June 25, 2007

   The arrival of the first hay for winter is a seminal day at the farm, and one of the most
exciting things about it is that Danny Thomas of Cambridge, N.Y., proprietor of Thomas Farms
and supplier of some of the best hay to be found anywhere, never – ever – calls to say he’s coming. He loves to show up around 10 p.m. with various workers and members of his family who pull up in giant, ground-shaking trucks, and hop off to toss first cut, second cut, and this year, round bales into my three barns and various staging areas near the pastures.
  Then we will use tractors to move, arrange it and get it ready for winter, which will be here sooner than I think – always. Danny, large and stocky and a champion Tractor Puller, never remembers numbers and always likes it if I taste and poke the hay.
  It is great stuff, and there is this settling, satisfying and reassuring feeling when it is in the barns and we are ready for the first blasts of winter. So I happened to pull in – my new book goes on sale tommorrow – and saw two huge trucks blocking the road, and Elvis and Luna and Harold gathered eagerly by the pasture gate.
  One thing about the seasons here is that you are always jumping one or two ahead. Danny says he will be back two or three times in the next few weeks, but he isn’t sure when. We have to scramble to get some tarps and then stack the round bales so that they don’t get wet. All the animals get excited when Danny pulls up. Below are pictures of Danny, the round bales and Elvis paying close attention. In between tossing hundreds of bales around – many are going into the big Dairy Barn near the cows – Danny stops to yak and catch up. He’s great.

  

 
  Elvis is interested