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 Fuzzy and Boomer on Friday — We Are Late

Posted on September 20, 2013 by Dayphoto

We are late! Late, late, late as that white rabbit that needed to get down a rabbit hole!

Late I say!

LATE!

It’s been a busy morning. Fuzzy and I went to town with Mom and our sister Shannon and all our cousins…it was a BARK’N good time!!!!

We went several places.

I rode in the front seat in town, because you see…I will jump out sometimes so every time they stopped I had to sit in the front seat!

WORKS FOR ME!!!

Then when we got back we had to go get our other sister’s little critters as they are going to spend the weekend with us!

Then we HAD to go for a walk. We didn’t go by the canal as I fell in yesterday and just about couldn’t get out. My leg wouldn’t work. Shannon jumped in a saved me. I wasn’t good for much the rest of the day.

So today we went through the corn fields!

The smells were great!

After that if was time to help Dad load up some hay and head to the Elevator.

So we are LATE, LATE for an important date…visiting with all of you!

KageDog, who lives in Cedaredge, sent Mom photos of the rain storm

and the hail storm we had down here.

Now you can see WHY Fuzzy and I get afraid, very afraid, and have to crowd up on Mom.

But today is nice, so we are having a really nice time.

Oh, yes!

It’s colder at night now…got down to 44* this morning.

Fuzzy still likes to sleep outside so I sleep with him.

And this is why……..

RUN! Raccoon RUN!!

HURRY FUZZY!

RACCOON!

Boomer

From the Past — August 22, 1913

Posted on September 19, 2013 by Dayphoto

From the Past

Compiled from Delta Newspapers by the Delta County Historical Society

251 Meeker Street, Delta, Colorado, 81416 (970) 874-8721

From the Delta County Independent

August 22, 1913

L.R. Wigram, city commissioner, caught a trout in one of the Grand Mesa lakes this week which weighed 6-1/2 pounds, and measured 24 inches in length. This is said to be the largest rainbow trout caught this season.

That big blue mountain is Grand Mesa.

When my brother and I were growing up we spent lots of time with our parents and grandparents who loved to fish. We ‘went fishing’ on Grand Mesa mostly, but I think my brother would go with Granddad and they would ‘head-up the Muddy’ and go fishing.

When I saw this little news story in the August 22, 1913 Delta County Independent it brought back many happy memories of times with my dear parents and beloved grandparents.

Happy Fishing,

Linda

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Posted on September 18, 2013 by Dayphoto

A late summer storm crashed all around us last night around mid-night. The lightening held all three kinds…sheet, cloud to cloud, and cloud to earth. The cloud to earth ones are always, ALWAYS the dangerous ones. The dogs don’t mind the lightening it’s the loud booming thunder that sends them under my bed. Fuzzy has taught Boomer to be afraid, be VERY afraid of thunder. Not a good thing. Boomer didn’t ‘know’ he was supposed to act goofy when the thunder sounded until he figured it out from Fuzzy.

The field corn, aka: pick’n corn, feed corn, maize, is getting riper by the day.

I’m still feeding the bees, although I moved their plate away, away from the hummingbird feeders

I like it much better. As you can see the yellow jackets have also found the sugar water

These tables we aren’t using anymore because the bees where to thick in the Russian Sage anyway. A win-win for all of us involved!

Just for fun…here is the west side of our place looking toward the canyons and Highway 50 to Grand Junction.

Your western Colorado friend,

Linda

Birthday PARTY!!!

Posted on September 17, 2013 by Dayphoto

What an honor!

We have made friends with the owners of the Fiesta Vallarta restaurant in our town of Delta.

Our grandson also plays soccer with one of the owners sons…this boy has a wonderful ‘leg’ he can kick the soccer ball from half-court right into the goal…stunning for a 6th grader.

On Sunday we were invited, along with Bladen and his family, to Felipe’s 12th birthday party!

What a hoot! We had a great time! The food was outstanding! (I really want to learn how to cook true Mexican Food) Maria had made posole with chicken and lots of yummy additions to the soup. Two cakes, one chocolate and one tres leche cake!

Our two granddaughters were asked to help break the pinata…they are gracious people to include us one and all.

I tried to speak Spanish, very shyly I might add…causing good-nature laughs and lots of help to say it right.

We had a small sprinkle or rain with some thunder then the storm left going on to other parts unknown.

What an honor to be considered ‘friends enough’ to be invited to a special party.

Your most humble friend, ¡gracias,

Linda

Monday, September 16, 2013 Pinto Beans

Posted on September 16, 2013 by Dayphoto

I cooked up some of our pinto beans…I just couldn’t let them sit in their bucket any longer! Nothing is nicer than fresh pinto beans!

