About Dayphoto

My name is Linda Brown. I live on a farm on the western slope of Colorado, in the high mountain desert. I’ve lived here all my life, hailing back four generations on my father’s side. Today I blog about our farm, the everyday activities that keep the farm going. I also write about my thoughts and dreams and goals. On Friday’s I always write about TLC Cai-Cai. Our sweet kitty who helps keep the farm safe. And Boo Berry Betty, a breeder dog learning to be a Farm Dog! The lovely thing about blogging it opens the world up for all of us to reach out and meet people from many different cultures and different ways of life. You can find me every day (but Saturday) at https://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com/ Your Friend on a Western Colorado Farm, Linda Brown

The Morning Shivered with Frost—-Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Posted on April 5, 2017 by Dayphoto

Although the morning temps were way, way below freezing

The Spring sun broke out from storm clouds and lite up the earth in a golden light

The shadows being pushed back; shrinking into the last place of dark comfort by buildings, fences and trees…waiting to rise again to join the coming of night.

The crazy, wild, bone-chilling wind of yesterday has gone the way of a thousand moaning lost souls…

Farm work started back up—the sounds of the day: the thrill of the Western Meadowlark, the chirp of a pair of nesting Robins, and the singing of the Red-Winged Blackbirds adding into the distant hum of the tractor in the field.

These are my sounds of comfort; a chilly, but nice peace floating on the golden light, of the morning sun.

From my world to your heart,

Linda

No! Said with Exquisite Politeness—Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Posted on April 4, 2017 by Dayphoto

It’s supposed to freeze tonight and tomorrow night! There go the blooming fruit trees…pears and some of the plumbs. But the part that is the worst is the loss of the Lilac blooms again…this year. Sigh!

Still we strung wire to open up a new pasture for Romeo. Worked on a fence or two next to the new pasture for Romeo…yes we are always fencing some place on the farm. Hauled some old railroad ties to the house where I want to make some flower beds with them.

And today Terry started marking out the corn ground. The little pole things you see at the side of the marker are called Scribes…one goes down on one side, then it goes down on the other side after he turns around and starts back. Scribes are to help Terry make straight rows.

We are moving along. Once the corn ground is marked out, he will then mark out the alfalfa field, make a couple of waste ditches and we are good to go to start water.

By this weekend. In spite of rain or snow or freezing wind…we will be officially in the growing season.

So I say to Old Man Winter…No. No more. Fling yourself away and rest somewhere at the North Pole.

It’s time for warmth to stay!

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

The Distant Approach of Growing Crops—Monday, April 3, 2017

Posted on April 3, 2017 by Dayphoto

Daily there is always something to be done…something beyond the everyday of the necessary routine.

We just finished hauling dirt. We will use this dirt to fill in low spots on the fields, to lay transfer pipe in and cover up the pipe with, we will pack areas which the wind has whipped bare (like over culverts)

The plowing is about to end until May. In May there will be the time of getting the pinto bean fields ready—Pinto beans are planted June 1st.

The two large fields are have been leveled and are waiting to be marked out and have the water started…once the water starts we don’t stop irrigation until late September….

Storms have played around us and on us…shivering the land, the plants and us.

The earth–the ground, the canal, the sky, the plants, feel scattered, then exalted, as the heavens drop moisture greening up everything.

The feel of winter is now gone, blurred knowledge that snow and ice and cold once existed.

The approach of distant summer is there — walking on the edge of spring dreams

Sometimes summer’s approach is so loud you think everyone could hear the shout, but really ….it’s a soft sound

A gentle soft movement …this growth toward the growing season. People get used to the singing of this season; summer’s arrival surprises—always. Cool and greening one day..heat and growing the next.

From my world to your heart,

Linda

A Saturday Event—Sunday, April 2, 2017

Posted on April 2, 2017 by Dayphoto

Saturday Linkin had a basketball tournament in New Castle, Colorado (her mother went with her), Tally had a soccer game, of which her Dad is her coach, and Blade had a track meet in Cedaredge, Colorado where Grandpa, I, Aunt Kimi and Uncle Cliff—and Cliff’s side of the family, the delightful Ivy and Norm came to support Blade.

The weather was perfect as an April Fool’s Joke.

We drove up in thick fog, sat through extreme chilling wind, splatters of rain, scudding clouds that hid a warm warm sun, which peaked out in random moments

The kids looked blue as icicles at different times…but they kept on keeping on.

But no matter…it was great fun!

The last race Bladen ran it was pouring rain. Miserable for those kids participating.

But this…this growing fast Freshman…would take time to come see us…visit with us before heading back to warm up for his next event.

No embarrassment for him! We are sure lucky people.

