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 — Magic Thoughts for Riley, Please

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Dayphoto

Riley came to see us, so did Darby, they live in Grand Junction with our sister and her husband and step-children.

We really like Riley – well Boomer has trouble sharing Mom, but Mom said “Boomer you need to be nice Riley and Darby, are just here for a little visit.”

Gradually Boomer got used to all of them and went and played with Darby.

I’m writing this to ask for magic thoughts from all of you….we know how your Magic Thoughts work…every dog who has come to visit (and Mom put on the blog) received a forever home and we know…Boomer and I… that it was YOUR Magic thoughts that helped.

Our other dog families come and visit every day, Hank Puff — Houston, Rock, Belau, with Zooker and Bella coming over every so often, but not Riley and Darby.

It was nice seeing Riles again. We go wayyyyyyyyyyy back. 6 years or so. Riley LOVES the farm….Darby loves the WATER on the farm.

But what I’m writing for is Riley is sick, bad sick, I didn’t understand all the huge fancy words but I know they mean sick. Riley told me his back legs are really sore and he can’t walk very well any more so we just sat around and talked about old times. Riley is young 8 going on 9 in August. I’m old 12 going 13 in June. I’m in very good health, except for arthritis, I would really like Riley to get well.

Would you help Please!

Fuzzy

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Dayphoto

The gale of a wind blew all day yesterday filling our air with choking dirt and dust. It was a mess changing water —

Boomer wouldn’t even trot around looking for things to smell by the last set of the night, he just sat himself down in the lowest point on the earth (a furrow) and waited for us to finish. Fuzzy had to work hard to stay with me, but he did it.

The wind picked up over the night and went from gale to very strong gale-it even blew off some tin on one of the roofs.

Then around three this morning it rained.

Everything settled down, cool and clear by the time we went out and sat the first tubes.

It was just lovely!

By the time we came in the wind was back. If the wind blows in the morning here it won’t stop until sometime at night, therefore, we will have wind all day.

The weather guys have issued a freeze warning for tonight and a freeze watch for tomorrow night. Then I am hoping we move back toward warmer weather.

Not broiling weather, warm weather. I hope the weather gods are reading this! 🙂

Linda

Last Day of April

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Dayphoto

We had 84* yesterday…unheard of for April…that is more like July temps. By this evening a storm will be here (complete with 40 m.p.h. gusts of wind) and rain showers. It must be a fast moving storm as by Thursday we will be calm and settled once more.

The other thing with the storm is the temperatures are supposed to drop into the low 60s* and freeze.

We will see freezes from now until the snow is melted off the point on Grand Mesa….

Any who…I sure am enjoying all of this…the little Robin’s are waking up right after me and singing the day awake –I hear their cheerful little songs starting around 5:15. Lifts my heart up!

Terry is planting corn, in five days he will harrow the rows down so the little stalks can come through, then he will mark it back out and we will start water on it again. We have to be careful on when to start the water back up, if the seed is in one certain stage and you put water on it the seed will die and rot away.

Timing is everything.

We go out early, early and irrigate. We are in a field that has extremely long rows (think half a mile) which requires us to walk the water through…meaning we have to make sure the trash doesn’t plug up the furrow causing the ground to sub over before the water makes it to the end of the row.

We start the tubes and then start walking the water.

We are doing this three times a day, early light, 1 p.m. and then at 7:00 in the evening.

As time consuming and tedious this is I actually enjoy it. Which is a good thing, because I do most of this while Terry goes to the head gate (I’m rather afraid of the head gate) and cleans trash along the way.

Works out for both of us!

Have a lovely end of April day…tomorrow we will start MAY!

Linda

Monday, April 29, 2013

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Dayphoto

Boy, am I ever tired! Yesterday about did me in…way too much to do. But really I’m not complaining, just tired.

Everything turned out wonderful, although at that time I get concerned that I won’t get my part done, plus all the other stuff that needed put in place.

But it did.

Even my gluten-free birthday cake turned out very good. I’ve been cooking gluten free for four years now (after years and years of being sick we finally found out Terry, Misty (our youngest) and Linkin all have Celiac Disease.

