Author Archives: Dayphoto

Unknown's avatar

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

Something Wet Came Last Night

Posted on by
10

A couple of nice showers came through during the night.

Wonderful!

It’s cloudy and cooler here this morning with showers playing around us…in Cedaredge, on Grand Mesa, in Peach Valley and from my upstairs window (where my desk and office are) it looks like it might be raining in the desert between Delta and Hotchkiss.

I found out yesterday that we have FOUR (4) wildfires around us…two near Paonia, one closer to Montrose and one over by the west end somewhere.  I don’t know how my source knows, but they seemed very sure.  So their fires are adding to the smoke.

But yesterday we had clouds and scattered showers and then last night the cooling/healing rainstorms…no lightening or thunder, that I know of.  All of this should help.

We off here in a few minutes to get our last load of firewood to get us through the winter.  It takes 7 loads…I’m not sure how many cords that comes to, but seems like lots as we are loading and unloading.  Then it always seems like not enough as the winter wears on.  In the end it usually turns out ‘just right’.

Have a nice Wednesday, everyone!  It’s cool and lovely here.  Just right for hauling and stacking wood!

Linda

Third Cutting of Hay

Posted on by
17

Our third cutting of hay has been hauled in and stacked for sale.

The Delta Elevator has called and wants ALL that we can sell him, which works out fine for us.

We were very concerned we wouldn’t be able to get it in before the rain starts.  But we made it….50% chance this afternoon.  FINGERS CROSSED FOR IT TO COME!

The smoke is still here, which means people are still experiencing horrible wild fires.  My heart goes out to them.  Maybe our potential rain will actually come from there and the fires will be put out.

Every evening we go to sleep with the smoke and every morning we wake up with the smoke….I keep hoping that rain, and more rain, and even more rain will help everyone effected by the terrible fires but helping put them out.

Everyday is showing more and more yellow leaves on the trees.

 

Fall is here!

Linda

Company

Posted on by
14

One really nice thing about summer is this is when people travel.  The days are longer, and warmer, and the  roads (or air travel) nicer.

Terry’s brother came for just one day.

Of COURSE the corvette had to go for a drive! 🙂 🙂

Then my brother came with his wife, her brother and her brother’s darling little boy.

We went to Grand Mesa for the day

Where the kids found the perfect natural

Teeter-totter.

That had us all laughing and having fun!

Jolene arrived from Canada and is still here for a few more days.  (I just adore her sunny smiling approach to life!)

This Sunday was the last day before school started in our area so Grandpa and I thought we would take everyone out for ice cream in Cedaredge, where we acted like tourists-

Summer, for those who go back to school, is over in our area.  Of course summer by the calendar is still going on.

Summer for the crops is winding down.

I, for one, am enjoying the cooler mornings and the not so extremely hot days.

Linda

I DID IT!!!!!!

Posted on by
27

I finally got a photo or two of a hummingbird!  It took lots of patience and lots of photos that didn’t turn our very good.

 

I hope you can see the tiny little green body getting a bite to eat in the middle of the hollyhock…

Here is a side view

And my favorite, the hummer looking right at me wondering what I was doing.

The hummer’s have left my feeders and just feed in the yard now…

Because the honey bees have found the feeders.

Fooey!

But I have lots an lots of trumpet shaped flowers in my yard…just because I want Hummers so they are not going hungry.

Everyday I have anywhere from 5 to 10 regular little hummers that spend their summer with us.  Lately we are seeing other hummers on their way through to their winter homes, so I don’t mind that the bees are cleaning up the sugar water.

I have lots of food for everyone.

Linda

 

 

 

 

 

The Adventures of Fuzzy and Boomer on Friday — When Smoke gets in Your Eyes

Posted on by
16

Whew!

Lots of smoke here!

Its been here for 5 days and 5 nights already and it doesn’t look like its planning on leaving anytime soon.

I mean LOTS of smoke!

Mom had a blog friend tell her this smoke is from all the horrible, terrible, scary, nasty wildfires in Idaho.

If the smoke is bad HERE—in the western part of Colorado…it must be horrible there.

Fuzzy and I really feel bad for all the animals and people and plants that are being damaged by those fires.  We know what fire is like and we know how SCARY it is!!!!

Yesterday we all went to town.  We followed Blade as he rode his bike to town, first time to town on his new bike, by himself.  He did really well!

