July is Butterfly Count Month!
The North American Butterfly Association needs volunteers to count butterflies in a selected are 15 miles wide in diameter, called count circles.
Our milkweed is blooming now and, of course, other really fun food for butterflies.
If you are interested in being part of the butterfly count go here: http://www.naba.org/
Have a nice Thursday!
Linda
We only grow three products. 
That is all we grow. Back in the day…not so very long ago we also raised pigs, goats, and cows. As we aged the raising of the animals diminished. Every year Terry says this is his last year…we had a big laugh about that yesterday. He finally admitted that the only way he is going to stop farming is if there isn’t anymore water or the Good Lord calls him home.
He says there is dirt in his veins instead of blood 🙂 Probably. He’s been farming (helping his Dad) since he was tall enough. He tells a story of the first time he got to go help his Dad…his Mom drove he and his little brother and smaller sister out to the field that his Dad was working in –his job was to harrow the field behind his Dad who was on another tractor. He said he felt really big and grown-up —although he couldn’t sit on the tractor seat and could only stand.
His Mom drove up…he got out…got on the tractor….Mom, brother and little sister stood by the side of the pick-up and watched him…he turned and waved, they waved back ..he then gave the tractor gas and drove off…..leaving the harrow behind.
He was so embarrassed because he hadn’t even thought to check to see if everything was hooked up and ready to go.
They all had a good laugh at him…he backed up and his Mom helped him hook everything up and off he went.
Anyway, everything is looking good…the corn is almost as tall as MY kneecap, the pinto beans are growing taller every day and the hay is sold. The Delta Elevator told him they wanted everything he had, don’t even unload and stack up…just bring it right down to them NOW!
This is the last load to take — sure is nice to just move it once!
The heat is on here…early for this time of year BUT I’ll take this any day over winter! I love the long days, the warmth (heat) and the color that surrounds us.
I need to get outside and get the hedge clipped before the wind starts!
Have a nice day!
Linda
And with the 4010 also!
The Doctor said it was a torn muscle…it will heal, the tear doesn’t seem to be real bad—so with ice, rest, elevating the leg in two weeks it will be good to go.
Sure!
Two weeks –an eternity–so off we went.
I made sure the bales were straight so he wouldn’t have to get off the tractor; he did the rest.
Today he says his leg feels a lot better and he will soon be back in shape by the weekend.
I sure hope so! He is going to make sure it is.
I guess I’m not surprise.
Linda
The hay is looking good! We need to haul it in soon…either today or tomorrow, Wednesday at the latest.
This might be the last time we get a cutting off this field since the water is short. Terry will decide after the hay is hauled in.
I know I keep going on and on about the water (I’m sure it is becoming and old song by now) but that is where our thoughts are. Moving water, making sure everything gets wet, always asking the question “can we make it?” Everyday we ask, everyday we work it a little bit more and ‘whew’ we are through those rows.
Terry is off to the Doctor around 9 this morning, which will tell us more about his leg. He is DETERMINED that HE WILL haul in the hay…
sigh
Sigh, sigh!
I decided I will just have to see it though, and if I can pick up the slack I will.
We finally had to break down and hook up the air conditioner. 93* was hot and today it is supposed to be 103* It was time
Besides coming into a cool house was nice after the blistering heat in the fields. The wind is predicted to rise today so having the cooler on will help keep the dirt out of the house.
Well, not much going on here, just taking it one day at a time, one field at a time and waiting to see what the Doctor has to say.
Thanks for stopping by,
Linda
Thank you to everyone who wished Fuzzy a Happy Birthday!
Terry and I have been making siphon tubes. We always have a few that split and/or crack during the year.
We first heat up a PVC pipe, cut to length, then put the soften tube into a homemade mold to let the plastic cool back down in the shape we want. After we get whatever it is we are needing for whatever field we are working on, we take them out and put them right to work.
The days are hot….really too hot for June, more like July hot…tomorrow we are supposed to hit 102*, yesterday it got to 99*. Today we will hit somewhere around that again.
Our heat is nothing like the areas that have high humidity with it. We are considered High Mountain Desert so our heat is a dry heat.
What is nice about desert heat is is does cool down during the night. Mornings are nice! When Terry and I went out to change the water this morning at 5:30 we both wore a light jacket…that won’t be the case later in the day or this evening.
Last night Terry stepped wrong and tore his calf muscle. What a mess…poor guy! It’s his left leg so I have to do the driving where there is a stick shift and do the walking up and down the ditch bank. Now we work as a different team…he supervises and I tote and fetch and carry and lay and start the tubes.
I think I liked the other team better—you know like teamwork. 🙂
I’m a little concerned about hauling hay, as I’ve never ran the loader… ever! I can pick up and move bales by hand, but the loader…..
Maybe he can hook up the loader to the 730 as it has a hand clutch—we will see. Tomorrow he will go to the Doctor and then we will figure out how to haul the hay.
As they say—where there is a will there is a way!
We will get there, he just needs to take it easy and let the muscle reattach itself.
This is pretty grainy because I was way too far away.
Have a restful and fun Sunday!
Linda
This is my BIRTHDAY month!
Mom says I have a whole month for a birthday! That is because she doesn’t really know when I was born! I was a lost dog when Mom and Misty found me.
I was also five years old when Mom and Misty found me.
