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

Moving On—Sunday, March 15, 2015

Posted on March 15, 2015 by Dayphoto

The cows are starting to move out…Mr. Davis took the Mom’s who still have not had their babies on down to another pasture. Monday the older calves and Moms will go—- by the end of week we will be cow-less.

Then today right after lunch the little grand girls and Mom-Mom leave for Craig, Colorado.

I’ve had a really nice weekend, Mom-Mom helped my oldest daughter and myself with our volunteer job… Walking the dogs at the CAWS Rescue Center in Delta, Colorado.

BUT!!!!

Next weekend is our son-in-law in Grand Junction, Colorado’s birthday. Our whole family (including the Craig family) will be going to a birthday bash at their house on Sunday. So I get to have everyone home again.

The cows I will have to visit with next February! 🙂

Tomorrow farming (for us) starts full-time!

Your friend on a Western Colorado Farm,

Linda

The Adventures of Boomer on Friday—Robins

Posted on March 13, 2015 by Dayphoto

The Robins have returned! Mom is so happy she stopped at the store and bought a bag of mealy worms. I stuck my nose into the bag, but…whew! It didn’t smell so good.

Then Mom, Dad and I went for a 4-wheeler ride and checked on the cows and calves.

They are all looking good. Mom thinks there are about 10-15 cows left to calve.

That’s a good thing because they cows all have to leave next week.

The bigger the calf is the better to hoof it down the hill to their next pasture. (It isn’t far, just down the hill from our other house, but a long way when you are brand new.)

Hank’s HERE! We’ve had a great time already…we’ve barked Mr. Davis down the road, Hank has barked at all the cows a few times (it always gets him yelled at… ‘Hank, stop! You can’t bark at the cows’!) We’ve checked out all the buildings and the equipment by the farm yard and hung out in the house with the little kids.

Oh, yes…the little girls are here and their Mom. My Mom says Hank and his family get to stay here clear until Sunday afternoon!

I know Hank and I’ll be tired when they hit the road, but it will be a good tired.

Boomer

Two Jobs Completed–Thursday, March 12, 2015

Posted on March 12, 2015 by Dayphoto

We got all the dirt loaded and dumped. It was an all day thing. It took us both. Seems these big jobs are requiring both of us anymore.

Thank you everyone, for the Magic thoughts, prayers and for crossing your fingers and toes—it all helped.

We have also got the sheet rock up in the kitchen, it just needs to have the seams sealed and for me to paint…then that job is done.

The extra room is taking shape, but it’s slow. I got all the bricks and motor and other things cleaned out of the coal room itself, Terry is now working on expanding the coal room into the extra small room. Once this is done we will move the hot water heater and the —soon to be purchased—furnace into their very own area. After that it will be wiring the room for electricity and putting up sheetrock and laying the floor then we are done.

We found out last night that Mom-Mom and both granddaughters are coming for the weekend. It seems that Tally is homesick also. Mom-mom said she was too, so they are all coming in this afternoon. What a fun time we will have. Although, Terry says he is going to have to stay steady on the room, because he WILL start farming on Monday.

That’s alright, Mom-Mom says she will help and the girls will be happy because there is the treehouse, and kittens, and other fun things to do. I’m sure we aren’t going to work ALL the time…even Grandpa adores snuggles and 4-wheeler rides and …you know, all those things that make life wonderful.

Thank you once more. Two huge jobs down and one to go!

Your friend,

Linda

The Sky—Thursday, March 9, 2015

Posted on March 12, 2015 by Dayphoto

“The sky is the daily bread of the eyes”: —Ralph Waldo Emerson

Oh, how right Mr. Emerson is!

Today Terry and I are driving to Rifle, Colorado, to pick up our oldest granddaughter. Linkin is missing us and asked if she could come stay several days …Thursday through Sunday.

There was NO hesitation on our part! YES! We will be there. Terry was a little concerned with Linkin missing school, but she is top of her class—a couple of days spent with her grandparents won’t hurt her school work. I will just have to make sure she gets her homework done, if she has any.

We will meet her parents back in Rifle on Sunday sending a ‘refreshed’ little girl home until spring break at the end of this month.

The neighbor’s (across the way from the other house) cat has had kitten’s over in the barn at our other house. The three little kitten’s will be four weeks old when we pick up Linky…they are purr-fect for a cat-loving 10 year old little girl to spend lots of quality time petting. The Momma cat is very loving and a nice sharer of her kittens; I thinking the Momma will enjoy lots of loving also.

With great joy,

Your friend,

Linda

Best Dressed Cow and Calf—Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Posted on March 10, 2015 by Dayphoto

My favorite cow had her calf. It’s so pretty.

Isn’t it a cutie? It has a black nose!

Your Friend on a Western Colorado Farm,

Linda

Waning Moon—Monday, March 9, 2015

Posted on March 9, 2015 by Dayphoto

The moon is starting to morph into a different look, not as full, coming up later in the evening and much later in the day.

