Building Haystacks

Sorry it has been a while since the last story... you know how Summers go.  Here are some great memories from Crystal.  I can relate on all counts.  Especially the part about Uncle Ross... he was some kind of mind wizard with those bales... it was rare, but I remember getting him good once with Dad... I can still hear the  "hohhh... boy" as he attempted to lift the greenest of green bales... followed by laughter all around, including from Ross himself.  I also echo her thanks.  

Good times!

From Crystal:

I got to buck bales this week at work!  Okay, so the bales were something like 20"x10"x10" and covered in plastic wrap, but still.  We got about 50 of these little straw bales in this week in preparation for fall, they came with an assortment of scarecrows.  As I was throwing these bales off our conveyer belt as fast as I could ...stacking them with proper farm technique mind you, I couldn't help but be taken back to all those days on top of the stack having bales sent up the elevator at us as fast as the people below could send them.  The girls down stairs kept trying to turn off the belt cause they thought I had more than I could handle, but that farm pride had kicked in and I let them know that those things could come up as fast as they could send them.
 
It made me stop and think about everything I do.  I think everything I do I'm still just building haystacks.  I work with the same competitive speed I learned from competing with Douglas and trying to live up to Jami's reputation.  I maintain the same pride I had in trying to make sure my part of the stack was not the one weaving and lopsided.  I know I didn't always succeed in this, but I also learned in the act of building haystacks how to maintain a positive expression no matter how hot and tired I was.  I learned to enjoy my work and how to have fun when I worked.  Ross had an incredible ability to make light bales look heavy and heavy ones look much lighter.  This was horrible on the back, but good for the spirit.  I couldn't help but laugh every time I about threw a hay bale over my head or didn't even manage to move it in my first attempt because I had unconsciously judged it's weight based on the way Ross had given it to me.  I leaned that to sit down is the kiss of death, it is much harder to get going again after you have rested.   

I maintain pride in knowing I can do hard things and receive the same satisfaction when I look over my work.  There is no better feeling in the world then looking over a well completed haystack and knowing all the work you put into it.
 
Thanks to all who taught me how to build haystacks.