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

A Crisp Fall Day–Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Posted on October 29, 2014 by Dayphoto

The trees on the way to the other house are just lovely. As are the trees AT the other house.

The other house in the thicket of trees that you see across the way. Trees with lots and lots and leaves on them. It’s been freezing every night…we had 26* this morning. You and I know what that means…all those leaves are going to be falling down into the yard. What that means for me is a whole other job…raking leaves. I rather dread it. I have this yard with it’s leaves and now I have that yard. SIGH!

Anyway all I have left to paint is the ceiling in the dining room, then I’m done with the inside of the house. YAY!

Oh, yes. I still have the outside and now the yard, but I’m making headway.

Our neighbor to the south, has brought his cows home for the winter. He just put the heifers in his back field which connects to our Upper End. It’s nice to hear them talking and conversing with each other. 🙂

Your friend,

Linda

October Irrigation — Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Posted on October 28, 2014 by Dayphoto

We started the irrigation water back up. The alfalfa field was just too dry to make it through the winter.

Early morning and every evening is very cold here, although it is warming up some in the afternoon.

Yesterday was horrible with wind and cold and just plain nasty.

Boomer thought he was going to freeze to death so I took off one of my jackets so he could warm up.

The storm blew on by and left us with another killing frost—no ice on the running water though.

Terry had the corn tested yesterday one field was 18 and all the others at 19. We have a long ways to go to get to 14 moisture content. If this cold stays we might get there in two weeks or so.

Two weeks will give me a nice amount of time…I’m just about done painting INSIDE the house. I have the trim/cabinets/doors in the kitchen and the ceiling in the Dining Room. I dread that ceiling as it’s very tall, that is why I keep putting it off. Still I should be able to get to it either today or tomorrow. YIPPEE!

Then I can start on the trim outside and the fences.

Once the corn is harvested we will have to work on getting all the fences on the place cow/calf proof so Mr. Davis’ cows can come to the Brown Nursery. I call our place the Brown Nursery since all the spring’n heifers (first year to calf) calve out on our place. They were babies here two years ago so they are delighted to arrive back. Lots of kicking up of heels and running when they first come in—then they wander everywhere checking out to see what has changed. It takes them about three days to settle down to the place they want to graze first. I always enjoy having them here.

But first………..there is the house to finish and the trim and fences to fix. Oh, and the corn to harvest! (and the irrigation water to change until the ditch is shut off on Saturday).

Your friend,

Linda

The Song of Fall—Monday, October 27, 2014

Posted on October 27, 2014 by Dayphoto

Soon now. The stalks and the ears are getting that ‘look’. Soon.

Sometime today Terry will go out and pick a ear from every field —shell each ear in it’s own test bucket, then take the ear to the elevator to get a moisture test. To harvest our corn the moisture needs to be at 14, any higher than that the corn will mold in the elevators. If you are selling to a feed lot then can take a higher corn moisture….but not where we take it.

Our haystacks are shrinking! Very little left now. The man that is loading out will take that whole stack he is working on, as I took the photo. There is a smaller stack (100) which goes to a horse woman, and the stack that is still covered (we cover all the hay) goes to Delta Elevator. Terry’s goal is for the hay to be gone before winter sets in and Hank’s cows arrive. We have to build pretty good fences around the stacks if we still have hay and cows; preferably we just give them the run of the place otherwise.

In checking the ground in the alfalfa field we realized that it’s terribly dry, so we will start the irrigation water this week. We MUST do it this week since the Ditch Company will turn all the water off November 1st. A week is enough to get the whole thing wet then the alfalfa will go into the winter nicely. The wind is blowing now and it’s cold. A cold front is moving in today and will linger for at least five days. I love walking in the fields with the wind blowing —- here is an old video from a long time back of the wind in the corn…

I find listening to the wind in the corn as lovely as wind whistling through pine trees.

Late afternoon Fuzzy, Boomer and I go for a four-wheeler ride around the farm…up to the headgate, through the Upper End, into the Back Forty, down the road by the alfalfa field, sometimes over to the equipment area and then to the other house, or we just drive into the corn fields and sit and listen to the sounds.

Peace floods my heart, mind and soul. I am so thankful to be able to live and work here.

Life is Good, My Friends, Life is Good!

Wishing you the best of the day!

Your Friend,

Linda

A Bit of Fun—Saturday, October 26, 2014

Posted on October 26, 2014 by Dayphoto

We took Saturday off and headed up to the Devris and Olathe Fire Department Punkin Chunkin and Classic and Antique Tractor Pull in Olathe, Colorado.

