The sun is back! Yeah for the sun! What you see ‘sparkling’ in the foreground is the sun bouncing off the old corn stalks.
Isn’t it beautiful!!!!
While I sit in a warm office, staring at a computer screen, Terry is burying, by hand a transmission pipe.
So after work he took me up the canal bank to see how much he got done.
As you can see this ditch can be a problem. The cows walk this ditch bank to come into the barn; they stomp down the edges, walk in the ditch itself and generally make a mess.
Water can be its own problem, because if you turn down a head of water and you don’t get to the end fast enough it will start to form little channels and run over the sides. THAT is something you don’t ever want to have happen. The water gets into the field or the road or back into the canal somewhere it should Not Go!
We have wanted to lay transmission pipe for some time, but as most of you know, pipe is expensive and the hand work needs to be done before water starts and after the ground thaws.
It also has to be done before the tractor work; because once the tractor work starts little jobs like this are put to the side. (The -we’ll get by another year- thought process sets in.)
Although, there was a sharp, cold, northern wind, the ground is lending itself well to hand-digging.
In a couple of days tractor work will begin. Providing it doesn’t rain.
Linda
Life on a Colorado Farm 
That is one big process, and I sure know what you mean on the we can get by for another year. We need to put in a well out by the barn to water with instead of using a darn hose, but like you said that cost money and we always are saying we will get it done next year. Now that the barn is actually up we hope to get it done this year.
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That looks like a darn lot of hard “yakka” to my eyes.
It’s no wonder that Terry is not cracking an ear to ear smile!
How many of these pipe-lines do you have to put in place – surely and hopefully one pipeline will suffice for irrigation purposes?
Yes, looking at the size of those pipes, I can well imagine the expense!
Mind boogling I would think?
Oh yes and when the pipeline is fully laid and I presume covered for protection (?), how long does it last?
As you can see, I was not a farmer – cattle and sheep – yes. Cropping even with the wheat always looked like too much hard “yakka” and then you were always more so dependent on the rain at the right times.
Great informative entry, Linda.
Best of luck
Colin
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Hi Linda, Looks like Terry is making progress… Hope he gets it done before the plowing begins…
Your blue skies are gorgeous… It rained here today –so seeing the blue skies is special!!!!! BUT–it looks cold there in CO… It’s still fairly warm here (about 54 degrees).
Take care and stay WARM…. Enjoy your sunshine.
Hugs,
Betsy
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Fuzzy is a Hero! What a wonderful dog!
Great how everything worked out for the best for all… even the stray got a home.
I love the sparkly corn in the photo. Neat!
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Looks like a lot of hard work but at least the digging would warm you up. I find it funny/hard to believe that the sun shines but its not hot. I’m too used to the tropics.
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They have begun the process of burying transmission pipe across the river in the irrigation district here too. I often wonder what will happen to the elm and cottonwood trees that line the edges of the fields near the ditchbanks now that the ditches no longer carry water.
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Hand digging…oh my. Hope his back is in good shape. Such hard work (o: Is the barn still being worked on? That was such a beautiful blue sky picture.
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I almost forgot
Thanks for the BD shout out
It has been great so far
we have dinner out with friends coming up in a few minutes (o:
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Now that is a lot of work! I don’t envy him that, but definitely understand the need for it!
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Looks like back-breaking work. How is Terry? Love your blue skies! Your farm looks like ours did several years ago with all the equipment. Now there is none but my Kubota tractor and the antique John Deere. Kinda miss it. Spring break is here-look forward to the grandsons being on the farm.
Take care…Blessings!
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Wow Terry, way to go!! Hand digging a ditch! I’m impressed.
We need to put in a “French” drain to steer rain water away from our garage/storage area, but our red-clay soil can’t be dug by hand, so we will have to rent a ditch digger for the job, “one of these days”. 🙂 I’d like to make it into a dry riverbed with large rocks, that would be pretty as well as functional. 🙂
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My dad would have loved to have those big pipes set in for his irrigation ditches. He did a lot of hand irrigation with shovel and back doing most of the work. He called it “chasing the water.”
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That is alot of back breaking work…I’d lend you my teenage boys if I was your neighbor! I really like the new look of your blog.
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Hope the weather holds. That looks like a lot of very hard cold work. Hope the pipe will make life easier for you when it is in use.
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Looks cold! That is a big job! Hope all goes well.
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Yeah! Looks cold. But beautiful photos of the land and sky. Wish I was there.
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Hi Linda,
Your skies are so beautiful and amazing. We’re headed into that time of year the real work starts on the farm again. Isn’t it exciting? You made it through winter!!! Hurray!
P.S. – I love your new look.
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The first picture is gorgeous! Thanks for the description – made it even cooler.
We get stuck in the get by for another year rut too.
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