Linda Pierson from Just Another Day on the Prairie in Alberta, Canada, said I could use this photo of a bull snake sunning itself. A friend of her’s took the photo. It is such an unusual place to find bull snake I just had to share it will all of You!
On barbed wire no less!
Hope you enjoy!
Your farm friend on a Western Colorado Farm
Linda
The last few days have been a flurry of ‘rush’. A hurry, hurry-up, to cram in as much as we possibly can for the two little girls still with us.
Blade has already made the switch to being a Craig Middle School Bulldog…one of his practices had Bronco Great Rick Upchurch, helping with the training. (How cool is THAT!!!?) I looked for Bladen, he is Number 1, but I couldn’t find him amongst the others. 🙂
There was lots and lots of archery practice with Grandpa
Even Tally started to learn.
We had kids over to spend the night, and Linkin went to spend the night with her Best Friend Forever. Tallin went with Aunt Shannon and Jason to trim horses hooves (15 horses…she even got to ride one!!!)
Gradually we had to start packing—the time was coming to an end.
Then Mom-mo arrived ready to pick up her kids, critters and all the stuff that went with them.
After Mom-mom packed the van full of suitcases, bikes, and pillows— the critters loaded–first the Guinea pigs, 
Hank Puff, who actually seemed as sad as Linkin. He even went around giving Fuzzy and Boomer kisses…who would have thought that.
The last to go in was the bunny, Snowball.
A flurry of kisses and hugs then the little girls were loaded. Suddenly Linkin called out…her voice clogged with tears….”I love you! I’ll Miss You! It was never supposed to be this way!” Then we were all crying…huge silent tears.
The van pulled away…little hands waving frantically out the window. We stayed and watched gradually the van became a just a white dot.
Today, as I write this, they are in school. All of them. A good thing. Busy minds heal broken hearts.
Out in my garden I saw the beautiful cheerful California Poppies, that Jan sent to us after our horrible fire three years ago. Bright, cheerful, signs of hope and regrowth.
We are all going to make it…But each of you already know that, many of you have sent words of encouragement and kindness. I promise I will not belabor the fact they have journeyed onto a new adventure. I will send them hope and love and good wishes. I will not cry but look forward to visits!
I, too, will move forward!
Your farm friend,
Linda
We are ‘truck’n’ right along here. All the little tykes went home by 5:00 last evening. Leaving us with just Tally and Linky. They both had huge dark circles under their eyes, but were still wound-up.
Terry was also restless since it was raining and storming and generally nasty….(the above photo is from Sue in Cedaredge, Colorado. You can see Hart’s Basin on the far left of the photo…Cedaredge on the right hand side of the photo…and the storm which moved from the Uncompahgre Plateau (Un-come-pah-gray—accent on the pah) over the top of us toward the towns of Hotchkiss and Paonia.
Jolyne is now here…(all the way from Grand Prairie, Canada). Jolyne will be marrying Evan, our son, in three weeks. Terry and the little girls thought it was time to see Aunt Jolyne (almost aunt 🙂 ) so we took off to visit them for a short spell.
After which ice cream was in order.
Today we must take a huge shopping trip to Grand Junction, Colorado, for parts for the hay swather and a door for the garage. Our time is ‘flying by’. We are in the middle of the week…even the little girls are saying the time is going to quickly.
Time has a way of doing that doesn’t it? Flying by…but only when you are having fun. I’ve had time crawl…but not right now, not this week, nor today.
For today we will enjoy each and every second!
Your friend,
Linda
The sleep-over part of the sleep-over went well. After lots and lots of running and playing.
Linky and her BFF, Ellie, practiced their archery off and on all afternoon and evening—everyone settled down around 10:00 p.m. (I know that’s late, but it is the last week of Summer, and they are at Grammy’s and heck…why not ?! 🙂 )
By mid-night we heard not a sound. I crept slowly upstairs to see what might be going on…playing on IPads…? Sleeping?
Sleeping.
The pinto beans are on their last water of the season. The pods are getting dry, which means the beans have reached their full size. This last water will help the beans finish filling out.
Then we wait until all the leaves dry up. Once that happens it will be time…pinto bean harvest will begin.
My Guest today is Red Door Coop. She sent me a double rainbow which occurred in July! Alli is also from Colorado, but she lives on ‘the other side of the mountains’…the eastern slope of Colorado. Drop over and give her a comment, if you have time!
Your Friend on a Western Colorado Farm
Linda
The summer birds are leaving….gradually one group by another is flying away from our farm to locals further south.
The Robins left early, going in sometime in July. Then the Orioles emptied the the sugar feeds and left. I have not seen a Western Meadowlark for ever so long; the blackbirds swooped down into the feeders early one morning then took off in a cloud. I will have to wait until spring to see and hear them again. 🙂
It won’t be long before the Swallows fly. The last of the babies are ready to fledge any moment. I hope I can capture the ‘gathering’ as they swoop and settle on the electric wires waiting for all the other swallows to gather with them.
So far the Hummingbirds are still here. I am so glad! They bring me joy as they buzz and hum while I weed and water.
Then one day last week the owls came back….singing their night songs as they hunted for mice in the fields. The crows and raves are letting me know they are here also and they really DO like black sunflower seeds.
Fall has arrived.
The trees are starting to sport yellow mixed in among the green, the weeds are turning woody and going to seed even if they are only ankle high…they know. Time is running out.
