T'Was a S.A.D. Saturday...

...on the farm.

(no, this is NOT our farm!)

Unfortunately, it's that time of year that we must think about winter feed.

Ours is tucked neatly, in Kodak colors on the pantry shelves lining the basement walls, and sparkling of a frosty white behind the freezer doors.

*giving myself a nice soft shoulder pat*

But..these four legged, outdoor critters, oh no, they have to be difficult!

They need a completely different supply than ours.

Their preference is to have it packaged in colorful strings, either round or square in configuration; dry in texture with an 'earthy' flavor, and placed at a level low enough to hang their heads over the whole plate, Ala Naturál.

They will nuzzle it strewing it around,

toss it upwards into the winds, and munch away.

(Actually, I do know a few humans that prefer that posture also.)
They even think it's fun to trample the strays into mud mash...

being much too wasteful in my opinion!

I was taught to eat what is put on my plate...all of it!

We were not allowed to play in our food, let alone lie in it!

Luckily, I don't have to be their menu planner!

They are content with the same forage day after day,

with possibly some oats or other grains sprinkled about.

Horses and cows are grazers (humans are too in their own way....*snicker) and winters in the northern country does not provide natural grazing grasses for them to survive on, they depend on us!

That is S A D!

Us humans, must find, haul, stack and even pay for their nourishment!

Yes! With our hard earned green backs! Can you believe that?

Not only do we pay for our own, we must pay for theirs too!

Yes, I know, I know...they will pay us back in their own sweet time,

but I'll bet they won't figure the cost of living increases into the matter!

That too is S A D !

~ ~ ~

The economy this year has everyone up in arms.

Hay prices have sky rocketed!

Not only are there horses being turned out in the wilds to fend for themselves, there are many cattlemen cutting back in their herd numbers. They too, are losing the battles.

Will the 'Cowboy way' die a slow & quiet death?

If so, that will be S A D !

~ ~ ~

Yesterday, Cowboy went to fetch some winter feed.

(Not for us, for them!)

We much prefer to support the locals, but when the hay growers cater to the export market and carry their pricing over into the local's pocketbooks...

us locals, struggling to survive and care for the critters,

must weigh our options.

We weighed ours.

The price of hay + fuel = $107.00 per ton CHEAPER!

We went North!

(Actually, only Cowboy went, I stayed back to hold down the fort,

which was a good thing!

I had a stampede!............. JUST TEASING!)

He went North! No, not "North to Alaska" *sing, sing...

Just North!

You know.....to where the Hay is cheaper!

North to the Washington/Canadian border...almost (20 miles shy thereof).

A long-g-g-g-g-g 4 hour drive, empty~heading up.

A long-g-g-g-g-ger 5+ hour drive full ~coming back.

I must say long-g-g-g...as this Cowboy has a problem with sitting

behind a steering wheel and staying awake!

Not real sure how he accomplished this feat, and yes, I do worry!

We don't own cell phones, so for me, it was a wait and hope day.

Hope he didn't find himself in dreamland, deep in the Columbia River somewhere!

That would have been S A D !

But I became HAPPY when the whites of his eyes pulled in the drive late.

I could see from the porch he had toothpicks keeping those eyelids open.

The pain of that alone, had to be what kept him awake...don't you think?

We got up early this morning for the normal routine....

not the same normal as the past 4 months,

but the normal for the next 8 months.

"(If you remember, he was secretly grinning the other day, knowing he'd soon have my shoulders to count on, helping with "non-gardening" chores.) "

Today ended my front porch mornings, quietly sipping my coffee wrapped in the blanket (yes..blanket, not robe.. because dear, procrastinating "Hydro" called today to say my robe wasn't mailed until today! She promised it was, but we will see.)

"(This is an ongoing saga of 6 months so far....**wink**!

I think she's figurin' Ol' Mom will come visit, just to get her robe back, right?) "

Bring on the chores! I can only do so much, I'm out of barnyard shape!

I can quench the thirsts, visit with the chickens

and woo them into a few more eggs;

I can toss some forage, and sweep the planks.

But, tth-tth-that's all folks! for today....

While I shed my jacket and worked up a dew,

Cowboy positioned the rig and grabbed the tractor for off loading the hay.

Now this is where the S A D really begins.

So... S A D

Since his return of the night before, he's done nothing but rant and rave...

about the comforts of the ride, the gadgets galore.

He wants his old Jalopy~no more!

S..... So Sorry Charlie (oops, I mean Cowboy!)

I know you'd prefer the shiny new wheels, such as you borrowed.

Easy on the fuel and the power to pull.

Just be glad we have a verrrry nice 'neighbor' who would lend his to you!

(Just say it was yours for a day, who will know!)


A..... Already spent.. the allotment and then some...
(We need to find a way to fill our wallets, not deplete them!)

D..... Dollars...are gone

(too, too many! )

Quit being a Cowboy, then maybe you could afford those wheels!

(Oooops...but then you wouldn't need them... right?)

This HAY expenditure is a huge PITFALL to our Cowboy life!

Or is that Pit Full?

It does go in one end and comes out the other...

to fill a Pit....... Full!

It seems to Burn a hole in our pocketbooks,

As fast as The Hay Burners can chow it down!

(and that is pretty fast!)

That is S A D !

Hence, filling the Pit........Full!

.....But HAY! That's OK. I will recycle it next year...in my compost!


~ ~ ~

I know, you will always be a Cowboy,

and we will always be buying hay,

So forgot about those shiny new wheels

until another day!

I'm so sorry...

So S. A. D. !