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

Where Have All the Ladybugs Gone?

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The-Roubidoux-Canyon

According to www.lostladybug.org there are more than 400 ladybug species native to North America, but now are considered rare.

Field-of-Daiy's

The Lost Ladybug Project is trying to find out just how many native species are left.

Rim-Rock

Take a look around your farms, yards, and parks and try to photograph any of these familier insects.  Then send the photographs to the website.  Scientists hope to get a better idea of just how many of the native species are left, which exotic ladybugs are taking over and how this might affect our world.

Where-Rivers-Begin

The photos I have added to this post are from the Uncomphgre Plateau, or 25 Mesa, as the locals call it.  I guess what I am trying to say: if we lose the beneficial bugs we can lose the beauty of our land.

As you are out there taking photo, please look for ladybugs and send them in.

Thanks!

Linda

I Just Have to Tell You Something! Better Yet Let Me Show You!

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This is Honey the Hen speaking…see these three hens! 

Mean-old-Biddies

They are THE ONES!!!

The mean ol’ biddies! 

Don’t they look mean!  Don’t they have the most hatful eyes you have ever seen? 

Awful women! Just awful!

But —– I am now sleeping on the roost with all of them and they are leaving me alone.  No more do I have to stay in the dog pen. (I guess it was alright) But I get to sleep right back where I belong with all the girls.

Mom still lets me go outside every morning, which suits me, just fine.  She told me today that this isn’t going to last much longer, but we will see.  We will see.

Cluck-Cluck's-Head

But since I’ve been gone, THE MEAN OL’ Biddies started attacking Cluck-Cluck.  See her head? 

Cluck-Cluck is an N.E.R.V.O.U.S. bird! 

Goodness, she never shuts-up! Ever!

I think she was the original ‘the sky is falling chicken’ talk about flighty!

Mom has had to let her out side with me, so she can get some feathers back. I told Cluck –Cluck, she isn’t staying with me!!!!!  I’ve had to share with the dog, (the dog says that isn’t true, he had to share with me, ha!),  but I don’t have to share the front of the house. 

Cluck-Cluck

Cluck-Cluck can go live with Dad in the tractor shed!

Sky-is-Falling

Mom told THE MEAN OL’ Biddies they had better straighten things up s.o.o.n. or they were going to have to go the way of Roo. 

I wonder where Roo is? Mom said Roo went to another coop with a whole new set of girls.  I haven’t really been sad about it, except for the ‘snot girls’ of our group.  Cluck-Cluck doesn’t miss him either; this bully thing has been a little too much to think about anything else, if you really want to know.

the-roo

Mom says the new vitamin water will help everyone settle down, (she got it from McMurry Chicken Farms) after which Cluck-Cluck and I can live happily-ever-after with everyone else in the hen house! Although, we get to roam outside when Mom is home and can make sure we aren’t eating the entire garden. She said Every One gets to roam outside when she is home.

I’ll leave you with the same photo of the mean ol’ biddies.  Maybe next month they will have been rehabilitated.(transformed, improved upon)  We will just have to wait and see.  Keep your fingers crossed!!!!!

Mean-old-Biddies

A Black Hole

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Black-Hole

When I was taking a photo of our mesa a very strange cloud went by…a cloud with a black hole in it.

I have never seen such a thing before! And no it is not a flaw in my camera!

Chickens are Just Like People—Sometimes They are Just Plain Mean

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Hi! My name is Honey.  I really didn’t have a people name, until my human Mom was badgered by Misty….does that make Misty my human sister?!?!

Little-Chicken-002

Anyway, I now live at the house, with the dog. Who would have ever thought THAT would happen. I mean, really the DOG!!!! He usually chases all of us chickens away from his dog house, which is right by the front door.  But he doesn’t me.

(Between you and me, the DOG doesn’t really like me, but he gets in trouble if he chases me. Sort of sad all in all, I agree with him I should be in the chicken house.)

I used to live in the chicken house; I was the favorite of Roo.  Roo was a dashing rooster, so just WOW.  He did rather wear me out, my human Mom had made me a new little coat to wear, but I didn’t like it, so I wasn’t being very good about wearing it.  She kept saying that it would protect my back. 

Anyway, one morning we woke-up at the crack of daylight and Roo was gone. Just gone, mine you.  Not a feather of him anywhere.  Everything stayed pretty much the same for about two weeks, but then the ‘other brides’ of Roo’s harem started catching on that Roo wasn’t there.  This meant that they could do anything they wanted to do, and one thing they wanted to do was take their jealousy of Roo and I out on me.  Sigh! Deep long SIGH!

