Although, we are doing pinto beans, we keep having little storms pop-up. So far the rain hasn’t stayed or pushed the beans into the mud.
(Which would be horrible, you can’t get the beans out of the mud so the crop is lost.)
But we have been blessed and only received the the gift of the rain.
Linda
Our next assignment from Sara is — “light and how you use it is one of the most important aspects of photography. Let’s play with some interesting natural light this week. Rays of sunshine can be found during the sunrise, sunset or even just beaming through a window during the day. Of course, if it rains all week, that wouldn’t be such a bad thing for much of the country either 
“.
So for my Sunday Stills I give you
Sun Rays (and one photo of a neat rainbow, although we didn’t get rain someplace around us must have.)
Perfect!
Linda
We are nearing the end of the irrigation season. The water for the pinto beans has been stopped, the alfalfa field has been watered and the last round of two is now in the corn.
Terry will start pulling the pintos either today or tomorrow morning, depending on the dew. The pinto beans MUST be pulled in the dew so the pods do NOT shatter and the beans fall to ground to be lost forever.
Last night the dogs and I sat 23 rows of siphon tubes while Terry was at a meeting.
The sky was lovely.
Linda
When walking the shelter dogs, yesterday morning, these returning birds made a great landing and settled in for the long winter stay.
These Canada Geese picked Confluence Lake Park to settle in and rest up a bit. Later in the morning they will head to Confluence Lake.
It won’t be long now when we will see them in the harvested sweet corn fields.
They will have to wait for the feed corn and some of the pinto bean fields to be harvested, but they can settle down in some of the onion fields as they are going to market.
Hummm, I forgot…pinto bean harvest has started here for some of our neighbors. If the weather holds (no rain for two weeks) our pinto beans will be harvested and at the Beanery ready for purchase.
Linda
We had a very busy and exciting day yesterday.
By 7:30 in the morning we were headed to Ouray, Colorado, to watch the Hard Rock Drilling Contest.
Ouray was first known for all of it mining, way back when, and that mining was for gold and silver. Hard Rock Mining. As far as I know there is no coal in ‘them thar hills’.
Today there are very few mines operating….although, there is still ‘lots of gold’ in the mountains surrounding Ouray. Mostly Ouray is now a wonderful place to visit, hot springs, good food, and outstanding scenery.
The drillers come from all over.
Yesterday, was the second day of the contest, we didn’t stay for every thing since we had been invited to our daughter and son-in-law’s place that evening for a yummy supper.
The above photo is of the bootleg jack contest
The last contest we got to watch was the mucking machine
This guy was so sure and steady that his dirt never spilled out of the cart and he filled it in record time.
Cliff got a smoker for his birthday this year. He invited us down to each smoked BBQ Pulled Pork and Turkey. Chef Cliff did a great job!
Photo stolen from Cliff’s FB page! THANKS! CLIFF!
Linda
A couple of nice showers came through during the night.
Wonderful!
It’s cloudy and cooler here this morning with showers playing around us…in Cedaredge, on Grand Mesa, in Peach Valley and from my upstairs window (where my desk and office are) it looks like it might be raining in the desert between Delta and Hotchkiss.
I found out yesterday that we have FOUR (4) wildfires around us…two near Paonia, one closer to Montrose and one over by the west end somewhere. I don’t know how my source knows, but they seemed very sure. So their fires are adding to the smoke.
But yesterday we had clouds and scattered showers and then last night the cooling/healing rainstorms…no lightening or thunder, that I know of. All of this should help.
We off here in a few minutes to get our last load of firewood to get us through the winter. It takes 7 loads…I’m not sure how many cords that comes to, but seems like lots as we are loading and unloading. Then it always seems like not enough as the winter wears on. In the end it usually turns out ‘just right’.
Have a nice Wednesday, everyone! It’s cool and lovely here. Just right for hauling and stacking wood!
Linda
Our third cutting of hay has been hauled in and stacked for sale.
The Delta Elevator has called and wants ALL that we can sell him, which works out fine for us.
We were very concerned we wouldn’t be able to get it in before the rain starts. But we made it….50% chance this afternoon. FINGERS CROSSED FOR IT TO COME!
The smoke is still here, which means people are still experiencing horrible wild fires. My heart goes out to them. Maybe our potential rain will actually come from there and the fires will be put out.
Every evening we go to sleep with the smoke and every morning we wake up with the smoke….I keep hoping that rain, and more rain, and even more rain will help everyone effected by the terrible fires but helping put them out.
Everyday is showing more and more yellow leaves on the trees.
Fall is here!
Linda
One really nice thing about summer is this is when people travel. The days are longer, and warmer, and the roads (or air travel) nicer.
Terry’s brother came for just one day.
Of COURSE the corvette had to go for a drive! 🙂 🙂
Then my brother came with his wife, her brother and her brother’s darling little boy.
We went to Grand Mesa for the day
Where the kids found the perfect natural
Teeter-totter.
That had us all laughing and having fun!
Jolene arrived from Canada and is still here for a few more days. (I just adore her sunny smiling approach to life!)
This Sunday was the last day before school started in our area so Grandpa and I thought we would take everyone out for ice cream in Cedaredge, where we acted like tourists-
Summer, for those who go back to school, is over in our area. Of course summer by the calendar is still going on.
Summer for the crops is winding down.
I, for one, am enjoying the cooler mornings and the not so extremely hot days.
Linda
I finally got a photo or two of a hummingbird! It took lots of patience and lots of photos that didn’t turn our very good.
I hope you can see the tiny little green body getting a bite to eat in the middle of the hollyhock…
Here is a side view
And my favorite, the hummer looking right at me wondering what I was doing.
The hummer’s have left my feeders and just feed in the yard now…
Because the honey bees have found the feeders.
Fooey!
But I have lots an lots of trumpet shaped flowers in my yard…just because I want Hummers so they are not going hungry.
Everyday I have anywhere from 5 to 10 regular little hummers that spend their summer with us. Lately we are seeing other hummers on their way through to their winter homes, so I don’t mind that the bees are cleaning up the sugar water.
I have lots of food for everyone.
Linda
The horrible burn we had (two days worth) last spring is starting to heal itself. Green is everywhere, although, lots of the green is invasive weeds. Still it’s green.
Also, a “little” green arrived in the mail…the insurance company covered the cost of the gated pipe on our land and some of the fence posts. The whole west side of the fence is not covered yet…lots of dickering on amount and such is going on with the two other farms who experienced they same horrendous fire.
Then yesterday the Ditch Company came and fixed the fences on the north side and the east side of our place!
The Ditch company said they would even fix the bridge (they burned) this winter with a cement top instead of the burnable wooden top.
We are really feeling blessed. Once the fence on the west side gets fixed we will have everything back to where we started.
Linda
Life on a Colorado Farm 