Wednesday June 5, 2013

Posted on June 5, 2013 by Dayphoto

For some reason my internet has been down until right now.

Oh, well…

Terry has the first cutting of hay done…

This is the ‘getting old’ field. The rows are not very thick. As I’ve said before this field will be planted to something else (if there is water) next year.

We wait now for the alfalfa to dry down…usually about a week if the weather holds sunny and hot. Sometimes faster if we have wind to go with it.

But if we have rain (fingers crossed this doesn’t happen) we stand a very good chance of the rain ruining the crop. So no rain for AT LEAST TWO MORE WEEKS!

The alfalfa need to morph into hay, then it needs to be baled into bales and hauled into the hay yard to be sold.

This shot of the hummers is a little better…I only cut off two of the little flying jewels, but I did get one looking good.

Last night the jet streams were a delightful pink

I always wonder where they are going—home … away…somewhere for fun…just out of here..going, going and then gone…just the tails left.

Off to work in the yard!

Linda

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Dayphoto

Terry is out cultivating the pinto beans…THANK HEAVENS FOR BIG EQUIPMENT! I would hate to have to go out and weed that whole field by hand…although, we have to when the pintos get too big to drive a tractor through. At that time we only go after the big weeds and still they will get away from us.

Linkin rode her bike over…

you can see by this series of photos that they live just over the fields from us…

which is nice, because the kids never have to get on the road to ride their bikes…

they just have to head down the field roads.

We took her to her school (Lincoln Elementary) to show us what she likes to do at recess,

whereby she and her Grandpa had a very hot game of Tether Ball. After a well balanced super of Chili-cheese fries and a Frosty we took on a game of Miniature Golf! No scores kept just good fun. Grandpa won the prize at the end of the game, which was a turn each in the batting cages.

It was Linki’s first time to ever swing a bat — she did really good. We used the softball pitch.

Then back home to change water and set it in the next area.

While they were up at the corn field I tried my hand at photographing a hummer or two.

I still have a long ways to go to getting a good shot!

Have a good Tuesday everyone! Meet you back here tomorrow!

Linda

Monday, June 3, 2013

Posted on June 3, 2013 by Dayphoto

We had great fun with Linkin. A day with just one of the grandchildren…their day..is always nice. She is still here and will go with me later on this morning to ‘pet the kitties’ at the shelter while I walk the dogs. A child has to be fourteen to walk dogs, but the shelter manager lets Linki pet all the kitties and play with them in the big walk-in cage. This works out for everyone, me, Linkin (who adores cats), the dogs and the kitties.

It’s nicely warm here 88* yesterday with some clouds drifting by and a little breeze or so.

Terry has decided today he will cut the alfalfa…the long-range forecast is for hot, drying weather for a least a week. Good! At the end of the week, the alfalfa will be dry as toast and morph into hay. Then we pray for dew in the morning so he can go out and bale the hay. After he gets it baled he will haul it in and the dogs and I will work on the hauling in of the ends of the fields.

My favorite little bugs are very active right now…I just adore these fat, furry buzzy bees!

She was very intent on her work so didn’t mind that I was shooting away with my camera.

She also posed several times, I just sure she loved having a photo shot going on while she was so very busy!

Linda

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Posted on June 2, 2013 by Dayphoto

We are getting closer and closer to the the first cutting of alfalfa…probably the end of this week of the first of next week. We like to wait for the alfalfa to just start to bloom

You can see the tiny purple dots on the stems right now…you can also see some dandelions. This is the field that will be plowed up next year…it’s starting to get old.

A hay field is old when you can see dandelions and/or other weeds in it. We don’t spray for weeds we take the field and plant something else to give it a rest from the 3-5 years of alfalfa. It’s called rotational farming, which we have always practiced.

The sunset last night was on the weird side — really yellow.

As I was watching the sun set I saw a

Sun dog!

Actually that is really strange as we just got through with cold windy weather of the last four days and the weather people are saying we are heading into two weeks of extremely hot weather.

Usually if you see a sun dog it means frigid weather is about to hit……… humm.

Odd don’t you think?