Little-Chicken-003

Anyway, the up-shot of everything, is those girls drew blood and wouldn’t let me eat so my human Mom brought me to the house (I have a dog house to live in) and told me I could live here until I grew back all my feathers, put on weight, and could hold my own in the flock.

My human Mom counts my feathers every evening, so I think she wants me to go back to the flock.  Sometimes I really want too, but this IS pretty nice, my own food, water, a cantaloupe or watermelon, sometimes a cookie (that’s my favorite).

The dog doesn’t like it, but … oh, Well.

Four-Wheeling

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One of our favorite places to go four-wheeling is Ouray, Colorado.  http://www.ouraycolorado.com/Jeep+Road+Conditions

 

Ouray-2009-015

This lovely little mountain town is 1.5 hours from our house.  Not only do we like to soak in the naturally occurring hot springs pool, but we love to travel the old mine roads.

Ouray-2009-017

Sunday we took off, hoping to climb Imogene Pass and end up in Telluride over Black Bear Pass. Imogene Pass is the second highest pass in Colorado. http://www.traildamage.com/trails/index.php?id=80

 

Ouray-2009-018

We didn’t make it because of a huge thunderstorm the made the trail a morass of mud. 

Ouray-2009-019

But we are going back Monday!  I hope to have lots of cool photos for you next week.

You Know You Are a Redneck When…..

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You take the goats for their nightly walk,

Goat-Walk-002

and they don’t need a leash!

The Heat Has Finally Arrived

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Arizona’s heat is here.  Hot and growing hotter and hotter.  Here is where we worry that the red spider mite takes the corn.  (worry, worry, fret, fret). 

Ladybugs are not the enemy of red spider mites.  Red spider mites live in the grasses along the ditch banks and pasture just waiting (sort of like a tick) for the corn to get hot and dry and stressed.  The MOMENT they figure out the corn is in the right stages they attack, hoping on and sucking the life blood out of the candy called corn.

We are cutting hay, two fields down and one more to go.  We try not to get all of them in the same stage of processing, first one field, and wait a few days, then another field, and the last field about a week later from the first field.  This allows for better crop management with the possibility of no crop lost.

Cutting-Hay

The heat is fun for the grandchildren; many hours are spent outside playing with the ducks, and in the duck pond. (The drainage ditch from our fields)

Ducks

This works for the kids and the ducks.  And for Mom-mom who has to keep her eye on all the activity.

This and That and a Little Bit of Everything

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One of the reasons we went to Dove Creek was to see a collection of antique tractors.  Although, I took lots of photos I thought everyone would enjoy this one.

Supped-up-Tractor

Not your typical tractor, that is for sure!

We are ready for the second cutting of hay; the alfalfa is just starting to bloom, so maybe tomorrow we will do the swathing.

Blooming-Hay

The oats are headed out and starting to fill with milk, after much pondering we are going to cut them for oat hay, instead of harvesting them as oats. 

Oats-and-bugs

The pinto beans are shooting feelers so the last cultivation for all of our crops is officially over. 

Shoot'n-Feeler

We have been having so much rain that the irrigation water is a red/chocolate color. This water is like a thick coffee causing the irrigation tubes and the gated pipe gates to plug up.  As the water moves through the opening the mud collects and stops the tubes, or gates from taking anymore water.  We have to check every 2-3 hours to make sure everything is running and in good order. OTHERWISE, the plants suffer, and the ‘escape’ ditches fill up and flood. 

Mud-in-the-Water

What an odd read this has been.

I took most of these shots just as the sun was sitting (9:30 p.m.)  The spots you see over the oats are bugs that were caught the light of the flash.

Another odd thing is we have lots, and lots, and lots of ladybugs this year.  A blessing to people who do not like to use chemicals on crops!

Have a nice weekend!

Weather — Whether Here or There

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The weather is always such an interesting subject.  I suppose it is because we all live so close to the land that weather is part and parcel of what we do every day.

We are still having rain.  Some days just a down pour or two, some days lots of rain, or just a gentle rain that goes on for days.  Anyway it is more rain than normal…. we are also experiencing signs that an early fall and a hard winter are on the way. (Sigh.  Double Sigh)

Weirdly the milkweed plants are already setting seed pods, weeds that never show up until late August are blooming wildly right now and there are other signs.

I dread winter!!!  I love spring, summer, and fall, but winter drags on me.  Just plain drags and to think of one that comes early and lasts long….oh, I don’t even want to go there.

So here is a photo of the down pour three days ago.  With an afternoon thunderstorm predicated for today.  The sun sure has been nice!  And it IS July so I have several months before I have to worry, now don’t I?

Rain-on-Vacation