A lovely storm cloud rolled in last night, I just had to take photos of it while I was hauling in firewood…
the setting sun made the coming storm a delight to see.
This morning it starting sifting big fluffy flakes down for a short time, leaving us with just a skiff of snow.
The whole experience has been really lovely and the best part is the snow is wet.
However, as I write this it has a melted…giving the earth a nice drink.
Have a good Sunday Everyone!
Linda
So far I’m having a good day. Thank-you each and every one of you for your wishes of wellness and for writing and giving me ideas on how to recover. Your comments and emails are very appreciated.
Yesterday was a good day… which is good, if I can have a good week, then I’ll know I have this licked.
Anyway, enough of me.
It was warmer yesterday, so the dogs and I went for a short walk. It was warm enough that as I sat on the point of a hill I could feel the sun warming my shoulders, which was heavenly.
On the way back I stopped at the old grainery. Terry wanted to tear this down, but I want to keep it. We have only two buildings left of the original farmstead (outside of our house); the tractor shed (build out of adobe dirt) and this old grainery.
This spring (soon, any day now) Terry is going to move it up from behind the barn and the haystacks and put it next to my gardens by the corrals. After that I’m not sure what I want to do with it — potting shed, play house, whatever I want.
Today is Tuesday, February, 5, 2013…the sunrises at 7:15 in the morning and is setting at 5:38 in the evening. A month ago on January 5th the sun was coming up at 7:31 and setting at 5:04. The days are growing longer -January 9 hours and 34 minutes and today- 10 hours and 23 minutes. More sunlight…which is a true joy to me.
I haven’t seen the old dog for some time now. I might drive around the farm neighborhood now that I’m feeling up to it, and see if I can see the dog in someone’s yard. If not… I wait, but I will also know that the possibility of the dog taking a path to the other side just might have occurred–one of those sad parts of life.
Once more thank you all for your kind thoughts,
Linda
It’s cloudy, grey and chilly again here today.
I’ve been sick.
Well, actually I got sick the week before Christmas and seem to not be able to get well. I have a good day here and there, but nothing that lasts.
I’m taking the day off…resting by the fire.
I hope this finds all of you well.
COME ON SPRING!
Linda
Today is my volunteer day at the Delta County Historical Society and Museum. ( I do the blog from home and other research from home, but today I go in to help.)
I’m entering a year’s worth of Obituaries in the data base for future reference. Last Wednesday was really interesting, while I was there a gentleman came in wanting to know something about a relative who ‘supposedly’ lived in Delta in 1902.
The curator gave me the task of helping solve this little mystery, which was very easy to do through the census. On-line we also found a couple of people who are related to the same person, but the coolest part of all…….
The elusive man on the census had several borders-people who were renting rooms from him at the time of the census. Mr. Wetzel, the curator, knew immediately where the man’s business was located — it wasn’t the El-Dina, a boarding house still in use today, but none other than the Delta House! Delta’s First Hotel! (I will post some photos tomorrow on both blogs.)
The relative was the second owner of the Delta House.
It’s little victories like this that make history, research, and helping others out ever so much fun.
My 4 O’clock photos show that for a small amount of time we had clearing skies and shafts of sunshine then the next storm rolled in out of Utah.
It’s snowing all around us today, but NO WIND! I can handle cold (it is 10* right now) if the wind isn’t blowing.
Almost to February the count down is completing!
Linda
We are back to snow and wind and cold 22*f outside with a windchill making it really 12*f. The cold is easier to handle than the wind.
I have a light on the chickens, which they really seem to enjoy. Often times (when it is cold like this) I check on them and they are laying or sitting in the heat of light. Sort of like a wood stove for us! 🙂
The days are longer now, which helps, the hens have started laying eggs again–they are thinking spring also. 🙂
Our cat (which only goes outside if I make her and then I get clawed before I can put her down) has a great toy with the humidifier.
She can spend hours and hours just watching the little plastic fish floating on top of the water.
Silly cat…no catnip for her…just a humidifier!
Linda
So far we have over an inch of rain and it is still raining. The weather people say it is supposed to turn to snow today around 2 o’clock in the afternoon. I haven’t been taking any 4 o’clock photos since there really isn’t anything to see but rain and fog.
For a really short while yesterday the clouds broke and sun came out. A great cry of joy went up from the cows and the chickens and the cats and the dogs. Everyone was in a frolicking kind of mood.
