Want’a See? —- May 7, 2014

Posted on May 7, 2014 by Dayphoto

Want to see what Seventy burning candles look like on a cake? 🙂

(Blade said the heat was very hot on his face. 🙂 )

The grandchildren insisted we have seventy fully lit candles for Grandpa. It took a lot of fast starting of candles and a VERY slow walk for Bladen to bring the cake into for Grandpa to blow all of them out.

Linky thought she better bring a spray bottle of water, because she was just SURE Grandpa couldn’t blow ALL THOSE OUT AT ONCE!!!

But he Did!

Tally grabbed Grandpa and looked him in the eye and said, (very seriously) “I knew you could do it, Grandpa.” The faith of a child.

We have finally gotten all the corn ground wet and are watering the alfalfa for the second time this year. Next we will start on the pinto bean ground.

Terry should start marking it out either today or tomorrow.

After the ground is totally soaked, we wait a week for it to dry down, then Terry will got in plant. This is called wet planting.

There are two kinds of planting…dry and wet. In dry planting you get the ground ready and plant the seed, then you water the seed up. We like the wet planting, since the ground is already wet the seed starts to sprout immediately. Weeds are easier to manage, because the planter ‘weeds’ as the seeds are planted. We are in for ease. 🙂

The word from the Ditch Company is the reservoirs are completely ice free and rising quickly. (Except for Taylor Park) The water level at Blue Mesa Reservoir has risen 16 feet in the last few weeks and is expected to fill within 5 feet of the reservoir top! WHOO HOO!!

Although, we are not not drought stricken this year, we will continue, as we always have, to practice good water management. But not having to really worry about the water is —well—nice!

Thanks for stopping by. It’s always good to have a visit with friends.

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

Heartfelt Thanks—-May 6, 2014

Posted on May 6, 2014 by Dayphoto

My heart and soul is extremely humbled and ever so grateful for all the wonderful, kind, understand and encouraging thoughts over my last post.

Each of you have brought tears to my eyes because of your strength, love and understanding. Each of you have given me even more hope and determination to keep the strength and love of our families as the fore-front of these new far reaching lives!

You are truly my friend as I hope I am yours!

Linda

Away—–Going Away—May 5, 2014

Posted on May 5, 2014 by Dayphoto

Terry’s celebration was really nice…all our children and their mates and our three grandchildren came and ate and played games!

We also learned that the father of our Grandchildren has been selected to be the new principal at Craig, Colorado.

Craig is three hours away from us. Do I laugh with joy or cry with sadness?

Bladen will be in the Seventh Grade next year–a year of huge changes for him.

No more just running across the field (they are heading home in this photo)to see what we are doing, or to get a snack, or to catch a ride with Grandpa.

No more randomness.

We will work hard to keep them close….as time permits we will travel there to be with them. We will bring them home with us, if they want to come, and their new lives will let them.

It’s all too special to let slip away. It is also selfish of us to ask them to not go. We are very proud of Kelly, please understand that, it is the leaving that makes Terry and I sad.

Now our hope is that they will be able to return sometime in the future. I hope this isn’t being a selfish hope! We will work hard to leave it up to what is best for all of them.

Still…I do think you understand.

You also know that time has a way of making everything right. My Momma would always say—‘everything works out for the best–if you will let it.’

So we will let it.

When our son was born, my parents also moved up by Craig, Colorado—they moved to Hayden. Daddy had gotten a job with Colorado Ute (now called Tri-State). So it is, with a touch of irony, that my youngest daughter and our son-in-law, and grandchildren are moving back. Life really does have some odd little jogs and jags in it, doesn’t it?

(Don’t forget you might have to remind of this—that life always works out for the best.)

Sigh,

Linda

Seventy—May 4, 2014

Posted on May 4, 2014 by Dayphoto

On Friday, May 2nd, Terry turned 70! I hope I am as active and energetic and able to work as hard as my Dear Husband does everyday….still!

Today, I’m having our kids and their families over for a Sunday dinner celebration. We had to wait for everyone to be off work.

Happy Birthday, Hubby!

I found this cool little saying:

“Seventy is wormwood,

Seventy is gall

But its better to be seventy,

Than not

Alive at all.”–Phyllis McGinley

Your farming friends!

Terry and Linda

Good Fences and Gates — May 1, 2014

Posted on May 1, 2014 by Dayphoto

Happy First Day of May Everyone!!!!!

For my “Good Fences” post today I have the wonderful, exciting photo of this delightful, outstanding, just perfect for today’s post of a fence and a Rainbow…I just love Rainbows!

I give you our corral fence………….

Yippee! How lucky am I and how lucky are you! A Good Fence and a rainbow!

My white picket fence even looks blue in the evening light. Another cool thing!

For more wonderful fences head over here. Please join up…its really fun to see all the cool gates and fences from all over the place…yours will be just as appreciated as everyone else.

Your farming friend,

Linda

Nature’s Bling —- April 30, 2014

Posted on April 30, 2014 by Dayphoto

The wind is still with us…a very sharp wind, blowing across the snow freshly dumped in the mountains all around us.

