The Sound of Water —- Sunday, April 5, 2020

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After Terry marked out (put furrows) the cornfields, and the alfalfa fields

He made all the earth ditches, which carry the water onto the fields

Then he went back to the bottom each and every field to make the shallow waste ditch….this is the ditch, which catches the water, then moves the water to the next field or to the canal.

Then it was time for us to start the water onto the land.  You are looking at Terry opening the headgate and the water starting into the headgate

The water starts down the cement ditch where the trash is forked out by Terry and me

There is always lots and lots of trash; thanks to the cows (it gets caught in their hooves) and the wind.

There are lots of cement ditches on our place, so lots of forking out of the trash.

I always think how grateful I am for my arm muscles and for the ability to straddle the cement ditch — still, at my age. 🙂

Now we start setting the siphon tubes.  (See that pooling of water—not good, we have to go out there and dig the furrow out and dam up the spots where the water broke out.)

There is no wasting of the water.  Ever.  Please don’t think that.  We water several fields all at the same time…water that runs by one field is put on another field, the water that goes to the end of the field goes onto another field.

And we work at it constantly.  Water checks every two hours to make sure nothing is happening, which shouldn’t be happening—like trash in the ditch causing the water to spill over the side, or trash in the furrow causing two (or more furrows) to run together, or trash in a tube stopping the water altogether.

To put in dams one must straddle the ditch again.

The over-flow of this dam, tells us we need to start two more tubes.

No waste. Ever!

One last time…one more check before the sighing of the night wind takes over.

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

 

20 thoughts on “The Sound of Water —- Sunday, April 5, 2020”

  2. Thanks for sharing all the work it takes to get water from the canal to the fields were it is needed. Thanks, too, for not wasting any — water is a precious resource that is too often taken for granted.

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  4. Yea ~ water from it’s long journey in the high mountains to your place! You guys are amazing! I know the amount of work you put into it each year, and it is keeping you young! Here’s to another good season!!! May it be bountiful ~

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  6. What a huge job taking care of that water and you guys do it so well. Thank goodness you are there to see that things are working properly.

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  7. Thank you for taking such good care of the land and water. I am a farmer at heart and at 78, I still raise a good size garden and lots of flowers and chickens. My yard is my happy place. I don;t comment often, but read your blog regularly. Love Boomer and Mindy.

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    • It is so nice to see your comment here. I so understand that farmer’s heart. Good for you working on your land, large gardens, chickens and flowers take lots of work, but (you are so right) they bring lots of happiness! Hugs to you, My Friend!

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  8. Just…WOW. I had no idea about the complexities of irrigation. Goodness. My grandmother’s farm was only two acres. City folk have no clue how to work the land. You are so close to Mother Earth, tending her fields and the life it supports.

    You go, girl! 💪👍👊🤗😎💚

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  9. I bet there is no waste! 👏 well done to you both! It must be so exciting seeing the water flow. Interesting the pooling too .. bet that got fixed in a hurry. You amaze me straddling those ditches! Mind you I can’t believe I clamber up the top of our ladder to prune … 🙂

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