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 Quick Stop —Sunday, June 15, 2014

Posted on June 15, 2014 by Dayphoto

The nice thing about summer is the fact people are traveling…and sometimes that means they are traveling ‘through’ where we live.

My brother, Dan (this is from last year)

And his pretty wife, Cloudy were also in the area, but could not stop by this time. They usually come over sometime in August so I’m thinking we will get to see them at that time.

Terry’s sister, Carolyn, and her husband, Wayne where traveling back from Arizona when they called and said—“We are coming through”,

Then the “Side Trips” blog folks posted about this really nice trip they were on and I realized THEY WERE GOING TO BE PASSING THROUGH!!!

I quickly emailed them and invited them to stop and have supper with us on their way back home. They took me up on the invitation!!! YIPPEE! It is great fun to meet people in person after years of reading and commenting on each other’s blogs!

We had hot dogs and hamburgers and all sorts of picnic food, ate outside and the wind blew us away. Even blew my salad right off my plate. Shish!

But everyone was was kind and gracious. ate the food, sat in the kitchen while I put stuff together, chatted together outside – passing the time quickly. Suddenly it was all over, everyone back on the road to home.

The wind…it hung around until today turning colder on Saturday; bringing in another cold front for our area. It’s actually cold enough we had to turn up the heat just to take the chill off the house. A strong cold front with heavy gusting wind is predicted until Wednesday when it will finally push itself out of here and we will start to warm back up.

I guess in the scheme of things, five days of gusty winds of 30 m.p.h, or more, is really just a quick stop. This time next week we will have the heat and warmth of late Spring.

Your friend on a farm in Delta, Colorado

Linda

The Adventures of Fuzzy and Boomer on Friday—Full Moon on Friday the 13th

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Dayphoto

Hey, FUZZY!!! Wake-up, Fuzzy! Today is Friday the 13^th! Not only is it Friday the 13^th we have a FULL MOON— TONIGHT!!!

YIPPEE!!!

We won’t be alive the next time this comes along, in fact Mom and Dad won’t be alive…it won’t happen again until Friday,

August 13^th 2049!

How very cool is this!!

Hummmmmmmmmm, snort, skurkle….wha, what, Boomer?

Full Moon, Fuzzy! AND IT’S FRIDAY THE 13^th!

Last year we had three Fridays the 13^th’s but this year there is only ONE and there is a Full Moon with it!

Hey, that is pretty neat! What do you think we should do tonight, Boomer?

Lots of people are really suspicious over dates like this, but I don’t see any reason to be nervous, Fuzzy. Heck, what bad thing can happen?…the sky is full of bright silver light, we will get to go with a walk with Mom in the moonlight and it’s really warm so we won’t be bothered by the cold at all.

Okay, Boom…let’s get to going:

First let’s holler over to Hank and let him know it what today is.

Okay…
Bark, Bark, HOWWWLLLLLLL! HEY! HANK!!! GUESS WHAT TONIGHT IS?

WOOF! WOOF!

Bark, Yip, yap….repeat and repeat again and again and again.

Oh, this is good, Pepper is on the line…HEY, PEPPER…You Know what tonight is…..?

Oh! BOOTS is joining in…Welcome, Boots…guess what tonight is?

Hey, this is really cool everybody in the neighborhood is talking on the dog telephone!

Let’s tell the Coyotes….Every dog in the neighborhood…yipping and yelling!

“You soft as marshmallow house dogs…what do you think you are doing bother us real DOGS? You are just pretend dogs. Snarl, growl,

Whooooooooooooooooooooooo!”

OOPS….MOM JUST CAME OUT and MADE US COME INTO THE HOUSE!

Shhhhhhhhhhh, she said

Pant, pant, puff, pant….sit by Mom’s bed and act like your are suffocating Fuzzy, so we can get back outside…after all TIME IS A WASTING!“Oh, alright…go on back out. But be quiet!!!” Mom warned as she let us out the back door.

RACCOON, FUZZY! LET’S GO GET HIM!!!

AWHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

BAM!!!! OW!!!! Boomer! I tripped and fell and bloodied my nose.

Darn thing, just won’t stop bleeding!

YIKES! SKUNK ——————– BOOMER!!! Slow down, boy! There is a skunk by the grain bin!

Hey, dogs….chitter, chatter, squeak…you can’t catch me

GET HIM BOOM!!!! Get the raccoon!!

Come on Fuzzy…he’s heading to the old tree by the canal
Put y’er brakes on Boom…he’s gone. We’ll never get him up the tree.

Okay, Fuzzy. Let’s see if there is anything else out here. We haven’t been this far up the ditch bank for several days…..sniff, sniff, snuff…do you smell anything, Fuzzy?

Nope, not very good, my nose is stuffed up. But I do think I can smell those two cats from the neighbor way over the way. They passed here about an hour ago.

10. Boy, the moonlight is sure bright. Hummmmmmmmmmmm oh, yes…ahhhhh…ooooooooo, this is really nice. Come on, Fuzzy…you are going to like this.

11.Ah…no…I don’t think so, Boomer. That’s just something I really don’t like.

12. Ummmm. Listen….Mom is out…she’s calling us to go for her mid-night walk. Well, I guess, tonight it more like her two in the morning walk… Listen, Boom…we gotta go!

Okay, Fuzzy….just a dollop more. Mom, is going to love me! Just wait until she smells this great perfume….roll, wiggle, squiggle, squirm…yes! I’m ready to go, Fuzzy.

Come on then, Mom is heading our way…we’ will intercept her at the bend in the road.

13. “YUCK! Boomer! What in the world did you roll in?” Mom GAGGED! (Actually, Mom almost puked)… “Boomer! UGH!”

But it is really nice, Mom. Really, just take a good whiff…see you do like it.

MOM!!! WHERE ARE YOU GOING?

She went back into the house, Boomer. I’ll bet you get to have a bath in the morning.

WHAT! And lose my great perfume?

Darn, I guess a full moon on Friday the 13^th does bring some sort’a bad luck.

Pout, pout…I really wanted to wear my perfume for a long, long time.

Boomer

Good Fences — Thursday, June 12, 2014

Posted on June 12, 2014 by Dayphoto

A five-strand barbed wire fence with cedar posts. And Little Tally making mud pies for supper.

Priceless!

For more fun fences and gates head on over to The Run*A*Round Ranch.

Then stop by here again on Friday. Friday is the 13th and it comes complete with the FULL MOON!

Your Friend,

Linda

Footprints in the Sands of Time —-June 11, 2014

Posted on June 11, 2014 by Dayphoto

Sunday our oldest granddaughter left for camp for the week. Bladen was supposed to go but he is on the down-hillside of recovery of pneumonia.

Their Mom and Dad needed to go to Craig, Colorado. Bladen and Tally thought it would be fun if they came to stay with Grammy and Grandpa (instead of huge long boring ride to Craig).

Blade is twelve. He was lots of help. Although, I wouldn’t let him do lots (still recovering, I would remind him) he could do some things for short spells.

Which meant that the 6-year-old had to give it try to also.

🙂

They stayed with us until last night. We had lots of fun, even going to play miniature golf one night after all the work was done and the last set of water in place. It was ‘way dark’ when we finally drove home. Another ‘cool’ thing.

Several years ago I had a wonderful friend, who has since passed, tell me once: “You know, the footprints on the sands of time are really made with work shoes.” I had forgotten all about her saying this until I ran across the quote last night, while reading just before bed.

Those footprints start young, don’t they? They start young and they stay with you (or your children or your grandchildren) all the rest of life.

When it is you and your children it is a necessity that your children learn to work, to process information, to be a ‘big help’. But with your grandchildren you are giving them a gift…but on the same hand they are giving you one right back.

There is nothing better than working with children who really appreciate what you do and want to be part of it.

The footprints might be on the sands of time, but in reality they are created in the soul.

