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 Adventures of Boomer on Friday—About Mom

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Dayphoto

Mom is doing better! She says she still has a dull nagging headache, but the arm/elbow pain is gone.

We took several naps yesterday. I slept right on the floor next to her…she says I snore…look who’s talking. Humph!

Then in a tiny break in the rain, Mom, Dad, and I all went for a short ride. We went to the Rocky Point on our farm.

Dad says… ‘Let’s all go up to my place’, so we did.

We saw some deer.

And Mom saw some yellow Iris like flowers growing along the Canal Bank,

back home we all sat outside and watch the hummingbirds.

Mom said she needed a day like this.

I licked her hand. I think we all needed a day like this.
Boomer

I Fit the Weather—Thursday, June 11, 2015

Posted on June 11, 2015 by Dayphoto

Sorry, today I am a tad under-the-weather. I woke-up with a bad headache and a bad arm ache. I can’t seem to shake it.

Even after taking a short nap I’m still a wee knocked out. I hope to get better today. I better, since our Craig kids are coming on Saturday. 🙂

They are coming to take Linkin to church camp for a week and to bring us Blade for the week. It is also Linkin’s 11th birthday. The whole family will only be with us overnight—but I do want to feel well enough to enjoy them.

I plan on being back in good shape tomorrow. After all it’s Friday with Boomer AND I need to bake a gluten-free birthday cake for a special little girl.

Your friend,

Linda

It’s Raining Here—Again—Wednesday, June 6, 2015

Posted on June 10, 2015 by Dayphoto

Sure is good for the weeds and the flowers, not so good for my working in the weeds and flowers.

It’s also hard to irrigate.

I worked in the sunshine (really the shade of the sunshine) all day yesterday.

The weeds I jerked out won’t get to rejoice in all this moisture.

Oh, well…the rain is here today and gone by the weekend.

Your friend,

Linda

Sunshine on my Shoulders Makes Me Happy—Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Posted on June 9, 2015 by Dayphoto

Who doesn’t like John Denver?

I have ALWAYS like John Denver.

I so feel like this song…

This a poor little Black-Chinned Hummingbird sitting in the rain this weekend…he was just like me…waiting for the sun.

“If I had a wish I could wish for each of you I would make a wish for you I would wish for Sunshine for all of you!”

Your Friend here on a western Colorado Farm,

Linda

A Walk in the Desert—Monday, June 8, 2015

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Dayphoto

We had a small treat yesterday…our kids, who live in Grand Junction, Colorado, arrived with our granddaughter, her best friend, and their three fur children…”Would you like to go for a hike”? They asked!

“Sure” we replied!

Loading up Boomer, Terry and I followed them onto SawMill Mesa Road, past the Correctional Facility, then onto the old road to Escalante Canyon. Turning off we all parked and started hiking up a dry wash. They day wasn’t too hot and the bugs were still stunned from all the rain we had the two days before.

The desert wildflowers were stunning! But (to me) the most beauty came from those fleeting papery flowers of the cactus…

There were many different colors

Scattered here and there

Delighting in the recent moisture

Followed by warmth

and sunshine

A rare and lovely Gift!

Your friend,

Linda

Peacefulness—Sunday, June 7, 2015

Posted on June 7, 2015 by Dayphoto

Gradually my yard is evolving into the warmer colors

Yellow, pink, orange

With a dash of a brighter purple thrown in here and there.

What I really want to share with you is this darling little bird

I happened to be looking out the upstairs window at a Hummingbird (he/she was sitting on a branch peering into the window) when I saw hidden deep within the tree this precious site.

She is still there this morning, calm and peaceful…waiting and keeping warm those little eggs. I guess you know I’m going to be very discreet; keeping my eye on her. 🙂

Linda

The Adventures of Boomer on Friday— A Routine Day on the Farm

Posted on June 5, 2015 by Dayphoto

Mom hollered at me saying: “It’s your turn to write, Boomer. Today is Friday.” Then she walked upstairs to turn on the computer. As soon as I heard her voice I had already scrambled up from my dead sleep ready for action.

I wagged my tail and bounced up the stairs beating her by three steps! I might be 10 ½, but I’m still fast!

Tee Hee

I waited with Mom while the computer turned on and warmed up. Then I had to sit down for a spell, because Mom wanted to check out the news and a few things.

“Be thinking about what you want to say, Boom. I’ll look at the a few blogs, then when you are ready the computer is yours.”

I sat there watching her move the mouse around, click a few things…stop and stare at the screen…I guess I’ll just lay down here and put my head on my paws; looks like she is going to take forever!

Geez, my eye lids are getting heav…y…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

“Okay, Boomer, your turn,” mom announced as she got up from the computer chair.

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMmmph! Znort! HUH!? Oh, My turn.

Let’s see-what was I dreaming thinking about? Oh Yes! What we did yesterday. Yesterday was a typical day. A day just like any other day. I like days like that they are FUN!

Mom and I took the finished siphon tubes out to the dirt ditch at the pinto bean field.

We irrigated the corn and the pinto bean field. We are watering the BIG corn field now…it takes a week to get across to get all the rows wet…I explored while my folks worked. Sadly I found out that one of the porcupines died over on the sagebrush hill. It’s always sad when something like that happens. Mom and Dad had a wee flood from the large cornfield into the little corn field…they were scrambling pretty fast to get the water back into the big corn field’s cement ditch. I thought it was pretty neat since several mice had to scamper very quickly away from the water. I didn’t chase them, but I did give some of them a couple of good sniffs.

Then Mom loaded me up…I don’t jump up any more, ever since I tore my knee Mom lifts me up and takes me down. My knee is better but she doesn’t want “another hurt knee”.

