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

Where I Write—Wednesday, April 12, 2016

Posted on April 12, 2016 by Dayphoto

Celi from the Kitchens Garden issued a wee challenge to those over 5, 000 strong followers to do a post about—- Where You Write. As you can see my little office is upstairs with our spare bedrooms–one of the things I love to do is research for Genealogy so I have tons of material which I have collected on both sides of the desk.

Besides two bedrooms there is a small sitting room—whereby I love looking out the window.

The grandchildren love this upstairs space…spending hours up here when they come. The interesting thing about all that is it took YEARS for them to even want to come upstairs let along SLEEP up here–I don’t know what changed for them, but they love it up here now. (Sometimes too much…running and jumping on beds is NOT a good thing 😦 )

My little office is private, calm, and personal. Allowing me a small bit of quiet to fuel my imagination. A place to get away from it all.

Love,

Linda

We’ve Started Water—Monday, April 11, 2016

Posted on April 11, 2016 by Dayphoto

Hard work but every so necessary. Without water we would not have crops. And here we must water with syphon tubes or gated pipe.

First we had to clean out the ditches—these ditches are terrible for collecting trash from our fields and neighbor fields, that Colorado wind, you know. 🙂

Then while Terry marked out the fields I picked up all the syphon tubes I so carefully put away last fall and placed them in their proper slot on the ditch.

After which it was time to start the water…Terry does the head gate thing, I’m a tad ‘feared of the head gate. Scary roaring powerful thing that it is.

Then we both start digging out the ends so we can lay the tubes into them. The tubes suck the water from the cement or dirt ditches and channel the water down the rows. Gated pipe is much easier, you just open a gate. BUT trash gets in the pipe, plugs up the gates, you can’t get it out without tremendous work…a stick took both us four hours to get it out…it was just out of reach and we couldn’t get it…then it trapped all the weeds….ick.

We do this over and over until all the furrows are full….we set about 40 tubes per field.

In eight hours that set has the soil wet enough we can move on up the ditch. Right now we have two fields we are working in. Two areas to dig out ends, walk the water down the row to make sure it keeps going straight and doesn’t cut over into a neighboring furrow.

Lots of work…but you know what!? I love it! I love the smell of the water when it first hits the bone dry soil, and I love the rich, moist smell of the fields after the water is removed.

We check constantly making sure everything is working well. The first irrigation of the season is the worst, (in the terms of work), but once the rows seal, the plants are up, it’s just a matter of setting tubes and making sure the water makes it to the end (so the next field can get some.)

Sure is a nice life…if Terry had dirt in his veins, then I have irrigation water in mine. Tee Hee.

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

This Journey—-Sunday, April 10, 2016

Posted on April 10, 2016 by Dayphoto

Way back when…9 years ago… I was at a place in my life where I wanted to start something new, but I didn’t know just what. At that point in my life I was working with a wonderful friend (still is a wonderful friend) who said to me–“Start a blog.”

The beginnings of my blog were rather bleak, I had so much to learn. But blogging combined several things I enjoyed doing —photography and working on our farm. I’m sure it was tremendously boring for others to read, but for me it was exhilarating.

As time moved on blogging became a tool to improve myself in my writing, the photos and my ability to express myself so each of my readers could see and feel what I see and feel every day.

The comments left by each of you are cherished— as an exchange about knowledge, understanding and connection. For a long-time I personally sent an email to each individual who commented. Today I answer on the blog, so everyone can see and participate and even get to know someone of interest who is a fellow commenter.

This little blog of mine has given to me friends from all over the world, people I get to meet in a daily way every day by my blog.

Although, I have never had a blog post reprinted in a magazine, or a post go super viral,or even viral :), I have had the absolute fun of writing– I write about farming, rainbows, the land and my love of it, every aspect of the sky and— ‘stories’ about the dogs who live on our farm.

As long as I can remember I wrote stories, stories in the first grade, stories in Jr. High, stories in high school and college, stories and poetry after I started raising children. Writing stories on the blog is a huge delight to me.

This is MY conversation with you. And it’s an honest conversation…I like writing TO You. I like Sharing WITH you. I like Showing you, without an agenda, our life on a western Colorado farm.

And I delight in your conversations with me.

Now having said all that I just want to say Thank you for your friendship! It’s a wonderful journey.

From my heart to yours!

Linda

A Gift of Time—Thursday, April 7, 2016

Posted on April 7, 2016 by Dayphoto

Lucky, lucky us! Our oldest granddaughter is here for a short visit. She will leave on Saturday; having come in Monday.

Terry forgot his cell phone when he headed out this morning

Guess who took it to him!

Delivered!

What fun to have help in the form of a grand child!

From our heart to your world,

Linda

Payment for a Hair Cut—-Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Posted on April 6, 2016 by Dayphoto

Our oldest daughter is a hair dresser by trade, having trained in New York City at the Vidal Sassoon Training Academy/School whatever it is called, plus worked in Cherry Creek and in San Francisco where she taught others her skills. Today she and Jason live in our other house (YAY) and she works in Grand Junction, Colorado.

The really nice part of having her close is we get to have our hair ‘done’ right here on the farm. When Terry went to pay her she said: “Just give me a ride in one of the cars.”