It’s still really beautiful. The early dawn gave the moon a slight pink shade as it slid under the rim of the Uncompahgre Plateau. (Un-come-pah-gray—-accent on the pah.)

You can see more of the houses on the flat lands just before their ground drops off into Robideaux Canyon…you can also see the edge of our mesa (and farm) at the end of the corn field.

It’s up there clear above the snow packed slick canyon walls Mr. Davis and his daughter’s cows will spend their summer days.

Off now to go work in the old coal room. Soon it will become a much different room. (Terry and I hope). If we don’t go down there, we will start hauling dirt to build ditches with and to level out some of the fields. Seems like we have way too much stuff to do right now.

Hope your day is a good one!

Your Friend,

Linda

Gradually, One Step at a Time—Sunday, March 8, 2015

Posted on March 8, 2015 by Dayphoto

Gradually —- one step at a time we are getting the projects down at the other house done. The refrigerator and the stove are now in their new position in the kitchen and the kitchen is rewired to accommodate their move.

The new sheet rock is up ready for Terry to mud in the seams and for me to paint–sometime this week.

The old coal room and the pantry are starting to take shape as one room. Friday and Saturday Terry and I started removing the very well built coal furnace chimney…it is no longer in use and stuck in the middle of the new room to be.

Our oldest daughter helped us on Friday and

Saturday our son and his wife came out and helped take most of the chimney down. Terry and I will get the rest.

Things still left to do, before farming starts:

Build an entry under the house so repairs are easier
Finish the plumbing on the tub
Move the water heater to it’s new spot
Wire the new room for electrical plug ends
Hang the new walls

The furnace and duct work will occur sometime this summer.

Our goal is to have everything finished by the end of next week. Please keep your fingers and toes crossed that we make it! (Magic thoughts and/or prayers would be nice also. 🙂 )

Your friend on a Western Colorado farm,

Linda

The Adventures of Boomer on Friday—Midnight Walk

Posted on March 6, 2015 by Dayphoto

“You up, Boomie?” Mom asked me as she walked into the Living room. Normally I sleep on the back porch. I like the back porch, but when the wind blows I always come in and sleep by the wood stove. Fuzzy didn’t like to sleep by the wood stove ever, said it made him way too hot. Sometimes I have to have the heat…my fur is rather thin.

Anyway, Mom came by and asked if I was ready to go for a walk, “We can see the Moon, Boomer. I haven’t seen the moon for a long time.”

“Walk?!? Sure! Let’s Go!” I jumped up and beat Mom outside. She took way too long putting on her coat and gloves and hat.

“Come on, MOM!! LET’S GO!” I waited for her with a huge smile on my face!

Off we went, Mom and I walked through the corrals, opening the gate was easier there. We scared about 6 cows who were sleeping close to the loafing shed; they didn’t jump up, but they sure were startled. Mom and I haven’t been walking late at night, because the weather has been so bad.

Off we headed toward the new pipe, that’s not far, maybe a ¼ of a mile…up we went, me sniffing around to see what and who has been moving around in the cows. (Not many critters, Momma cows are really serious about not letting strange animals come in where they are living.)

Mom kept stopping off and on trying to get a good photo of the moon. After a while she gave up and we walked back. By that time the air was calm and I was warmed up so I stayed on my big soft comfy bed on the porch.

“You can come sleep by the fire if you want too, Boom” Mom invited. But I just looked at her and settled down. ‘No Thanks, Mom. I’m fine right here.’

Goodnight everyone,

Boomer.

Finishing the Winter Chores–Thursday, March 5, 2015

Posted on March 5, 2015 by Dayphoto

Terry and I are finishing work on the other house…it’s been a process, but we are almost done.

Yesterday Terry had to crawl under the house to work on some stuff under there. Before he even could begin he had to dig out a tunnel. Together, we finally got a pathway over to the old duct work; he dug and I hauled. Gradually we made a tunnel big enough to get from here to there and everywhere so the work that needs to be done under there can be done.

Today we will finish hanging the sheetrock in the kitchen. Then we will continue work on the conversion of a unused room into a very nice usable room–a possible extra bedroom.

While working on all this I kept hearing a very unusual bird song…

Finally I saw the lone little bird calling to me—

It was a Towhee! I (personally) have never seen a Towhee. I don’t know if this one was blown off course or if we have them all the time. It sure was a friendly little feathered bird.

He/she would hop close to where I was walking, then fly a short distance away from me. I didn’t see another or even a small flock, just this one.

Sure made my work go fast…

Your friend,

Linda

In One Day’s Time—Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Posted on March 3, 2015 by Dayphoto

Yesterday we woke-up to a yard looking like this, only without the shadows or the clip of blue sky.

By early morning it started raining and raining. For a short time a mist would hover over the land, then the clouds would open again.

By evening, when I went to get the nights firewood the lawn looked like this…my boots squished across the sodden expanse.

Later in the evening as I readied for bed I could see lightening flashing in the west. Could we have turned the corner from winter to spring thunder storms? Possibly, only time will tell.

Your friend,

Linda