The pinto beans are up

We are planted as much as we are going to plant this year and the crops are all up. (We don’t need any type of freeze now…that is for sure!)

Rumors have it that soon, very soon, they will be around to cut us down two more holes on the head gate…I hope they don’t do it for a couple of weeks, maybe longer. I’m sure that is just “hope” on my part.

Enjoy your Sunday everyone, today at 4 p.m. my oldest granddaughter is coming to ‘spend the night with us and part of tomorrow. It should be lots of fun for her grandpa and myself!

Linda

Monday, May 28, 2013

Posted on May 28, 2013 by Dayphoto

Sorry, sick today….huge allergy attack. I hope to be back tomorrow morning.

Linda

Memorial Day —- May 27, 2013

Posted on May 27, 2013 by Dayphoto

Lest we forget…

Thank you one and all!

Amen,

Linda

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Posted on May 26, 2013 by Dayphoto

The the ‘next impossible happen’! Terry and I took off a Friday, Friday night and half of Saturday while Misty and Bladen irrigated for us.

Blade is 11 now and getting pretty good at sitting siphon tubes. Misty is as good as Terry….hold one end of the tube shut with one hand, pump the water into the tube (while walking) and then sit the tube down quickly so the water flows out. Blade is determined to do it ‘like Mom and Grandpa’. His hand isn’t quiet large enough to close off the end of the tube but he works at it. He stands up and then pumps the water into the tube and then put the tube down quickly…sometimes he has enough pressure and sometimes not. BUT HE IS DETERMINED to do it like the experts….not Grammy :)!

I have to stop walking, bend down and cover the end with my hand, pump the water into the tube and then put in the row. Sometimes I can’t get a good enough seal so I submerge the tube in the water, cover the end with my hand and then put the tube in the row. I’m slower (which is why Blade doesn’t want to do it my way) but it works.

But back to Friday…after all the chores were done and the wind started picking up Terry said lets head up to Hot Sulphur Springs, Colorado for the night. Way back in January Kelly and Misty gave us a over-night stay at the Hot Sulpur Springs Resort and Spa. We called them, they had room on Friday only…the Memorial Day holiday had them full from Saturday through the rest of the week.

Misty said go…so we did.

We took the long way around (6 hours) through Craig, Steamboat Springs, down to Hot Sulpher Springs. Then coming back we went through pass to State Bridge and into Edwards on 170 (4 hours)

We were exhausted and water logged…they have 24 hot soaking pools…met some really nice people…and enjoyed ourselves very much.

Linkin did a great job of taking care of the animals and the chickens here (she will be 9 in two weeks). I do believe it was a good experience for everyone involved.

I will get around to visiting all of you , who have stopped by today and tomorrow.

I hope you a really nice Memorial Day!

Linda

Out the Back Door

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Dayphoto

Celi from A Kitchen Garden blog spot asked her readers to do a blog post showing the view of your house —out of your back door.

Click here to see what Celi has for today’s post….lovely views from around the world.

Now for our back door (which we use as a front door) to the east of the back door

to the west of the back door

right out the back door

As you can tell most of my yard is right out the back door

Although, there are other parts of the yard I haven’t shown you

that because it is just mostly the lawn…

But right out the front door (which we use as a back door) is this

Complete with the corn rowing up!

Head on over to Celi’s to see some outstanding views from around the world!

Linda

Wordless Wednesday

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Dayphoto

Across the Pinto Bean Fields

Life is good!

Linda

An Ant-hill Made of Sticks–Update–Western Thatching Ant–September 20, 2014

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Dayphoto

Way up at the upper end, on the edge of the new alfalfa field, hidden waaaaaaaaaaaay back in the Chico brush live some very, very industrious ants.

Not only do that have a marvelous ant hill, they have painstakingly gathered many, many, many sticks to help hide their home from predators.

Here is the link to understanding what type of ant this is–http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Formica_obscuripes/

These seem to be black and red ants.

I have not idea if they sting, what they eat, or anything about them. Although, I do like to randomly drop by and leave bits of table scraps — treats for the hill, so to speak — we leave them alone.