Tractor.

Yet another month has slipped by in the hectic craziness that is our farm life.

Matt finished up planting (and replanting some) soybeans and we got the planter put away. With planting finished up that meant it was time to start haying and what a time that has been. It started off well but about half way through we just kept getting just enough rain (.1 to .2 inches) to make it impossible to bale the hay he had mowed down.

However, when it did clear up long enough I ended up in the tractor. The last time I talked about the tractor I was using it was in two pieces to repair the clutch. Needless to say we (mostly Matt) got it put back together and in working order. The reason I was in the tractor was to rake the hay. By raking the windrows of hay it does two things, first it gives the hay next to the ground a chance to dry a little bit more and second it takes two windrows and combines them into one fluffy windrow for the baler to gobble up.

This is the first time I’ve ever driven the tractor with the rake! And everything managed to go fairly well. I did hit a couple of bales but I blame that on Matt for kicking the bales out in the wrong places. J In the picture with the rake you can see a bit of the hills we farm on in Northeast Kansas as well as the tractor and baler Matt was operating.

In the month before raking the hay I’ve been busy with work thanks to Mother Nature. Some storms that have come through the area I cover have brought hail and torrential rains which have led to lots of replant claims and some hail claims for me to work. This has taken up most of my hours during the week, leaving only the weekends to work on everything else.

When I haven’t been working as an adjuster, I’ve been trying to work on little boy’s bedroom. And wouldn’t you know that about the time I am just about finished with the final round of mud on the walls in Will’s bedroom I ran out. So off to town to get more just so I could finish, sigh….

 

But, since that set back I have managed to get everything sanded, two coats of primer on his walls and ceiling, and just today I got his ceiling painted blue!!

Matt’s found some time to run the tiller through the garden a couple of times so that has helped with the weeding. I’ve picked the peas a couple of times and I believe I’ve picked the last round of lettuce for the “spring” season.  I did end up planting some cucumbers, watermelons and two varieties of pumpkins. We’ll see if they actually come up.

Later,

Stephanie

The Moderately Involved Kansas Farm Wife