My garden is still blooming well, the seeds have not started appearing. Which is good. I’m not ready for winter.
Today the little girls are going to have a sleep over—the schools in Delta start on Wednesday, but the schools in Craig don’t start until next Monday. There is much sadness as this leaving. So in a great burst of compassion I asked if they would like to have one best friend each to spend the night tonight. (I hope this Grammy is up to it) I will take the best friends home sometime after lunch tomorrow.
Wish me luck, it’s been a mighty long time since I’ve had sleep over’s at our house. Can you just hear it now….chattering until Mid-night…lots of giggles and whispers!
Your friend,
Linda
We have had the most unusual summer…
We have had visitors from near and far,
W have raced through forests and witnessed local towns annual celebrations, watched exotic dancers with barefeet dance and veils plus swirls of skirts on extremely hot pavement at the Farmer’s Market in Grand Junction.
We’ve wept at the loss of grandchildren moving from ‘just next to us’ to a town three hours away.
We’ve been guests at our local racetrack as we watched a long-time friend and his family race to the finish line, often times in first place.
This week we are nearing the end of summer. (Summer always ends when school starts 🙂 )
The two youngest grandchildren, the two granddaughters will stay with us just before school starts for them. It is our last full week of the little tykes then their lives will begin with large brush strokes of ‘being the new kid in the classroom’ and first time (for Bladen) on the Middle School Football Team–“Go Bull Dogs”
Grandpa and I will help them collect memories of ‘life on the farm—on a fine summer day’ as much as we can.
Then on Friday they return to Craig, Colorado, and we begin again to prepare for harvest.
The pinto beans leaves are starting to turn yellow. Possibly one more irrigation then we will be done for another season with the pinto beans. Terry is working on the bean combine (I help here and there—‘come hold this bolt, or lift up on the auger’ — you know stuff like that.
And he is getting the hay swather ready to go…the pinto beans and the last cutting of hay will happen very close together. In-between there are hay customers, weeds to pull and now the house across the field, of which I need to mow, water, weed and take a paint brush to here and there.
We are very lucky, Terry and I! Family and friends have filled our days. Soon our son will be getting married and we will welcome a new member. The harvest will begin and my canning will finally be done.
In the evening we will continue to sit outside, as the evening slowly changes into dusk, then dark watching the multitude of twinkling stars. The next day we will begin again.
As each of you will do!
Your friend,
Linda
We received a call from our daughter in Grand Junction, Colorado and her husband asking if we would like a small break to go on a Four-Wheeler ride on Grand Mesa. (Grand Mesa is the largest flat-topped mountain in the world)
Would we!!!?
Packing a lunch, our jackets, and my camera (of course 🙂 ) we were ready to go.
It wasn’t long before they arrived pulling a trailer which would fit three four-wheelers and the extra four-wheeler in the back of his pick-up truck!
WHEEE! We were off!
Grand Mesa is a special place to me. My brother and I grew up in Eckert, Colorado. Close to the base of Grand Mesa. Many a time our parents and grandparents would ”head up the mountain’ for a day, or a couple of days and nights, or more.
Summers always included times on Grand Mesa.
Today there are many, many more people on this huge flat top mountain than when we were growing up. But having more people enjoying ‘the mesa’ brings with it other things than just crowds. It brings groups of people who band together to create trails for backwoods enthusiasts; off road vehicles, hikers, and fishermen. The winter has cross-country skiers and snow machiners testing their skills.
(Cliff and Kimberly Rezak)
We ate lunch at Trickle Park Reservoir, after which we headed back to every day life.
My goofy husband!
Joy can be sparked by the most simple of delights, don’t you agree?
A day off from the ‘every day of life’ is just so —- well, refreshing. Life isn’t about mastering everything in it…Life is an adventure. Some days you just have to experience something vastly different from the ordinary, for the ordinary to be more than just idling along.
Here is my wish for you today—I wish that each one of you can experience that feeling of the wind in your hair, music blasting on the radio, you singing along at the top of your voice–not caring if you are in tune —just feeling the music, the wind and the simple delight of being alive!
Or anything that is slightly different for your regular day. Something that lifts you right into that other place of refreshment and a feeling of great pleasure and happiness!
Your friend,
Linda
Terry and I were talking last evening trying to figure out how many hummingbirds we have now…it’s extremely hard to tell. Lots and lots of them that is for sure. I’m going through nine feeders a day.
So you would think I could get a good photo or two of the little flying jewels, but nope.
Another long time blog friend, Marianne, took some really good photos of the hummers at her farm in the state of New York: Northviewdairy.blogspot.com. She is a first time grandma and lucky to have the little tyke and her mom and dad right there in the wonderful, large, and roomy farmhouse. So when the parents are out at their day jobs…Marianne and Ralph get the baby ‘all to their selves’!!!!
Yesterday, Marianne captured a really fun photo post of a Momma hare and her teenaged bunny! Head over and check it out…farming in a world of rich green loveliness!
Another of your farming friends,
Linda
Kagedog, My longtime blog reading friend sent me this lovely rainbow.
Here is what her email said: “Here’s a rainbow for you, Linda, just to brighten your day. I took this one a couple of years back from our deck. We don’t often see rainbows over Cedaredge. More often in the other direction over the Black Canyon. Just thought you might enjoy it.
Now you can also enjoy it! A gift of hope!
Life on a Colorado Farm 