Since Blade is spending this week’s mornings with us (and his parents said he could) he really, really, wanted to ride the 8 miles to and from town.  We all got to go because, well, it’s a long ways and he is still a young boy, and there are lots of huge trucks and really fast cars on that highway.

He said it was a long ways.

The going down was fun, the coming back w.o.r.k.!!!

(Dad put the bike in the back of the truck with us and hauled him UP the hill, then took the bike out and started him on the way again.)

Mom said—“Yep, that’s how it works, one way fun the other way work.”

That evening Fuzz and I went with Mom to fork ends back on the cut alfalfa and help Dad change water.

Pretty cool!

They only left me twice.  The second time I really was hiding so they would think I wasn’t close by and I zipped up by Mom and Fuzzy and then passed them and got to the irrigation place FIRST!!!

HAHAHAHAH!  I fooled them!!!

This is the last irrigation of the pinto beans…see how ripe they are getting.  Next week or the following week Dad will start the harvesting process—-there a MANY steps to the harvesting of pinto beans!

I LOVE EACH STEP!  I LOVE HELPING ALL THE TIME!!

We saw a frog …Mom said this was a first.  We see lots of toads, but this is a cool little frog (he had a buddy, but I lost track of him) was the first for our fields.

Smoke makes for some pretty amazing sunsets, but Fuzzy and I agreed…no smoke or fire would be best.

Better!

BETTER!!!!

I was going to tell you about Mom’s bees, but Mom said I’ve been on here long enough so I have to go now.

Boomer

Fall is Fixing Spring

Posted on by
20

The horrible burn we had (two days worth) last spring is starting to heal itself.  Green is everywhere, although, lots of the green is invasive weeds.  Still it’s green.

Also, a “little” green arrived in the mail…the insurance company covered the cost of the gated pipe on our land and some of the fence posts.  The whole west side of the fence is not covered yet…lots of dickering on amount and such is going on with the two other farms who  experienced they same horrendous fire.

Then yesterday the Ditch Company came and fixed the fences on the north side and the east side of our place!

The Ditch company said they would even fix the bridge (they burned) this winter with a cement top instead of the burnable wooden top.

We are really feeling blessed.  Once the fence on the west side gets fixed we will have everything back to where we started.

Linda

 

Fall is in the Air

Posted on by
11

A lovely heavy rain came in yesterday, bringing with it cooler temperatures.

We slept with only one window opened last night and woke to a beautiful wet morning.

Other signs of change include: yellowing of leaves on the cottonwood trees, the pinto beans getting ripe, the corn starting to dent, golden rod blooming, and the rabbit brush in bloom.

As soon as the earth gets dry enough and the rain leaves our area the third cutting of hay will begin.  Which should be Wednesday or Thursday of this week.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Our sunset last night was just a dot of color the clouds were so thick, and the sunrise this morning was of a huge red orb peaking though the cherry trees.  The birds are still here, a hummer greeted me early, early, as I went out to the chicken house, and songs were filling the sky after a very wet and LOUD/CRASHING/FLASHING night.

Good Morning everyone!  I hope you have a wonderful day!

Linda

WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Posted on by
19

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Guess you know what we did on Sunday!

Linda

Sunday Stills—Summer

Posted on by
20

When the heat gets to be too much, and we don’t want to work (work is always there waiting for you), it’s time to go for a little drive.

For more Sunday Stills go here!

Sun on your head, wind in your hair, the sound of a cool motor….

Linda

The Adventures of Fuzzy and Boomer on Friday — Just Another Day on the Farm

Posted on by
12

We have been busy.

 

Nothing real exciting, but real busy.

We are still irrigating.

Sometimes the grandkids come over and help, and Mom-mom, and of course Hank Puff comes along.

Mom’s been cutting all the volunteer corn for Misty’s goats.

We cut the last corn last evening.

I’ve about decided that getting in out of ditches is getting too much for me.

 

This morning when we went out, and this afternoon, I just stayed on the back of the four-wheeler and waited while everyone moved the water from one spot to the next.  That was enough work for this old dog.

I’ll just let Hank chase the water for now.

Of course Boomer still jumps off and runs around.  Sometimes he gets left behind, but not as much as when we first started water this spring.

On the way back Mom scared up a doe…she was hiding in the biggest corn field.  She jumped right out in front of us and lucky for Mom she had the camera out and in her hand.

In two weeks Dad will cut the hay for the third and last time this year.  Sure seems early.  Usually that happens about the second week of September, makes me wonder if he will get a fourth cutting?  I guess we will just have to wait and see.

Fuzzy