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 — Water (Predicted to Shrink)

Posted on May 12, 2012 by Dayphoto

The irrigation water sure has Dad and Mom worried.

They don’t have to go out every eight hours right now because the water is in the corn and the old alfalfa field. See those fields have their plants up and growing so they don’t take as much water, but when the water gets BACK to the pinto bean field they will be back to the eight hour change No Matter What!

Dad is planting the very last of the corn today…this morning in fact. He has given up on planting the new alfalfa field.

He will start planting the pinto beans on Monday. Outside of the alfalfa field (alfalfa seed is like buying gold at today’s prices, so he is not going to chance losing the crop because of the lack of water) he will have everything planted. (Dad will plant the alfalfa seed after the sweet corn farmers start harvesting their crop. Once the sweet corn is gone, more water will be in the canals. Hay is a nice cash crop to have.)

Water is extremely short…they are working with 70% of 100% right now—as they move into the middle of summer the ditch riders have told everyone that water is going to be moved lower and lower until it gets to 40%. That will be a 60% loss of water.

Everyone is hoping 40% is as low as it does get!

We hope so too!!!!

So the race is on!

All the farmers HAVE to get the seeds in the ground, watered up, and growing well ….BEFORE…the irrigation water drops to 40%.

As the water levels shrink the nightmare, of keeping everything wet, will just get worse. But the critical stage is getting the plant UP.

Boomie is doing better about coming when he hears the four-wheeler start…Mom talks to him as soon as we get to the field…”Boomer…you can play, but when you hear the four-wheeler start, you HAVE to be back here ready to go home or you will have to run home by yourself!”

He has done real good, even coming back to check on us once in a while.

But the last evening he said he was clear over in the wet lands smelling out the birds and things when he heard the four-wheeler start. Everything was just getting really interesting so he decided he would run home.

That’s a pretty long run, let me tell you!

We had everything put away for the night when he came dashing in just as fast as his Beagle legs could carry him.

Worked out for me really well, as I had the whole four-wheeler to myself!

Fuzzy

Wordless Wednesday

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Dayphoto

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Linda

Nighttime Irrigation—Moon Music

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Dayphoto

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

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Dayphoto

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!

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Dayphoto

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

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Dayphoto

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

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Dayphoto

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

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Dayphoto

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

Posted on April 29, 2012 by Dayphoto

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!

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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 ?!?

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Dayphoto

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.

DID

NOT

WANT

THERE!

About 90 minutes of pure hell and torture Mom came and picked us up.