Monday, September 2, 2013

Posted on September 2, 2013 by Dayphoto

Although today is technically a holiday here, Terry and I will be doing what the day calls for—Laboring. 🙂

My little hummers are becoming less and less at the feeders, although I see many of the little juveniles feeding on the flowers throughout my yard.

The honey bees are having a great time at the honey bar…I do feel a little concerned they are not out gathering pollen but hanging out at these feeders. I hope it doesn’t cause a problem at the hive later on this winter. 😦 😦

If I don’t feed them they want to swarm the Hummingbird feeders so I guess it is six of one thing or 1/2 a dozen of another. Sure is perplexing.

I caught this little moth having a great time in the petunias…yes, I am one of those that adores petunias. I love their colors and the heavy rich scent that fills the air.

The rains are being really nice and staying away. But they are still here and moving all around us. I loved seeing the sunset on the rain chuts last night.

Well, off to do the many things for the day. Terry will be cutting the old hay field, then he has to remove all the bean pulling equipment, and move the bean combine up to the shop to get it ready for the harvest (hopefully by Friday).

As for myself I have the lawn, the hedge, the many, many weeds to take care of and canning, plus all the other chores that keep a house and yard going.

Best wishes for a perfect Labor Day,

Linda

Saturday the Last Day of August 2013

Posted on August 31, 2013 by Dayphoto

Terry pulled half the pinto beans yesterday before the dew left and the pods became too dry. Pintos have to be pulled early so the dew will keep the bean pods from cracking open and spilling the pinto beans out onto the ground. Once the beans are spilled there is no way to pick them back up.

Today he has been out there since full light. He hopes to get the other half of the field done before the heat hits.

Depending on the weather he will wait about a week then start combining the rows, gathering the beans into the hopper and then the truck and then off to the Beanery to be sacked and sold.

Rain clouds keep building every afternoon, which causes us a huge amount of tension. So far so good, the storms stay around us in the foothills and on the plateau, which is good.

Another thing that is good is we sometimes get a rainbow!

Feeding the bees seems to be working. I use a dollop of honey early in the day…by nightfall it’s all cleaned up.

Terry also said we are on the very last irrigation of the corn. Boy, has summer ever flown. Although, we will still irrigate the hay fields the work load of changing water is fast disappearing.

I’m not sure but I think most of the adult Hummingbirds have left, I still have lots of little ones feeding. I’m not having to fill the feeders as much so I’m thinking this is a sign the large majority of those delightful little birds have gone. I know the Bullock Orioles are gone since I haven’t seen any for two weeks now.

I’m off now to fork the bean ends back so we don’t lose any…those tiny little beans are what we’ve been working all summer to have. 🙂

Your friend,

Linda

The Way It Was –From the Past

Posted on August 29, 2013 by Dayphoto

From the Past

Compiled from Delta Newspapers by the Delta County Historical Society

251 Meeker Street, Delta, Colorado, 81416 (970) 874-8721

From the Delta County Independent

A horse belong to Edward Goddard took fright at a passing automobile on Delta’s Main street last Tuesday morning and raced around the corner of Main and Fifth with enough speed to cause everybody and everything to give undisputed right-of-way. The buggy trailing behind the Goddard horse went over and was considerably wrecked before the race was concluded.

Linda

Bee Food

Posted on August 28, 2013 by Dayphoto

The Rabbit Brush is blooming now. We usually see Rabbit Brush in bloom in September…but it’s here now.

I love the Rabbit Brush…I’m really not the only one that enjoys this bright lovely bush

The bees love it also

The pollen is perfect for storing and feasting upon.

Back home at the humming bird feeders….

I decided to just go ahead and give the bees their own feeders

Works perfectly!

Now we are all happy…the birds and the bees and ME!

Have a good one, Linda

August 27, 2013

Posted on August 27, 2013 by Dayphoto

We have been enjoying the rains. (Although, it does make for muddy ditch banks and irrigation roads.)

My hummingbird book says that around August 26th the hummingbirds start their migration to the south. The older hummingbirds leave first…then the juveniles.

The book also says to keep out your feeder until you haven’t seen a little hummer for at least two weeks, allowing the last little one traveling the farthest to have food along the way to the land of blooming nectar plants and tiny flying insects.

My other songbirds have already fled …I haven’t put out seed in the other feeds for over two weeks now. I’m sure the time is coming when I will be slammed with sparrows and starlings…I always try to feed them so they will stay out of the dog food. (I keep the dog food up, but the starlings will dive the dogs until they drive them off and then take over the dish)

With the rain we sometimes get rainbows…another nice gift of rain!

Have a great Tuesday, Linda

Monday, August 26, 2013

Posted on August 26, 2013 by Dayphoto

Our son-in-law, and our grandson are learning to play the bagpipes. Their instructor, and his wife, hail from Bonny Scotland (himself).

We were invited down to listen. Although, I wasn’t allowed to take a close-up photo —just yet. I was able to get this one as they were warming up.

