Sunday, November 17, 2013

Posted on November 17, 2013 by Dayphoto

While working outside Friday a huge Sun Dog lit up the western sky, foretelling of a cold front soon to be arriving in our area

The day was rather warm for a November day so we kept on

checking the fences and rebuilding where they had been torn down

That is Terry the tiny dot on the gray looking hill. He will check the fences between our neighbor to the south

Here he is again almost to the top.

While he is doing that the dogs and I headed down to the west of the place. The most damage will come from those two areas and the north.

Yep! Right on time! Saturday the cold front came in…rain, bitter wind, and snow in places. We only had a sprinkle of rain and the sharp wind, but it looks like the mountains collected lots of white stuff. Come next spring we will be able to water our crops with melted snow! 🙂

Today the clouds are lifting and a small chill breeze is pushing them away clearing the sky.

It looks like a promising day!

Your friend on the western side of Colorado,

Linda

Thursday, November 14, 2013 — The Sandhill Cranes Have arrived

Posted on November 14, 2013 by Dayphoto

The winter birds have arrived….we are seeing daily crows and ravens (Although, those birds live here year-round they don’t stay close to the farms) and the ever present flocks of sparrows and starlings. We have others but these are the majority of the birds. The owls are back in the tops of our trees sending their soft hoo-hoos into the night.

Cranes-1

The air is full of the sound of Sandhill Cranes…we have lots and lots of them —-I mean lots!

They are looking for certain fields, landing in one and then leaving and then landing in another

Where the Canada Geese used to be we now have the cranes.

I’m not complaining…I enjoy both of the bird types.

As winter progresses we will start to see the birds species mixing, but for now…for the beginning of things they won’t share. Most of the Canada Geese are hanging out at the water places, the rivers and Confluence Lake and small ponds.

I hope to get closer to these really shy birds to try and get a really nice shots of the birds.

I also hope they come closer to the house so I can watch them right out the window, that would be fun!

Anyway, we are taking the day off today…no real work..tomorrow we start back up again.

Have a good one everyone,

Your Friend, Linda

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Posted on November 13, 2013 by Dayphoto

DONE!!!!

FINISHED!!!

The last load ground up and sent with the neighbor, Sam.

Supper was eaten at 8:00 p.m.

That was okay! Sam has feed for the winter and we are through with the corn!

YIPPEE!!!

Now we move into the maintenance and repair season…known as winter!

Your friend,

Linda

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Posted on November 12, 2013 by Dayphoto

I thought it would be fun to post a few photos for our very quick train trip. I so enjoyed the train trip….Terry not so much (way, way, way too slow for him). I could do it again, just to see the scenery. It is scenery you never see driving in a car, especially on the interstates. We met people who were traveling from the east coast to the west coast…four days and three nights of travel. Some purchased sleeping cars and some slept in the seats of the regular cars.

The food was good, but extremely expensive. $12 for a hamburger with chips, $3 for a drink, although water, ice tea, and coffee was part of the meal. We only ate one meal on the train, but if you purchased a sleeper all of your meals were included—breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

I’m always amazed at the engineering feats of those back in the late 1800 and early 1900. We rode on rails laid at the turn of the 1900’s the skills of those men to accomplish such a feat is stunning.

The trip from Grand Junction to Denver has several tunnels in it…I really can’t remember now – somewhere around 40-50, which is sort of cool. And all of this created way, way back when, when the tracks were first laid.

This is Glenwood Springs, Colorado…the river, the interstate and the pool are all in front of that beautiful building

Going to Denver we went to Granby then on to Frazier and Winter Park. At Frazier and Winter Park we had an hour and a half stop waiting for repairs further on down the tracks. Winter Park and Frazier have really grown up over the last 5 or so years…lots on new buildings, mega mansions, and condos. I was surprised. We also had to stop again for thirty minutes which made the train get in 1 1/2 hours late. Coming home we had no stops and arrived on time in Grand Junction.

Leaving Denver we could see the inversion that had settled down over the area. It was extremely cold in the city. We were there only one night, but since we were right on the 16th Street Mall the cold didn’t stop us from having a special time just for us.

There was snow in Glenwood Canyon on the way back, but it only reached the top of the canyon

To be truthful I enjoyed just looking at the highway and NOT driving on the highway! 🙂 🙂

The corn harvest is starting to wind down today or tomorrow we will be finished. HOO RAY!! The weather has been beautiful the whole time. After the combines messed up and all of you put for your collective thoughts Terry was able to fix the thermostat and move steadily forward.

The motor is now using oil so he will have to change it out or over-haul it. That will be the next project…that and checking fences. Thanksgiving is the beginning of pheasant season…we have NOT had any pheasants for several years now (the DOW planted fox in our area so the ground birds became yummy fox food). But hope prevails as he saw two roosters and a hen while he was combining, we hope they are making a come back.

