On a Sun-Bright Summer Day—-Monday, July 17, 2017

When the wind was gentle

The sun blazed the western clouds, as it rose to warm the air

The screaming for FOOD! FOOD! FOOD!

Seemed to lessen

 

A stillness emerged from the little mud nest right over the back porch light

A group three of the little Barn Swallows raised themselves up; with two lifting their wings and ‘flew away’.  The parents singing notes of encouragement and excitement.

All day they practiced.  By evening they were gone.

Then there were only two screaming mouths…just two.  But two is manageable for a spell.

I’m sure one day the parents will say, in a very gentle way: “Go now, little one…make your way in the world”.

We will wait expectantly for the next batch of little birds to go from egg to fledgling before the summer is gone.

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

 

 

 

 

High Summer—-Sunday, July 16, 2017

It is high summer the sky is a clear blue, the heat is elevated, afternoon thunder storms roll in cooling us down;  the humidity causing us pant in desperation

Yet the summer has been good…all the hay is sold; first and second cuttings.

Blade helped…nice for him and for us!

The corn is starting to tassel out!

The pinto beans are growing right along…

The last cultivation of all crops is over for the rest of the year! 🙂

High Summer…the best part of the year.

Come winter I will be assailed by memories

Of these innocent heat filled days.

Come winter…

….I won’t think of that bleak time ahead. Instead I will enjoy this spot in time.

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

 

 

Moving into the Heart of the Light—Thursday, July 13, 2017

A large portion of my day is spent on a ditch bank….somewhere, someplace, here on the farm

Morning, noon, evening…the earth, the sky, the water—moisture in the air..rain landing softly on the fields rich with good earth and lush plants

The sun captures so brilliantly the clift on the Uncompahgre Plateau where the Plateau starts to change and slope toward Grand Junction.  It’s close to this cleft where a person can descend into Gateway, Colorado

Lately the air has been restless; shifting, rising, flowing–heavy with moisture

Sometimes the sun is suspended in the western sky…blazing the horizon into a dazzling display of red, orange and yellow

I have no true favorite time of the sky…I love the luminous eastern sky’s violet when the final stars are gone.  The early sun turning from violet to pink then gold and

finally a robin’s egg blue

And the night-time full of the moon or the stars so brilliant it’s like being surrounded by diamonds

I (sometimes) think our lives have seasons…times when nothing seems to be happening…but, if we look close…there are many changes going on… we just forget to see them.

From my heart to your world,

Linda

Dazzled by the Storms—Wednesday, July 12, 2017

We set the last set of water under the treat of an approaching rain storm

The wind whipped a series of fast moving showers all around us throughout the Uncompahgre (Un-come-pah-gray—accent on the pah) Plateau; along the canyons between us and Grand Junction–the Roubidoux, Esclante, Dominguez Canyons, then soaking the desert separating Delta from Grand Junction.

Stunningly beautiful fast moving rain!

At one point the late sun broke through just long enough to illuminate some of the rain drops south of us to look like a faint rainbow!

 I’m not picky.  I’ll take anything that looks like a rainbow, even for a few moments in time.

Then as nighttime arrived lightning whipped the Plateau, wind beat our area, and thunder hammered the heavens way over there on the Uncompaghre.

Boomer and both cats came in, to lay as close to me as possible.

Lightening slithered along the canyons and gullies on the Plateau, with distant drumbeats of thunder sounding loud [here].  It must have sounded like the roll call of the end of the world up there on the Uncompahgre.

Although rain seethed around us the skies only sprinkled on us—not even turning the ground to mud…just damp.

This morning we woke to rinsed skies, cooler temperatures, with thick gray clouds hanging in bunches, waiting to mush together at some future point in time.

They say by Friday this flurry of small intense storms will be gone from our area; the heat and sun will return.

These little reprieves from fierce sun and heat are good for the soul. (Just like warm/spring-like days in the middle of winter).

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

 

Clouds Skimming the World—Tuesday, July 11, 2017

We received a reprieve late yesterday, from all the scorching sun and melting heat.

The night stayed thick with clouds…the stars hidden, the full moon unable to shine through the darkness.

Off and on through the night little patters of rain came…not lots, just enough to clear the air…leaving pockmarks on the very dry soil.

A Pheasant moved THROUGH the farm yard after the early morning sprinkle)

The dawn light came slowly through the sliver of grayness left behind; the wind started scattering the clouds.

Slowly, ever so slowly, in that time just before dawn, when light is neither bright or dark, when there are no shadows on the ground…when the trees turn black—-then the sky starts to pale

And the sun breaks forth, the clouds bunched into fluffy balls of sun-kissed color.

The birds, the plants, the farm, and my heart, all sang!  Refreshed!  We all feel refreshed!

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

 

 

The Rim of Our House—-Monday, July 10, 2017

Under the eve, on the back porch light we have a little family of Barn Swallows.

Although it’s fun to watch the goings on up there in the little nest of mud…it does make for coming and going and sitting an resting a tad dangerous.  The swooping, screeching and other cries of alarm, not to mention the whir of the wings as they zip by your head….

And, of course, it is always worse when….ONE OF THE CATS sit in wait!

Yesterday afternoon, in the heat of the day…Sammy, Boomer, and myself sat under the awning in the unmoving cool of the shade.

I became interested when there was No attacking birds to bother us.

Looking around I saw one parent

Sitting on the arch watching us, unmoving but very aware of what we were doing.

Then I looked into the nest…sitting there motionless, shoulders humped, exhaustion evident on this parent’s face I saw the same look every new parent gets, whether human or otherwise: “Boy, am I ever tired”! This look seems to say.

“These kids are about to kill me.”

“I sure will be glad when they can take care of themselves.”

“If I could JUST get some sleep zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!”

The other parents seemed to be saying—“You rest, Honey! I’ll keep watch zzzzzzzzzzzzz.”

July’s Full Moon shimmered through the rippling leaves of the tree last night. The light cast was so beautiful the earth and everything on it looked like it was covered in hammered sheets of silver!

 

From my heart to your world,

Linda

A Mystic Exaltation—Sunday, July 9, 2017

The mail arrived yesterday….all the way from the other side of the United States…a land of warm sunshine and lots of rain, a land where the countryside is enameled green and lush.

The package was very unexpected.

And heavy!

I opened it excitedly to find

A note wrapped around a rock!

The note reads: “Hi Linda,  The instant I saw this heart rock, washed up out of the farm road by all the rain, I knew it was for you.   Best wishes, Marianne”.

Removing the note I saw this amazing heart shaped rock, wrapped with a gold ribbon!

What a wonderful gift!  A chord of music sent from her mountain, a timeless enchantment; adding magic to my day.

Thank you, Marianne!  I have placed this jewel in my rock display, complete with your note!

Because of this great and delightful world of the internet I can also share with you, the same heart sparkling all the way from here to there!

From my world to your heart,

Linda

 

Hot-Sun-Kissed 106* DayLight—July 6, 2017

As the health of Boomer flickered good and bad, bad to worse, then improving, to— I now have Hope….we had company.

My brother and his wife, Cloudy came for a short stay. Boomer felt good enough to be part of most everything.

Then the kids came from Battlement Mesa.

We went to the lake, of which I would not let Boomer go.  Too much activity and way too hot.  And who knows how he got this stuff—I want it confined here and to die out here.

Then early this morning, while the air was still cool, before the red and bright light spread it’s heat upon the land

We had a hay customer arrive wanting 100 bales.

Then the day broke forth spreading sunshine and shadows.  Boomer and I walked a short ways down the farm lane…waving good-bye to our family as they headed back to their home.

Gradually, gradually I am seeing Boomer improving.  Once more I thank each and everyone of you!

Very humbly, your friend

Linda

The Gossamer of Summer—Wednesday, July 5, 2017

Our youngest daughter, our son-in-law, and the three grandchildren (plus Grandpa, of course) all posed for our annual “Knee-High by the Fourth of July” calendar photo last evening.

Then we all headed off to watch the

fireworks at Confluence Lake in Delta.

Of course fireworks are always beautiful…massive showers of sparkling lights hurtled to the heavens, drowning out the stars…but not the waxing Gibbous moon.

Before we headed down to join the masses watching roaring darkness…

Boomer went with me to do my evening chores.  This is the first time he truly smiled since his illness. I’m holding my breath in this space-in-time; following the last few days of fear, illness and extreme worry I pray we don’t have a relapse.

He still has coughing jags, but he is eating and drinking and eliminating.  His tail wags, he is walking around, asks to ride with me on the four-wheeler…and now Smiles!

Once more thank you so much (each and everyone of you) for your support and strength through out all this.

Love,

Linda

In the Presence of Extraordinary People—Tuesday, July 4TH, 2017

Elaine sent me this rainbow from her friend in El Paso county, Colorado:

Elaine wrote:
Dear Linda…

(click on the blue link to go to his website 🙂 )
He took the beautiful rainbow picture attached…
So I send it along with loving thoughts ~ and I hope it helps Boomer!  Luv ya!
)))hugs(((
Here is what Jason said…
“Yes, please do send it along to Linda with our compliments and healing thoughts towards Boomer.

Boomer is doing ever so much better!  Sammy stays with Boomer all the time.  A kitty and his dog.

Boomer finally ate breakfast this morning: shredded chicken, a dollop of yogurt and tiny squirt of gatorade to wash it all down.  (Which he thought was amazingly yummy)

He is still coughing, but the swelling in his stomach is receding, his nose is off and on cold, and he has developed a huge desire to have Mom sit with him and hold his paw.  (Which I admit I do 🙂  Just like a little kid he has figured out to start coughing and Mom will come sit with him and hold his paw. 🙂

He is walking around, even walking out to the chicken house with me.  But not always, but I figure any willing to move action is good.

And his tail is waggles in greeting!  Which I adore.

As the setting sun shivered gold across the fields, Boomer asked to go with us to change water last night.   I always look at that as a good sign!

So….once more I want to thank each and everyone of you!

When winter touched our lives, you held us in your thoughts and prayers.  That is a huge deal.  Your light shown in the darkness giving me hope.  In turn I was able to give Beaglie hope.  Please don’t laugh.  Hope is a mighty thing…and I thank you for it.

From my heart to your world,

Linda