There were booths of fun things to purchase and activities for the kids to try. The radio and local Television was on hand to report the activities of the Punkin Chunkin,

complete with a helicopter drop of a huge basket of pumpkins at the end of the Punkin Chunkin contest.

The tractors lined up waiting for the pull to begin; allowing people to see and touch the tractors of yester year. (Although, in our case we still use ours for every day work on the farm.)

Ours turned out to be a fun tractor for families. Several families asked if it was okay to sit on the tractor “SURE, GO RIGHT AHEAD!”

(Tractor’s LOVE attention!)

It was also a chance to visit with old friends and to make new ones. There were only 21 tractors in the pull.

Gradually #19 was ready to take his place. I had a hard time taking photos because I had to face INTO the sun. If you like to see #19 make his pull the following is a short video. He got 4th.

Your friend on a Western Colorado Farm,

Linda

The Adventures of Fuzzy and Boomer—GO!

Posted on October 24, 2014 by Dayphoto

YIPPEE! WHOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOO! We finally got to go with Mom to the other house!

(this is the other house)

I was sure afraid that Fuzzy and I would never ever get to go again. Mom said I was naughty the last time I was down there—naughty only in her mind…that really yucky smelly dead thing was just perfect for a good roll and rub, but she didn’t see it that way.

Then she banished me from EVER going down to the other house ever again!

I think she really meant it too. She and Dad went down there tons of times and just left Fuzzy and I here. So I started trying to win Mom over…

I would do the Beagle Prance and walk ahead of her to the pick-up…nope didn’t work. Then I would follow her to the pick-up and look at her with pleading Beagle eyes…nothing. She just looked at me and shook her head no, got in and drove off.

Then I talked Fuzzy into begging…he’s pretty good at it…he just sits right by the door and politely doesn’t let mom get in.

That didn’t work either.

After putting our heads together we decided that we would just sit on the sidewalk and look pathetic.

AND IT WORKED!

Mom loaded us up on the four-wheeler and off we went. I had to stay inside, but that’s okay. We were with MOM! Going-to-other-house

After that we got to go every time…to take the vacuum and the big ladder down, or just to go watch Mom paint. She talks to us while she paints and we listen real close. Until Fuzzy gets sleepy then he naps. I stay with her in the house or I would go check around and see if that yummy yucky stuff is still there. Mom says I have to stay in the house with her. Okay, I will, just as long as I GET TO GO!

So far so good!

Boomer

Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It’s Off to Work I Go—Thursday, October 23, 2014

Posted on October 23, 2014 by Dayphoto

Making huge strides now…our house is done, even the floors mopped and the windows washed.

I got most of the other house painted–just lack the pantry, a ceiling and the doors and some of the trim in the kitchen! HOO RAY!!

I have started the fall clean-up in the yard (while Terry is busy creating a new head gate for one of the ditches). I leave everything standing for winter interest and food for the winter birds, but I MUST dig up the tropicals. I started that yesterday. As I dig the tropicals I replace them with fall bulbs, works slick, since I’m already in that spot. It will feel good to get the yard taken care of and the other house, after that I wonder if I will be bored….hummmm!

Probably not. 🙂 The corn harvest should be close (if not) started. Then there is picking up all the siphon tubes, dams, building the fences…oh, yes and I forgot finish painting the trim and the fences at the other house.

One step at a time….slowly I’m getting there!

Your friend,

Linda

Checking My List—Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Posted on October 22, 2014 by Dayphoto

I let the dogs go with me to the other house! I know, I know, I said Boomer couldn’t go anymore, but ….I just felt so sorry for him….those sad beagle eyes you know.

So off we went…then while I was there he had to come inside while I worked at painting the coat closet. He didn’t mind, although Fuzzy said he preferred sitting outside on the step in the sunshine.

This house is almost where I want it to forget it for a spell, all I have to do is mop (!) then I’m done for a time.

I also took our ballets in to the court house…there—- we have voted! YIPPEE!!

Now we just wait to see how the vote turns out. I really like this mail in voting…no standing in line—get your ballet- think about what you want to see happen, color in the square…put everything back in the proper envelopes, sign and date the back, then either walk it in and put it in the voting box or mail it. DONE!

Tomorrow I should finish up this houses’ to-do list and maybe get closer to finished INSIDE the other house. I would really like to get the trim and the fences done before the weather turns bad. I would also like to be done down there, before the corn harvest starts. I looked back over my blog and we started the 5th of November last year. That’s not to far off now. Although, it depends on the moisture of the corn…one year we were clear to Christmas before we got done, not being able to start until after Thanksgiving. I sure hope we don’t have another year like that!