Even though we post the place there are those who don’t care they arrive leaving open gates and tearing down fences in the hopes of MAYBE finding something to kill. With all that in mind we will head out and check and repair and post signs…sometime very soon.

Your farming friend,

Linda

Monday, November 11, 2013

Posted on November 11, 2013 by Dayphoto

Way back here I promised to show you the photos and tell you a little bit about the Diversion Dam.

The Diversion Dam is where our irrigation water starts (and out potable water for our homes) out of the Gunnison River flowing through the Gunnison Tunnel. This is the dam and the little house is sitting over all the ‘workings’ that move the water from the Gunnison to farms along the Uncompahgre Valley (Un-come-pah-gray…accent on the pah). We live in the lower part of the Uncompahgre Valley…the irrigation water starts flowing through farms in Montrose, then Olathe and finally Delta. The water is used many, many, many times before it flows back into the Gunnison River on it’s way to California, Nevada, and Arizona. Water in our neck of the high desert is not wasted. Water in Colorado protected by law…we can not even catch rain water as all water must be allowed to flow back into the land. This link will show you other people’s photos of the dam and the tunnel.

Anyway, our water starts at Taylor Reservoir flows into Blue Mesa Reservoir and then starts it’s way down the Gunnison to Delta, through the Black Canyon.

Gunnsion-River

Only a portion of the river is diverted at the Gunnison dam. The above photo shows you the water flowing onward after the dam.

The Uncompahgre Valley Water Users manage the water with senior water rights on the river. This house is where the people live who take care of the Dam and the tunnel on this end of things.

The Uncompahgre Valley Water Users and Delta Montrose Electric Association combined forces to start a hydro project on the canal…

You are looking at the gate that takes the water to the hydro.

Water…always a fascinating subject for me… Since I grew up at the foot of Grand Mesa (my father and grandfather had big orchards) water was always a topic of discussion. After getting married to a farmer we continued the water discussion …the one of — is there enough to farm with this year? Always a concern.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy your short trip. It’s always a treat to take people to see where the ‘water’ comes from, water for drinking and for irrigation in our tiny spot of the world.

You Western Colorado Friend,

Linda

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Posted on November 10, 2013 by Dayphoto

Occasionally, readers of my blog share with me outstanding photos. That is one of the delightful joys of blog-land—people sharing bits and pieces of their lives with each one of us.

The three following pictures are from Gary E. West (a local boy who grew up and moved to a big city in Texas).

He was back in the Ouray/Ridgeway part of our world in early October where he took these photos.

Owl Creek Pass

Another of Owl Creek Pass

And Sleeping Indian mountains

Although, winter has now settled down on that part of the world we can still see the brilliant colors

Thank you so much, Gary. And Thank you for letting me share them with all of my readers!

Your friend

Linda

P.S. I took French and college and can only remember tiny little bits of the language…you have to use it or loose it, as they say. I wanted to say in French– Ton amitié m’est très précieuse but I’m not sure if I spelled it right or am saying it correctly, I hope I am. For all of your friendship is important to me.

The Adventures of Fuzzy and Boomer on Friday — MY BIRTHDAY!!

Posted on November 8, 2013 by Dayphoto

In October 2010 I came to live with Fuzzy and Mom and Dad.

I picked here!! I could tell by the smells this is where I wanted to be.

I liked Fuzzy and he liked me.

Mom fell in love with me first and then Dad.

So Here I am!

I was five when I got here and now I’m 8!!! Eight years old!

Mom asked me what I wanted for my birthday…she said I got to pick

So I PICKED…………………………………

YOU GUESSED IT!!!

SMELLS!!!

Lots and lots of smells!

So Mom took us for a four-wheeler ride and then a walk.

Fuzzy waited for us by the four-wheeler, he said walking is just too hard…so it was just Mom and I.

We had loads and loads of fun! There were smells here and there and everywhere! Wonderful delicious exciting smells!

Oh!

Guess what!!!

MY knee is lots better! I can even run again! Mom put DMSO on it until I smelled like corn. But my knee is healing! (Mom says if it’s good for a horse then it should be good for a beagle—and it WAS!)

I only limp if I’ve been doing way too much. When that happens Mom gets out the DMSO and puts some on. She doesn’t have to do it as much as when we started, actually hardly at all.

WHEEEEEEEEEEEE!

It’s fun being a beagle, living on a farm and having a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

Boomer

Thursday, November 11, 2013

Posted on November 7, 2013 by Dayphoto

Terry got the diesel combine fixed…Which is just wonderful! He thought It was the thermostat…he drilled several holes in the old one, made a new gasket and IT WAS! He got a load and headed into town around 2:30, making two loads in one day. I don’t drive the combine or the truck. I could and would drive the truck but that girl is terribly temperamental….Terry says she is a a girl….I don’t know I could apply the same to guys.