Bladen is very excited to be learning WITH his Dad! They are way past the chanters, and now adding in the drones. So far there are two drones with the rest of everything to go. Maybe, by this time next year they will have a parade or two under their belts.

Mr. Barie said that there used to be a nice sized group in the three counties (Mesa, Delta, Montrose) that would get together every once in awhile, but he is the only one left… that he is aware of. Having a couple of McCormick’s join him in real Scottish music will be real nice.

When Kelly and Misty got married Misty used the McCormick traditional plaid as part of her wedding…once the little group gets comfortable playing it will be time to have kilts made in the proper plaid.

It rained here a nice gentle soaking rain all night starting around 7. It’s still cloudy with a promise of rain. The air is much cooler also. Really rain is nice when everything is not in the harvest stage.

My daily view

I love this double deep red hollyhock…I didn’t plant the seeds it just appeared this year.

Your friend, Linda

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Posted on August 25, 2013 by Dayphoto

We have arrived at the last week of August! I already miss Summer!

The corn is starting to dent…maybe (just maybe) only one more irrigation then the corn will be left to dry. Harvest should occur in October.

The snakes are starting to hole up for the winter…we are seeing fewer and fewer every day.

The Hummingbirds are still here, although I’m having a terrible time keeping the honey bees off the feeders.

This sugar water is like some sort of drug to them, even crawling clear in PAST the bee guard then drowning.

Any suggestions on how to stop the bees from eating at the feeders would be greatly appreciated.

A huge storm blew in late yesterday evening complete with flood watches and warning out for today and tomorrow, then in will gradually leave just in time for the third and last cutting of the old hay field and to pull the beans.

Magic thoughts for at least two weeks (possibly three) of warm drying weather would be greatly appreciated. 🙂 🙂 🙂

I picked the cannas and the datura as my daily view for today…my tribute to a tiny tropical garden in western Colorado. 🙂

I guess there really isn’t much going on here — which I’m loving. I hope your day is just as nice.

Your friend, Linda

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Posted on August 21, 2013 by Dayphoto

Terry and I spent all day working on the First Year hay field.

The dew was so heavy he wasn’t able to even start baling until 10:00 in the morning, by noon he stopped. Two hours of nice dew…another sign of fall weather.

He hopes to get the rest of the field baled today.

After lunch Tallen and I went out and straighten the crooked and fallen bales so Terry would not have to get off the tractor fix the hay bale get back up on the tractor start again.

By that time of the day it was HOT! But a nice little wind was blowing so the biting flies and mosquitoes were unable to land.

He worked until supper then stopped for a break.

After that the dogs and I went out and gathered the loose hay (sometimes the baler misses chunks) and picked up any broken bales (a broken bale is where one of the strings didn’t tie) and brought those in. By the time we were done it was too dark to continue.

The day was actually a really nice day….I finally got my kitchen and back porch cleaned, the windows and screens in those two rooms washed and the stove and refrigerator sparkling. Sure felt good.

Coming in I noticed how nice the Cannas looked against the firewood. I feel just like a squirrel … everything is starting to come together before the seasons change!

Today I tackle the BATHROOM! In-between the last of the hay field.

Your catching up with ‘stuff’ friend, Linda

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Posted on August 20, 2013 by Dayphoto

The day’s are shorting now…around 7:30 in the evening we head out for the last check of water for the day.

We also are monitoring the pinto beans. The field is turning yellow, which means the pintos are now ripe and ready to be pulled.

Probably next Friday Terry will pull the pinto’s so they can start drying.

We will need the days to stay hot and dry once they are pulled.

(see the nasty bull thistle seeds)

(The steps for pinto bean harvest is — pull the plants and leave them lay until nice and crispy, combine the plants, which is taking the beans out of the dried plants and putting them into the hopper then the truck to be delivered to the Beanery, have the beans sacked and the sold—DONE for the year)

He is baling the new cutting of hay as I write this. The first of second week of September will be the third cutting of the old hay field. Dry weather needs to prevail for at least a month now. 🙂

The moon was lovely last night.

I also saw a small rainbow from the storms playing around us.

My four o’clock photo of the Daily View features my Sun dial garden… rich and lush with 4 O’clocks. The Hummingbirds love this area!

A very contented friend, Linda

Monday, August 19, 2013

Posted on August 19, 2013 by Dayphoto

Terry and I are still working on the five cords of rounds and ends we had delivered to our place. We would have gone and got our own but this year it just wasn’t going to work out.

Gradually we have everything sorted and hauled.

We just have a few more piles to cut then we are completely set for the winter. (We hope). If a killing frost comes early and Indian Summer/Fall is short we just might need more come next spring. Only time will tell.

Every day we work on this giant ends dwindling the size to a manageable firebox length.

As for now it looks pretty good.

Rain played along the top of the Uncompahgre (Un-come-pah-gray — with the accent on the ‘pah’, which means (take your pick) ‘rock made red by water’, ‘rocks that make red water’, or just plain ‘dirty water’.) Plateau all last evening.