On My Walk I Ran into a Bunch of Turkeys

Posted on January 6, 2011 by Dayphoto

For my own part I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen the Representative of our Country. He is a Bird of bad moral Character . . . For the Truth the Turkey is in Comparison a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America . . .

—Benjamin Franklin, 1784

Running down the road was this really cool wild Turkey. I don’t know which type of wild turkey he/she is-more than likely a Merriam. (Rio Grandes have tan tail feathers) There are several wild turkey varieties in Colorado but the Merriam is more than likely around where we live.

I wasn’t fast enough to get a photo of the send off (flight) but I did get the bird’s tail as it came down.

Two species, the Merriam’s and the Rio Grande can be found in Colorado; although the Merriam is much more prevalent, comprising nearly 90% of the 25,000 wild turkeys in the state of Colorado.

The Merriam prefers scrub oak and juniper/pinion areas.

A pretty cool sight for a chilly afternoon walk.

Linda

Bird Song!

Posted on January 5, 2011 by Dayphoto

Its cold here. Very cold! -6* this morning as I was coming into work.

This time of year I always get restless. I miss color, the world is so all one color in the winter. I also miss the sunshine.

I drove in to work in a thick fog full of ice crystals.

I miss heat, not from the wood stove, but the out-of-doors kind of heat.

The sun is just coming up when I get to the door of my office, but when I get home the day is longer…no more getting home in the dark, so that is gift.

The dogs and I go for a walk, even if it’s cold (9* last night when we walked). It does my ‘trapped at a computer’ mind and body good to get outside.

Look at this tree on our place…it was FULL of birds….birds, birds, and more birds! They filled the air with loud bird song, bird squabbles, and many flapping of wings.

The whole experience was a major delight!

Linda

http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com/

2010 in review

Posted on January 4, 2011 by Dayphoto

I started my blog in 2008, I’m going on three years now. Boy, does time fly by. WordPress sent out stat report on how well my blog did last year and I must admit I was pleasantly surprised.

Once more I THANK each and everyone of you for stopping by either to just visit or to visit and comment. I have enjoyed getting to know all of you, some people comment once or twice some daily.

I started blogging to form a type of documentary of what it took to work the land on a small (80 acre) farm on the western slope of Colorado. Gradually it has become a form of communication between me and you. One that I have enjoyed very much.

Once more, I very sincerely Thank You for stopping by and commenting. As the song says: Getting to know you, getting to know about you….is, well, fun!

Linda

WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

Healthy blog!

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow.

Crunchy numbers

About 3 million people visit the Taj Mahal every year. This blog was viewed about 46,000 times in 2010. If it were the Taj Mahal, it would take about 6 days for that many people to see it.

In 2010, there were 193 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 959 posts. There were 910 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 239mb. That’s about 2 pictures per day.

The busiest day of the year was August 6th with 470 views. The most popular post that day was Rain and More Rain.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were blogger.com, thehorseshoeinghousewife.blogspot.com, northviewdiary.blogspot.com, farsideoffifty.blogspot.com, and google.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for grand mesa colorado, john deere, black mouth cur puppies, black mouth cur, and stuck tractors.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

Rain and More Rain August 2010
14 comments

Babysitting the New Puppy February 2009
15 comments

John Deere Days February 2009
8 comments

Stuck Tractor March 2010
22 comments

The Road to Grand Mesa, Colorado August 2008

Another Year, Another Day

Posted on January 3, 2011 by Dayphoto

January 2011, who ever would have thought! Not me…when I sat in my little desk in the first grade, heck 2000 seemed like ever so far, far away. And now I’m here. Wow! Amazing!

I stopped making resolutions years ago…I do set goals. Sometimes I can reach them sometimes not. What I’ve learned over my 61 (almost to be 62 years in 14 days) is as we go through the twelve months of the year some of those goals just seem to lose their importance.

I hope to see more rainbows this year, but since we are so miserably cold (zero and sort-of above) I’ll settle for a sun dog or two.

I try to remember that this kind of cold is hard on bugs and insects….very hard. So maybe next year we will be bug-less!

Since the dogs sleep on the back porch and it isn’t heated very well, they have learned a couple on new tricks…

Like sleeping under covers! Terry and I laugh every time we look out and see them all warm and snuggled in their beds! The cats sleep inside by the fireplace.

But back to resolutions and goals—

Now that I’m old (I had a kid hold the post office door open for me today…I was in shock. He even called me Ma’am. Then I heard him say something to his friend about it’s rude to not open doors for old people…ack!)

Any who….now that I’m over 60… if I can just treasure each day and understand that if I look hard enough, learn from the day, and move through it with joy, then I will be blessed.

