It's a common sight during these dry July days to see wind rows of fresh hay in the fields.
It's the "make hay in the sunshine" season.
I must say that, overall, this year's crops look much more promising than those of last year.
Of course, when it comes to hay, there always seem to be factors that affect just how premium the price per ton will be.
This year's apparent quantity is offset by the fact that fertilizer and fuel needed for producing and harvesting the crops are both sky high.
Last year, hay was just hard to get. This year, it looks like there will be plenty, but sticker shock will rule.
It was kind of amazing to be several degrees latitude to the north in Iceland this past week and to see hay already harvested and packaged in black or white plastic wrap.
We heard that a week's worth of nice weather had preceded our arrival, so I'm sure the farmers were busy.
Each year we buy enough hay to feed our three horses over the winter. Happily, this year, we won't need so much because there's grass aplenty and their pastures should keep them nourished through late fall.
Last year, we started feeding hay in July, partially to give the dry pastures a break. We also fed much earlier in the fall than ever before.
So, though spendy, we may not need to purchase nearly as much as we did last year.
With the price of everything going up, that's a reassuring fact.
Another species has done as well as the hay and grass this year: weeds.
I've spent the past three days methodically going through my garden to find the plants I want to continue growing.
Twas a jungle of weeds out there when I returned home. Yesterday I finally reached a point where I could see definitive rows of potatoes, tomatoes, cukes, etc.
I can also see places where I'll drop in some more seed today. With the hot weather coming, the new seed should do its thing quickly.
I have even weeded the first manure pile and found pumpkin plants starting to take off. Hoping they produce more than one pumpkin as was the case with last year's crop.
It looks to be a bountiful year for pretty much anything that comes from the ground, so I'm looking forward to the ordinary days ahead of leading horses to pasture, tending the garden and the manure pile, writing a check for when the winter's hay comes, driving around the neighborhood taking pictures and hanging out with the dogs.
Throw in some fence painting with high-priced paint and still a lot of lawn mowing, and summer life will be okay.
Nothing too exciting but still nice.
Happy Tuesday.
I bought this flag for Bill at Foley's in Kenmare during our stay there.
Bill had tried to purchase a Kerry football flag on one of our previous trips, but none were available.
So, with the country boys of Kerry playing Dublin city players in the finals of the All-Ireland soccer tournament this weekend, Bill proudly hung his flag out by the road.
And, County Kerry won after a kick by a player from Kenmare!
Kerry will now take on County Galway in the finals later this month.
So, the flag definitely has meaning.
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