Lots of time the pinto beans on the store shelves are at least two years old or older. The darker the pinto bean the older the pinto bean is…a fresh or one year old pinto bean is light in color and takes only a couple of hours to soak. Older pinto beans have to soak over-night before they have reached a level by which they can be cooked and eaten.

Once you eat a fresh pinto bean you will understand what you have been missing—tender, moist, non-mealy, yummm.

When I was growing up pinto beans were cooked with ham, then served on the plate by themselves and the ham with a bread, with chopped onions on top. My Momma was a southern girl, who was raised in New Mexico so our family enjoyed a nice mix of Texas, New Mexican (and yes there is a difference) and Colorado food. (Daddy was born in California but was raised right here in our part of Colorado).

We had pinto beans and bread for one meal…usually Monday. After that we had pinto bean sandwiches for lunch, pinto beans as a side dish, then maybe a break from them, then pinto beans in a stew or a soup, and sometimes as baked beans.

I still do the same. Although, Terry isn’t fond of the whole plate of pinto bean meal, I am. I grew up that way so of course I still like it. I also served my growing family pretty much the same way as my Momma did, only I have since added in pinto beans in my tacos or as tostadas.

I like to smash the beans and pour ketchup on them. Terry puts on picanti sauce.

When I went to school the school hot lunches would feature pinto beans in some sort of nasty butter sauce…I still don’t like it, but others might.

I’m sure there are lots of good ideas out there maybe some of my followers would like to leave all of us a recipe or two.

The sun is shining today and the air feels fresh and clean…

Your farming friend,

Linda

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Posted on September 15, 2013 by Dayphoto

More flash flooding is predicted for our part of Western Colorado.

Although, we are NOT getting what the Boulder, Colorado Springs, Longmont, and Greeley area are having. (They are in the Corridor of our State) Our hearts and prayers go out to everyone in those flood damaged areas. 😦

Our rain puddles are starting to grow slime

Even the trees are showing signs of moss

We are so wet it is hard to find a spot to walk without sinking up to your ankles.

An old-timer called this the ‘100-year rain’.

This morning we had some scattering of blue skies

Just seeing the blue made me happy.

Last night there was also a break in the clouds

The sunlight was outstanding! It caught the rim of Black Canyon. You can’t see the other mountains behind Black Canyon because the clouds have them covered.

The sunlight also produced a rainbow

Rainbows always make me think of hope.

According to the weather channel today is the last horrible day of torrential rain, then the slow moving storm will move on…which means it will move toward the east possibly hitting Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and/or parts of Texas, it just depends on the the jet stream. I sure hope you don’t get the floods, but lots of really nice ground soaking rain. 🙂

I hope your Sunday turns out well my friends,

Linda

The Adventures of Fuzzy and Boomer on Friday — ‘tis Done – if not it Should Be

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Dayphoto

Boomer and I are so DONE with all this rain! DONE, let me tell you!

The world is wet, wet, wet! Although, not as wet around Estes Park and Boulder, but still very muddy here.

My feet are mud colored now, not white. Mom keeps them wiped off, but it’s useless the second I go back outside — and I LOVE outside!

BAM!

I have mud feet again!

Sigh!

The everyday, three times or more a day, changing of the water is done.

Over!

Stopped!

Finished!

Mom still takes us for a daily ride about…just to see what we can see.

Sam Cat says he’s done with the wet also…the mice are staying inside so everything is a tad boring for even him.

Cats’ sure sleep a lot don’t they? (Boomer and I don’t sleep, we just ‘rest our eyes’, cats snore. Snort, chuckle, laugh!

Anyway, just to let you know Boomer and I are ready for some sunshine…Beautiful Sunshine.

The rain keeps everything so wet the smells are all gone!

Until then I’m hanging out in the dry spot of the whole outside…just because, you see, I love the outdoors.

Fuzzy

September 12, 2013

Posted on September 12, 2013 by Dayphoto

Sometimes we forget just how far we have come in the conveniences of our day:

From the Past

Compiled from Delta Newspapers by the Delta County Historical Society

251 Meeker Street, Delta, Colorado, 81416 (970) 874-8721

From the Delta County Independent

August 22, 1913

President Joe Cook of the Mississippi Normal College believes that the first step in the education of women in our country should be the elimination of needless farm drudgery. NO matter how good the rural school may be, he declares it cannot help permanently in making life in the country attractive unless there goes with it the movement to lighten the labor of women on the farm.

The water supply in particular rouses President Cook’s indignation. He is convinced that as much as nine tenths of the drudgery of women on the farm is due to antiquated methods of handling the water supply. The getting of water from the source of supply to the point of application requires more manual labor than any other item of housekeeping. The water for the kitchen has to be lifted from the well, carried to the kitchen, poured out of the kettle into the dishpan, and from the dishpan out of doors. This makes six times the water is handled, and a bucket of water containing two gallons, with the containing vessel, will weigh 20 pounds.

