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Linda
Wordless Wednesday
9
Linda
Author Archives: Dayphoto
Nighttime Irrigation—Moon Music
Coming back from irrigating last night the moon was just delightful!!
We had some rain storms in the mountains that have helped (sort of) the irrigating situation. Enough that Terry thinks he can go ahead and plant his new alfalfa field.
Don’t get me wrong, water is still short, and we are still having trouble getting the ground wet because it has been so dry. But water in the hills brings a little more water down the canals. Enough to put out two more tubes, or open two more gates for a short time. If we get more rain in the hills or steady rain, that would be great.
Every little bit helps!
Sara did a cool post on Moon Music I would like to share….just perfect, just perfect.
We don’t have frogs or fireflies, but we still have the moon and last night was just beautiful.
Moon Music is right!
Linda
Monday, May 7, 2012
Sunday we were a bit tired, actually exhausted! Terry took off the day (accept for irrigating) and I took off time to work in my yard (I planted the garden and set out plants for half of the yard — all together the whole thing comes to 1.5 acres and can get too much if I don’t stay with it, real fast.) I also got my dusting and vacuuming done. Terry did all the irrigating except I helped him just before nightfall.
Saturday Terry and I went into town and helped our son work on his ‘new to him’ house. He had an old fireplace he wanted the bricks removed from and to set up his air conditioner, that took the morning. After changing the water we went back in and helped him hang his drapes and curtains.
He is really getting this old place, built in 1918, up to speed. I find it fun to see what changes he has accomplished from one visit to the next. There are a couple of more projects we will help with, but after that he won’t need the extra hands.
While we were there a little boy from two blocks came over looking for the little boy that lives next door. We were shocked to see he had a bird riding on his shoulder.
The bird does not fly away. The little boy said that the bird had been hurt about two years ago, by flying into a ceiling fan. After the bird recovered he was never able to fly again. So now the bird goes everywhere with the little boy. He said he would take him to school but the teachers won’t let him.
Linda
The Adventures of Fuzzy and Boomer on Friday — Corn’s UP!
It’s been a shade too hot here for May, temps running around in the 80s*. Fuzz and I pretty much take it easy, not lots a guy can do when it’s already so hot. We were laying around in the shade just the other day wondering together what August is going to bring.
Fuzzy said maybe rain.
I told him I sure hope so.
Dad harrowed off the corn, which means he knocked the dirt off the top of the corn beds so the corn can poke up through the ground and not have to work its way through too much dirt.
We are dry here….pretty much has Dad and Mom very worried about getting the entire farm wet.
The ditch rider came through and locked all the head gates down to 70%! That’s a HUGE amount of water. And Mom said we still have to pay for the 100% even if we don’t get it.
Then she let out a big sigh.
With the loss of 30% of water it makes the folks have to change water more often; instead of twice a day (morning and evening) they are changing it every 8 hours – day and night.
Another headache for this lack of water thing is because it is so dry and hot, the water doesn’t want to go down the furrows in the field.
Not just on our farm but everyone’s around here.
So the folks go out and ‘walk the water through’ — which means they have to help the water down the rows by making sure a corn cob or a dirt clod or weeds don’t make a mini-dam and stop the water from going anywhere.
BIG JOB!
That works for Fuzzy and I as we get to go with them every time they go out. Nighttime is the best, but I like any time.
I was over sniffing some stuff behind the equipment area when I heard Mom holler for me to come. I didn’t, man, there was just so many things to learn about I didn’t want to stop and go wherever they were going.
So they left me!!!!
Can you believe that?
They just left me!!!
I had to run like the dickens to catch up with them at the head gate.
WHEW!
Mom was checking out the fruit trees, it looks like we are going to have apricots and cherries for sure this year.
And the lilacs sure are nice.
Coming in from the last day set of water we saw it!! —- THE CORN WAS UP!!!
Yippee! Makes all the hard work worth it. (Of course now everyone has to keep the corn alive and growing until harvest, but a least it’s up!)
Well, as you can see not much going on around here but everyday work.
Fuzzy and I sure enjoy it,
Every single minute!
Boomer
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Yesterday we had a few clouds blow in, gradually over the day parts of Delta County got some much needed rain.
Although it didn’t rain here (we are in desperate need of rain) we did see a lovely storm play across the ‘dobies at the base of Grand Mesa.
Maybe the next storm that blows through will bring the moisture.
I sure hope so.
Linda
Working on the Burn Area
Saturday, Evan came out to help Terry and I clean up
some of the charred and burned trees, shrubs and fences around and on the alfalfa hill, it took us all day, but it sure was worth it.
We have three more knolls to go and 6 little hollows, plus the two miles of property fence line on the West side of the place.
Of course we still haven’t heard any more from the insurance guy and the Ditch Company must be way too busy to come through on the North and East side of the place.
We are lucky that we don’t have any cows this year as this fence issue would be a huge problem. We can work on everything as we have time, which really does help.
If any of the grandchildren showed up, I put them to work 🙂 Two of them came for about an hour at a time. First one showed up then the other. Having them help pick up wire and broken stubs and charred fence posts with me was rather nice.
They would stay for a time, but this kind of work is hot, dirty and tiring
I think it does their little souls good….helping out the old folks! 🙂
The sunset last night was outstanding, a cloud cover was drifting in for today so as the sun sank everything turned rose and pink!
Linda
Adventures in Irrigating
We opened the last ditch on the place yesterday…what a mess.
The cement ditch had tons of trash in it, but that was to be expected.
