The light and the darkness of shade playing across the land is amazing
The contrast bringing to us…those who live on the Earth
The starkly defined lines
of shade falling on the ground
Defining bright and dark, light and the unlit
Brightening each thing by an outline of form.
Even at night, in the flash of a camera..shadows defining shapes.
From my world to your heart,
Linda
Beaglie and I go for a walk daily around the farm.
It’s nice to get out and about, to stretch one’s legs and to expand one’s lungs
Although, it is still chilly…coat wearing chilly
There is a feeling of March in the air. A decided shift toward warmer and nicer weather
There are about 14 baby cows (calves) out on the land; more to come.
It’s trying to snow right now, so I suppose we will see more calves born. They like to come out in nasty weather for some reason. 😦
Still, there is a smell to air which says March is coming!
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
Chapter Ten
“Well, as you can see, Mindy,” I said, pushing Mindy behind me a little, “dark on the farm is way different than dark in the farmyard.”
“MEOW!!!” Mindy sobbed. “Let’s go home, Boomer. I want to go inside and lay on Dad’s legs while he watches TV and gets lots of pets. It’s SCARY out here.”
Just then we heard HOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOO. Mindy jumped three feet in the air and yeowel! “OWL! We have to RUN!”
Mindy started to fling herself out onto the farm road when I quickly put my front left paw down on her back. “NO! Stay right here!” I bayed.
“STAY!”
“I hear an owl, Boomer. I have to hide, I have to get to the house, I have to get OUT OF HERE! An Owl tried to get me once, but I got away. That is why I have my whole right side missing on my mouth. OWL!!!”
Mindy squirmed and wiggled under my paw. Thankfully I had her smashed flat so she couldn’t get those wicked claws up and get my leg.
“I Know, Mindy! I know. But you are safe right here with me. You start running crazy and the owl will chase you on very silent wings, swoop down and your gone—up into the sky, then over to their nest where the little owl chicks live.”
Mindy looked at me with terror in her eyes.
“Stay right here, right next to me, and I will get you home.”
Mindy stopped wiggling and sighed. “Okay, Boomer, my life is in your hands.
“Good. I can protect you from pretty much everything but a coyote. If we run into a coyote or three you run as fast as you can for home. I try to lead them away from you. But until, or if that time comes, you stick right by me.”
With that Mindy and I started walking. We have a long way to go, but I feel pretty sure I could get us home. We have the weeds along the ditch bank to hide in and if we are super lucky, we can crawl into some of the equipment (if we make it that far).
It was about that time, while we were walking next to the ditch, not on the road, but close to it:
Freddy Fox zoomed right in front of us!
It is that time of year! Oh! The! Joy!
A wee walkabout (TWICE) upon the farm yesterday told us, this year the rancher left the cows too long.
He normally likes to have them at the ranch house, closer and easier to monitor them
I understand.
But this year they got to stay longer than normal
Which works for me!
Three new babies yesterday, more to come today!
I am sooo excited!
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
It was a shock to read on Tuesday that a wonderful, and long-time blog friend, Jan Williams was killed in her home while watching the Super Bowl playoffs.
She started following my blog in 2007. At which time I started following her.
Over the years she would send me private emails of encouragement, a Christmas gift of her stunning quilt work, and many-times two thumbs up for something I wrote.
She, among others, encouraged me to try my hand at printing a book. Then she even announced my book on her blog.
She was a huge friend.
Follow the blue links for more information.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/danlorrierecovery
That man even had his kids in the car. The rest of his life he will be paying (emotionally) for the belief he could drink and drive.
My heart goes out to everyone.
Good-bye, Jan. You were a wonderfully stalwart friend!
From my heart to your world,
Linda
Then sit frozen in a hidden spot
Camera at the ready
And hope they will come.
Often times they will.
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
February’s Full Snow Moon broke through
A blend of magic and sorcery, causing the black night to fade
Sending (for a short spell, a very short time) silver light, sharp and clear.
Just perfect for me and my camera.
From my world to your heart,
Linda
Walking out of the gym in Parachute, Colorado I had to marvel at the beauty of the full moon
It was stunning, rising above the mountains and the Bus and Maintenance barn
The silver moonlight followed us all the way home, through Debeque Canyon, over the desert to home…the glow of February’s lovely full moon.
From my heart to your world,
Linda
Chapter Nine
“BOOMER!!!” Mindy yelled. “BOOMER Come SEE!”
I trotted over, put my nose to the ground and smelled.
“WOW! BIG CAT!”
“Yes! A Very big cat! Are we safe, Boomer?”
“Well,” I pondered, “I think so. We’ve had them walk down the farm road and the irrigation pipes before and nothing ever came of it. Although, I did hear Mom and Dad talking about our neighbor, just over the way from the Back Forty, losing several sheep to a Mountain Lion.”
“SHEEP!” Mindy jumped sky-high landing on her four feet over on the other side of the paw print. “These big cats eat SHEEP!?!?!”
“And other things.” I mused. I remember Etta, my sweet lovely Etta telling me they were out on a hike once and came across a BIG CAT in a tree. She said those big cats don’t waste their time eating mice and birds, they need BIG things to fill their tummies so they eat horses, cows, calves, sheep, goats…you know BIG things.”
“Oh! Boomer! Does the smell say the cat is gone? I really don’t want to be food.”
Sniff, sniff, snuff, snuff…” yes gone. Gone one down the road. I think we are safe.”
“BUT Mindy…the sun has set and now it’s dark.
Dark is NEVER a good thing out on the farm
EVER!”
“OH! BOOMER! WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO!!!” Mindy wailed.
It was just at the very moment when:
“Danger!” Mindy screamed. “Danger!”
We have been going to our oldest grandson and our oldest granddaughter’s basketball games
As I sat there Tuesday afternoon and way into the evening
I marveled at how amazing these young people are (not just my grandchildren, but all the kids out on the court—all of them)
It’s a very special time, for each young man and young woman. They are being gifted with teachers, coaches, plus parents and grandparents who believe in them.
Not only believe in them but are willing to help the young adult stretch and experience and sometimes to pick them up so they can start all over again.
The message to each young mind is: “You can Become. You can mold yourself into whatever you want to be and you can do whatever you want to do”.
Here are the tools. Even horrible situations of misery — have adults close by who care about the student.
Once we leave the nest, those days are over. Sure there will be special people who come along for a spell…echoing the voice and lessons from that growing time of the past.
There will be experiences which lift us up interweaving spells of joy and tears
Never again will we ever get to experience that special time of support we get before we become full-fledged adults.
Once we are adults we figure out…adulting is hard. Even though, we strain and strive for it all through our high school years.
From my world to your heart,
Linda
Life on a Colorado Farm 