Then we moseyed on down past the alfalfa field … Dad says he will cut hay next Wednesday; it’s starting to bloom. To the pinto bean field. Mom told me to stay that this wasn’t going to take long.

It didn’t…22 set siphon tubes later and we were back on the 4-wheeler heading home. HUH!? Not home!

We were going to the Rocky Hill…Dad’s favorite spot on the farm. Then we rode through the pasture between the Rocky Hill and the Coyote Hill…it’s a good thing I was on the 4-wheeler the grass was over our heads!

We saw three doe deer…Mom told me today she and I are going out to put corn on the ground so the deer won’t eat the new baby corn plants. COOL!

After that we headed home. See. Not much happening. But it sure is fun.

Boomer, the Beagle

Moving Forward—Thursday, June 4, 2015

Posted on June 4, 2015 by Dayphoto

We’ve been making siphon tubes. Seems like this is something we must do every year. Although the pvc pipe is really sturdy, it does wear out…cracking or splitting, even just plain breaking off at the end.

We first heat up a PVC pipe, which has been cut to length, in our handy-dandy oven. It’s my job to turn the tubes until the heat softens them.

Once soften (they fall down in the oven all warm and pliable), Terry picks them up quickly and puts them in his hand made siphon tube form. I showed you this same photo last Friday…Boomer watching. He is never sure if he should just watch or if we have something for him to do. 🙂

Over and over again we heat, shape and stack. Then when cool and hard we take them out to the fields…new tubes YAY! No more packing tubes from one set to another—just pick up a tube, fill with water, set down and done!

We have 30 more to go. Since we are doing this for ourselves we work at it off and on; a little today maybe some more in a couple of days. The last set of 30 is sitting out there waiting for us. Once we get those done we will have all we need for the rest of the farming season.

The weather is still nice and hot with a rather strong wind in the afternoons, but the weather people are saying this is about to change. A cold front with heavy moisture is to hit the Four-Corners area this evening then head our way by the week end. That’s okay…a little cool down is good for the plants and for ME! 🙂

The cold front will be fast moving (unless it stalls) so we should be able to cut the alfalfa next Wednesday. That’s the plan anyway.

Have a good one everyone…I’m off to mow the lawn!

Your friend on a Western Colorado Farm,

Linda

The Deep Hush—-Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Posted on June 3, 2015 by Dayphoto

The upper corn field is a pasture away from the headgate. As Terry and I work (last night I shoveled ends and Terry dug the little depressions to hold the siphon tubes and then started the tubes, the night before he shoveled and I dug and started tubes) we can hear the roar and the crashing of the water in the FN Lateral Canal, as it moves over the little dam and into our headgate, then the turbulent flinging of the water back into the canal heading on toward the Gunnison River, then into the Colorado River.

It’s our own mini-Niagara Falls.

We usually work in companionable silence; the rumbling of the water making casual conversation hard to hear.

After checking the headgate for trash we drive through the Upper End pasture, around the Fox den area and take the ditch bank road separating the largest corn field from the Alfalfa field to set water in the soon-to-be-planted Pinto Bean field. (Whew! That was a long sentence!)

By this time the sun has set and twilight fills the land. I was walking back from the dirt ditch, (counting rows of set water as I went—too many open and the water dries up, not enough open and the cement ditch over-flows—when the full moon started rising.

I am not a ‘good taker’ of moon photos…usually I have the wrong camera with me at the time . Still I thought…why not. The full moon in June is called the Strawberry Moon.

Once away from the roar of the headgate the land is growing silent. Although, night is never truly silent, the sounds take on a deep hush, shhhhhhhhhhhhh, bidding our hearts to be still, step lightly, those who live in the daytime are preparing for sleep.

Here and there the night sounds start, the hoot of a owl, or a cry of a far away fox, the night birds starting to awake, the earth’s breath slowing down to a gentle heartbeat.

It’s easy to stand with Terry, our arms linked, or me resting against his chest his arm around me-both holding a shovel. 🙂

Silently we survey the rushing of the irrigation water down it’s own little furrow. Boomer at our feet, waiting for the word to load up.

The earth calms, our hearts match the beat of the earth’s– peace descends.

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

Shimmering Heat—Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Posted on June 2, 2015 by Dayphoto

Yesterday was HOT, so hot that my towels dried on the clothes line in half-an-hour, flapped and snapped with the afternoon wind.

It made my laundry chores easy–wash, hang out, bring in, fold, and put away–load after load quickly ‘done’, no waiting about, finished!

The honey bees, the bumble bees and the hummingbirds all hummed and buzzed over the messy colorful flower beds as I washed windows and watered the flowers and the lawn.

It may have been hot, but it was peaceful.

The evening was still extremely warm as we sat the water in the top field of corn, then skirting the alfalfa field we changed the set in the pinto bean field.

People think of night falling…falling down around the land, closing off the day.

But really night doesn’t fall, the shadows of the land rise, filling first the hollows and the valleys, climbing up the slopes of the mesas as the sun sinks lower and lower toward the west. Gradually the shadows become darker creeping imperceptibly up fence posts and weeds.

The fields were so warm we could feel and smell the water as the earth and the plants sucked up the moisture. It was a joy to irrigate since the irrigation water has also warmed, no longer feeling like a fresh melted snowbank.

I stopped work to try and take a photo of the moon, which was gradually moving behind a pink cloud. I turned to smile at Terry I told him there is a huge joy of trying to capture what we see on a daily basis and share it with you.

By the time we were done, the sky had turned from pink to flaming gold. The sun was somewhere over Utah and the ground, the farm, was started to join the greater dark of the star and moon lite night above.