Author Archives: Dayphoto

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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

Honey Hen 2008-2010

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Honey was a funny little hen.  She loved to sit on my lap, work with me in the yard

And tell me stories about her life in the coop.

She let me dress her up for Christmas.  I had a great time with this clever and talkative little bird.

Saturday, Honey came up missing.  I looked everywhere, nothing could be found, not even a feather.

Spring is a hard time on those living things that are at the bottom of natures food chain, they are a quick meal for a predator of some sort.

Honey went to the rainbow bridge, probably by way of either the Momma fox that prowls our place day and night or a red-tailed hawk.  She was out happily pecking and scratching in the old hay pile and then she was gone.

Honey will be missed, that is for sure.

Linda

Utah Flew into Our Part of Colorado Yesterday

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45 m.p.h winds full of grit, sand, and dirt came in from Utah yesterday

Making work on the farm hard

And exhausting.  Fuzzy still enjoyed the first set of water.

But Terry and I came in more than tired.  Wind can be exhausting, then add in being hit with shards of sand, grit and dirt …

A new little calf joined our herd right has the worst of the storm started.  He was a little upset as his rough windy arrival in the world.

Momma and baby are doing fine.

Cold here today, but the wind stopped. That is a gift in an of itself.

Linda

This Weekend

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  Another hole in the pocketbook is taking place as I write this; fertilizer is being applied to new corn ground and the alfalfa fields.  That stuff just keeps on climbing and climbing in costs.

 {{{{Shudder}}}}.

 Next huge cost will be the seed, but I’ll think of that later.

 For this weekend I’m going to mow the lawn…dig out some flower beds and wash windows.

 All happy signs of spring!

Linda

The Water has Arrived!

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Finally we are here!  The first real sign of spring. 

The Ditch Rider was telling us that there are more onions planted this year than previous years.  Onion prices are high $60 for a 50 pound sack, so just like any gambler all most everyone (not us) is jumping on the Onion roulette wheel. 

What always happens by the time harvest comes round for our area the price falls to normal levels  $22.00 for a 100 pound sack, or even lower.  But just like Deal or No Deal if you ‘hit the market just right’ you might have the big money in your suitcase.

Linda

A Call on the Ditch

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The onion guys have made a call on the ditch.  Meaning they want water.

Because of the weather, the Ditch Company is behind.  They just finished cleaning our canal.

This is what it looked like before the backhoe started in.

Normally the water is turned in and flows by our place before March 30th.  This gives you an idea how far behind everyone is.

Anyway, the sun is shinning here today, and for me, that is always a good thing. 

Linda

Think Spring

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We went from snow to a huge wind/dust/flying dirt storm

  50 mile per hour winds beat us up all day Monday and into Monday night with a bitter cold front right behind it. 

 41* today.

 Still the onion farmers have their seeds in the ground and a call has been made on the ditch for water so planting has gotten started.

 Those that are still behind because of too much mud will have to put onion sets in the ground instead of seeds.  Sets are very labor intensive, having to be planted all by hand, but it still gives them a crop.

 The early sweet corn guys are just about ready to plant, just waiting for the canals to fill.  Most sweet corn farmers water first and then plant.  Sweet corn is not frost tolerant.  The watering first allows the season to move a little more closer to steady warm weather. 

 We are at a standstill.  Terry likes to have the corn in and its little heads poking up by the second week in May.  He also likes to water first and then plant, but if he has to he will plant and then water the corn up.  The second way produces lots more weeds, but it will also protect the baby plants.

 Think Spring…

 Linda

Spring Storm for Easter Weekend

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My drive to work in Paonia was in a snow storm.  At least it wasn’t a blizzard or a white out. 

Icy roads should be a thing of last month or even February or January, not April.  There is another front coming in for the middle of the week, but I’m hoping we are warming up enough it will just bring rain.

Snow on freshly plowed fields really isn’t a good thing.  Plowed soil is like a thirty sponge and will absorb moisture and HOLD it.  But I think it is good anyway, because it forced Terry to take a break.  Rest is always good.  He’s home all the time so he will be able to get right out there as soon as the soil get right to roll.

It is Easter this weekend and the sun is finally shining.  The whole sun thing just plain fills me with joy!

Happy Easter, one and all!

Linda

On the Back Burner

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Farming took over all of Terry’s time, but here is where he is with the building. 

Once the planting gets done he can start again.  I’m really looking forward to when it is insulated and the wood stove is in place. 

Let’s see, we could put a pool table out there, or a ping-pong table, maybe a new grill….

Or maybe room for the tractors and wood working equipment.  🙂

Linda

Free Fertilizer and the First Calf of the Year

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After a long winter of the cows just hang’n around in the corrals, if it storming.  Or maybe wandering out to eat in the fields, we always have lots of ‘free fertilizer’.

Every spring the manure is removed and hauled out to the fields.

This keeps the cost of farming down, fertilizer is right up there in the very expensive category, right along with fuel.

Even though the manure spreader is old, it still does a really good job.

Because cows digest so little of their food, cow manure won’t burn plants the way nitrogen-rich chicken manure will. Nor does it need to be composted before putting it on the field. Cow manure is the undigested residue of herbivorous matter which has passed through the animal’s gut. The resultant manure matter is rich in minerals. Color ranges from greenish to blackish, often darkening in color soon after exposure to air.

  Once on the field the farmer works it into the soil through plowing or chiseling.  Therefore, rebuilding the soil and feeding the earth worms.

 Our first calf of the year came in the last snow storm.  He is about four days old here. 

See all the manure. Just waiting for the manure spreader.

Linda

Rolling Just Before it Snows (again)

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The plowed field is just right for rolling. (See the dust)

Linky wanted to ride with Grandpa.

The roller smashes all the plowed dirt chunks down and soften up the soil, readying it for leveling.

This is one of The most important aspects of getting the ground ready.  The window to roll is very short; requiring the soil to be dry but not so dry the roller can’t break up the clods.

  Clods are the bane of farming. They take more water to soften them up, the seeds have a harder time getting a foothold or to put their little heads through, and when you irrigate the plug up the furrows.

 Just as we got done and pulled in for the evening meal a huge black cloud came up and dumped snow.

  Everything came to a stop until the wind and sun could dry stuff out. 

We started plowing again last night.  But another storm is heading our way.  We hope to get the manure spread before it hits here.  Water/snow makes for a nice fertilizer combination.

I sure hope this is the last storm of the year.  The onion farmers are three weeks behind and the sweet corn guys are two weeks behind.  Everyone is really stressed, but there is nothing we can do about it.  Farming is a gambol based on the weather, always!  Then the next gambol is what the prices are for harvest, but that is another subject for a different time of the year.

 Linda