Unexpected Bounty

The animals were without hay for 1 day. They didn't go hungry. I made sure of that. I turned the horses out into the big pasture, which I had been saving until then. After generations of neglect, the field is in desperate need of fertilizing and reseeding, so the forage won't last long. But it will last a little while.

The sheep I turned out into the back pasture where our young horses had been. The sheep, hardy little foragers that they are, are happy to eat a lot of the weeds and bushes that the horses avoid, so even though the horses had grazed down everything they could eat, the sheep can still get some nourishment there.
We have a deal in the works that could possibly bring in 2-3 months worth of hay for us, but it's taking longer than expected to finalize.

But then our neighbor, Bob, stopped by to see me. His alfalfa field was ready to be hayed. Did we want any?

"Maybe," I said, cringing at having to make the confession. "But I don't think we have any money to pay you right now."

"You've got credit," Bob said easily. "I know where you live."

So now the horses graze on the skimpy pasture during the day, and have alfalfa to supplement it morning and night. Even the sheep share a bale every evening. It's not a free ride--at $7.00 a bale, alfalfa is not cheap. But it's nutritious for the animals and it's bought us a little more time for some of our other possibilities to come through.
I am grateful for farm neighbors, who know what it's like to be broke, and don't judge you for it!