The most German thing that's happened to me lately

You all know that Germans are in first place when it comes to recycling and environmental friendliness, I hope. I think I've complained enough here about the waiting in lines out the door for weekly water bottle returns, etc, etc.


Tonight I was getting groceries and my Samwise Gaertner Fish Guy was there, with his bikini girlfriend who likes to lay by our ponds and tan most of her body. To be honest I haven't used Herr B for weedwhacking lately because we've been trying to save money by doing it ourselves. That means that last Wednesday, on a solitary break in rainfall, my man and I mowed under our pasture fences, and our lawn, until 10 PM (which is not allowed, but I honestly think the neighbors are glad that we finally got the chance to mow).

So Herr B, a cocky young Picard-bald representative of Germanness stuck out his oil-blakened hand and withdrew, laughing, "I worked on tractors today" before I shook it. (Have I told you all about the German hand shaking? It's pervasive. Everyone shakes hands, all the time, when it comes to professional relationships. Even if you see a person regularly, a handshake is required.)

I'm so off track here. Where was I? His GF fully clad was chatting on her cell phone the entire time, but he pointed to her and said "YES, she'll take care of your animals while you're gone! You only feed evenings right?"

I had told him that we're still not sure if Isabel can do the entire 3 weeks, so we're looking for alternatives.

I mentioned that the cat is a problem too - and he said "Well, she'll have to lose weight then."

OK then.

I will go over and talk to Isabel tomorrow about her availability to help us. I sure hope she can do the entire time.

I brought up the next problem I have in my farmy life: no hay. We have not had hay all summer. This is horrible, I know, except that our grazing strips are so well managed that Baasha and Bellis are doing well on them and Baasha is "normal" for him, getting lots of beet pulp, oil, and *new thing* --rice bran, which had to be ordered by mail because the only feed stores in our state do not carry it. When it arrived, of course we were at work, so the cop-neighbor had to carry a huge 50 pound box over here.

Herr B said "Why don't you talk to me about these things? I have resources, I can help you!!! I told you when I met you that I make hay."

OK I really don't remember that but OK, show me your hay.

He said, "Wait just a minute while we shop, then follow us in your car to our supply."

I waited and realized what a hick I am now, waiting at the local grocery for the hay man to lead me to his hay store. At least I'm not riding Baasha to Aldi anymore and tying him to a lampost while I shop, and then loading him up with groceries to carry home. No, we have two cars now so a horse is not required to bring groceries home. But I'm certain that Baasha misses the Haribo (gummi bears)  I would always buy for him, and the little girls running up, OMG, a horse at ALDI!

I'd only ridden Baasha down this oak-lined road in our town, I'd never driven it. I followed Herr B's BMW as best I could but I was only in a Toyota. We arrived at a farmhouse and a blond woman opened up her kitchen window and yelled something at him, "blah blah blah!" and Herr B replied, "Yah, good luck with that!" He's kind of a rogue, but everyone seems to love him.

This old guy ran out of the house and rolled open the haybarn doors for us.

I stepped in and saw the largest most impressive hay barn of my life. It smelled so wonderfull I wanted to move in. But when I actually started stepping in there, the floor started giving out. Herr B warned me. I asked him what is this ginormous fan? He said, "To dry the hay." Ok - I'd never seen that before.

Herr Schneider said, "We have all sorts of hay here, what do you need, Ma'am? Large bales, small?:"

I said I need something an older horse can chew, and we can only store small bales. He said, "Well, look, come up here (I did), look at these lovely round bales!" I said, "Yes but we don't even have room for one of them" OK then. Back down the ladder to the small ones, which really looked great.

Herr B, my fish guy, apparently wanted to sell the 1st cutting that was on the trailer in that huge barn. He ripped one down for me. It looked like 1st cutting, something Baasha cannot eat.

I said, "I'll try it. If my horse cannot chew it, perhaps I can come back and try Herr Schneider's other hay."

Herr B said, "Yes, great, I'll put it in your car...oh, let me get you a sack."

Herr S said, "I have a garbage sack you can use if you don't want to get your car dirty."

I said, "Thank you."

He brought a big black (glad) garbage bag and Herr B put the bale in, and insisted on putting it in my car.

I said I'd give him the 3 bucks later but he said "No problem." But I will, I"ll leave it down by our ponds for him.

Then Herr S said, "But I need that garbage sack back! I use that, you know."

OK..

Um. I said, "I'll bring you your garbage sack back tomorrow."

Herr  B, being somewhat reasonable, said, "Frau W, just put the sack down by the pond and I will bring it back to him."

I nodded.

OK I'll bring that sack down tomorrow, along with a 2 Euro coin and one 1 Euro coin for that crappy 1st cutting bale.

That is the MostGermanThing - LOANING someone a disposable garbage sack, and requiring it back.

I'm just happy to have a hay supplier alternative to our own, who promised my husband today on the phone that he'd bring 30 bales by on Wednesday. I know not to trust him completely, so now I have a local alternative. And my husband went to our normal hay supplier's barn today, and picked up another "Toyota-load" of haylage for the next few days. They can eat it, and I'm curious what they prefer/can actually chew: the haylage or the 1st cut from Herr S. Right now I'm just happy to have an alternative hay supplier in our direct neighborhood.

It feels good.

I go to America next Saturday.

My animals will have hay.