Talk about a learning curve…cooking and eating without any form of gluten (grain or man-made chemicals) has been something else.

We just all went gluten-free, it’s so much easier that way…I didn’t want to cook one way for some and one way for another. Learning to make bread — I gave up and just buy Udi’s products — and moist birthday cakes has been hard.

I have finally made it! I can proudly say the Birthday cake was lush and moist!

So today I hope I can get done some stuff that “I” need to get done. A lovely day to do it in…tomorrow we will have wind and the next day the temps are to plunge 20* and be horribly cold with some rain.

Have a productive Monday everyone! See you in the morning!

Linda

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Posted on April 28, 2013 by Dayphoto

Yesterday Terry and I had to change out the rubber gaskets, which had hardened over the winter. (They were leaking and making a mess)

We had to pull apart the pipes and then reset them after the gaskets were in place…not hard, but time consuming. One of those little housekeeping jobs that is so necessary, but tedious to do. I’m sure every last one of you can relate to that in some fashion.

Today we try to take off…as much as a farm and running water will let you.

Our grandson has two soccer games, either both or one of us will attend.
Our oldest granddaughter has a soccer camp, which we will NOT attend.
Our youngest granddaughter has a dance recital that Shannon and I will be taking her too.

Then after all of that we will be celebrating our youngest daughter’s 36th birthday…goodness time flies!

Most of the time Terry and I don’t really feel old, but when we look at the ages of our four children we realize we HAVE moved into the last part of our lives.

But we AREN’T Dead Yet….so onward we go! 🙂 🙂

Have a great Sunday you’all! It’s supposed to be 80* here today.

I’m delighted!!!

Linda

The Adventures of Fuzzy and Boomer on Friday — It’s Warming Up

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Dayphoto

It’s warming UP!!!

Boy, Fuzzy and I are sure enjoying it!

Lots of work going on….the water is about done in the alfalfa field — today is the last day. Dad has water in FIVE PLACES!!! Five different fields on the farm and we get to go to ALL of them all the time.

Today we go to just one field …. The pinto bean field!

Sometimes I go off and check things out – I like to check out all the animals that live on our place and see what news is out of there.

Sometimes I get behind, but I can

ALWAYS

CATCH UP!!!!

The pears are blooming…part of the pears was frozen, but part not.

The ‘not’ part is blooming now…they sure smell good!

House

AHCHOO! SNEEZE! SNEEZE!

Sometimes they make me sneeze – but just when the wind is right!

Fuzz sticks RIGHT BY MOM all the time. I try too….but…well, you understand.

Anyway…I just wanted to say we are warming up.

It was so warm last night Fuzzy and I didn’t even go to the dog houses until after mid-night. It was just way to hot in them to sleep.

Besides there are always lots of things to do at night, that we forget about when we sleep inside…

Like——-

Sorry————-GOTTA GO!

Hurry Fuzzy!!!

FOXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Boomer

An Interesting Photo Plus the History About the Photo

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Dayphoto

LA VETA PARK

An aerial view of La Veta Park taken in 1921. The sugar factory had just been completed, visible to the left. The park is the “circle” to the right of the sugar factory. At the time of this photo, La Veta Park had been closed for years.

You’ve heard of Cleland Park and Confluence Park as our two major Delta city parks, but have you heard of La Veta Park? La Veta Park was created in 1908 and was unique in that it was a park completely surrounded by water. It was a man-made island of the Gunnison, but it wasn’t the land that was created, but the water, or moat, around the island.

In North Delta there is a large shopping area occupied today by Delta Hardware, Big-O Tires, and KFC, but back in 1907, a large, round moat was hand-dug and surrounded this area, creating an island, with the moat connected on the north side to the Gunnison River. In April, 1908, an arch gateway was erected at the entrance to the park, accessible by means of a bridge over the moat. In the park, a “dancing platform” was erected along with a refreshment stand and picnic tables. Local musical groups were the source of dance music, and the park became quite a novelty.

