Category Archives: Life on a Colorado Farm

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

The Next to the Last Step in the Tile Line Repair and Replacement, Then the Last Step — Friday, March 13, 2020

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All the water pumped into the tile line, which went under the yard, the road and into goat corral, had to be pumped out to begin the next to the last step of the whole process.

It was time to create the new waste ditch and to cover up the old waste ditch

This ditch is necessary to take the water from our place and put it back into the system for those who live on Saw Mill Mesa to have irrigation water

Gradually, everything started to take shape in the corral

Nice.

The old huge swath through the corral is gone and a new straight ditch in place.

Now we move to putting in the ten sticks of blue pipe

The trench is 8 feet deep….who knew

The Yellow broken bits are the broken tile line

Ten sticks worth

Gradually over the long process of the day

We finished!

YAY!

 

Tomorrow it’s Terry and I doing all the little bits of handwork.   Which I won’t show you.

DONE!

New Tile Line.  Broken Tile Line repaired and necessary tile line replaced!

FINISHED!!!

🙂 🙂 🙂

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

 

 

 

Day Five— Repairing the Water Line — Thursday, March 12, 2020

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Since it was another very late day, everyone was was tired.  The general consensus was if you try to fix something this late in the day, with everyone tired, it will not go well.

Terry had turned the water off already so we all headed home for a rest.

Then back early, early the next day to find the leak.

Richard ‘witched’ for the line. I found this really cool.  He let me try.  I could do it.

Neat!

Then it was time to begin.

Yep, there it was. A rock…more than likely, as the boring machine head and pipe moved under the road.

It took some time…a run to the hardware store, repairing the leak, turning the water back on,

Then covering the hole; making the road perfect again,  (Once more it was getting late in the day…you can see the shadows are from the west as they work.)

Since the next day was going to be another HUGE big day — with the need to be rested and refreshed.  The work stopped for the night.

See you tomorrow when we work on the the tile line in the field!

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

 

 

Day Four — Pulling the Pipe Through — Wednesday, March 11, 2020

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Today it was just Terry and Richard.  No extra help.

They first had to attach the huge water boring machine head to the black pipe

I was to go to the corrals and make sure something didn’t go wrong. Richard ran the boring machine

gradually, gradually bringing the black pipe through the corrals, under the road, under the lawn to the fence line where the blue pipe will be attached to the black pipe.

Terry stayed at the entrance to make sure everything went smooth there

It took a long amount of slow steady pulling, but the end finally made it into the goat corral!  Yay!

FINISHED!  The pipe was through!

I looked up and Terry was waving to Richard to stop!  Then Terry was moving quickly to the water meter box.

The pipe had hit the waterline!

Stay tuned for the water line repair!

See you tomorrow!

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

 

Day Three — Creating the Pipe, Tuesday, March 10, 2020

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Bright and early the operator of the trimming and fusing machine arrived on our farm

This is a fascinating machine—it trims the pipe (we have six pipes to trim) then fuses the pipes together in a weld which will never come undone —or so we were told.

Since we had the black pipe stored in the goat corral, the trusty backhoe lifted up one pipe at a time (as needed)

Which was then placed into the fusing machine.  First, the machine trimmed all the rough edges off of the pipe (see the black bits laying on the white box). The digital information stopped the trimming when everything was perfectly smooth and equal.

The pipe was pushed a short way through and the next pipe was placed in the machine to be trimmed to perfection.

Once it was perfect the two pipes were pushed together and heat applied.  It took 9 minutes to fuse the two ends together

The truck was attached to the first pipe to help move the growing pipe stay straight

Until all six pipes were fused together

Then it  was time to move the pipe into the corrals (in preparation to line up to the newly created tile line)

The backhoe moved the pipe little by little.  The goal is to move the pipe under that further corral fence.

 

Then the pipe had to be straightened out

Once it got straightened out

They started pulling the pipe through the horse corral, into the goat corral, and toward the new ditch/tile line

There!  All set to pull through.

But by this time it was late in the day and everyone was tired, tired, tired.

We begin again Tomorrow.

See you in the morning!

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

Day Two — Tile Line Repair and Replacement —- Monday, March 9, 2020

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Day Two started with finding where the tile line crossed under the fence and into the yard

When the Tile Line was first laid (many, many, many years ago) there was a marker placed near the fence line…..that is where the backhoe started digging.

Bingo!  Right on!

Then it was time for the boring machine.  Water was pumped through the drill pipes causing the old tile to be reamed out—all dirt, roots, broken tiles, and tree roots cut and moved out the way

It was fascinating to watch and to feel it move way deep underground. (You can see the puddle of water, which was left as the first drill pipe headed into the tile line.

We chose the boring machine route, to save digging up the lawn, thereby saving all the old trees, bushes, and the fences.

The Orange marks are showing the way the boring machine is moving.  Pretty cool.

It took lots of time, in a slow and steady fashion, but THERE IT IS!  It came through perfectly

Then it was time to move into the goat pen to create a new straight ditch

We had to have him dig out the old waste ditch and create a new straight ditch for the new pipe we were going to be installing.

Now back to the tile line and the boring head.  The smaller reaming head had to be changed for the

Larger reaming head, with larger holes for jetting the water and the capability to pull the new pipe through.

Remember the old tile line pipe was crumbled and broken requiring this very necessary and expensive repair and replacement.

Here is a closer look at the smaller head

The worker changing out the smaller head to the larger head.

Once the heads were changed it was time to pull the larger head BACK through the smaller hole to make the tunnel large enough for the pipe to go through.

Slowly, slowly it was pulled back all the way under the lawn, clear to the beginning.

Then it was sent back through, cleaning and clearing the way, so the pipe would slide through easily.

Well, wouldn’t you know?  There was an old culvert being used as part of the tile line somewhere under the lawn or the road. Out it came with all the metal twisted upon the head.

By this time it was late afternoon and everyone was tired.  The idea of removing that old culvert, getting the new pipe ready, and starting the pull was going to wait until tomorrow.

Stay tuned for the really interesting next day…the PIPE!

See you tomorrow!

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

 

 

 

Our Last Week in a Series of Photos —- Sunday, March 8, 2020

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We live in an area where the water table can cause havoc in a farm field.  So years and years and years ago, when our part of the world was just getting settled (from 1882 onwards)…the need for water and for good farm good was vital. (it still is)

As the population expanded the requirement for good land and water increased.  I have read diaries of men who helped create and build the canals on California Mesa and Ash Mesa which confirms the horrendous amount of work it took to bring water to our high mountain desert landscape.

After getting water here they realized they now had to put tile lines under the farm ground to get the water to ‘move’ on out and back into the canals.

These very creative people used thick clay tiles to create the drain lines which move the water from under the ground back into canals.

We are not sure, but we think the tile lines on our place were put in around 1890 or 1900.  Gradually over-time, the clay tiles collapse and must be replaced.

 So THAT is what we have been doing for six full days.  Replacing the tile line in one of our fields.  The water, which comes out of this tile line, feeds into a ditch that flows to all the farms in an area called Saw Mill Mesa.

This very expensive operation helps not only us but those on-down-the-line. 🙂

Now you have a wee lesson on water, the maintenance of the water and what we were doing this past week.

Tomorrow I will continue.  I hope I don’t bore you.  I found this whole process fascinating, interesting and VERY labor-intensive.  All through the process, I kept thinking about those marvelous men of years gone-by which did this all by hand.

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

 

 

 

Finishing Old Projects — Thursday, March 5, 2020

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Connie from FarSide started a cleaning a project this winter, which sparked a cleaning project for me

Connie was sorting, cleaning, and going through all the stuff she had collected over the years.

I decided that it was a good idea!

So Off I went to start cleaning the upstairs.

Hmmm…I thought to myself.  Here is this whole tote of quilt squares I haven’t ever done anything with.

So —- to make a long story short…I didn’t get the upstairs cleaned, sorted or anything because I became stuck with finishing the quilt squares.

I know why I have never really quilted. It is a tad hard (for me, anyway).

So here is my latest.  A baby quilt. All hand-quilted with soft shiny blanket-binding. I find I really like the satiny blanket binding.

Two more quilts to go.  Then I will have the box of quilt squares cleaned, sorted, and finally made up.

TWO!

And it’s spring.  So we will see how long it takes me to get these two quilts done. 🙂

As for cleaning and sorting the upstairs. I guess that project—- I will start AGAIN next winter. 🙂

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

 

 

Time Tumbling Forward Stretching Each of Us Toward the Future—Wednesday, March 4, 2020

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Sometimes my mind likes to race toward the future…not that I LIKE to race toward the future,

But my mind sure does.

And it (my mind) seems to leap and tear around mercilessly

At night when I’m supposed to be sleeping.

The thoughts dipping and spreading slowly, at first, then by three in the morning

Rushing here there and everywhere

Sliding around in the old head like oil spilling out of a tipped over can

Nighttime thoughts…sigh!

Everything always looks so much better in the morning.

For then you have understanding, there are no borders; wandering thoughts can’t survive…action takes the place of worry.

From my world to your heart,

Linda

Heading to the Mountains — Tuesday, March 3, 2020

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Jason and Shilo, Shilo the Wonder Dog,

And all her puppies stopped by to say HI!

They were heading to the mountains for a day of training.

What a fun, brief little lighthearted moment to our day!

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

That Lion Called March —- Monday, March 2, 2020

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It snowed last night

Just like the sundog predicted

Although, this kind of snow

Doesn’t last long

Quickly melting

To leave

Mud in its wake!

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda