Most Surprises Are Good

Including this one.

I get a message on Facebook from a friend from Bethel, Nick Schrag. This came on Sunday. Summarizing, it said: "Hey, myself and two friends are in Zurich and are wondering if you have any room to crash for a night or two." I ended up not being alone here while the family is on vacation (they're returning tomorrow). They made the house a base and went up the mountain yesterday afternoon. Aside from that, it was just a great time of socializing. They even helped me out in the stall, which more than earned them their welcome.

These guys are from Freeman, SD, which first made an appearance on this blog in the "Summer From Hell" entry.

Nick has a nice camera and while here for two nights, he took 172 pictures in the Hemberg area. Here are 11 (some with commentary).

Here's the greenhouse that I helped put together. It's got many things, from radishes to broccoli to lettuce growing in there.





When we 'make hay', it gets pulled up through this tube by a very fast fan. It (somehow) automatically moves so that the hay can be distributed evenly in the storage area.



Here's the storage area. That giant fan helps dry the hay.



This is the summer stall that we finished building in the spring. The cows are here in the daytime when it's hot out and then they're let out onto the hillside in the background at night. When we're done cleaning it, the ground is clean.



The sheep have a couple of different places where they can go. The building is another side of the stall/machine shop. The cows eat the grass on the hill above the fence.





Some great workers!



Dirk does have cowbells but doesn't put them on his cows. He says they're too loud, which I agree with. It's 10:30 pm right now and I can hear bells echoing throughout the valley.



We went on a walk last evening and sitting on a fencepost was this hat. It's the typical hat of a Swiss farmer. Sweet!





They left today. Kristen is coming on Friday and Stephanie is coming on Sunday. With more friends coming and the inevitable hay making, the dwindling time will be finished before I know it.

Show Me A Little Shine,
Jon