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

Gifts–All the Way from Canada—January 20, 2016

Posted on January 20, 2016 by Dayphoto

The day after my birthday our U.S. Postal carrier drove into our farm yard; greeted with a barking beagle, and myself. (I was outside gathering firewood for the wood stove when she drove in).

Amongst the bills and advertisers was a package too large for our rural mail box.

After giving me the mail, Boomer a dog cookie, she backed up her jeep and took off. I finished loading up the wheel-barrow, stacked the mail and my ‘package’—oh, how neat. I wonder just what it is? Boomer and I headed into the house.

Once inside I saw the package had come all the way from Canada and my very talented ranching friend, Linda.

There they were…my precious dogs…immortalized in water color, suitable for framing!

Perfect!

If any of you would love to see the type of work she does (not counting all the farm and ranch work on their huge spread way up there in Canada) head on over here. Linda is amazingly talented.

How very lucky I am!

With much love your friend,

Linda

Gift!—Snow!—Done!—Tuesday, January, 19, 2016

Posted on January 19, 2016 by Dayphoto

Early, early the loaded truck would head for the Elevator..they open at 6 a.m.

Then back in time to head out to the field to start the combining. Although, one never really knew when the load would be dumped—sometimes the wait could be three hours or more. But by eleven a.m. Terry’s would be able to get into the fields and start loading up the truck.

We had clear skies most of the time

Three loads a day, if we could dump and get away without a long wait.

At the worst only one load.

But always, always we were able to get one load at night, to sit under the shed. We covered up the truck (just incase) then we would haul out just before first light.

Yesterday was the last day. The last load! The last dump!

The last of 2015 harvest is now—

at the Elevator!

YAY!

Today we woke up to snow. But our fields are harvested.

Still I feel bad for those who are stuck. They will have to wait for this snow to dry off the shucks and the leaves before they can start again. Our neighbor told us his corn is still running 20%. What a hard year for corn harvest.

I am most thankful for the ability to get our harvest in, what a wonderful gift!

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

A Week of Gifts—Sunday, January 17, 2016

Posted on January 17, 2016 by Dayphoto

Driving home from the elevator the other morning I noticed the clouds were starting to thin…

giving to me (and anyone who wanted to look) a view of a sky–a sky so vast it makes one dizzy to look up….then I saw it—

A true look at the sun! A perfect gift from the heavens!

At first I thought I was seeing the moon. Once home I looked up the moon phases on the calendar and I realized we were in a sliver of a moon phase so this truly was the sun!

What an amazing and joyful site…to actually see the sun without blinding myself!

Your friend,

Linda

The Adventures of Boomer on Friday—Stopped

Posted on January 15, 2016 by Dayphoto

Dad and Mom are stopped on harvesting the corn.

Stopped!

It snowing!

SNOWING!

But Dad says: “At least we got two fields done! Only one more field to go, we can handle this small wait.”

So we wait.

That works for me…toasting my feet by the fire!

Boomer

Happy Birthday to Me—Thursday, January 14, 2016

Posted on January 14, 2016 by Dayphoto

Today is my birthday…well, today is the day I was born on. I actually arrived on this earth 4 minutes until mid-night on the 14th. So, if I’m a purest, I won’t be sixty-seven until 4 minutes until mid-night. But Oh, Well! Today is the day!

I found this really cool quote: (yes, I’m a product of the Beatle era…I say COOL 🙂 )

This is the way I am trying with every fiber in my being to live by — to be honest, sometimes old habits die hard, but I’m working on it.

“Tis a strange thing, that considering we are born but once, that our days are to have an end, and that the morrow being out of our power, nevertheless we always put off till the next day to live. So that our life is spent miserably in these continual delays….for we occupy ourselves in everything else, but to Live.”—from the book Nature’s God, by Matthew Stewart {Actual reference from Pierre Gassendi’s book, Three Discoveries}

There is still corn in this field, but we ARE hauling. So far they are taking every load. A gift of harvest.

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

All Together Now—FLAP!—Tuesday, January, 12, 2016

Posted on January 12, 2016 by Dayphoto

While I was waiting for the truck to dump, I noticed the birds were flocking together; I think it is called a murmuration.

Although, these birds were not Starlings, they were practicing the same art, as Starlings.

Okay, now! Everyone here? Ready, get set

FLAP! Raise those wings….now turn to the right

Turn to the left…harder! Harder! Break out a sweat!

