Saturday Slight

I'm posting early this morning because by the usual time, Laurie, Rusty and I will be on the road to Spokane. There's a dressage show at the Spokane Sport Horse Center, so Laurie will be riding tests twice today and twice tomorrow. It's probably going to be a long, hot day, so I'm taking my laptop and a good book.

Boots and Becky want me to read Pontoon by Garrison Keillor, so that will go in the back pack, and maybe I'll get a chance to start it. I so seldom take time to sit down to read in the summer that today will offer a good excuse.

Yesterday, I got really excited when I saw Doug Stockdale pull into the driveway with his big tractor and swather. That meant our hay would be cut. We chatted a while, which is pretty customary where Doug is concerned, and then he headed toward the field. The sound of that equipment rolling through the field was music to my ears.

There's a pretty good weather forecast ahead, so his timing was perfect. I put a Kokanee in the refrigerator because I knew Doug would enjoy a cold brew after driving circles around that hot field for a few hours. Then, I headed outside with a bowl to start collecting seed. The radish seed is ready as are the carrot tops from last year's crop.

While picking the first radish pods, I noticed a disturbing sound----quiet out there in the field. Then, I heard a not-so-good sound---a tractor coming closer down the lane. When Doug approached the driveway and stopped, he looked pretty serious. And, for good reason.

He had caught a piece of that goat wire from the north fence and while it wrapped around his cutters, the U-joint on his swather broke. He said that if he could find a U-joint it wouldn't be too much of a problem, but it set him back. I doubt he was happy.

I called a few minutes later and offered to go get the U-joint, but his daughter Libby assured me that she and her mom were the "parts runners." Apparently, this year they've been pretty busy; in fact, yesterday they went to Spokane to pick up something for the baler.

So, this morning I don't know the status of Doug's U-joint, but I'm hoping things worked out with the equipment problem. Some haying seasons are like that, and they can get pretty exasperating for everyone. If we're lucky, maybe he'll be back today and that hay will be lying on the ground when I return.

Happy Saturday to all. Off to Spokane.