Making hay -- making hats

Gloves and boots are a necessity on the farm. It's hard to pick up the hay bales, knock them off of the stack, and load them without gloves, farm boots and a hay hook.

The grandkids were over during hay baling this week. It was 114 degrees heat index the day the hay was baled. That seems to be the law of God and man -- that hay will be baled on the hottest day of the year. Despite the temps, they seemed to have fun -- baking in the sun in the pasture, riding in the back of Grammy's open truck, dragging bales across the barn, teetering at the top of the wagon loaded with hay -- it was all good for kids. Not so much for Grammy.

Thank goodness for Katey and Ron and Ben -- my muscle helpers.

So that's how 96 bales of hay got to the barn.

Then I taught the girls how to use the Knifty Knitter and they began their adventure with hat making. Ashley made a hat for her teddy bear. Amy made a hat for herself -- and liked the process so much that she made one for her bear, too. How cute does Amy look in that little hat? You can see the sweat forming on her head (it WAS over 100 plus heat index) and yet she proudly wore the hat home when her mom came to get them.

Life on the farm in the summer.