The new dirt ditch (which we made after deciding not to buy more extremely expensive gated pipe) is holding water and sealing up nicely.
Where we had the problem was under the old apricot tree that escaped the fire.
We didn’t even THINK about there being a problem with that ditch….it’s the last ditch on the place, taking the water to the alfalfa hill and then on down to the next farm.
So here we were working away on getting the trash out of the cement ditch, starting the tubes, digging out the ends…..everything going along as expected.
We rode down to check the new ditch out.
Good. The water was going on down to the alfalfa hill, the ditch was sealing and imprinting. We got the trash out …
Looking good
Evening was starting to come on in a hurry so we headed on down to check the alfalfa ditch and start the furrows (earth dams here and digging out ends)
When we saw a LAKE in the road! And the water starting to sub over into the potential pinto bean field!
Who would have thought….a ground squirrel had made a wonderful, delightful, very nice home in the side of the alfalfa ditch!!!
It took some doing but we finally got all 8 holes filled in and covered up. The squirrel was seen chattering at us a couple of times. Floods are bad news for anyone to have to live through.
The squirrel is alive and well, it moved on over to a thicket and started a new house in a much drier area.
We have been rather cool to cold here for the last three days. Temperatures have dropped into the low 20s, it was 24* this morning when I went out to let the chickens out for the day. I think its supposed to start a gradual warm up tomorrow.
April sure was an up and down sort of month for temperatures….reaching 92* one day.
May for us is usually warmer, and a little steadier weather wise…I try to plant my garden the week of Mother’s Day. (Although, it can still freeze here, even as late as in June.)
Thanks for stopping by!
Linda
Sunday Stills—Beast or Beauty
The Sunday Stills assignment this week is — Take something bad and find a way to make it look good/find some beauty in it – at least photographically. Like an invasive weed, dusty cupboard, scummy pond, flies…
This really isn’t bad or ugly…but I thought I would show a before and an after photo of Fuzzy with his haircut!
When I went in to pick him up I really didn’t recognize him right away, it took me a minute or three. Of course he knew Me so that settled That!
Go here for more Sunday Stills!
Linda
The Adventures of Fuzzy and Boomer on Friday — What More Can I Say ?!?
The next to the last field has been opened — that means Dad is done doing enough of the tractor work it’s time to put the gated pipe together and start the water on that field. This field is another corn field, but the gated pipe will water the pinto bean field.
Dad and Mom had to put the pipe together for the pinto bean field because the run off from the last corn field goes to water the bean field and the last alfalfa field before leaving our farm and heading on over to the next farm. But since the bean ground isn’t ready yet, the water will run through the gated pipe anyway and water the older alfalfa field then leave our farm.
We moved siphon tubes and got the water flowing. Sure was a good feeling.
The next day, Mom asked us to get in the back of the pick-up and go to TOWN.
Oh, what joy!
Boomer has learned to hop in the back now and he loves to ride with us. Remember when he first came he was very afraid and wouldn’t get in the truck unless I got in first? I think he has made huge strides in being a good farm dog!
Anyway we got to town and Mom dropped us OFF at the Dog GROOMERS!!!!
That was hours of misery. I shook and trembled and moaned the whole time. Boom of course LOVED the whole experience. He hopped right into the bathing tub and sat there while Mom and the groomer put me into the waiting area.
I
DID
NOT
WANT
TO
BE
THERE!
About 90 minutes of pure hell and torture Mom came and picked us up.
Yep! That’s me.
I can’t decide if I like this new look or not!
Makes me feel —- well naked.
And Mom wouldn’t let me jump into the ditches, said I was just shampooed so I have to stay out of the muddy water.
I
MEAN
GEEZ!
Then the heat of the next day hit and
Hummmm
I guess this new look is alright.
I feel a lot cooler!
Fuzzy
88* Yesterday A Heat Wave for This Time of Year
My monthly tree post will be today…. I’m afraid I will forget it if I don’t do the post today.
First the Willow tree
Green is showing up nicely. Every day there is more and more tiny little willow leaves
(I’m still working on the messy pile of wood, every day I cut a little more and move it too the area where we stack wood.)
The Cottonwood tree’s leaves are also tiny and shiny….still the leaves are making very welcome shade.
We were 88* yesterday. Horribly hot for this time of year. The Uncompahgre Valley Water Users have already locked the head gates. Usually that doesn’t occur until the middle of May. (The Uncompahgre Valley Water Users/ ditch riders, managers, board members, manages the water from which everyone in the Uncompahgre Valley uses to irrigate with—-the Uncompahgre Valley is made up of a water area. This water comes from Gunnison and Ridgeway, Colorado, to the Gunnison River, which flows through Delta, Colorado, on its way to the Colorado River through a hugely fascinating series of canals) This means we did NOT have enough snow in the high country this year so water is going to be short.
Our water moves through all of the farms then dumps into the Gunnison (as I said before) on it’s way to Nevada, Arizona, and California. We are required by law (water rights–first filing on the water etc.) to send so many feet of water into the Gunnison so the other states can have water.
Terry is out harrowing off the corn field. We will start water back on this field this afternoon.
Once he gets done harrowing then he needs to re-mark the second corn field, and mark out the new bean ground so we have places to move the water. And to keep from drying out.
Once the head gate is locked we have to make do with an allotment of water, which means we have to irrigate more, move the water more, even if we have to move the water every four hours instead of every 8—and yes even in the middle of the night, if necessary.
So far the alfalfa is looking good. First cutting should be the last of May or the first of June.
You can see the heat haze in the background.
Well, off now lots to do today.
Linda
Life on a Colorado Farm 