DAY 58 - COUNTING DOWN TO THE 50TH

Good Morning, Class of '64

Haystacks - Irina - http://naturelands.wordpress.com/2013/03/15/please-look-at-my-new-painting-landscape-with-the-haystacks/

Haying

John Frederick Herbin

From the soft dyke-road, crooked and wagon-worn,
Comes the great load of rustling scented hay,
Slow-drawn with heavy swing and creaky sway,
Through the cool freshness of the windless morn.
The oxen, yoked and sturdy, horn to horn,
Sharing the rest and toil of night and day,
Bend head and neck to the long hilly way,
By many a season's labour marked and torn.
On the broad sea of dyke, the gathering heat
Waves upward from the grass, where road on road
Is swept before the tramping of the teams.
And while the oxen rest beside the sweet
New hay, the loft receives the early load,
With hissing stir, among the dusty beams.

Haystacks and Daisies - Jordan Hicks

  

Another Day with Larry

Stacking Hay
Part 3 - Conclusion

 

 © Rena Effendi - Maramures, Romania

A well built stack was symmetrical. After the hay had settled, it looked like a cone sitting on top of a can with a wooden pole going up the center. If it were correctly made, water would not penetrate it, and the hay would not spoil.

Winter Haystacks in Maramureş

The first step was the pole and base. In a location that was central to the field and convenient to feed from in the winter, a large, deep hole was driven into the ground with a large crowbar. The pole was usually chestnut, pointed at the bottom, and about 18 - 20 feet long. It was dropped into the hole and was plumed and braced with 4 diagonal braces punched into the ground and nailed to the pole. Then chestnut fence rails were laid on the ground about 6 - 8 inches apart to keep the hay off the ground. These were sometimes built up on one side to level the base on steeper ground.

Stacking Hay the Old Way - Charles Henry Turner

The two key people in stacking hay is the stacker and the pitcher. The shock hauler simply got the hay to the stack and arranged the shocks all around the stack so that the pitcher didn’t have to carry the hay before pitching. A good pitcher was able to lay each bundle of hay flat in the spot where it was needed. The stacker then had only to adjust its position slightly and pat it down. The pitcher had to handle the bundle in a very precise manner and then to flip it over so that it laid out flat.

Stacking Hay the Old Way - Unknown

The outside perimeter was kept a foot or so higher than the center area near the pole. Then large bundles of hay were laid in the middle to anchor the outside and keep the hay there from sliding. If the pitcher failed to lay the bundles flat in the right spot, the stacker had to laboriously move and shape the entire load. The pitcher used longer and longer-handled forks as the stack got higher. We had 4 lengths of fork handles. I pitched a little but was never nearly as good as Dad. He was the best pitcher I ever saw. It’s great to watch the unspoken communication between a pitcher and stacker.

Stacking Hay - Charles McAuley

The stacker’s job was to keep the stack perfectly round, to pack the hay down, and to maintain the shape of the stack. My brother was the best stacker I ever saw. He took great pride in building a perfectly shaped stack, and he rarely failed.

Landscape with Haystacks - Gustave Caillebotte

The stack started about 9 or 10 feet in diameter. (All dimensions are from a 30-year memory so they may be a little off.) Then the stack bulged outward, all around the stack, by about two feet. That bulge was maintained up to a height of 8 - 10 feet. Knowing how large to start and how high to take the bulge to use all the available hay without running out was a complex calculation.

Haystack

We rarely had more than one shock left, and I can recall having to get hay from the barn to finish a stack only once. Above the bulge, it was gradually tapered to a point. It was raked down all around to remove loose clusters of hay and to point the stems downward to shed water better. That was done with wooden-toothed rakes, home made ones. The stacker raked the top part, and one of us did the bottom. The last step was to make a hay rope by pulling and twisting strands of hay out of the stack. It was 3 - 4 inches in diameter and about 8 feet long. It was wrapped tightly around the stack pole and tied to prevent water from running down the pole and rotting the hay from the inside.

Romanian Haystack

The bulge was the key to the final shape of the stack. The hay settled as much as 2 feet. I’ve seen stacks with the hay rope stuck to the pole at least 2 feet above the stack after it had settled. With the right bulge, the stack settled into a nearly perfect cylinder with a cone on top. If that bulge were not built into the stack, it usually settled into a lop-sided tepee shape. Those stacks might shed water and preserve the hay, but they were a real embarrassment. They were usually the first to be fed, simply to get them out of sight.

Fire in a Haystack - John Kinsella

Properly curing the hay was critical. If it were not dried enough, the hay rotted, ruining its feed value. The heat generated from that rotting was enough to set a barn on fire. Every few years, we heard of a barn burning from improperly cured hay. But if it got too dry; the heads would shatter and the leaves fall off. Recognizing the point that it would keep yet not shatter from the handling was critical.

Full Haywagon - Paul Turner Sargent

Even hauling a load of hay on the horse-drawn sled was a complex skill. The edges have to be kept higher than the center until the load is finished. Then large bunches of hay are placed in the center anchoring the edges and stabilizing the load.

Haystack at Giverny - Claude Monet

 Haystacks Series by Claude Monet
The primary subjects in the series of twenty-five paintings are stacks of hay in fields near Monet's home in Giverny after the harvest season. Monet uses repetition to show differences in perception of light across various times of day, seasons, and types of weather.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haystacks_%28Monet%29
 

To the man who loves art for its own sake,
it is frequently in its least important
and lowliest manifestations that the
keenest pleasure is to be derived.
Sherlock Holmes
The Adventure of the Copper Beeches

Haystack - Monet

French impressionist painter Claude Monet

Haystack Morning Snow Effect - Claude Monet

Haystacks on a Foggy Morning - Claude Monet

Haystacks End of a Summer Morning - Claude Monet

Haystacks Midday - Claude Monet

Haystacks Snow Effect - Claude Monet

The Haystacks Claude Monet

Haystacks - Claude Monet

Haystack Thaw - Claude Monet

Haystack Snow Effects Morning - Claude Monet

Haystack in Sunshine - Claude Monet

Haystack - Claude Monet

Haystack Last Rays of the Sun - Claude Monet

Haystack Sun in the Mist - Claude Monet

Haystacks at Sunset Frosty Weather - Claude Monet

Haystacks at Giverny the Evening Sun - Claude Money

Haystacks at Sunset Frost Weather - Claude Monet

Needle in a Haystack

http://www.knowyourphrase.com/phrase-meanings/Needle-In-a-Haystack.html 

Something that is extremely difficult to find.
Anything that's on the verge of being impossible. 

 

 

Needle in a Haystack
The Vevelettes were a Motown recording group.
Needle in a Haystack peaked at number 45
on the Billboard Hot 100.
The Vevelettes - 1964

 

Do you have a memory of TV Wrestling
during the early 1960s?
If you do you might remember a large
wrestler named Haystack Calhoun.

 Haystack Calhoun

A wrestler of huge proportions who was one
of the drawing cards during the industry’s
“Golden Age” of the 1950s and 1960s.
Legend says that Calhoun was discovered by a group
of traveling wrestling promoters while physically
moving his cows by literally picking them up off
the ground and carrying them across the field.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haystacks_Calhoun

Coconut Haystack Candy

 

Did you love the Coconut Haystack candy as a kid?  
Still do?
Not fond of coconut?

Recipes for Haystack Candy/Cookies

Two pages of haystack recipes

http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/course/desserts/cookies/haystack-cookies/

Haystacks Recipes on Pinterest

http://www.pinterest.com/explore/haystacks-recipe/ 

Coconut Oat Haystacks

http://www.canadianliving.com/food/coconut_oat_haystacks.php

By The Canadian Living Test Kitchen

Source: Canadian Living Holiday Cookbook: Fall 2010

• Prep time 15 minutes Chill: 30 minutes
• Portion size 48 pieces

Ingredients

• 1-3/4 cups (425 mL) granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup (150 mL) milk
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) unsalted butter
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) vanilla
• 3 cups (750 mL) quick cooking rolled oats, (not instant)
• 1 cup (250 mL) sweetened shredded coconut
• 1 cup (250 mL) walnuts, chopped

Preparation

In large saucepan, bring sugar, milk, cocoa, butter and salt to boil over medium heat, whisking until smooth. Remove from heat.
Whisk in vanilla. Stir in oats, coconut and walnuts.
Drop by heaping 1 tbsp (15 mL) onto parchment paper–lined baking sheets. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Let stand at room temperature until dry, about 2 hours.

Hayfield Crew Musette
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/hayfield-crew-musette-recipe.html  

Total Time: 2 hr
Prep: 45 min
Cook: 1 hr 15 min

Ingredients

2 pounds ground beef
2 onions, diced
2 (2-pound) cans peeled tomato, chopped
1/2 pound cubed cheddar
1 cup Sauteed mushrooms
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 package cooked noodles

Directions

In a skillet brown the beef and the onions. In a bowl combine browned beef, onions, tomatoes, 1/4 pound cheese, mushrooms, chili powder and noodles. Transfer to baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 pound cheese. Bake in preheated 300 degree oven for 1 hour.
© 2014 Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.
Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/hayfield-crew-musette-recipe.print.html?oc=linkback

Haystacks in Vermont - Edwin B. Child

The Making of the Hay

John Keegan Casey

 

'Tis just a year ago,

When my heart was light and free,

Where the Inny's waters flow

Thro' a vale in Annaly,

That amid a crowd I stept

Down the flowery meadow way,

And our young hearts---how they leapt

For the making of the hay.

There were foreheads hard and brown,

Ruddy cheeks and laughing eyes;

There were pale lips from the town,

Blushing 'neath our country skies;

There were smiles would coax a saint

When he kneels at eve to pray---

Oh! no words our joy could paint

At the making of the hay.

And we "tidded," and we raked,

Till we heard the evening bell,

Then our parting thirst we slaked

In the cool and crystal well;

And young Gerald from the hill

Sang a ringing gladsome lay---

Oh! what joys our hearts did fill

At the making of the hay.

And a-clinging to my side,

With her brown hair in a curl---

On her cheeks the rosy tide---

Sat my own dear little girl:

Oh! the brightness of her glance,

And the soft words she did say,

Kept my senses in a trance

At the making of the hay.

As the stars rose clear and pale

Thro' the purple of the west,

And the cool winds thro' the vale

Fann'd the mower's weary breast,

Then fair Maggie parted me

Near the twining osier bays---

Oh! she cried, what fun had we

At the making of the hay.

'Tis but a year ago,

And my heart is full of care,

For the free and gladsome flow

Of the old time is not there:

Reft of hope, and friends, and home,

With affections dull and grey,

Sure my thoughts will backward roam

To the making of the hay.

http://allpoetry.com/poem/8611435-The-Making-of-the-Hay-by-John-Keegan-Casey

Heading for the Loft - Richard de Wolfe