A walk down haystack lane.

The wonderfulness of a haystack & the story of a round newcomer.

Nature photo of the day: the haystack in our meadow, claiming first place.

do you remember haystacks dawn
and haystacks dusk
those two rather expensive paintings
from yesteryear
you should, since they are one of the only signs 
that haystacks ever existed
in the common eye
for now they mostly live
in the eyes of the villagers who build them
and the tourists who saunter past them on vacation
most humans of today
do not even know what a haystack is
and if you are one of this group 
who have never encountered
someone straddling the top of a haystack 
or combing the sides of one to make it look just right
allow me to introduce them to you
there are thousands of haystacks in the valley
dotting the hills and meadows
and they are quite the sight to see
but if you have hay fever
i would advise you not to visit them
in haymaking season
for it is a very polleny affair
now, not so long ago
the grass was cut with scythes 
one stroke at a time
now, however, it's reaped with a noisy scything machine
after being cut and dried, flipped and thrown
it is piled up into a tall shape
and when you walk past them 
be sure to stand in awe for a moment 
at the wonderful sight
of dry grass strands
in perfect alignment

- Csermely 

The last couple of days have been the “hay days” of scything, for the weather is finally just right - sunny, warm, and dry. The sound of hay being cut all around us makes me think of how wild the meadows were just last week, filled with wild flowers, grasses, insects, and animals.

Now, however, these plants are lying on the ground drying or are already made into haystacks, waiting to be eaten in winter by sheltered hungry cows. It is truly beautiful to watch this cycle of life, turning into something new.

An older stack next to one in the making, a man standing atop his haystack, and the ideal hunting ground for a cat.

Yesterday afternoon, Cheryl (my mom) and I went for another walk in the village. You might think that after awhile we’d get bored of walking down the same gravel roads, through the same meadows and over the same bridges, but truly we never do.

I would love to know if you get tired of going on the same walk time and time again, seeing familiar buildings, trees and and landscapes in every season?

Or do you, like us, see the wondrous, though subtle, changes in your surroundings? And if you do stroll the same way thousands of times, what changes have you noticed in the last few weeks in your area?

The reason we don’t get weary of going on the same walk over and over is that we notice something new every time. And noticing, as I have said before, can literally (not trying to be dramatic here) change your life.

So, we went on said walk to survey all the haystacks being made, and to visit a friends’ house on the way.

And on our walk we constituted that it is now officially summer, though the plants in our garden are at least three weeks behind this year due to so much rain in May.

A haystack being groomed between two splendid older ones.

The beginning of summer is announced by the sound of the scything machines whirring through the valley, and the sight of burnt villager men with their shirts off flipping the hay. This bustling anthill of haymakers is a stark contrast to the serene and chilly days of last month.

On our walk we encountered many haystacks, new and old, and many people, young and old, working in the meadows raking & flipping hay & building their haystacks. It’s wonderful to see these traditions still being carried on (for now), though times are changing before our very eyes.

Not so long ago the hay was still flipped with three-pronged hay forks, however this year a new hay flipping tractor appliance is all rage. And since people are always, for better or worse, looking for an easier & faster way of doing things, many have adopted this new way of tending to their drying grass.

Three different fields, and many generations of haystacks. On the middle photo you can see new hay being added to the top of an older haystack.

Some haystacks are so elderly that they collapse in on themselves, others stand tall and proud. Yet others lean over from the wind, while other haystacks hide shaded by elder bushes or apple trees. They are all different. No two haystacks are alike, and they all have their own story. Just like humans.

As you can see, haystacks are truly amazing. At least in my totally unbiased opinion as someone who has grown up around them from the age of six.

But the tradition of making a haystack by hand is in danger. A few years ago, the first haybale machine was introduced into the village. And the next year, another one arrived, for the other villagers thought, “If my neighbor has a baling machine, so should I.”

And now, you’ll see a whole fleet of bales coming into the village. Haybales are “easier” to make, for they only take one person and far less time. But that’s where the problem is. It only takes one person to take away the necessity for others to help out. Plus, you can imagine the incredible amount of plastic needed to tie one bale!

This trend of making haybales is making the villager’s lives more efficient for now, however it also takes meaning away from everyone concerned - most importantly, a fast paced easy solution can take away the traditions that authentically make Breb what it is and was always meant to be. So let it be a lesson, and protect the haystacks, if you have any where you live!

Haybales are slowly rolling into the village.

Wouldn’t it be sad if haybales took over and haystacks slowly disappeared?

Of course, haystacks will always be around. However, it would be horrible if they became museum pieces like so many other things that were indispensable in the not-so-distant past…

As for the journal prompt of the day:

What was the first thought that came to mind when you first saw a haystack, in real life or on a photo?

Was it awe, wonder, curiosity or something else?

With gratitude,