…not in the traditional, sneezing, itching sense, but in the sense that the Southeast is in the middle of a pretty bad drought and hay is scarce and hard to come by. And if you can find it, it’s definitely a seller’s market. I’ve seen it going for 7 and 8 dollars a bale; that’s a 50lb square bale.
Therefore, people are also selling their livestock at a loss. A cow will eat 2 to 2.5 percent of its bodyweight in hay per day, more in winter. A horse will eat 1 to 2 percent its weight, more in winter. Many of the local hay farmers got only one cut this season.
All this to say, I lucked out, big-time. I called up a fellow known to my family since we moved to the area 23 years ago, and he said he could help me out with ‘a little.’ ‘A little’ turned out to be 146 bales of sage hay, and ‘helping out’ turned out to be at $2 per bale. So Sully and Jaz will eat, and eat well in the coming months.
Jake and Dad pulled Jake’s truck and trailer to the foot of the mountain to Ararat, and the two of them and myself and Steve and Mr. P. got the trailer loaded in under an hour. I drove the truck. Yeah, I’m hurtin’. 
Then we got it up here and loaded it into the shed.
Prior to that, Mom and Ashlee and I did an abbreviated version of the weekly shop. We got new cell phones today. They’re really nice.
Last night, Jake took all 6 of us out to Applebee’s for an excellent dinner. I had the Sirloin Steak and Asiago Chicken with Roasted Garlic Combo. Best steak ever!
Ok, dishes to dry…
