Friday, October 3, 2008

the season of the hayseeds


The weather is finally cooler now,  and the horses have cropped down almost all of the grass in the pasture.  They are still working hard at grazing, but not getting much for their efforts. We've begun giving them hay and soon they'll be getting their full daily winter allotment.  This is where the hayseeds come in.  I'm the main caretaker of the horses and so I get to toss them their hay.  I ration it out over the day, and as I feed them , inevitably the stuff gets all over me. 

Some people are messy eaters (me) and always end up with crumbs and wine stains all over the tablecloth (me), and drips on their clothes (me).  The same seems to go for feeding the horses. During the colder months, I am in a constant state of trailing hayseeds.  They end up in my hair, on  (and in) my clothes, and mysteriously, sometimes in my purse.  The hayseeds have become a part of my life.   They remind me not to take myself too seriously, that there are always tasks to be carried out, that things follow a rhythm and a pattern and that we're inevitably tied to the land.    We've come full circle again, and I'm ready to face the winter.  And the season of the hayseeds. 



3 comments:

Unknown said...

I usually go around with a combination of hay stuck to me, manure on my shoes and cat hair.
I had the vet out yesterday for fall shots and sheath cleaning (he hates it and is bad). She gave me a very stern warning about 2 of them being way too fat. They are now going to come in very early from the field....it is still pretty lush. I should have done this on my own...I should not need the vet to tell me duh!

enjoy the weekend!
annie

hayseed said...

Yay for the hayseed and manure ladies! I think it's tricky to get a horse's weight down, especially if they put it on easily- mine need exercising-the weather is beautiful, I will make an effort to ride, it always seems to be the last priority- have a great weekend too!

Maria said...

Well, I've gotten this far, have LOVED every post! your humor, your life, I love how you write as well as the beautiful photos. On this hay issue, I too am always covered, I've told my family when I pass to take handfuls of hay, tie with a ribbon, & hand out for people to throw on the coffin istead of a flower.