Summer on the Farm

I wanted to give you a little tour of our farmyard before we go to the field to make silage today. We've done this silaging thing every year as long as we've been married (31 years this July!) but I have precious few pictures it so I resolved to change that this year.



Here's the equipment we are using this week. I'll drive the tractor with the forage harvester and hydump in the field(it's the rig on the left side). Bob's truck isn't in this picture and the silage press is already in position with a bag on it to stuff (literally!) the silage into so that it can be sealed off and rest until winter. It looks like a lot of stuff here, doesn't it? It is a lot of machinery and my talented husband, the farm mechanic, has been very busy repairing and fine tuning to have everything shipshape and ready to go. Theoretically, the more time you spend getting it all in perfect running order the less problems you should have once you are in full operation. It rarely works that way - there's always something else that breaks when you least want it to!!!

Notice that blue prairie sky? It's one of the seven wonders of Canada, CBC announced recently. Pretty cool, I think!




This is the farm shop where Bob's tools and some replacement parts are kept. All those bins in the front are treasures he bought at a recent auction. He did get some really good deals but still - it seems like a lot of stuff. I guess we're going to be farming for a few years yet!!




This is the disc bine that will cut down the grass, hay or grain. Today it's cutting fall rye that was planted last August.




Putting the power takeoff shaft on can be such a delicate process as the teeth and splines need to aligned correctly. This is what makes the implement behind the tractor go up and down or around and around - it gets its power from the motor of the tractor - amazing, hey! I took this picture to capture my husband's hands. They are covered in grease and oil whenever he's in the shop but he is so talented when it comes to mechanical things - understanding how they work and how to keep them running. He's a self-taught mechanic and is ingenious when it comes to adapting and improving.