So off they went.

A win-win for all of us!

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

Spring has Sprung—Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Posted on April 5, 2016 by Dayphoto

Yesterday was one of those amazingly lovely days…the air was soft, with a gentle warm breeze.

The canal bubbled and sang, being fed by the Blue Mesa Dam.

It leapt and danced, beyond my little orchard, roaring past, exuberant with drops of spray

The air smelled of fresh green things

Terry is leveling the field in front of our house….this six acres will become one of the new alfalfa fields

It was one of those days that makes a person yearn to run free upon the earth

The earth,the sky, the very air beckoning—‘come, feel your blood humming in your veins—come rejoice with me this awakening–come.’

Spring is finally here. My soul is full of joy!

With Love,

Linda

An Old Friend Returns—-Monday, April 4, 2016

Posted on April 4, 2016 by Dayphoto

Our ditch rider and other ditch riders opened our canal, bringing with it water for the new seasonThey must use a back hoe to lift all the trash which comes roaring down the canals, threatening to plug up and split water everywhere.

(You can see the trash in the first photo, being pushed and gathered in front of the water.)

Our water, for irrigation, comes about because of the Uncompahgre Valley Water Project. The project has one storage dam, several diversion dams, 128 miles of canals, 438 miles of laterals and 216 miles of drains.

The project canal runs right by our road and is the source of all water for our crops and my yard and garden.

I love the canal, I love hearing the music of the water as is trips along on its way to the states of Arizona and Nevada and California. I think of it as a friend, one who goes away for the winter and then comes back bringing life to our farms. A watery snowbird! 🙂

Your friend on a western Colorado Farm,

Linda

In Between Farming—-Sunday, April 3, 2016

Posted on April 3, 2016 by Dayphoto

I have been in need of a new fence for a long time. The old corral fence had fallen in and was in horrible disarray.

So in-between other things, Terry and I started work on repairing and improving the old corral fence, which separates one of my gardens from the work shop and the old corrals.

The tumbled down jumble of old boards and rotted off posts gradually became new posts and better boards.

Complete with cleaning up all the junk from the junk pile—One pick load to the dump!

I don’t know what it is about us, but we keep stuff thinking we might use it someday. We do use it, but not to the level of the ‘keeping it’.

Then we were done! YAY! I was so happy and pleased with the result. It still has that rustic charm, of which our farm is made of, but is now strong and sturdy. It should last the rest of Terry’s and my life!

Love,
Linda

There in the Midst—Thursday, March 31, 2016

Posted on March 31, 2016 by Dayphoto

Boomer and I took a walk-about yesterday, even though the wind was blowing sharp with a face stinging cold.

As I dropped down over the hills of the Upper End I stopped in wonder.

Dropping down to a sitting position, backing myself up to a crop of Chico and rabbit brush, I held my breath… the sight was a gift to behold.

The wind stirred the brush, and rustled the cattails in the marsh behind me, above me a Murder of crows passed their shrill cries loud, but part of the whole.

Even though the wind whined around me, flipping dust and little particles of debris on to my face and clothes, it was hard to leave. The clouds continued to thicken overhead, the spring storm I watched gather on the Uncompahgre Plateau, then move into the Rubidoux Canyon, was making it’s way toward Boomer and I.

Still I stayed. Boomer was somewhere over on the Sage Brush Hill, I could see him moving through the brush and weeds nose to the ground.

What sunlight we had was quickly darkening from all the heavy clouds boiling up from the Roubidoux Canyon, and spreading rapidly across my part of the sky.

Boomer and I were going to get drenched if I didn’t start moving soon!

Still I sat— until large wet, almost snow,— drops began to plummet from the clouds. Calling out to Boomer I picked myself up. Stowed my camera in my pocket. Raised my hand toward the Eagle and called, “THANK YOU! You Made my day!”

Rushing back home, Boomer and I…we both sorta ran, walked, ran, panted a lot …arriving before we were totally drenched.

Wet, but not too bad.

Just watching the huge spring storm washing it’s way toward us, then being gifted with the sight of that magnificent bird— lifted my heart! What a wonder to be so close to the wilderness, to be able to share in a small moment of time.

With love from my heart to your world,

Linda

A Smile and a Nod of Understanding—-Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Posted on March 30, 2016 by Dayphoto

“Bee to the blossom, Moth to the flame, Each to his passion, what’s in a name?” —Helen Hunt Jackson

A friend of mine ‘shared’ with me the above photo…(double click if you want to read all the little spots)….on my FaceBook page. I had to actually laugh-out-loud when I saw it. Someone really does understand that need to create everyone has. (Sometimes the names have to be changed, but it’s still the same.)

Then I saw on Pinterest this little saying: “The work you do while you procrastinate is probably the work you should be doing for the rest of your life.” — Jessica Hische

I had to stop a moment and ask myself what DO I do when I’m not WANTING to do anything. It’s a rather fun thing to ask yourself.

We woke up to a skiff of snow this morning. Things are turning green, the earth is too wet to farm, but it will dry. Friday is APRIL…of jolly! We are moving right along to warmer weather. YAY!

With joy, your friend,

Linda