You see I was ‘dumped off’ in the country by my other people. Since I am part Border collie and part Sheltie (that is what my vet says) I sat by the side of the road where they dumped me for days and days and days. Anytime Mom or Misty would try to get me I would run off…I was waiting for my people to come back, you see.
I waited until I went from 40 pounds to 25 pounds. I was sooooooooooo hungry I almost couldn’t run anymore. But I waited!
Then Misty came out with ROAST BEEF! That was it…I was Mom’s for life. Mom took me home and gave me lots of love and took me to the vet and well…here we are eight years later!
Since Mom brought me home in June that is when my birthday is…I get a whole month…because neither she nor I could figure out a good day.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to ME!!!
Dad had a meeting so Mom, Boomer and I did the water without Dad. We had lots to do.
A skunk got in one of the gated pipes so we had to get it out and then bury it.
WAY COOL!
Boomer and I wanted to sniff it up really well, but Mom didn’t let us…. “Leave the dead alone you guys!” she said.
We had to walk up to the middle of the pinto bean field and check on a pipe there…it was horribly HOT!
Then we rode the four-wheeler up to the hay field to see how the alfalfa was in the hay making process. Boomer jumped off because he smelled a cool smell and had to run home.
Then we sat outside and had a couple of really yummy Dog Treats and a milk bone for my Birthday while Mom watched the hummingbirds. And I got lots and lots and lots of pets. Boomer got some too, but it was my special day so Boomer had to let me have the most!
Then around 10 o’clock that night we all went back out and changed the water in the front corn field.
It sure was a nice day!
A perfect Birthday just for me!
Fuzzy
Boy! It is hot here! The wind is even hot…pant, pant! Wheeze!
Good for growing crops, a tad hard on us.
The mornings are nice until around 10 o’clock then we bake until around 10 o’clock in the evening. Makes for nice sleeping.
The birds are up and at’em at 4 in the morning…we agree with them…early shades of grey and cooler air helps get lots of stuff done.
As the heat and the wind wear on…a nice little siesta (some cultures understand good living-that is for sure!) works wonders for the brain and the soul and the body.
So far the water hasn’t been cut back anymore—knock on wood! We are moving it every 12 hours, depending on the field. Some fields we move the water every 6 hours. If the amount of water can stay just like it is we will make it…fingers crossed.
The day is waiting and I’m sitting so must run now.
(an alfalfa bloom or two)
Have a good Thursday see you back here on Friday when the dogs take over the blog!
Linda
For some reason my internet has been down until right now.
Oh, well…
Terry has the first cutting of hay done…
This is the ‘getting old’ field. The rows are not very thick. As I’ve said before this field will be planted to something else (if there is water) next year.
We wait now for the alfalfa to dry down…usually about a week if the weather holds sunny and hot. Sometimes faster if we have wind to go with it.
But if we have rain (fingers crossed this doesn’t happen) we stand a very good chance of the rain ruining the crop. So no rain for AT LEAST TWO MORE WEEKS!
The alfalfa need to morph into hay, then it needs to be baled into bales and hauled into the hay yard to be sold.
This shot of the hummers is a little better…I only cut off two of the little flying jewels, but I did get one looking good.
Last night the jet streams were a delightful pink
I always wonder where they are going—home … away…somewhere for fun…just out of here..going, going and then gone…just the tails left.
Off to work in the yard!
Linda
Terry is out cultivating the pinto beans…THANK HEAVENS FOR BIG EQUIPMENT! I would hate to have to go out and weed that whole field by hand…although, we have to when the pintos get too big to drive a tractor through. At that time we only go after the big weeds and still they will get away from us.
Linkin rode her bike over…
you can see by this series of photos that they live just over the fields from us…
which is nice, because the kids never have to get on the road to ride their bikes…
they just have to head down the field roads.
We took her to her school (Lincoln Elementary) to show us what she likes to do at recess,
whereby she and her Grandpa had a very hot game of Tether Ball. After a well balanced super of Chili-cheese fries and a Frosty we took on a game of Miniature Golf! No scores kept just good fun. Grandpa won the prize at the end of the game, which was a turn each in the batting cages.
It was Linki’s first time to ever swing a bat — she did really good. We used the softball pitch.
Then back home to change water and set it in the next area.
While they were up at the corn field I tried my hand at photographing a hummer or two.
I still have a long ways to go to getting a good shot!
Have a good Tuesday everyone! Meet you back here tomorrow!
Linda
We had great fun with Linkin. A day with just one of the grandchildren…their day..is always nice. She is still here and will go with me later on this morning to ‘pet the kitties’ at the shelter while I walk the dogs. A child has to be fourteen to walk dogs, but the shelter manager lets Linki pet all the kitties and play with them in the big walk-in cage. This works out for everyone, me, Linkin (who adores cats), the dogs and the kitties.
It’s nicely warm here 88* yesterday with some clouds drifting by and a little breeze or so.
Terry has decided today he will cut the alfalfa…the long-range forecast is for hot, drying weather for a least a week. Good! At the end of the week, the alfalfa will be dry as toast and morph into hay. Then we pray for dew in the morning so he can go out and bale the hay. After he gets it baled he will haul it in and the dogs and I will work on the hauling in of the ends of the fields.
My favorite little bugs are very active right now…I just adore these fat, furry buzzy bees!
She was very intent on her work so didn’t mind that I was shooting away with my camera.
She also posed several times, I just sure she loved having a photo shot going on while she was so very busy!
Linda
Life on a Colorado Farm 