Your friend in life,

Linda

A Gift in the Sky —June 10, 2014

Posted on June 10, 2014 by Dayphoto

After a rambunctious day of wind and potential rain the other day. The wind started dying down and the clouds parted to let the sun shine through. In so doing so it shot sunbeams through the remaining raindrops to allow a rainbow to shine through.

Rainbows are the hope of the world, the hope of everyone’s life, the hope of something nice coming down the road to make the day just a little bit better.

Sending each of you hope today!

Your Friend,

Linda

Little Acts Create Giants— Monday, June 9, 2014

Posted on June 9, 2014 by Dayphoto

We live on the farm Terry’s Grandfather created…Misty and her family live on the other part of our farm which was started by Terry’s Great Grandfather on his Mother’s side. (We purchased the farm from the estate many, many moons ago.)

Meta and B.J. Brown

The first photo shows the roses that Meta planted way, way, before my time. Those same roses must be 95 years old now. They are sweet smelling and every so short lived. I adore them.

Meta planted them on the side of the Tile House…the house you see behind them. We call it the Tile House because the whole little house is made from tiles.

When the Tile House was created this farm, the one we live on, was a farm and a Dairy. It was the only Dairy for the town of Delta.
In the Tile House Meta, and daughters, Benita, and Sally washed up the many, many milk bottles and cream bottles, which were filled with rich, lovely whole milk and delivered early in the morning or late in the evening twice a day.

Also, in the Tile House a milk cooler and a cap and bottler shared space with the cleaning tubs. Out in the barn, B.J., and sons, Jack (Terry’s Dad), and Kenneth milked, fed the cows. Then hauled the milk into the Tile House. (Remember this was all done by hand.)

In the the Tile House the milk was first filtered, then poured into the cooler, next into the separator for cream, and skimmed milk. then capped and bottled. The whole milk was just filtered and cooled and capped and bottled.

The wagons were loaded and off the boys would go delivering milk to the residents of Delta. Once in town they would leave the milk and pick up the empty bottles —Benita said some of those bottles were nasty, nasty, nasty…others were washed and cleaned– sometimes with little thank you notes inside. The cash for the milk products was always attached to a little envelope waiting with the empty bottles. Benita said, “It was rare that people didn’t pay and Father had to make the trip to town to visit with those who owed.”

Left to right—as I think I know them: Sally and her husband Bud, the tall son of Sally and Bud in the back, right in front of the tall son is (I think) Meta, then B.J. with his arms around Terry. Next to B.J. is Terry’s Dad, Jack, and another son of Sally and Bud. Right next to Terry is his best -friend and brother Roger and on the other side is his adored little sister, Carolyn.

The house they are standing in front of is the house we live in today. It also looks pretty much the same. 🙂

Of the years that I have lived here we have had the special gifts of older people telling us that they remember when Mr. Brown delivered their milk to them, or how Mr. Brown and his sons would willingly give you a free lift to town on the milk wagon so you could get groceries then taking you back home.

Benita told us that when Father found out about a little family who lost their Dad in a horse and wagon accident and couldn’t afford to have milk…he would drop off a bottle or two as a little surprise. Never asking for money…just saying: “Oh, I had extra today. If I didn’t let you have it I would have to pour it out.”

I always think of these little stories when I go into the Tile House, or even just glance at it out of the corner of my eye. It really is the little acts we perform every day that eventually creates giants.

A farmer’s wife on a farm in Delta, Colorado

Linda

Making Hay —June 8, 2014

Posted on June 8, 2014 by Dayphoto

Terry finished up the last of the hay bales this morning…driving the tractor pulling the hay baler in around 5:00. He went out as soon as the dew started settling down in the wee hours of early morning…I think around 2:00. I was asleep when he left. (It’s around 7 in the morning [now] and he’s all tucked up in bed resting.