Terry and I quickly grabbed all our trash and headed out to the dump. We only make the run if we absolutely have too. We were at the absolutely spot…if we didn’t go then I was going to have to go by more trash barrels, which I didn’t want to do as we really do have enough of trash barrels now.
There really isn’t anything really interesting at the dump, but we did get to see the rubber grinder at work grinding up all the tires. I don’t know what happens to that huge pile of ground up rubber but I’m sure they have figured out some way to recycle it or they wouldn’t be doing it.
As we were there the fog settled back down. After we got home the rain started again. No complains on the moisture. It is just very odd this type of rain this time of year.
Three more days until February….I’m into the count down! 🙂
Linda
We are having the oddest weather for January. Weather more along the line of July. An unusual warm air mass has funneled itself up from the Gulf of Mexico, giving us RAIN.
Friday we were rather warm with heavy fog, the weatherman was calling an inversion. 
But we never cooled down to below zero, instead we stayed warm…22* all that day, into the night, and even into the next morning.
Visibility was very poor.
Then the weather people started telling us about the odd weather pattern we were now in.
Fog is beautiful.
We see very little fog here. As a child I was always fascinated that (for us, here in the high mountain desert) when we have fog it is really a cloud sitting down and surrounding us. Living in a cloud made me feel rather ethereal—light, airy, not earth-bound. It still does.
Then it started to rain…a very wet drizzle, you could walk in it for thirty minutes before getting soaked, but very steady. On and on it rained, all day, all evening, all night, until about 4 in the morning. Then it stopped. But the heavy fog didn’t leave.
Visibility, as I write this is 1/4 of mile. We are surrounded in cloud. It isn’t raining …. yet.
But it could start.
It might snow! The water guys are saying that it is snowing in the San Juan’s and up at Gunnison. That is good news. I hope it dumps FEET of very wet snow! 🙂
For FEET of snow I can enjoy living in a Cloud! 🙂 🙂
Linda
The city of Delta is the winter home to many Canadian Geese,
They are thick along the Gunnison River’s banks
and in the waters of the Confluence Lake.
One thing I have noticed, very few of the geese are coming out to our fields, (they used to), but now with the Sand Hill Cranes here, it seems the geese are staying ‘in town’ and letting the cranes be the country birds. 🙂
Along with the Canada Geese are lots of Mallard Ducks, of which I wasn’t able to get a photo of
And a Bald Eagle.
The Bald Eagle hunts along these banks, looking for the ducks…just the right size for a swoop and kill….yummm lunch!
Terry and I haven’t seen the Eagle in action, but people who live and work along the river has seen the Eagle making a very swift dive and hauling off a duck.
I think, if I were a duck I would look for a different place to spend some time. Trying to hide in with geese is just NOT working!
For the geese this is just right…no hunting in town! HA! HA!
Linda
I tried to get the Sand hill Cranes in flight but no such luck.
Anyway, for those of you who enjoy these delightful creatures I give you the following:
A crane just landing….I hope you can see it
They are here all the time. I took this series of photos around 5 O’clock in the afternoon
There are hundreds here in this one field. The corn is field corn, not sweet corn. Sometimes a group of birds leaves, but another soon lands…always a large, large number feeding at anyone time.
They also spend the night here, I guess they feel safe with the calves present.
Last night I heard coyotes from three directions ….
Linda
We are having our January thaw. Sure is nice. After last week’s -21*f and a slight warm up to -18*f at night…..this weather is outstanding!
If the weather man is right it will be here for at least the rest of this week. I’m not going to hold my breath that it stays since this is, after all January. Our worst month for horrible cold is always February. Thank Heavens it is a short month….one/two days less than all the other months, but it does count.
Usually we can start farming the middle of March. We will have to see this year.
The Uncompahgre Water Users are staying the Taylor Reservoir is 60% of it’s normal capacity. February and March can be our snowiest months….fingers crossed this holds true this year.
So saying, Terry is NOT going to plant pinto beans this year…maybe next year if the water conditions improve. But probably never again in his lifetime, he is saying…we will see.
Oh, yes…that reminds me….Terry has decided to farm one more year (are any of us surprised?!?!) The reduction in bean acreage will take off some pressure…it isn’t the growing of them, but the harvest of the beans that is so hard.
Anyway, enough our pondering on farming.
The 4 O’clock evening sun was delightful….I had to take many photos, hope you enjoy!
Linda