Now lift up and fly as high into the sky as you can

All together now! 1-2-3

Well done! (see the heart they formed?)

Good now!

Rest! We will go again later. A job well done!

Your friend,

Linda

As the Dawn Cracked—Monday, January 11, 2016

Posted on January 11, 2016 by Dayphoto

As the sun started peaking over the Gunnison Mountain range…Terry and I were

Taking a load in —- what a nice way to start the week.

It’s still a little too high, but they said bring it in and go get another one.

So we are!

(Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just bring in all three fields? Work all this week and be done? — Oh, well, we are NOT complaining, just very grateful.)

Your friends in a sorta, kinda, maybe, corn harvest.

Linda

We Woke-Up to a Fairy World—Sunday, January 10, 2016

Posted on January 10, 2016 by Dayphoto

Yesterday we had a wee melt. Complete with dashes of sunshine here and there, off and on!

It was lovely. Boomer and I walked in slush, and mud, and even on some dry spots.

Later that afternoon, Terry, Boomer and I took a four-wheeler ride to the rocky hill. The chilled air knifing back in a shower of tiny bits of snow from the wheels of Terry’s four-wheeler, causing Boomer to snuggle up tight against me. I found this comforting-his warm body smashed against my back.

Our farm and the neighboring farms were a winter painting, cows dotting the landscape far and away. As we sat there, the sun hanging low in the sky, the silence was broken by a murder of crows, settling down on the farm, actually on the corn still standing in the fields, for their supper.

Then over night the air cooled allowing us to wake up to a

Winter wonderland. It was lovely. A vision of frost draping everything in it’s path. Life in the middle of a frozen cloud.

It’s all gone now…warmed up and melted away. A winter fairy-land.

Your friend, in January, on a farm, on the western side of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. 🙂

Linda

The Adventures of Boomer on Friday—A Little Girl from Our Neck of the High Mountain Desert

Posted on January 8, 2016 by Dayphoto

Mom and I have been on the watch for ‘good things’. Mom says it breaks up the long, gray days, and opens us up for more interesting things.

So every day I head out to check things out…sometimes Mom comes sometimes not. Sometimes the pads on my paws just get so toasted I can walk on snow and not feel a thing.

Once out there I look around for all good things—seems like I always find good things, yummy smells, interesting news, barking someone down the long, long lane all good things.

Like Mom says—it’s fun to look for good things. Look at this….

http://www.fox.com/watch/597366851556/7716941568#http://www.fox.com/watch/597366851556/7716941568#/details

Jeneve Mitchell! This is a young woman from way up country of our county, Delta County, in Crawford, Colorado. As you watch you will see Needle Rock, a famous rock in Crawford. Proof of what she says…that she is from our neck of the High Mountain Desert.

Now wouldn’t that be nice if she became the NEXT AMERICAN IDOL!?

Boomer

It IS January After All—Thursday, January 7, 2016

Posted on January 7, 2016 by Dayphoto

We were going to test the corn again today. By that I mean we would gather three ears of corn from each corn field, keeping them in separate buckets, bring them in and shell the kernels off the cobs into their bucket, then run (each bucket separately) through the corn moisture meter tester. If the moisture content was low enough, Terry would then take the three buckets down to the elevator and have THEM test each bucket. (Remember each bucket represents each field).

It doesn’t NOT matter what your moisture tester says, it only matters what their moisture tester says. They buy and store and sell the corn so they know what they want in their silos. We have our moisture tester set to match theirs, but we are always erring on the side of caution. To combine a huge load of corn and have it turned away would be not be a very good thing.

Anyway, that is what we were GOING to do. But not anymore.

It’s snowing again. Snow is a good thing for January. Something we have prayed for in the past, enjoyed when it was here, and just plain understood, that is winter after all.

Until this year…until this very strange year when the corn doesn’t dry down in a normal way and is harvested by late November and/or early December. This year we are eagerly waiting for the snow to dry off (or fall off) the corn shucks; then we go out and hand check the shucks for dryness. If everything is looking just right we get our buckets set up for the next day…and wake-up to more snow.

So for now we wait. Even if the corn is dry enough, the shucks are not, maybe next week. Only time will tell.

As I was hauling in wood to fill the wood stove this morning, Terry was standing at the back door looking out, “Snow,” he mumbles. ” Well, I guess it is January.” Turning around he headed to his spot on the sofa, feet stretched out toward the wood stove; matching Boomer’s four paws toasting on his side of the wood stove. “I guess we wait some more.”

I guess so.

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda