant into the cross. It can be a bloom, branch, flower, leaf, herb or most anything growing in the yard. There are no rules to follow, no requirements to keep except to work together to create something beautiful. A symphonic harmony of diversity.
I love the way that this beautiful unity is established with such freedom and such diversity. It's what the message of Easter is really all about.
Hunter was in town for a short visit and several of us met up at Nifen for lunch. Dad and Hunter ordered a bowl of soup and there was plenty to share.
Rachel was in town too and she entertained all of us at Nifen with her cute self.
Lattimore Church holds it's own Memorial Day with dinner on the grounds on the first Sunday in May. It was a perfect day this year with beautiful weather, lots of good food and new and old friends and relatives. The new preacher did a wonderful job of encouraging remembering the past with joy and looking forward to the future with joy.
Dad, Elise, Mom and Ned visited at Lattimore Memorial Day. Dad and Elise are first cousins and are both in their 90s. They are hilarious and can swap stories with the best of 'em! They have made a LOT of hay in their days.
We made a trip to Raleigh for some doctors appointments but we managed a little hay making there too. Judy cooked a delicious dinner and some old friends dropped by spur of the moment.
Bobby Hunter, Judy, George Miller, Mom, Dad and Sarah Parker posed for a quick picture. There are a bunch of sharp minds gathered here.
While in Raleigh, Stu and I made a little hay in a new wine shop equipped with an enomatic. This is a cool place where you can taste just a drop or two or the wines before you buy them. I bet hay making and wine making have a lot of farming similarities.
Beside the wine shop in Raleigh is a Community Garden. It's just a few blocks from the Governor's Mansion and is a really neat concept in utilizing urban space to grow healthy food. I met up with my old college pal, Cindy, who is involved with this and with other ways to feed people.
Back in Lattimore Dad was getting ready for his Thursday night board meeting. He served pimiento cheese sandwiches and hot dogs. Yum.
Holy Grail of Lattimore Gardening. This is the silver queen corn growing on May 21st. Conditions are looking good so far for a great crop in mid July.
David, Jay, Will, Elliott, Tucker, Turner, Kyle, and Taylor went on a kayaking camping trip to Lake Fontana. I'm sure some hay was made there.
Mother's Day at Lake Lure. Happy Mom.
A mother's day gift. I think we should add "lizard trapping" and "hay making".
David and I joined a fun dance group called the Revelers who met in Greenville, SC recently. Reveling and hay making seem to go together pretty good. I didn't get a picture of the very high quality dancing which took place but I did get a nice shot of the Reedy Creek Falls which is right in the middle of downtown Greenville. Very pretty and such a nice downtown.
Memorial Weekend at Lake Lure brought out a reason to grill on the new grassy area that Jay and David sodded. They also planted juniper, hydrangea, mountain laurel and rhododendron bushes - and laid a walkway. They are really handy to have around.
Making hay while the sons shine. (sorry I just couldn't pass that up)
Mom, Libby, Paul and a variety of Martins dropped by for a few hours at the Lake.
Lake Lure Sunset - May 2014. I love watching the sun set.
Lattimore Sunrise - May 2014. I love watching the sun come up too.
This is so easy, cute, colorful and healthy. I saw it online and decided that conditions were perfect to put this together for Easter for many reasons. We had about 50 people coming for supper and a lot of them were children. Mom always says to eat something of every color and this is really quick and easy to put together.
Just slice the pineapple in circles and use one circle and toothpicks to make the bunny ears. Blueberries for eyes and nose and then sprinkle strawberries, grapes, blueberries and blackberries around the bunny. The bunny tail is a real cotton boll and is the only inedible thing on the tray.
Make Hay While the Sun Shines!
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