We are COLD. In my yard the asparagus has froze, the lilac buds have turned brown and dried on the stem, the fruit trees crisp white blooms are now a brown yucky color. Out on the farm everything is still okay…the alfalfa is cold but green, growing slowly, but still alive. We are still irrigating, nothing has been planted so we have no worries in that department.

Rain and snow occurred off and on all day

The wind pushing storm clouds from the west toward us, then onto the east

At different points the sun shined into the Roubidoux Canyon allowing us to see the geological formations just four miles from our farm.

The tri-colored Red-winged Blackbirds helped us while we changed water, searching for yummy things in the soil.

A hawk looking for super also, watched us while we changed the water, swaying gently in the wind on his tiny branch in the tree. The tree is still waiting for warmth so it can leaf out…waiting, just like us.

Suddenly a rainbow lite up an culvert a neighbor has ready to insert across an arroyo on his land!

We worked on the water until dark, but even the dark offered Bling in the most spectacular of ways!

The Bling of Nature…really, who could ask for more? Not I. I am most comfortable here, on the land…really Terry and I try hard to one with the land and all that shares it with us!

Your farming friend,

Linda

Still Cold and Windy —- April 29, 2014

Posted on April 29, 2014 by Dayphoto

What a cold and windy day we had yesterday…and the day before….and again today! I’m holding onto the hope that calmer weather is heading in by the weekend. It sure needs too.

Some of the sweet corn has already been planted (no, we don’t raise sweet corn), but that that drew the early lottery already have the seed in the ground, just waiting for the weather to warm up before they put the water to the seed. Sweet corn harvest is timed to come off every two weeks starting around the 4th of July and ending in late September. Those that get the extremely early or the extremely late lottery always have a crap shoot going in…weather (the house) can be the winner in most cases.

The wind blew gusts of 40 m.p.h most of the day until late in the night, slowing down some, but back up again this morning. The weather people say to expect 35 m.p.h. gusts today. Freeze warning are in effect until Wednesday at 10 a.m. I’m pretty sure the fruit is all gone…I just don’t know how it could make it through all of this wind and extreme cold.

This Boomer on the run…he didn’t come when called so he had to hurry in behind me.

Fuzz always waits for me. He used to like to get out and chase the water, but not anymore.

Back home the cats know just what it takes to make life good

Now what more could you ask for? 🙂

Still all in all I thought the sunset was a perfect spot of Bling at the end of the day!

Linda

Visual Gifts — April 28, 2014

Posted on April 28, 2014 by Dayphoto

Today our youngest daughter turns 37….it just seems like yesterday she was a tiny tot.

We are still very cold…I mean very cold! Although, it’s sunny and bright (which helps) the wind is terrible and very cold. It’s like being in January all over again. If the weather people are right, by Sunday we will be in the 80s…I can handle that! 🙂

A rainbow did appear as the sun came out from behind the clouds! I love seeing rainbows.

Anyway, while we were up at the upper end we saw another wonder of nature….

Desert Evening Primroses were everywhere….the moisture and the weather must be just right for these to pop into bloom. It’s been several years since we’ve seen them!

Although we are terribly cold…I’m now down to raiding my scrap heap for wood —(I refuse to open up the wood that is being seasoned for next winter) ….the earth and the skies have given us gifts untold!

Lucky us And you!

From a cold windy land a cherry Good Morning!

Linda

Canyons, Mesas and Hills April 27, 2014

Posted on April 27, 2014 by Dayphoto

Boy, is it ever COLD here!!! Miserable in fact. We started the heat back on in the house yesterday and have kept it going all night and even today. I’m down to four logs of wood (that have been cut to length) I was hoping the cut wood would last us until warm and settled weather of spring. So far that isn’t going to be the case.

Last night Terry and I were dress in our winter clothes —carhart jackets, hooded sweatshirts, with warm winter hats pulled way down over our ears to do the irrigation water. Miserable changing and resetting (melted snow) ice water in all those clothes. But we had to do it or freeze.

Today there is edges of ice along the rows it’s so cold out here.

Of course, the fruit trees are in full bloom—apples, cherries, prunes, pears, and plums. These trees are on our place and I don’t smudge. I’m sure the orchardist are smudging or running wind fans to try and save their fruit and their living.

Out there on the ditch bank I had to marvel at the beauty that surrounds us—sometimes it is just stunning.

The storm clouds had lifted a little bit allowing the sun to shine on the canyons, mesas, hills and the Uncompahgre Plateau (Un-come-pah-gray) highlighting the vistas surrounding our mesa.

There is something about being near these geological wonders that lifts my soul. Something mystic, even exciting. The canyons draw me to them speaking of mystery and and enchantment—opening my spirit to those who have traveled long long ago, within their captivating walls, or walked along the mesas and hills hunting, foraging, putting down roots, making a life for themselves.

Then there are all the wild animals and other creatures that complete the magic within the vista…calling to my soul!

Anyway….I couldn’t tarry long day dreaming, but for a spell, a very short spell, the canyons and mesas, the plateaus and the hills where filled with sunshine then the storm descended upon them also.

But, lucky for me, I was outside and saw…now you can too.

From the high mountain deserts of Western Colorado I sing to you a bright and very cold “Good Morning!”

You friend,

Linda