Hayloft Kids
10: Some Farm Fun
Maggie wasn't too mad at me the next morning so we all decided to tie bales of hay. We walked in the early sun to the fields. I handed everyone a bundle of string and said, "So this is how you do it. First you have to estimate how big the block's gonna be, and then you get all the straw you need and compress it together, then you –" Trey cut in. "I don't think we need any instructions, farm boy. Looks pretty simple to me," I hid my smile.
"Okay," I said.
Maggie and Zak decided to stay and listen, though. I knew she wasn't mad at me, but could tell she wasn't exactly happy either.
"Three, two, one," I cut in the discussion.
We heard Trey yell.
We twisted around and saw he'd fallen in the wagon because the bale of hay he'd been heaving had broken apart. His feet stuck awkwardly into the air, and the blue sweatpants he had on were pooling about his ankles. Maggie and Zak stifled their giggles.
I calmly strode over to him, pulled him up by his feet, and gathered the hay that was strewn about. Bunched it together carefully, tied it with Trey's rope, and carried to the wagon.
"Try not to fall over so much, Trey," is said, "or else your head might land in a big pile of a cow's do."
He gritted his teeth.
The first days sped along quickly. Before I knew it, week one was over.
I had Trey and Zak fix the fence, too. They had to rip it out and try again two times before they actually caught on to my directions.
Week two…
Maggie, I sent to feed the chickens. When she screeched much too loudly, the barn cats, dogs, geese, and even lambs came and screamed at the grain she was carrying. She toppled over when they rushed at the bad of seed shed dropped in surprise.
Always…
Even though Aunt Louise was sick, she still cooked great. Every mealtime, we stuffed ourselves full then went to the hayloft to stargaze for an hour and rest. I was pretty happy, except Maggie wasn't sitting too near to me anymore.
That was the thing I wasn't so exited about. That and the huge dilemma I had to face.