He started baling yesterday morning around 7, the dew didn’t set on until then. He finished around 9 when the sun had finally burned all the dew off the plants. He likes to bale with the dew as it keeps the little alfalfa leaves still attached to the stems. If you don’t have the dew the baler will knock the leaves off as it picks up the dried alfalfa and smashes it together forming a bale, then you are left with just a bundle of stems. If there is too much dew or it is baled to green the bale will mold, or worse yet heat up and combustion will occur.

Making nice quality hay is a art.

I must brag a bit —I am married to a hay artist! 🙂

This making of good hay has always been a strong interest of his. When Terry was 10 he was in charge of the cutting and baling of his Dad’s 80 plus acres of alfalfa. Terry’s father farmed 160 acres and milked cows for the Clymer’s Dairy in Grand Junction, CO…I think he had somewhere around 50 head. Terry’s Dad raised all the feed–corn, hay for the cows, plus Red Clover for seed and pinto beans, maybe other crops.

By the time Terry was 12 he had a small hay making business (with the help of his Dad and his Dad’s equipment) — he made hay for his Dad’s Dairy, and several neighboring ranches.

I think his love of making a nice, high quality hay bales started way back there. The example set by his Dad, his Mother’s drive to create something and to create it to perfection.

It still holds true today.

So he creates the hay bales and then it’s the dog’s and my turn to go help. While he is loading the hay with the stack wagon….a wonderful invention that took away the ‘hay crew’ (a team of young men, usually high school age, and the farmer…and possibly the farmer’s daughter to drive the tractor. So what you had was the tractor driver, a young man to heft and swing a 50-80 pound bale onto a moving trailer/wagon on each side of the trailer/wagon and a young man on the top of the trailer/wagon to stack the load as high as possible. Once it was HIGH the whole load and the people headed into the stack where the farmer (usually) was waiting. Backing up the trailer/wagon the four men started stacking the hay bales creating a huge hay stack. By noon–the hay crew arrived around 7 in the morning–lunch was ready. This consisted of a HUGE meal—the farmer’s wife and if she had a daughter or two at home, spent the whole morning creating a giant feast! For instance—Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, salad, corn bread or biscuits or homemade rolls, with some rich dessert to top everything off. Large pitchers of ice water, or iced tea, or lemon-aid helped wash the whole thing down. As soon as the meal was over it was back to the field. Everyone received their paycheck after the last bale was stacked, maybe two days or so later.)

The stack wagon simplified the whole operation. Terry runs the stack wagon,

He is unloading at the stack right here.

I run the four-wheeler.Fuzzy stays right with me. He sees it his duty to always be ‘right with me’.

Boomer sees it his duty to check out what is happening all over the farm. (He is that tiny black and brown and white dot clear at the end of the field.)

(See Boomer in the brush? 🙂 )

Fuzzy and I go up and down making sure the bales are straight so Terry doesn’t have to get off and straighten the bales; helping them slide right in and up into the stack on the wagon.

After I get done with straightening the bales, I take the loose hay missed by the baler and load it into a little cart attached to the four-wheeler…once more going around the field–forking the yellow sweet clover into the high grass at the end of the field for the deer to munch and the loose hay into my cart. As my cart fills I haul it to the last row still to be baled. It’s hot work.

It’s important to get all the hay off because it will smother the alfalfa underneath and plug up the furrows not allowing the water to flow to the end of the rows.

My arms are strong so it doesn’t take me overly long.

But today is Sunday. Today we rest. Although, Terry had to bale when the dew was perfect, we will finish the work tomorrow. Today we only do what MUST be done, like irrigate. Also two of the grandchildren are coming to spend Sunday and Monday and part of Tuesday with us since their parents are going to Craig to look for houses.

You have a nice Sunday everyone…it’s always good to have a sort of day off once a week.

You Farm Friend,

Linda

The Adventures of Fuzzy and Boomer on Friday—Weekly Report

Posted on June 6, 2014 by Dayphoto

Latest News:

Sammy-Sam the cat …

every day and all night he patrols the farm. He used to go way over to Misty’s and check out everything over there, but last winter he ate a poisoned mouse and just hasn’t felt like tackling that huge long walk anymore.

