Late June in Ontario, Dad’s station wagon pack and pointed northward. It was hayin’ season on my Uncle’s farm and for the next week it was all hands on deck.
Riding the fields, we’d watch our fathers, row upon row, hooking the rectangular blocks emerging from the contraption sandwiched between tractor and trailer, neatly stacking the bales, back to front.
Somewhere in the middle we’d play in the hayblock forts fashioned for us while they toiled in the midday sun.
As always, the harvest would come to an end but we wished we could live on the farm forever.
Contains prompt from
Carrot Ranch Literary’s Story Challenge in 99-words.
Date: 2022-02-28 | Theme: Farm Life | Word Count: 99
Photo credit: LeeAnn McLaneGoetz
Copyright 2021 Greg Glazebrook, All Rights Reserved.
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Sounds idyllic. Is it fiction or from your life?
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This one is a childhood memory. My sisters and I used to love whenever we headed up to the farm.
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how nice! that must be a lovely memory, Greg 🙂
Sincerely,
David
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Greg, you took me back to a childhood joy I had forgotten until you wrote “hayblock forts.” I also remember climbing the “steps” up the front of a haystack. Ah, the view!
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Ah yes, climbing the haystack. Not the same now when you drive out in the country. The big round bails wrapped in white plastic and left out in the fields. Progress in farming I guess but not very good for forts!
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I’ve never had the joy of playing on a farm, but I think playing fort among haystacks would be a load of fun. I used to work with someone who claimed that he would lift haystacks on his family farm. Maybe haystacks come in different sizes, but ones I’ve seen look like they’d be incredibly heavy.
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Yeah those big round bales they make now require fork lifts and tractors to move them around. Back in the day they were rectangular bales like you might see at a Halloween or Thanksgiving festival. Most of the old Massey Ferguson equipment used on farms back then would be considered antique by today’s bigger is better standards.
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The old rectangle bales, excellent fort material! Great memories!
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