Haying In The Country

Note: This is an excerpt from my latest book called Concrete Reflections. You can find this book here - http://stores.lulu.com/shishad
There is no need to edit it for me if you review it as it is already published. However, comments are welcome!

It is the middle of July and it's hot here. This is a special time of year for the farmers that live all around these mountain towns of Skagit County. I can truthfully say that I have never seen so much haying going on all over the countryside as it does here in what these people call the Corridor. That is the name they have given to the strip of farmland
that runs between the mountains from Mt. Vernon to Concrete. During the summer months you can see the big white plastic rolls of hay everywhere in the fields along the Corridor highway.

It is so prevalent that a haze hangs over this whole entire area during haying time.

I grew up on a farm in Michigan. So, I was familiar with farming. I had never seen so much haying done back where I grew up though. I believe that could be attributed to the fact that there may be many more horses and cattle for farmers here to have to feed through the winter months.

We live right next to two big pastures where the haying occurs in our neighborhood. Our first summer here we had to close the windows to keep the smell of the hay out of the house. We are gradually getting used to it now though. Life in the country up in the mountains comes with it's pasture owner's traditions that's for sure. Haying is one of them and fertilizing the fields with manure is another one.

You can always tell when it's planting time because of the smell of fertilizer wafting over those fields. Oh...and that's when we shut our windows too!