i've been called frugal, cheap, a bargain hunter. i am certain that i got this thriftiness from my mom's side of the family, aptly called "the Hunts." some of us hunt soda cans whilst fiercely protecting our canning territory, solely for earning the 5 cent deposit; others fix, patch, mend, and jury rig using duct tape, wire, goo, and rope, solely to avoid buying something new; most will pick wild blackberries, mushrooms, and huckleberries; and i tend to scour the sale racks, bargain bins, and clearance caves. all of the Hunts do it. all are proud when we find an especially good deal. all of us brag and show off our latest finds.
today mom got an early morning tip of some broken alfalfa bales in the neighboring hay field. "they're turnin' the water on soon, so you better get after 'em now," said the friendly farmhand next door. alfalfa runs $10.50 per 110 lb. bale on the open market, but broken bales are worthless to the large-scale farm operation. mom was eager to haul in (see also "scavenge") whatever could be had. we fired up the diesel, packed up our pitchforks, and gleaned $100 worth of dairy-grade alfalfa from our two hours of effort.
i've got scratches, scrapes, dry eyes, and am itchy all over, but seeing the six-foot-high pile of goods in the barn gives me a sense of accomplishment that one normally wouldn't when referring to dead plants.
way to go, us. can't wait for the potato and onion harvest to start.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
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3 comments:
You can come back to Bury and enjoy the poop-sugar factory smell. Don't you miss it?
You guys really are rednecks up there, aren't you? Down in the dirty south we're going 'coon hunting--despite the fact that my parents CLEAN their outdoor trashcans weekly the racoons continue to tear into the yummy rotted treats left in the trash bags. Miss you!
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