With joy in my heart and a song on my lips–the list is shortening every day!

Your friend on a Western Colorado farm,

Linda

Coming Together—Tuesday, October, 21, 2014

Posted on October 21, 2014 by Dayphoto

Yesterday was a good day. I made huge strides on getting some of the very long list done. There is a certain satisfaction of looking at a list and either crossing off something or putting a check mark by it.

YAY!!!!

Today was “take Boomer in to the vet” for another ear check-up. So far so good. One ear is well, and the other one looks like it’s just about there. Happy Dance for both Boomer and I!!!

A storm blew in last night —we had a sprinkle of rain, but nothing here (so far).

We got the irrigation pump and the sprinkler system winterized…I got some more things done down at the other house…and I got most of this house clean.

The joy of seeing a list shrink is a true joy!

Your friend,

Linda

Spinning Standing Still–Monday, October 20, 2014

Posted on October 20, 2014 by Dayphoto

I feel like I’m just standing still spinning my wheels I have so much to do! Although, I LOVED my weekend! Linkin came to us Friday night; her parents and Bladen and Tally got here on Saturday then left Sunday after lunch.

Linky and I ‘spent both nights together’ talking and talking way into the night…there is just so much to learn about the life of a ten-year old!

Sunday afternoon Terry and I drove around checking on the corn….

It is starting to dry down…see the ears? When the ears start turning upside down the corn is getting dry. We still are in waiting mode since the corn kernels must get a certain dryness before we can start combining.

That’s okay we still have a ton of work to do down at the other house (oh, by the way—the kids were delighted in everything we have done so far!!! 🙂 ) I still have one room to paint, and Terry has the furnace to fix—that might be clear into the winter. The wood stove will have to continue to be the main heat. We will drain the water out of the house and winterize it in a couple of months.) I need to finish painting the trim on the house and the fences. Then after the corn is out we will build the fences to keep the cows out of the yard. Upper-End

I really, really, really need to get some of my own house work done (which I’m doing today) and started on my yard work—I need to dig my tropical bulbs and a few things like that; plus winterize the pump and the sprinkler lines —maybe this afternoon those things can at least start.

Then I’ve been doing some volunteer research for the Paonia Cemetery District for the last two months trying to find a Henry Lux who lived here in 1926 and purchased three plots at one of the Paonia Cemeteries. I need to get a report written up and sent to them by the end of the week, preferably today, if I can.

The ending of Daylight Savings Time is looming just around the corner—which I dread. I love Daylight Savings Time the best!

This is the treehouse down at the other house…didn’t Kelly do a great job? If this tree house was up here I would hide myself away and read a book.

Well, off to do all the house work that has been screaming at me for the last two weeks…the screaming has grown into a full-blown temper tantrum today so I must go give everything some tender loving care!

Your friend,

Linda

The Adventures of Fuzzy and Boomer—a Small Hike

Posted on October 17, 2014 by Dayphoto

Mom and Dad were tired of working on the house, and Boom and I were tried of DOING NOTHING!!!

So Dad said, “Let’s go out to the desert and do a Walk About….Who knows what cool stuff we will get to see.” Boomer yelled, “AND SMELL! COOL STUFF TO SMELL!”

We loaded up and headed out. It was a BLAST! Although, Mom and I didn’t walk very fast Boomer and Dad had a great time.

We saw the ruts left from years and years ago when the freighters from Grand Junction would haul in supplies to the canyons areas and to Delta. It was always hard going if the desert was wet…clay soil is a tough thing to pull/walk/stove through. The desert got the name ‘Stinking Desert’ because the freighters dreaded the haul so much—“We have to head off through that Stinking Desert,” they would say. Over time the name just stuck…sort of like the wagons…tee hee!

We walked under the highway into the cement tunnel—which is really to carry the flash flood water under the highway instead of over the highway and wash the road out.

On the other side of the highway is a pond of SLIME WATER!

Even I didn’t like the slime water and I adore water!!!

After that we went back to the pick-up and headed into Delta. In Delta we went to Confluence Lake and walked around there for a spell. That was nice. Boomer found a dead fish, but Mom wouldn’t let him near it. (Boomer pouted all the way back to the pick-up)

We got home as the sun was sinking into the horizon. Boomer and I agreed it sure was nice to go for a little ride after all the days of waiting for Mom and Dad to finish down at the other house. Mom and Dad both said that was refreshing.

And you know something? I agree. A little change of pace is always a good thing.

Fuzzy