Category Archives: Life on a Colorado Farm

My name is Linda Brown. I live on a farm on the western slope of Colorado, in the high mountain desert. I’ve lived here all my life, hailing back four generations on my father’s side. Today I blog about our farm, the everyday activities that keep the farm going. I also write about my thoughts and dreams and goals

Weeds the Bad and the Good

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We have weeds, just like each and everyone of you have weeds.

We have all sorts of thistle, from the bull thistle to the Nodding Thistle,

we have common weeds and we have weeds that some sort of use –like Scour Weed (this weed was used by the pioneer’s to scour out their pots)

But I think my favorite weed is the Milkweed (not the poisonous kind).

The Milkweed of Monarch Butterfly food.

There are others the Monarch Butterfly likes for food — Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) and Butterflyweed (Asclepias Tuberosa) —but the tall and stately Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca).

The Monarch butterfly female lays her eggs on the underside of a milkweed leaf, and the larvae feast on the leaves. Milkweed is the ONLY food these caterpillars eat, though adult butterflies will sip nectar from many other flowers.

The University of Kansas and director of Monarch Watch (http://www.monarchwatch.org) have stated that acres and acres of milkweed has disappeared from the fields, side roads and byways across our mighty land.

And just because we had that huge and nasty fire, and  the ugly invasive Russian Knapp Weed and the Canada Thistle have squatted down in great comfort, along has come these beautiful weeds, food of the Monarch Butterfly.

A monarch is that heroic butterfly that flies as far as 2,000 miles from thier northernmost range in the eastern provinces of Canada, down through the Undited state clean to the Transvolvanic Range in central Mexico, where they cluster by the millions in the oyamel fir forests.

(Wouldn’t it be a huge delight to see this…all those millions of orange and black butterflies in the forest?  It is something I would delight in seeing!)

So even though we are having a huge heatwave/drought, along with parts of Oklahoma, Texas and Mexico and other places in the west/southwest/south–when the Monarchs start their trip in late summer and early fall…our milkweeds will be here.  And the little Monarch that I hope are living on them can take up the same flight feeling full and nourished  for the long, long trip!

Linda

 

Sunday Stills—Clouds

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We just have teasers of the potential of rain.

But it does make for a great cloud photo or two!

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I wonder if anyone remembers how to do a rain dance?

For more Sunday Stills go here and click on the comment section!

If you would like to join us, please do!!  We are always looking for more people to take part.  And if you have cool ideas to photograph, let Ed know about your ideas, then he can issue the challenge to all of us!

Happy Photographing!

Linda

Moving Pipe

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We had to replace two broken sticks of pipe (5 feet long) in one of the fields.

That is the bad thing about the plastic pipe, the sunlight finally gets to them and they start to crack.

They never break at a ‘good time’, nothing ever works that way does it?

So Terry turned the water out and then we pulled apart the sticks, ran them over to the broken pipe pile, ran over to the stash of good pipe and put them back together last evening.  (We waited until it cooled down some since this was rather hot work in and of itself).

A little quail was singing to us at the broken pipe pile—he was up in a tree, which I thought was rather cool.

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Around 8:30 p.m.  we got everything back together and the water back on.

This morning everything is working good!

Happy Wednesday!  We are in the middle of the week!

Linda

Tuesday June 12, 2012

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Somewhere there is a huge fire…

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We only saw this for one evening, but it sure made us stop and ponder.

Please be careful, everyone…all it takes is a tiny spark to create a HUGE problem!

Linda

Sunday Stills This Week–All About the Numbers

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I had to really think about what and where I would see numbers…on a farm, miles from town.

Then it dawned on me!!!

I am surrounded by numbers

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When I started to get more than 10 photos I thought I had better stop!

So here’s my collection!

Tractors!

Linda

Sundial Garden and the Pinto Beans are Up

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Far Side of Fifty (Far Side for short) has a delightful fun blog, complete with a blogging wonder Border Collie, Chance.

Far Side also is the Museum Coordinator for her Hubbard County, in Minnesota, collects old photos from antique shops, scans them and puts them on another blog she has which is used to help people connect with their families (and photos). Her third blog is a photo blog…Far Side takes some very good/outstanding photos from around her area.  Her fourth blog (this is one VERY busy lady) is for the Museum.

I feel very lucky to just do two blogs!

Anyway….

Far Side has been asking to see the complete Sun dial garden.  She asked me to stand in the water trough and take all sides….since the water trough is planted with Red Hot Pokers, alyssum, and three different colors of petunias…I decided not too. 🙂

The Pinto Beans are up…summer is on its way!

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Thanks for stopping by!  I always enjoy visiting with you!