He got unloaded and was back at dark! UNHEARD OF!!

If every thing holds together…the corn will be done in 7 more days! I’ve looked at the weather charts and it looks like the weather is going to stay nice for at least that long. Of course it can always change.

Then Tally started draping herself all around the furniture while I was working giving me huge sighs. I asked her if she was bored and she said she was bored and wanted to go to school.

We called her Mom and she said she could come to school (since she wasn’t contagious) which was good. I asked everyone to come to supper last night, so they did. She looked lots better!

My finger is slow. Like most of you have said I will hit in on everything. I do. I wear a finger guard most of the time, but sometimes I take it off and then have to put it back on. The swelling is down so that is good.

Everyone seems to have found the deer so I won’t post where she is. There were two deer there. The one in the hidden pictures was looking at me in the first one, then she was eating.

The other deer was just sitting up on the little hill watching something in the distance.

Aren’t they pretty?

Well, today everything begins again.

I hope everyone is doing well I hope to get around and visit each of you sometime today!

You friend on a Western Colorado Farm,

Linda

Wednesday, November 6, 2013 Hidden Pictures

Posted on November 6, 2013 by Dayphoto

Thank you one and all for the magic thoughts, prayers and good wishes for each and every little problem we are experiencing.

Yesterday after the truck was loaded the chain on the gasoline combine’s hopper broke………AUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! Which means that today Terry and I will shovel out the hopper into the truck, then he will have to climb under and in to remove the chain….go up to Montrose to get a chain (more than likely it will be me and my little sick granddaughter to get the chain) while he tries to fix the diesel combine. When I get back he hopes to be combining with the first combine as the diesel combine is much cheaper to run. If not…he has to figure out which combine will be the quickest to fix, not necessarily the cheapest.

What a harvest this has been!

The bean harvest was just as bad with the bean combine breaking down. The funny thing about our equipment, is it is so old now that the parts a couple of years ago were cheap…not now…and it isn’t because they are hard to find, it’s because collectors have started collecting the equipment that we USE causing the price of the parts to triple in value.

Go figure.

So here we are…old ‘classic’ equipment, old ‘us’, and everything breaking down. Terry says he either needs to buy some newer equipment or stop farming —the last isn’t going to happen my friends, I can’t even imagine it. He says at 69 you could never farm out the cost of the newer equipment so he guesses he will just have to fix what he has.

Sigh.

Soooo anyway….here we are…Terry is at the elevator with the second load waiting to dump (he has been there since daylight) and I have a sick grandchild sleeping on the sofa. In light of all that I thought something fun would be perfect for the post today.

CAN YOU FIND THE DEER

When we were up at the Diversion Dam I took a couple of photos of a deer in the trees, thinking we could play a game…sort like these two posts awhile back——-

If you can see the deer tell us and also let us know what the deer is doing!

Have fun!

I’ll post the answers in a couple of days!

Your friend,

Linda

Tuesday, November 5, 2013 A Need for Magic Thoughts

Posted on November 5, 2013 by Dayphoto

Terry started the corn harvest

The day was cold and cloudy, but not windy. He waited until noon to see if the promised rain/sheet/snow was going to come. Since it didn’t he began.

About the time he got half the truck loaded the diesel motor started getting HOT! Stopping quickly (we both hope the motor is okay)…and some long flustered and frustrating minutes he dug out the gasoline combine.

That machine hasn’t ran for years. About two hours later (including lunch) he got it going and was able to finish one load. We parked the truck and covered it for the night just as the wind picked up. (Terry is at the elevator right now waiting to dump the load–he says it will be a long wait — he thinks he will be back around lunch or 1:00 p.m. A four to five hour wait.)

Late in the evening as the wind blew and the rain pelted he was able to get the thermostat off hoping that is the problem, if not sometime this after noon he will work on the water pump…let us hope it is the thermostat and not the water pump or worse yet…Not the whole motor! Please send Magic thoughts for a easy and non-costly fix! What a start to the harvest.

Over night the wind blew, the rain turned to sleet/snow and we woke-up to ice everywhere.

The snow isn’t staying, which is good, although the wind is still bitter and nasty. The weather person says this will blow out of here today with the next 6 days really nice!

That would be great…if things could hang together maybe we would be done in 6-10 days.

Anyway, life goes on. Sometimes the days within are a little brain stretching but we always make it.

I must go now and go pick up a sick granddaughter and take her to the Doctor’s Office, an ear infection. Another request for healing for this little girl so she can go to school her ‘most favorite thing in the whole wide world to do–even better than playing with My Little Ponies’.

Your rather frazzled friend,