How'd it go today?

Yah I don't know how you afford it. I can barely afford to farm part time, if I got on full time I'm sure I'd be flat broke in no time. :D
 
Went out on the boat to revisit the island where I cut the trees off the cliffs two summers ago.
Just a few small ones have sprouted or regrown so tomorrow I go to cut them off again. Considering it took me seven long days to go round the first time, I should get this lot done in a day, maybe two.
Cliff climbing tree work!
 
The time was finally right for making hay.
Bout a month after most of you guys, I think.

The mail order bride and ol' Sam had a good time jumping the wrap bales.

Justin, this is a 27 year old Welsh cob.
Pretty amazing build for such an old horse, don't you think?

Did I tell you that the "Golden nugget" makes me long for quarter horses in a big way.
Ain't gonna happen, though. P1040536.JPG P1040539.JPG P1040565.JPG
 
Heck yah. That horse looks fantastic for 27. Hope you got a good cut off.

My kid is involved in a bunch of extra activities/rehearsals for a dance show this week so my wife and I are making full use of the extra time and doing some extra practices on live steers this week. I only had the 'golden one' down for one day with his 'lameness'. I've ridden everyday since, and got him right back to full speed now with no sign of lameness of any sort. So dodged a bit of a bullet there I hope.
 
Jim, I've considered farming to be non profit for a long time now. My parents remember making money farming, but I think that was in the '70's.
 
little of column A, little of column B

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Grinder is a rental, and a damn effective one at that. We've had it a few times now. Nice big tow behind Rayco.
 
We should be haying right now Stig. Usually folks wait until July, but its early this year and the weevils are in it.

We get started a bit earlier than some. With 1000 acres to do you have to start when it is not ready so you can finish when its too dry.

Other people with irrigation get to spread it out over several cuttings and have fewer acres.

Little less now that we tore our south hay out and put it into organic.
 
I only had the 'golden one' down for one day with his 'lameness'. I've ridden everyday since, and got him right back to full speed now with no sign of lameness of any sort. So dodged a bit of a bullet there I hope.

Sure sounds like a stone bruise to me.
You got off lucky.
He is one fine looking horse BTW.
 
That's a nice looking horse Stig.

First day out on the island to cut the regrowth...yes invasive casuarina.
I'm very pleased, given how bad it was two years ago, the regrowth is pretty minimal. A few stumps sprouted where I didn't get enough Garlon on them, and a few seedlings have popped up in crevices and overhangs.
Still it was HOT and humid, all my clothes soaked to the skin, legs punctured with prickly pear spines, but oh so beautiful. Longtails wheeling around, flying right up within two feet, magic.
Love my SRT for this job, tricky finding some tie in points as they cut down a lot of the bigger trees up on the top, have had to get creative. Most of the stuff I can get with the silky, so not a lot of call to lug the wee 150 up and down.

There are some researchers out there as well, they are studying our endangered endemic skink, they have bottle traps all over the place to catch them, then they are microchipping them, can you believe it! They had all these muslin bags hanging up on the wall in the old magazine in the fort, each with a pissed off skink in it waiting for their turn to be poked and prodded measured and microchipped.
The skinks are endangered from habitat loss and trash, mainly glass bottles. They go in to drink the dregs then can't get out because they have claws not sucker pads. Also there is some evidence of predation by introduced birds like the kiskadee.

I love this kind of work, its very rewarding. After I had cut out all the big stuff two years ago, the longtails came right in to prospect for nests, and the skinks apparently were having a party on all the new bare rock!
 
Skink. What a great word! Skink, skink, skink.

I remember your work you did on that job a couple years ago. Super cool job. Any new pics?. Those were some striking cliffs and sea.
 
Some were hobby home owner saws but he did have some pro stuff. Turns out he builds and repairs stuff for a hobby, he showed us a picture of his AC Cobra that he restored over 12 years and just sold, it was immaculate!
 
Call me judgemental but that shop/bench just doesn't look like a saw thiefs setup.

Cobras are the sweetest cars imo.
 
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