There was only one problem, apparently not anticipated. When the Gunnison was in flood stage, as it was frequently in the spring time, La Veta Park was under water. So La Veta Park, while it was dry, was a popular local park, but after a number of years, the park was abandoned, and was officially clos

It was not until 1924 that the City of Delta began work on their new “City Park.” Originally a two acre swamp, City Park began to take shape and was renamed Cleland Park after Dr. Cleland, a prominent Delta physician who was the driving force behind the swimming pool built in 1927. But that’s another story!

Jim

Museum Director / Curator and Newsletter Editor

Jim Wetzel (970) 874-8721

deltamuseum@aol.com

Linda

https://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com

http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com

My Project at the Museum

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Dayphoto

I’m working on this huge camera collection— which is taking lots of tedious time, but should be a really interesting display later on!

Linda

CAMERA COLLECTION ALMOST COMPLETED

Work on cataloging the large collection of cameras and accessories described in the last newsletter is almost complete. The cameras vary from a 1908 Brownie No. 2A box camera up to once very pricey Pentax and Canon models dating to the 1970s. The collection includes over 40 cameras plus an assortment of flash units, lenses, and other accessories.

The museum already has on exhibit the large camera collection donated by Ben Walker years ago, and this collection is on permanent exhibit. Add to this a number of additional cameras in storage, and the museum now has a rather extensive collection of cameras and related artifacts

We are currently planning a huge – temporary – camera exhibit for later this year.

Jim

Museum Director / Curator and Newsletter Editor

Jim Wetzel (970) 874-8721

deltamuseum@aol.com

Linda

https://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com

http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com

April 23, 2013

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Dayphoto

A very cold winter wind is here!

The lovely spring day we had yesterday is just a distant memory now. A tease of warmth and loveliness.

The wind turned cold last night, waking us up to freeze warnings until tomorrow morning sometime.

The fireplace feels good!

Still the work must go on.

We got word that we just might be able to have 55% water, instead of the 50% so Terry made the decision to go ahead and plant pinto beans. This will put 70% of our farm into production. ( I was hoping for alfalfa, but pintos don’t take as much water and their growing season is much shorter.)

We’ve started the water in the established alfalfa field — another field that has an earth ditch and siphon tubes. This morning when changing the tubes…moving the water on down the field … there was ice along the rows.

Alfalfa at this stage of it’s life can handle some freezing, but newly planted and just starting to pop up alfalfa would be killed.

Today Terry has finished leveling the pinto bean field (putting a slight grade on the land so the water will run ‘down’ the rows and on out to the waste ditch), and started marking out the rows.

(Terry is marking out the bean ground, even as I type)

As soon as we are through the alfalfa field we will start water on the pinto bean field.

I sure hope this last nasty/cold winter wind/storm is the last of winter’s hurrah! It’s been so cold the snow hasn’t even started to melt in the mountains…which is a blessing and a curse wrapped up as one.

Well, enough of this whine at least it must be snowing somewhere, its just that cold. And snow means water and water means less worry about drought and less drought is good for everyone.

Stay warm, my friends! At some point winter really will leave and spring will arrive! When it does—We all will be ready!

Linda

Monday, April 22, 2013

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Dayphoto

The 4010 is sick. The hydraulic’s aren’t working very well.

So yesterday, Terry and a good friend of his, started helping the poor old Deere to feel better. This tractor is one of the main workhorses of our small but might fleet. Each one has a particular purpose, with this one being the tractor which has the loader on it.

The loader is another workhorse; used for so many things.

Today is wonderful…it is warm enough I am able to open the windows upstairs (where the rooms get unbearably stuffy and hot). This where I keep my computer and tiny little office.

Just look at the beautiful sunlight shining on the Roubidoux Canyon!! You can see that our mesa, California Mesa drops off and then the canyon starts.

The wind is just now coming up, although it seems to be a warm wind.

My favorite little spring time flower is blooming…I so enjoy these cheerful and bright little ‘weeds’!

Today I’m working in my yard, there are things I have been wanting to do — I’ve just been waiting for a nice day to do them in.

My wish is that this is a wonderful day for you, full of the perfect weather for your area, and you are able to accomplish whatever you set out to do—even if it is to rest. Resting is very necessary; as much as work is.

Best Wishes My Friends,

Linda