A New Used Hay Bale Feeder

I figure I've still got a lot to buy before I'm ready for cattle. One thing I needed was a hay bale feeder for those big, round hay bales. So I put a "wanted" ad on Craigslist and a nice man who had sold his cattle replied with a super price and free delivery:

 I had to drag the stock tank over to hold the gate open:

He backed his truck into my south field and helped me haul it out and move it to a logical final resting place:

He'd never heard of Red Poll cattle, but when I told him of all their attributes, he became interested and said he might drop by some day to see them:

So now I have a heavy duty, galvanized hay bale feeder just outside the barn door for keeping my cattle happy next winter. Things are beginning to take shape:

Soil Sampling With The Dogs

A friend had convinced me to take soil samples from my two hay fields and have them tested at the Cooperative Extension Office. I set out in the north hay field with the five younger dogs to get a representative cupful of soil. For the pooches, it was just a romp in the outdoors:

Seamus had a grand time trotting through the brown grass:

And Madeline curiously investigated my shovel and containers:

This was a great opportunity for me to have a good look at the hay field following a long and difficult winter. For Fergus and Seamus, it was just fun to be outdoors. You can see athletic little Clover running in the background:

I got my soil sample and we all began heading back toward the house and barn:

Seamus posed for a beauty shot:

And then we moved on to the south hay field. The electric fences have not been turned on since they were put up and I am dreading the day I begin teaching the dogs to stay away from them. I don't want them to get zapped. It's possible that the Papillons will be able to walk right underneath the live wires, but Fergus and Seamus are almost sure to learn the hard way:

I put down the shovel and containers so we could walk around and investigate:

It really was a lovely sight:

I eventually collected my soil sample and we headed back toward the house;

  Two soil samples, and two happy dogs (well, five happy dogs, but only two in this photo):

I emptied the soil inside the house so they could dry out over night. The following week I took them in for pH testing. The results, however, showed them at just about the right level for growing grasses. So I won't be having lime spread on the fields. I just need to get some cattle to spread fertilizer the natural way: