Up on the Roof Top—Sunday, July 19, 2015

Posted on July 19, 2015 by Dayphoto

The west side of the house is done!!!

YAY!

And the south side was finished last night after supper. Terry had to come help on a couple of scary (for me spots).

Now all that is left is 3/4 of the east side (with a very scary part surrounded by the metal roof…I don’t know if I can do all threes sides of that upstairs jut-out! I just don’t know. I can do the east part, by hanging out the window…the two sides will require I am in a safety harness. That alone has me trembling in my flip-flops.

Then there is the north side of the house…sigh!

Double sigh!

It is the tallest part of the house and the steepest. Terry doesn’t even like working up there. The scaffolding will work on part of it….I just have to get my head around the whole process before I can tackle the front of the house.

Today I’m taking the day off. My painting arm is exhausted so is my back and my knees. One day off will do me good. 🙂 Besides we always take of Sunday…a day of rest.

One nice thing is it hasn’t been hot. Lovely cloud cover most days, OR the day starts out sunny then the rain clouds come in cooling everything down.

Sure has been nice…roof tops are HOT and so are blinding white houses.

As Red Skelton used to say as he closed off his show: “May God Bless [Good Night]”

Your friend,

Linda

The Open Heart of my Life—Thursday, July 16, 2015

Posted on July 16, 2015 by Dayphoto

First light—-one would think that the air is silent but it isn’t, not at all.

The are birds calling, water rushing in the canal–

10:00 a.m. There is a rich green smell of the alfalfa field as the day heat up.

The birds and the insects are full voice, by this time, and the air dances with life.

Clouds scuttled over the top of us, causing the sun to highlight Hay Stack Mountain way at the end of Roubioux Canyon. When Terry and I were young the old-timers would tell that Hay Stack Mountain was scared to the Ute Indians. And (if) you were to climb to the top there you would see many Indian artifacts. Neither Terry nor I have ever been on Hay Stack Mountian. The road is closed to motorized vehicles, one must either walk or ride a horse.

Coming home (from a magnificent meal with our daughter and son-in-law who live in Grand Junction, Colorado) we drove in a rainstorm complete with a rainbow.

Colorado rainstorms can be abrupt and vigorous—the wind blows in black clouds– then they break dropping water in a rush.

Quickly the storm moved toward the north and the east…leaving us with a sky full of vivid color.

Your friend

Linda

Nothing New or Different—Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Posted on July 15, 2015 by Dayphoto

Everyday, every four hours the water is checked and possibly changed.

I’m still painting on the house…most of the west side is done, I’m working on the eves. I have part of the south side, but still need to CLIMB up on the roof to do the next level…after than I have the east side (You are looking at the east side) and the north side.

Terry blading the ruts and holes out the driveway

There are always little joys, through out the day.

So from morning until

dark we just keep truck’n on. (At our ages we are very, VERY, thankful we can still truck-on, just as we always have.)

It’s still clouding up and raining here and there and all around. It’s nice because the rain IS keeping the heat at bay.

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

A Fun Photo—Tuesday, July 15, 2015

Posted on July 14, 2015 by Dayphoto

Main Street in Delta, Colorado (shown in 1893), has two banks at the time of the McCarty heist. Despite the depression that has cleaned out many financial institutions across the country, both banks were solvent.

Jim Wetzel’s latest literary effort, a book titled, BANKS, BULLETS & BODIES; A Failed Robbery in Delta, Colorado, is available for purchase.

It is the story about the 1893 robbery of the Farmers and Merchants Bank on Delta’s Main Street in which two members of the McCarty gang were killed by Delta hardware merchant, W. Ray Simpson, during their attempted escape to safety. During the robbery, bank cashier, Andrew Trew Blachly, was also killed by one of the outlaws

This book not only tells the story of the bank robbery, but provides lots of background details about the people who were caught-up in the event. In addition, Wetzel has disclosed many details never before provided in previous writings of this event. Finally, he offers strong evidence that there were more than three gang members involved in this robbery, leading the reader in directions never imagined.

This book is the culmination of twelve years of research, and many hours of studying this event with the goal of correcting the written history of this story, so much of which has not been very accurate with regard to some details. As Wetzel says, “I question everything that doesn’t make complete sense, and that is very clear in this book.” Regardless of such questions, the stories surrounding the event make for fascinating reading, and this book tells it all.

The book retails for $16.95 and can be purchased at the museum or by mail.

MUSEUM DIRECTOR / CURATOR Jim Wetzel MUSEUM: (970) 874-8721 deltamuseum@aol.com

I must say—this is a VERY interesting book! If you like history, I highly recommend BANKS, BULLETS & BODIES; A Failed Robbery in Delta, Colorado to you.

Your friend,

Linda

Summertime—July 13, 2015

Posted on July 13, 2015 by Dayphoto

Summertime and the liv’n is not as easy as winter. Tee Hee

This Terry coming in from making ditches…that’s the ditcher on the back.

I’ve been painting the outside of our house. It really needs it. Last year I painted down at the other house, but this year I MUST focus on this place.

Our corn is getting close to tasseling out! What a joy that is–the too wet and cold spring, followed by smashing heat gave us a wonder if the corn was going to pull through.

Here Terry is staking a load of hay…I am in charge of getting the stack stable…think poles and such holding up the stack…not a hard job, but a necessary job. We are already getting hay customers, which is a very good thing.

Of course there is always water to change, several times a day. If not change at least check.

I would really like to wash my windows, but we are being gifted with afternoon thunder and rain storms…I think I will wait a spell. 🙂

Boomer and I go out to scatter the corn once a day. This is old corn we keep around to feed the deer, birds, raccoons, whatever or whoever wants some—it keeps the critters OUT of the corn fields.

Life is busy. To be honest with you I really don’t want it any other way.

Off now to keep painting — I just about have one side done. ( We have a two-story house…I sure dread the 2nd story 😦 )

I still need to do the eaves on the west side, which is going to be time consuming.

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

This Little Girl…Sunday, July 12, 2015

Posted on July 12, 2015 by Dayphoto

This little granddaughter (when the family moved to Craig, Colorado) had a horrible time adjusting to life in a subdivision (although a very spacious subdivision) and a life without the farm.

But the farmer and neighbor who lives just up the hill asked Linky if she would like to help gentle down his very special pigs. (Mr. Chapman raises pigs for shows and for breeding purposes only.)

Everyday Linkin would trudge up the hill to play and pet and love on the three pigs.

These are the pigs today. One of the piglets has a heart attack and died, but two are doing fine. Soon to be Momma’s. Linky told me one will farrow around the last week of July and the other the first week in August.

What more can a child ask for!

While we were there Linky and Mr. Chapman took us on a tour of the pig barns where we visited the boar, all the soon to be Momma hogs, the weiners and the various stages of pig lives.

Mr. Chapman is a very good and kind pig farmer. The pens are open, clean and spacious. The sows give birth in a natural environment, handled all the time so they are very gentle, and fed only the best of natural feeds. (They also have a pellet stove in each house and cooling fans in the summer.)

Next month it will be Linkin’s turn to spend a week with us. First we had Tallen, then Blade and last will be Linky.

Your friend on a western Colorado Farm,

Linda

Storms —Thursday, July 9, 2015

Posted on July 9, 2015 by Dayphoto

All day the clouds shifted here and there. Sometimes dropping rain, moving on, gathering again, lashing out

thunder, lighting, wind… the violence of each passing storm was exhilarating!

The earth, our crops, even myself sighed with relief. Later in the night, well, actually early, early in the morning, the skies cleared and the stars came out.

We woke to a beautiful morning. Fresh, clean, clear…a feeling of lightness in air!

Your rejuvenated friend on a Western Colorado Farm,

Linda

A Relief—Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Posted on July 8, 2015 by Dayphoto

We have a HUGE break in the triple digit weather…

It rained all night last night! Giant, luscious, rich drops of water.

Too much of anything is just too much! A break in the heat is lovely!

This moisture is in here until tomorrow then we slowly start the climb back into the heat. Until then…ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Your friend on a Western Colorado Farm,

Linda

Quickly There and Now Here—Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Posted on July 7, 2015 by Dayphoto

We took a very quick trip to Craig, Colorado.

Years and years ago Terry was a plumber. Also, he knows how to do house wiring from all his years in the Electrical trade…therefore, when Kelly called and asked if Terry would come up and help with a small remodel he was doing for their house.

The answer was: “Sure, I’ll put the water in the pasture and we will head up”!

(Jumping with Hank Puff and the guinea pig–Moe)

LUCKY LUCKY Terry and I!

Your friend,

Linda

A Walk Down my Little Path —Monday, July 6, 2015

Posted on July 6, 2015 by Dayphoto

Step into my little side garden and sit a spell with me.

I’ll bring out some iced tea, or if you prefer a Pepsi

We will talk about nothing really. Just sit and get to know each other–tell little stories of times gone by

We will share the garden with the Hummingbirds, the bumble bees and the honey bees, I hope you are not afraid of them…they rush tangibly here and there among the flowers