July 27, 2008. Chevy Chase, Md. The Farm.

The farm was a bee hive of activity when we arrived on Friday. On the way up the driveway, we met Andrew and Mary Frances, just as they were coming up from the creek with a bucket of crawdads. It is great sport to find these critters in the creek, but it is not easy, as they are quick. After showing off their catch to Christina, Mary Frances takes the crawdads to the pond to release them into the shallow water. Then as we turned the corner we found two wagons full of baled hay, sitting in the middle of the lawn, ready to be put in the barn. We knew that soon our farmer friends would come over to fill up the barn, and they did. Soon the fun began. Three more wagons arrived, along with three pick up trucks, so from five till eight, they used the elevator to put the hay away in the barn. Andrew went to help, as this is labor intensive work and it was hot. The bales must be taken off the wagon, placed on the track that takes it up to the top of the barn, where another person must put the bale in the proper place. The bales are heavy too, so on a hot night, the temperature at the top of the barn is scorching. But it was fun to watch them all work. The best worker was a young man 22 years old, named Adam. As is everyone around the farm, he is related by marriage to our farmer friends daughter. Her husband is his uncle. He was in to help Alan with the haying. I have never been able to determine how anyone gets paid at the farm. There is a group of men we have known for years and help Alan now and then. They all have other jobs through the week, but they help out sometimes on the weekend. I don 't know if they help each other if needed, or if Alan pays them. One day I will find out.

Andrew had put a stew in the oven at noon, with the vegetables and meat at a low temperature, so we were able to eat on the order of whoever was hungry. It was delicious, sitting around the fire listening to the men work. Mary Frances wanted a fire, and as Andrew was working, he suggested that she lay the fire, then get Ken to help her light it. So she did. Ken taught her to use the started, and after she got the fire started, she tended it all night. She did it again on Saturday night too. Finally, on Friday evening the work was finished. The empty wagons were left on the lawn, and we were left to wave them goodbye. The farm on Friday night was a very busy place indeed.