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

Cold Here 51* Daytime Temperature +++ Freeze Warning Until 9:00 Tomorrow Morning

Posted on October 1, 2009 by Dayphoto

The storm brought snow in the rocky mountains, 8″ in some places. The wind was the worst for us. Some rain, but mostly wind.

Fall-Hillside

Our hillsides colored up wonderfully, though!

More-Fall-Hillsides

We are seeing reds and oranges that we haven’t seen for a long time. The sad part about all this early freezing is many of the farmers in our area lost crops. The yellow beans froze and many acres of the pinto beans. The chopping corn froze and so did the pumpkins, and any late sweet corn. (Yes, there were a few fields of late sweet corn.) Field corn isn’t hurt from freezing; in fact it helps the drying process along. Onions can sometimes withstand the freeze if it isn’t too thick.

The growing season is done for alfalfa now, so we only got the three cuttings instead of four. Four is nice, but three is okay.

DH is waiting for the field corn to get to 15 moisture, last week it was 18. With this freeze we might be doing corn in a week or so!

Fire in the Sky

Posted on September 30, 2009 by Dayphoto

Fire-in-the-Sky

(The storm was blowing in with 32 mile an hour winds, but the sky…oh my the sky!)

Honey the Guard Chicken Here—

Posted on September 29, 2009 by Dayphoto

A sneaky nasty coyote slunk into the yard last night and scared all of us! Of course not me! I started hollaring real loud so Mom would hear and come out. Dad came out first and that scared the homely furry species of a dissoulte style of life based on raiding, killing and other uncivilized forms of behavior!!! Actually Mom never heard me and she never came out, but DAD did and that is all that matters.

We have a nice chicken coop, heated in the winter, fenced in run with a fenced over top so other animals can’t get in, (here’s some nice plans if you want to build one for yourself-Plans from BackYard Poultry Magazine)

Anyway, just to let you know, chickens get really sleepy at night…..really sleepy, I mean there isn’t a way to stay awake, the sun goes down, we go to sleep . That’s why we have to sleep in the house…to stay safe.

Now when Roo was here ( I still miss him) he would crow at night randomly to scare anything away that wasn’t suppose to be there. But since he is gone– that just doesn’t happen.

Mean-old-Biddies

I wonder if the three mean hens ran him off? They are mean enough.

OH! Back to my story…

Anyway, coyotes kill more chickens and cats than skunks or raccoons, goodness they even kill stay dogs just for the sport of it! If you’ve never seen those lean-limbed, long-haried scruffy-tailed, yellow-eyed, slack-jawed, hungry-looking coyotes go here Coyote. There is a real good photo of one. Brrrr, shiver, shake, scary!

This coyote was skinny…I know cause I sleep by the window and when I heard the scratching on the side of the house I looked out and gave a sqwack of fright. I sure was glad Dad was outside ‘taking in the cool night air’. He likes to get up at night and check out things. BOY WAS I EVER GLAD!!!!!

That savage animal ran off! Just ran off. Mom was very concerned, the next morning. (Get that..the NEXT Morning!) We’ve been hearing them laughing and singing in the neighbors cornfield. Now one of them arrived at our house.

Mom said they were going to put up a motion light, good! Whatever that is! Keep those animals away!!!!

A Gift from Mountain Woman

Posted on September 25, 2009 by Dayphoto

When I got home last night I had a surprise package waiting for me; a delightful little book on Yankee Weather Proverbs!

I immediately sat down and started reading.

Gift-from-Mountain Woman

For people who live by the land, or for those who scan the skies, this book is a wonder. Here is one, we in the west also tout: “When robins leave early, expect an early winter” here is another, “Purple or very dark blue clouds indicate snow as do long flat banks of dark-colored clouds” —or “The first frost in autumn will be exactly six months after the first thunderstorm of the spring”

There are many more, but this gives you an idea.

Thank you so much, Mountain Woman, I am very surprised and grateful!

This One’s for You

Posted on September 24, 2009 by Dayphoto

This-One's-For-You

There is something just absolutely amazing about the sky lately. And I have seen on other people’s blogs you are seeing it too. Maybe it is because we are leaving summer and moving into fall, or maybe it is something else. But the sky is really a wonder to behold.

A Gift of a Rainbow

Posted on September 23, 2009 by Dayphoto

Fall-Rainbow

Just before the freeze a rainbow filled the evening sky. I always feel such joy when I see these amazing gifts.

Yard-Rainbow

As the sun moved west the rainbow looked like I could find a pot of gold right in our yard.

This is second time this year something so wonderful happened! A rainbow right in our yard!

Freezing-Rainbow

It was so close I wanted to touch it, but we all know that is impossible!

We Woke to a Killing Frost This Morning

Posted on September 22, 2009 by Dayphoto

A month early!

Here-Today

I hated to say good-bye to this! Gosh it was beautiful! I took lots and lots cuttings so I can start over.

Gone-tomorrow

I covered everything up, and waited.

(That is a poor sad Colorado Blue Spruce which needs to be cut down this winter.)

Mist

And woke to this, this morning. The poor Angel Trumpets looked so sad I couldn’t photograph them. Just know that fall has offically arrived on our farm.

More Sure Signs of Fall

Posted on September 18, 2009 by Dayphoto

Fall

Our cow pasture and the canal banks are full of fall colors

Chopping-Corn

All our dairy and ranching neighbors are chopping corn

Maximilian-sunflower

and the Maximilian sunflower “Prairie Sunflower” has bloomed. Once it blooms a heavy frost is on its way.

I looked on the Delta, CO weather site and it looks like our night time temperatures are dropping into the late 40’s and early 30’s next week.

I love fall with the warm days and the cool nights. I like that the really hard work is starting to come to an end, and the really good feeling that the cellar is full, the grain bins are full and the hay stacks fat and tall. I like the idea of the holiday’s coming. I vow to not think about the long winter following. But after that dark and dreary time is SPRING. I can hardly wait!