The myth of unskilled labor

 So hay making happened. Because balers are expensive (like five digits kind of expensive), and the neighbor's industrial machines don't fit our gate, we put up our hay loose. This has some advantages - we can put it up a little wetter, and it's way less likely to spontaneously combust.

The disadvantage is the amount of time and effort we spend out there with pitch forks picking up hay, putting it in the trailer, packing it down, driving to the barn, picking it up AGAIN, throwing it in the barn, and packing it down (again). For this reason we always put out word amongst our friends, church, neighbors, customers, ANYBODY to try to get a little help. Many hands make light work and all that. Which is where I come to my point.

You would think that this is the DEFINITION of "unskilled" labor. You pick it up, you put it down where you're told. But somehow it doesn't work that way.

My youngest two kids are the best at packing the hay down in the wagon - because they've been doing this since they were 6-8 years old.

My second to oldest is the best at packing the hay down in the barn - because they've been doing it with my husband since they were 10.

My oldest kid is the best at driving the trailer from the field to the barn and back, with all the turn arounds involved - because that's how she learned how to drive in the first place.

And all of us are faster and more efficient at picking up loose hay and putting it down than the random teens from church we had over this year, because we've been doing it for YEARS. We pick up more at a time, spill less, and move more efficiently, because THIS IS NOT UNSKILLED LABOR.

And the few tasks we've managed to mechanize? TRAINED PERSONELLE ONLY.

And then we were all showed up by a nice guy that grew up near farmland in Africa, who showed us all up without even using a pitchfork, just his powerful, skilled arms. WAY TO GO GUY. You've probably been doing similar tasks since you were six and we appreciate the hell out of you. 

We also appreciate the hell out of literally anybody who shows up. Because even inefficient, unskilled helpers make things go a little faster, and when you have to pick up a ton of hay twice, little bits still count.

Dry off is coming.

I whine about winter a lot.  It is cold, it is often wet.  The hoses freeze, so I have to haul water in buckets.  I have to feed a lot of hay, and therefor worry incessantly about running out of hay (even though I never have).  So when Game of Thrones hit my radar, that "winter is coming" thing came out of my mouth a lot.  Gotta get the hay up - winter is coming.  I don't know if I have enough buckets - winter is coming.  Or better yet, why are the handles on my buckets breaking?  Winter is COMING!

But you know what I hate more than winter?  Dry Off Day.  Every goat needs to be dried off (ie, I stop milking her and her milk dries up) two months before she kids again, so that she can rest and rebuild her udder.  If you don't, lactation quality and quantity goes way down, particularly colostrum quality - and that stuff is liquid gold.  Literally the difference between life and death for those baby kids.  So Dry Off Day is super important for the goats.

But it also means no more milking, and chores without milking are just depressing.  It means no more milk, and the kids always cry the first week of store cow milk because it's just not the same.  It means I have to pay really close attention to my yogurt and cheese making cultures or they're going to be dead by the time I have milk again.

So down with winter, sure.  But next year, I'm staggering the breeding of my does so our dry season is as short as possible.  If I'm going to be out there freezing my buns off in the barn, I want MILK, dang it!