What you see here is Mark's visit to the barn with Daddy to make sure that the tractor and all the hay equipment is ready to go.  Anyone who has had to "put up hay" for the winter knows that the survival of the animals depends on getting the hay baled up in that narrow window of time when the sun is shining, the humidity is as its least and the rain is going to hold off for at least a week.  Step one is drop the hay which takes about two days!  Step two is wait for two or three days for the top of it to dry.  Step three is rake the hay over so that the underside can dry for two or three more days.  The final step is to convince someone to have the time to come and roll it up in the round bales that are a great deal less labour intensive than the small square ones.  Step four is to gather up all the round bales with the tractor spike and line them up in a row for winter feeding.  So Daddy started that job today.  He will miss the picnic that we planned to go to with the Elgin Children and Family Services, but it cannot be helped.  By the look on Mark's face he seems to grasp the tension and the urgency of this week.  One cannot afford to make a mistake because once the decision is made to "drop the hay", all else falls off the priority list.  Mark did take time to enjoy the cat in the barn who happened to come over for a visit.  Mark has a gentle heart and loves his animals.  As much as he tries to imitate his Father, he is his Momma's son on the inside.  I can still hear him saying "Kitter Kat, Kitter Kat....here Kitter Kat...come here".  God love ya...you are such a sweet little boy!  How could you ever know how much we love you son?