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

The Moon as Slender as a Fingernail Clipping—Thursday, March 30, 2017

Posted on March 30, 2017 by Dayphoto

The rains came and went…although we have a promise of more rains to come tomorrow.

Past dark the sounds are only those sounds of night….an owl hooting, coyotes yapping over a kill, dogs barking in alarm; a warning of the coyotes

Although there is no sound of the worked up soil on the farm — it won’t be long until we start water on the ground

Then the farm ground will be alive with the sound of water running down the furrows; back into the canal to water the next farm

The outbuildings, barns, chicken house, even the fences creak and talk to themselves as they settle into the night…just like old houses do.

The clouds were whisked away in the wind…leaving us with a spring day. Everything feeling fresh, new, crisp…like sheets dried on the clothesline.

Morning dawned lite up the snow, on the Paonia mountain range, with vivid colorsIt’s possible to leave things behind—-stuff, people, good and bad memories, but places…the second you are at that spot again everything comes back…who you are, who you were, when you were there…how life once was.

This is my world…the who of who I am, the what of what I am…the essence of myself.

From my world to your heart,

Linda

A Wee Update—-Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Posted on March 29, 2017 by Dayphoto

We went down to see how much fire damage happened on Davis’ Ranch, in the bottom of the Robidoux. Here is where the fire started…where the campfire was.

What a mess. Acres and acres of scorched land.

Since that time we have had some rain…not bunches, but some, so I’m thinking it will start to green up again. As for the loss of the trees….well, not much can be done about it, but cut them down for firewood.

Mr. Davis was up talking with Terry yesterday; all the animals were gotten out of the way in time. “Sure is a sorry mess,” he said.

I agree.

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

Family/Infinite Possibility—Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Posted on March 28, 2017 by Dayphoto

Every family needs one another….always…always.

A family together

Grows…sometimes in an imperceptible way

Other times so loud and joyful it’s like a sunbeam in the predawn gray

The sounds of children are full of excitement, laughter, sometimes tears

Full of hope

Confidence

The infinite possibility of my family are held loosely in the secret chambers of my heart!

From my world to your heart,

Linda

A Wonderful Busy Weekend—-Monday, March 27, 2017

Posted on March 27, 2017 by Dayphoto

Our daughter, son-in-law and all the grandkids came for the weekend. What a great wonderful time we had!

Saturday was taken up with Track for Blade, and basketball for Linkin. Then on Sunday we got to have all our children here.

I’m tired, extremely happy and very behind!

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

FIRE!!!—Thursday, March 23, 2017

Posted on March 23, 2017 by Dayphoto

Sunday afternoon I looked over our fields and saw a huge plume of smoke!

HUGE…of course I didn’t think to take a photo of it.

Hoping it wasn’t a farm on fire we drove down to see if we could help. Although, as we started down we were passed by a fleet of fire trucks heading toward the Rubidoux Canyon.

Now most of the Roubidoux Canyon is the ranch of Mr. Davis and his daughter. (There are other homes and farms and BLM land down there, but they are way at the other end of the canyon.)

(Davis settled they whole canyon and the ledges just above the canyon many years ago when Delta was just opened up for settlement around 1881 or so.) This is a photo of the hold home place in 1882.

The canyon is the winter home of the bulls, the horses and the cows and yearling calves.

And it is posted!

Still people trespass and ‘camp and picnic’ on their property. Leaving behind broken glass, beer cans, all sorts of nasty trash.

Sunday a careless camper started a campfire to cook potatoes; the result was a canyon on fire.

Our oldest daughter and Jason were down in the canyon when the fire broke out and were able to help move the bulls to higher ground. Teresa Davis and other members of the Davis family moved the rest of the cows and calves.

The fire was so intense it even jumped the river.

Sigh!

We haven’t gone down to see the damage, I’m sure it’s extensive. What a sad mess. What a hard lesson for that camper to learn—the whole thing is a bad deal.

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

Something Larger Than Yourself—Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Posted on March 22, 2017 by Dayphoto

The work goes on…first light –until way past last light– arriving back in the yard in a flurry of falling stars in the velvet night.

Yesterday Terry worked in the alfalfa field and I finished up raking the whole yard, all the flower beds, around all the outbuildings, and

(This is an old photo, but it gives you an idea of what I did yesterday)

worked on getting the canal bank ready for the water to come. A huge job.

The fertilizer truck arrived around 7 this morning. So now Terry is

rolling the fertilizer on the corn fields.

Water is supposed to be in the canal any day now. We took a short drive around 5 yesterday afternoon, checking the canals above us to see where the water was…our lives revolve around water.

It’s a busy time of year, but a good time. It gives me a sense of reaching out to something ever so much larger than myself. Our farm, a small, vibrant island of life.