After a time of warm a new storm arrived on a stiff breeze, almost wind.
The wind was fragrant full of green things growing, moisture in the clouds and the sharp tang of Chico’s and Rabbit Brush.
It’s cold today, with scattered sighting of sunshine. The gift of moisture and life!
Love,
Linda
There is tremendous satisfaction from pulling weeds out of the soil. Backbreaking and endless the chore, but it always gives me a sense of triumph.
My yard is a series of rooms..flung around the edges of the lawn. Tearing the roots of thistles, bind-weed, wild grasses single-minded in the sun and the heat. (I love the sun and the heat. Love it!)
I ripped and tore with tremendous concentration–covering 1/2 acre…stopping only at the end of the day.
feeling the soil give up the stubborn root; the foe lying defeated in my wheelbarrow
The farm yard felt calm and empty as I worked. Pleasant, peaceful, healing!
(some of the above photos were taken previously, as is this one)
I still have the east side of the house to do, but today is Sunday. And it’s trying to rain. 
I played hookey (just this morning) from changing water, letting Terry get the early morning sets! I’ll be back out there at noon and beyond. Right now I’m taking a wee break!
I love the silence of solitude.
Love,
Linda
I had one of those long restless nights last night.
You know the kind, whereby you toss and turn, your mind going over all the things you need to do, things you wish you could have done better—everything and anything…
Things that make you wake up in alarm, even though you didn’t think you were sleeping.
Even a walk in the dark with Sam and Boomer left me restless and wide-awake—as if I had drank too much tea.
Gradually along about 4 in the morning peace came over me. The quiet of the night pushing me past the edge of restless dreams into real sleep. Of course first light was in an hour. 🙂
I get up at 5 in the morning. Always. Always.
Things are so much worse in the dark!
Routine is such a part of contentment; night fears fade away.
From my world to your heart!
Linda
The wind shredded the clouds late last evening, leaving the setting sun to send streaks of color through the spaces in the racing cirrus.
The farm and the farm yard were quiet, but in a way of gratitude; from life giving water, and for the burst of sunshine coming from the descending sun.
Walking outside I breathed deeply…taking in big draughts of fresh, wet air. The sun, the leaving storm, the sweet smell of green plants, the thick odor of fresh turned earth; all interlaced with the smell of the storm; a subtle hint of lingering ozone.
Here I stood in all the elements of power, and goodness, and beauty.
Twilight was rising from farm to the plateau, then onto the canyons in the west. Night started swallowing the ground, but still Boomer and I stayed; walking along the muddy farm roads watching the earth join the brilliance of the evening sky!
From my world to your heart,
Linda
Terry, Boomer and I walked out to the middle field, to check on how the corn was doing. I lugged along my yellow bucket of soaked corn. We soak up dried corn; making it soft so the pheasants and deer will eat it instead of eating the sprouted seeds.
I missed a couple of days due to the rain and extreme mud. That is all it took…see those holes…that is pheasant beaks pecking into the row looking for just sprouting corn.
This is an up close and personal hole…you can even see the little roots left after those starving pheasant cobbled up the soft corn.
Sigh!
Anyway…I scattered 40 pounds of nice soft corn everywhere I could see pheasant poop. It will keep them busy for two days, after which I will take more up to them. Once the little leaves make it to the surface the pheasants will leave the corn alone.
The next worry won’t occur until the corn starts to grow an ear, then the deer come out in force…nothing yummier to deer than the corn silks.
I saw this delightful little Gambol’s Quail when I was scattering seed. These little birds will enjoy some soft corn also. I love hearing their calls. Go here to hear them for yourself.
The rains are leaving today. The earth is green and rich and lush. The time has come for me to get busy outside again.
I hope your day is a good one!
Your friend,
Linda
It’s raining here. Has been for two days. The weather people say it will rain at least until Tuesday.
Today Terry turned the irrigation water off. It’s too muddy to walk on the ditch banks. To turn the irrigation water off is a very strange occurrence once it is turned on.
It’s extremely chilly outside, the air so fresh it will make you cough, if you take a good lungful of it. The trees are dripping, water sits on everything; running in rivulets off the eaves.
We only have four little hummingbirds. This photo is on May 13th a couple of years or so ago. We have aways to go to reach this level of activity.
The sky is still lowering as I write; clouds black in the west and dark grey in the morning east. It’s cold enough I want to start a fire in the fireplace, although we do have the furnace up and going.
Oh well, rain is good for so many things I will just enjoy it. The weather people also say major heat is following these series of cold rain storms.
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
Early Saturday morning, around 3-or 4, I don’t really remember now. We had a terrible hail storm
It came in swath straight from the south
Tearing through the farm yard and damaging the trees
We have little leaves stuck everywhere.
Although, we feel we were lucky because none of the plants set out under freeze covers were damaged, the covers stayed in place…and the corn is not up in the fields.
The sunrise looked like this! Stunning isn’t it?
Then the rain clouds came back in…only rain clouds. We are still changing water through all of this rain, mud and cold. Irrigation doesn’t stop once we start.
By sunset Saturday evening the clouds started parting. It was glorious!
Today is cold and only partly cloudy. Once more I’m very thankful the corn isn’t up yet and my covered tomatoes and other things are still doing fine.
Happy Mother’s Day everyone!
Linda
Riding through the Upper End to the Back Forty we came across something odd stuck in last winter’s dried out grass!
Boomer and checked it out…he was in defense mode, me just curious. When we got there we found a Happy 30th Birthday balloon! It must have flown away or they released it for good wishes. No matter how…it landed next to the little creek between the Upper End and the Back Forty and We found it!
Of course it was pretty flat so I threw it away.
Still…I enjoyed finding the balloon!
From your friend on a Western Colorado farm,
Linda
Yesterday was a good day, the air was warm, the sun shone, and the clouds started drifting away.
As the sun sat it seemed as if the world and the sky and even the air stood still–breathless, it seemed.
The birds paused in their evening song as if waiting.
The sunset started out as a small apricot glow, then gradually burst into a brilliance untold. The shadows seemed to grow darker and deeper in seconds as the sky blazed with perfect point of balance of light before dark.
For just a tiny moment in time I felt like I could feel that wonderful heartbeat of Mother Earth and Father Sky’s answering echo.
From my world to your Heart
Linda
We spent Sunday afternoon with our daughter and son-in-law in Grand Junction, Colorado. They wanted to take ‘Dad’ out for dinner for his birthday.
It was lovely. Being with family is always special to Terry and I.
When we got home we took the four-wheelers out to check on the corn–if the corn is sprouted little roots it’s time to harrow off the dirt so the seed doesn’t have a hard time coming through our soil. (It was time—today Terry is harrowing the first field)
Twilight was coming on when we headed out…and so was another storm. (Looking east toward Paonia)
When either Terry or I, or just one of us is in need of peace we feel it out here. (Looking toward Gunnison, Colorado) The wind was sharp and a little brisk. A chill from a passing clouds cooling us even further.
The farm and the surrounding area were filtered by the gathering clouds, dappling us in shadows.
(Possible rain or snow showers on Grand Mesa.)
Then coming home we saw it
The brilliance of sun, and sky; a gift from the heavens!
Your friend on a Western Colorado farm,
Linda
Life on a Colorado Farm 