Linda

My Friend, Robin

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I have a little Robin who helps me garden.

It took me awhile to understand that no matter what part of the yard I am in, he is there with me.

He is very happy when I’m watering as he can then find big fat worms, but even if I’m weeding he hops along beside or behind, or maybe just over in the other bed seeing what it is he can find…food, nesting material, who knows…something.

He is so tame I have even been able to get a photo or three of him.

For me that HUGE…I can’t ever seem to get a bird photo.

I’m pleased to introduce you to–

Robin

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Which always reminds me of the the song -WHEN THE RED ROBIN COMES BOBBIN’ ALONG

(written by Harry Woods )

Sung by–Al Jolson, Mandy Patinkin, The Osmond Brothers

When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob-Bob Bobbin’ Along

When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin’ along, along

There’ll be no more sobbin’ when he starts throbbin’ his old sweet song

Wake up, wake up you sleepy head Get up, get out of your bed

Cheer up, cheer up the sun is red Live, love, laugh and be happy

What if I were blue, now I’m walking through,

walking through the fields of flowers

Rain may glisten but still I listen for hours and hours

I’m just a kid again doing what I did again, singing a song

When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin’ along

When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin’

When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin’ along

There’ll be no more sobbin’ when he starts throbbin’

There’ll be no more sobbin’ when he starts a throbbin’ his old sweet song

Wake up, wake up you sleepy head

Why don’t you get up, get up, get out of bed, cheer up

Live, love, laugh and be happy

What if I were blue, now I’m walking through fields of flowers

Rain may glisten but still I listen for hours and hours

I’m just a kid again, doing what I did again, singing a song

When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin’

When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin’ along

Along, along, along, along, along.

Linda

Monday, June 4, 2012

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Terry is out baling…6:30 in the morning and just enough dew (YEA) to set the baler up and give it a good go before the heat starts rising.

We are thinking we will be able to get another cutting this year, but if the water shrinks anymore that will be the last cutting.

At least we will get two cuttings and we are darn grateful for those.

Anyhow, what I’m really writing about is the Barn Swallows.

I don’t have a photo of the birds themselves, because they are very careful to fly off the second I appear.

See this little pair of Barn Swallows decided to build a nest on the house, upstairs, next to the north side window.  They must be a young pair as they MADE A MESS!!!

I had mud all over the screen, bird droppings on the screen and the window…huge mess.  I got so mad at them (they only had the two bottom rows done on their nest) that I yelled out the window for them to go someplace else…the other side of the house, THE BARN, the tractor shed, BUT NOT ON THE WINDOW!!

Then I scraped off their little nest and told them to LEAVE!

Later on that morning, I was visiting the Northview Dairy blog, whereby Threecollie was talking about a nesting Robin on her house.

By this time I was feeling really bad I had knocked down the little mud house and yelled at the cute little pair of birds, there she was telling us about her darling Robin family, that was nesting on HER house.

(Which reminds me…I encourage you to visit Northview Diary….Threecollie and her family live in up-state New York.  I’m always amazed at the differences in weather from here to there.  They get way too much rain and we don’t get enough.  But her blog is a delight– full of fun, excellent writing, and a true peak into dairy farming —- I encourage you to visit.)

So I went back upstairs, poked my head out the window and hollered to all the birds flying around, sitting on the Blue Spruce trees and on the electric lines that I was sorry.

I then asked the little Barn Swallows to come back, just don’t build where the screen and the windows get dirty.  Build where we can ENJOY them and their little famil(ies).

Two days came and went, nothing.

Three and four days came and went-no nest.

I finally gave up and decided that they really did go to the barn or one of the other buildings.

As I was washing that particular window I happened to look UP and there it was

A perfect little home, NOT on the frame of the window, or above the frame of the window, but where we could watch several little families of Barn Swallows grow up this summer.

It seems that Barn Swallows raise about three families before they leave for the winter. So this should be fun for Terry and I and the grandchildren.

Well, time is quickly getting away from me.

Have a nice Monday!

Linda

Sunday Stills–Shades of Blue

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Yipeee!

I love blue!

Blue is my most favorite color in the whole wide world!

Yes I like lavender and I enjoy pink and I delight in yellow….but BLUE!!! Blue, any shade and all shades are right up there with finding rainbows for me!

Then there is my other really super favorite thing/person, who happens to like blue but really enjoys green, I get the best of all worlds.

Aren’t I just the most blessed person around! 🙂 🙂

For more Shades of Blue, head on over to the Sunday Stills blog, open up the comments section and visit each person who left a comment.  Sometimes they will leave their link to their site, but if not, you can just click on their name and it will take you to their site!

Enjoy!

Linda