Two days after the flipping of the hay, they returned and started putting it in rows. That was 5pm. I was totally thrilled to see this, and sorry we were going out to dinner and might miss some fascinating phase. Happily, returning at 10pm, we were just in time to see them start packaging it. Yah, it's all Silage. Perhaps because of the rain, or not, I won't know until I interview a hay farmer. It's on my list of things to do - catch a farmer at good time and ask him all the questions I have. As we drove to dinner, I noticed it happening all over town - hay being baled into round bales and wrapped in mint green packaging to ferment. I was chattering excitedly to my man, "So, is there a Farmers' Forum online, where all the hay farmers coordinate? Like, "When's it all goin' down, y'all? I'm way ahead of y'all, I'll have mine cling filmed by midnight." etc
Or do they all just put a big old X on Ascension day and go to work, rain or shine?
Dying to know. (P.S. Ascension day is a national holiday here. That's the day Jesus went back to heaven. I looked it up today, and immediately after Jesus ascended, two men appeared to the disciples and said, "Why are you all looking up like that?" and I'm thinking they knew the answer.)
My man had a BIG old tick on him this morning from us being to exhausted last night to do tick checks. (We hammered in 19 Tposts. Only 19 to go!) I had a heck of a time getting that thing out with tweezers and won't go into the gorey details. I went straight to the petstore and bought a tick remover. Too bad they don't make a good tick repellent that works for HUMANS.
While at the petstore, I got myself a new clicker cuz I want to continue clicker training Baasha. I learned two things today: Carrots are not as interesting when your pasture is sweet and lush. He'll just walk away.
Why did he walk away? Lesson 2. Freaking charge the clicker thoroughly. I thought I didn't need to, cuz we'd done it before. But since I was using a strange new target, and carrying the clicker in the same hand as the target, everytime I clicked when he touched it, the sound vibrated it and started him so badly he didn't want to touch it, carrot or no. He walked away from me with a wave of his tail, making me feel stupid.
As I showed my husband the clicker, and started explaining operant conditioning to him, my man started kissing me everytime I clicked it. I said "That's not how it works!" but he continued. : )
We're eating sweet peas and the tomatoes have yellow blossoms. The beets are tempermental and require a lot of watering. I lost one entire zucchini plant to a slug. It's war now, slugs. Watch yourselves.
The neighbor brought over a bunch of sunflower babies and left them in my greenhouse. I gave her a zucchini start in return. It's fun to exchange seedlings!
Here's a pic of Baasha trying ot destroy our grape vine. He's eaten every leaf that he can reach with his mouth through the mesh. I think my man is gonna put up another, finer mesh.
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11 comments:
Clicker-training your man, I like that!
Do you s'pose it would work to train them to clean the bathroom? Just curious.
Do you remember the time we read that clicker-training book in the car on the way home from PNER convention? I actually trained Story to "fetch the bunny" using the clicker, talk about useless tricks but it surely was cute.
p.s. I still have that post-pounder. Come get it! >g<
Silage sounds gross. Maybe someone can tell me what it's good for. :)
Aunt Mary said she was sending you a clicker-trainer in the mail- but I guess you can get them at the German pet store? Interesting! It sounds like such an American thing, to me. I told her you could use a Snapple cap. hehehe
Your garden looks WONDERFUL!! So cool that you made use of the greenhouse and now you have a harvest so much sooner than everyone else. Slugs can get in there? yuck.
Baasha sure looks cute while destroying your grapevine. :)
-sis
Aarene, Yah I remember that. I love that Story could fetch: )
The post pounder's not heavy or awkward in size is it? Hehehe
Hainshome - Send Snapple.
I had a clicker that was just metal - no batteries. It's like these:
https://www.ssl-serve.org/lcadvertising/shop/products.asp?id=3
Is there a different one for horses?
I tried clicker training my husband, but he just laughed and started organizing the sock drawer. I don't think I read the instructions right...
So do horses and vineyards not mix?
I hate that when there's tons to eat, they still want to get into things they shouldn't. Even though mine were FAT from grazing and free-choice hay, they still pulled bark off my trees. Grr!
Well I guess you did not get the box I sent.It had a clicker for Baasha, 'cause you said you can't get them there. WHERE IS THE BOX?
Also, I have some questions:
From way back when you told about how you acquired Baasha, how did you pick his name?
What is silage & what is it used for?
Who is Aunt Wiki?
Last question, do they have the new star trek movie that came out this week over there?
It must be very exciting to watch the hay making process.
Baasha looks gorgeous, sparkling white!
Funny...here the round bales look different...the ones there look like dougnuts...but what is really funny is that most folks around here use the same colored wrapper. You have to wonder, is it a fashion statement or does the color of the wrapping actually effect something? Another question to ask your farmer when you get him cornered :)
Maybe just move the grape bush? hehe!
Maybe one day you will share your clicker training techniques with us? What sorts of things have you been successful in clicker training Baasha?
I was giggling picturing your man kissing you everytime you clicked. Men are trained much easier than horses I would think? You two are still basically 'newlyweds, right'?
Is Silage just fermented grass?
It's interesting over here how they warn against feeding grass clippings...but isn't that basically what Silage is?
Eww...slugs.
But...yummo sweet peas!
~Lisa
Breathe - It's the same clicker for horses. I just need the book now!
Leah - It's upsetting my man to see how Baasha tries to destroy plants both by snacking and rubbing on. Agh.
Mary - I hope it still arrives!
FV - It is wonderful to watch it happen! I'll probably miss it when they make ours (we'll be in America or something). But at least I got to see it across the street!
Adventures - These are not the typical round bales - I don't know why the ones in front of our home look like big squares. The other fields around here are filled with the round bale you recognize. Weirdy.
Lisa - Yah we got married last year: )
Silage is odd, but if I understand correctly, they ferment it anaerobically - without oxygen - so it's not dangerous. In fact, if a package gets ripped or chewed by a mouse, the air gets in and spoils the entire bale with botulism.
When I look at the risk of feeding hay or silage, I feel safer with hay. Is a horse more likely to accidentally eat moldy hay, or botulism infected silage? I honestly don't know. Proponents say that both hay and silage are equally likely to spoil, so your risk is the same. People like Jessica Jahiel say "Do Not Feed" silage because of the risk. To me, well, you don't hear people saying, "Do not feed hay - too risky" so I'll feed hay.
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