The cooking of three meals a day on a meager allowance of water will necessitate ten buckets, which will make for cooking alone 1,200 pounds of lifting a day. When to this is added the water necessary for bathing, ,scrubbing and the weekly wash, it will easily bring the lift per day to a ton: and the lifting of a ton a day will take the elasticity out of a woman’s step, the bloom out of her cheek, and the enjoyment from her soul.

To eliminate this item of drudgery is easy, according to President Cook. All that is necessary is for the farmer to realize that the farm is also the heir to modern invention; a system of water works, pump, gasoline engine, tank, bathtub, commode, kitchen sink, basin, and plenty of pipe an d valve’s.

Such a system, if intelligently planned, will not only supply all the household needs, but will supply practically all the farm needs besides.

When we were first married we had to haul our water for domestic use. As you can imagine we were not wasteful…no turning on the faucet and letting the water run and run and run while you get a glass out of the cupboard, then rinse the glass out and couple of times, stick your finger under the water to make sure it is cold, then filling up the glass with the water, getting a couple of swallows of water for a drink, dumping the rest of the full glass out, THEN turning the water off.

Nope! Never ever anything like that…although, I did have visitors that would do so. I had to explain I had water in the refrigerator all nice and cold if they would like some. (It doesn’t pay to be rude, you know 🙂 )

Then we got ‘city water’ — water that is connected RIGHT TO YOUR HOUSE! Oh the joy!

We still are careful about the use of water (it is such a precious commodity, as all of you so well know), but having it right here at the house in the amount we need without hauling it is so lovely.

The day is bright and shinning and beautiful! The sun came out yesterday and started drying up all the rain. Harvest will begin again for those to whom the rain stopped!

Have a perfect day everyone, see you back here tomorrow!

Linda

Today

Posted on September 11, 2013 by Dayphoto

Today we turned the water off. Unless something happens…like extremely hot weather…the irrigation water for this year is turned off to our farm. From April to September the constant changing of water has ruled our lives.

Terry called our Ditch Rider, Bill, around 6:30 this morning and told him we would be shutting our water off at seven. He said yesterday five other farmers on his canal watch turned off and today (counting us) he has two so far.

So from here to today the Irrigation season has come to an end. (This is what opening day looked like in 2011)

Bill said the water will stay in the canal until November 1st, allowing those who use Uncompahgre Water below us (Grand Junction, Loma, and on down the Colorado River) to finish up their crops. This is a little later than when they turned if off last year because of the shortage of water. Last year they turned off the water the middle to the third week of October.

The rain is still strong today …we are socked in

Thankfully we have been rather wet starting in July.

Terry and I feel really bad for those who have beans pulled and on the ground, and hay laying getting soaked and ruined. The onion guys are starting to worry, even though the onions have not been pulled — rain this late in their growing season will cause the bulbs to rot. The pinto bean guys are worrying that the rains will cause the dry bean to take on moisture swelling the bean…then when the sun does come back and the dry returns the bean will dry out and crack…it seems like there is always something to worry about isn’t there?

We will only (ONLY) turn the water back on if the alfalfa fields start to show stress, then we will give them a quick drink so the roots stay nice through the winter. Once we have a hard killing frost the worry is over until spring work begins again.

The two fields are looking nice and lush and green so (fingers crossed) we won’t have to start up the irrigation again this year.

My hummingbird feeders are down to three and I think I can reduce that to two today. I only saw three little birds eating breakfast in the rain this morning.

“Summer gathers up her robes of glory, And, like a dream, glides away.” –Sarah Helen Whitman.

Fall is here,

Linda

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Posted on September 10, 2013 by Dayphoto

The rains have arrived. They threaten all day long, then around 8:00 in the evening they began.

We were lucky that it waited until we got home. Just as I drove into the shed the rain started falling in a serious manner. Terry didn’t believe me when I said it was raining (he beat me in) but as we walked out of the building he became a believer. 🙂

Today Terry has a meeting, which leaves just the dogs and I to change the water…I hope it isn’t raining at that point. I also dread the drive on a mud slick ditch bank, but I know it can be done.

Yes, I do!

Anyway, The Farmer’s Almanac has printed their predictions for the up and coming winter…I’m already ready for Spring. I guess I shouldn’t be so selfish, as I know some of my Dear Blog Friends are also ready for Spring—-they can only have Spring if we have Winter so I’ll slap on a Happy Face and ‘try’ to be okay with Winter.

Now for the Good part of Winter…if the predictions are true we will have snow, which means the reservoirs should recover some, which is a very good thing.