Of course, age is creeping up on him…he turned 13 this year. Still Sammy-Sam does a good job of gathering news and information from around the farm buildings and the house.

Dad-–Dad went up to the Upper End to check to see if any Aliens had landed. Mom, Fuzzy and I went along. Mom checked out the drain ditch and Dad walked to the end of the irrigation ditch.

Fuzzy guarded the Four-Wheelers…his job was to make sure we had our rides to get out of there if the Aliens were around.

Robin—Robin sang out his report that The Aliens could be found out by the haystack.

Dad and the two little girls hurried as fast as their legs could carry them. Who wouldn’t like to see a Alien…young, old or in-between?

Squirrel-gossiped to me, Boomer-Reporter-at-Large— that squirrels are going extinct and scientists have now put them on the “endangered species” list. He says by the end of this week Squirrels will be extinct so Fuzzy and I cannot, he repeated NOT chase him or his friends. The world would be a very dreary place without squirrels.

(Fuzzy and I agreed so we won’t chase Squirrel every again…until…hum, NOW! —-RUN SQUIRREL!)

I, Boomer, the Farm Reporter says: Dad made several trips to change water yesterday and the day before and the day before that and….

Fuzzy and I think Dad has figure out time travel—hop on the four-wheeler and you can travel into future and into the past – within minutes.

Up to change the water, back to house, up to change the water…

BREAKING NEWS: Sammy-Sam says

the Raccoon is back………….

Bark, bark, yip, yip….COME ON FUZZY…RACCOON!!!

Boomer

Good Fences and Gates — Thursday, June 5, 2014

Posted on June 5, 2014 by Dayphoto

Theresa over at the Run*A*Round hosts a Good Fences Thursday. Hop over there and see what she has posted and then check out what other cool fences and gates are around the world.

Here is my contribution for this week….

It looks like just and ordinary chain link fence, but if you look closely the posts are made of cement. I liked the appeal and the idea the posts were homemade.

You are all welcome to join in…just hop over to Run*A*Round Ranch and link your fence or gate post each Thursday.

Your Friend,

Linda

A Tinge of Wonder — June 4, 2014

Posted on June 4, 2014 by Dayphoto

Bladen brought me over a gift. He knows how much I enjoy ‘times gone by’. Because he hasn’t been feeling well (he has been fighting pneumonia for three weeks (he is on medicine) and got bored. (No physical exertion with this mad disease).

He spend several hours, cutting, gluing and creating a castle for Grammy.

How sweet this is!My yard is doing well…although we have extremely hot days (94*-34ºC) the night are cool (49*–9.4ºC). By the time the heat builds up the hot winds develop.

There is also flooding in the low lands.

The Gunnison and the Uncompaghre River are experiencing record melt (translated that means we had lots of really nice snow in ‘them thar hilsl’. 🙂

Both rivers converge at Delta..our town. Once they converge (the Uncompaghre River (Un-come-pah-gray accent on the pah) merging into the Gunnison River).

The Gunnison River flows on down to Grand Junction, Colorado, where it meets up with the Colorado River, the Grand Old Dame of Rivers of the West.

The flood warnings and floods are all along all the rivers clear to the Colorado-Utah border. Sure does help with drought…water that is.

I haven’t seen in rainbows for some time now, when I saw this ‘sort’a’ rainbow in the sprinkler I decided that I have to take my gifts where I find them. 🙂

It’s the little things the buoys us up really.

Like this…a duck swimming with a bunch of goldfish. I thought he might be looking for lunch, but the fish were not afraid; they swam all around his feet and even touched him several times.

Speaking of birds…we have several Canada Geese who have decided to stay with us this summer. They have nests in our upper end and hang out in the fields.

But the coolest thing I saw was an emailed photo from a long time blog reader Elaine Kenny…Conversations on back porch!

It really is all there…wonder, excitement, joy…in the little things…big happenings are also nice, but in reality it’s the collection of little things that really makes every day have a tinge of wonder.

Your Friend,

Linda