Grinding Hay

Grinding hay is typically 1 of those jobs that magically gets done while I am at my day job.  I leave for work in the morning with a stack of hay bales in the yard near where the ground hay pile is located and when I return "hokus pokus" those bales were turned into a big pile of ground up hay.  It really isn't magic, it is usually Mark's job to take care of that project. 

The only good pic I got grinding.  We had to pause to make
sure things were still OK.  He has the tub raised and checking things out
under it.

We like to schedule the company that grinds our hay to come out when ever they grind for Mark's boss.  We are only 5 miles away, so that saves the company a special trip out our way and Mark can follow the crew to our place so he knows exactly what time they will be there.  No wasted time sitting around waiting on them to show up.  It is a great system and increases our time efficiency.  I got a call Monday afternoon from the company that said that they were grinding tomorrow at Mark's boss' at 8 am and would be to our place after that (about 9 am).  Ok no problem until I called Mark, he said that he can't be there cuz the boss scheduled him to pick up a load of cattle from a neighbor and haul them to the sale barn and he has to be there to load the semi at 9 am. 

I locked the calves in the barn so they
were out of the dust while we ground. 
They are begging me to let them out!

So I was stuck tending to the grinder.  We stack hay on both sides where the grinder will park, but have to move most of them closer as he gets the ones he can reach with his big grapple.  Grinding goes pretty fast and you have to be quick and efficient with the tractor and loader.  I am Ok at running them, when no body is watching and I don't have to be "fast like a bunny" (a saying my dad always said when he wanted something done yesterday).  I got home, grinder got there on time, got set up and I told him I was a "first timer" and if he didn't like where I was putting the bales to let me know.  We grind for about 1 hr which is about 50-60 bales.  I am pretty sure that the grinder guy got a good laugh.  Our tractor seat doesn't adjust easily and I am not very big.  So when I push both the clutch and brake in at the same time my butt comes off the seat and then I have to kind of stand on them to the the tractor to stop.  Then I have to reach for the leavers that run the loader bucket, and to top it off because I am out of the office my cell phone rings constantly.  The guy running the grinder got to see a good show, I was bouncing all over the cab of the tractor, 1 hand on the steering wheel, 1 hand to run both loader bucket leavers, and my cell phone stuck between my ear and shoulder.  Not to mention at 1 point in time I tried to get some pictures of the process for the blog...they were a big blur...  But all the hay got ground, and he didn't have to wait on me and I did a pretty darn good job cleaning up all the loose hay.  Mark did get a good laugh when I told him how things went down.  I told him next time it is ALL HIM!!!