Oct. 21, 2001 ~ Hauling hay
Years ago, I helped haul hay a time or two. Walked in the field behind the trailer, picked up the bales and tossed them onto the trailer or stood on the trailer and stacked them. I was younger and much stronger then. Now a bad back keeps me from lifting even one bale of hay or a single sack of feed (though I cheat sometimes when no-one else is around). Today it was my job to drive the truck while the guys loaded the hay. Yuck. It's not a whole lot better than "bucking" the bales (that's really what they call it, tossing those bales around). You can't see the bales in the pasture, you can't see all the guys in the field, you can't see much of anything. You've got three or four men hollering at you to drive, stop, go, wait for a second, DON'T stop, keep driving slowly no matter what, and watch out for the kids. I should tell you that the other guys' wives refuse to drive the hay truck; it stresses them out too much. Gee, I wonder why. Anyway, we are done moving hay this year... I think. I hope. And I'm tired through and through.
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