I can never count on another day being given to me–not like a person does when in their 20’s and 30’s and even 40’s. I cannot assume I will wake up each day or that others I love deeply will awaken each day.

If I can just keep gratitude in my heart and joy and wonder in my soul that is resolution enough.

Thank you blogging friends for my bucket list dreams of traveling to distant lands…I enjoy each and every one of you. After all, that is what life is all about family and friends, near and far.

Linda

When Life Gives You Muck—Just Put on Different Boots!

Posted on December 28, 2010 by Dayphoto

On my way to work I had to come to a full stop in the road because one of the ranchers was moving his cows to a different pasture.

I had to laugh, because he jumped out of the cab, gave me a big wave, took off his boots, put on his waders and headed into the trailer to unload the cows.

Happy New Year EVERYONE! See you back here on January 3, 2011!

Linda

A Christmas Gift from the Heart

Posted on December 27, 2010 by Dayphoto

The day before Christmas, I received one of the very nicest gifts ever. And I’ve had many, many wonderful gifts over my 61 years, some so amazing I still have them and hope to pass them down to my grandchildren.

But this gift that came in the mail was so very special because it started clear across America in Kentucky.

The story of Renny is amazing.

Once you read about it you will realize that Saint Tim, Saint Hank the sheepdog, Miss Ewenice, and the Crazy Sheep Lady really are angels from God in human form.

As you read you will also begin to understand that Renny is a fighter!

Since I grew up with sheep (I raised sheep all of my life until I was 16 and then I moved over to having a horse).

I fell-in-love with the Crazy Sheep Lady’s blog. The Crazy Sheep Lady brought back to me my childhood full of sheep, horses, cats, and really cool dogs.

Anyway, since I couldn’t physically drive over and help, I tried to help in a way that would be productive. I so wished I could be there to cheer everyone and all the sheep on, so I did the next best thing and cheered from here, Colorado.

So back to my delightful wonderful Christmas gift—

I got a felted little sheep of Renny’s wool! The Christmas message on the handmade card still brings tears of happiness to my eyes.

Thank you, Crazy Sheep Lady and Renny!

Linda

Wishing You All a Very Merry Christmas

Posted on December 21, 2010 by Dayphoto

I’m wishing each and every person who stops by a Merry Christmas! I have enjoyed our blog time and getting to know you. Please have a delightful time with your families near and far for after all….that is what the holidays are all about.

This year all the kids will be at our house so everyone is bringing all their gifts by to open with us. We are stacked to the branches, as you can see. Santa will only have to make one stop for several families, which should cut down on his stopping time. 🙂

And for those of you who would like to make a delicious gluten-free cookie for those who are gluten-free on your list I am posting a wonderful and simple cookie recipe here:

Christmas Cookies

Dry Ingredients

¾ c white rice flour

½ c potato starch

¼ c sweet rice flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients

½ c granulated sugar

6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

1 large egg

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350*…line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside
In a small bowl, sift together dry ingredients (do this three times)
In bowl of stand mixer, cream together butter and granulated sugar until well combined
Add egg. Cream until thoroughly incorporated. Be sure to stop mixer and scrape down sides and bottom of bowl at least once
Add whisked dry ingredients. Turn mixer to medium-low. Mix until a dough forms.
Scoop dough, about two teaspoon each, and roll into balls. Roll dough balls into powdered sugar. Place cookies, about two inches apart, on prepared baking pan.
Chill for ten minutes
Bake cookies for 12-5 minutes or until cookies are firm and edges are golden brown. Transfer cookies to a wire rack. Repeat.

Once more….MERRY CHRISTMAS! I’ll be back on Monday, December, 27th!

Linda

Strange Weather and the Corn is Done!

Posted on December 20, 2010 by Dayphoto

Isn’t this a lovely site? The corn is gone…either already at the dairy or in our granary.

We checked fences and hooked up the electric fence in bitter cold weather, but the cows are now out on the farm. 80 acres of grazing should keep us from having to feed much. Although, we do throw out some hay now and then so they will keep coming in. Wild cows are not much fun to work with.

It is warm here today. Very warm! 51*. weird for this time of year. Although, the weatherman says rain is on its way. There is snow all around us, Paonia has over 2″ and Grand Junction is experiencing rain. We are in the middle of the storm, I guess. Dark, heavy clouds, not a breath of air movement and warm temperatures.

As for me…well I’m not complaining, it feels a little like spring.

Linda

December 17, 2010

Posted on December 17, 2010 by Dayphoto

They said snow and rain and wind were heading our way. The last of corn finally dipped down to 14.7% so Terry is combining right now in hopes of getting done before the weather hits. It’s suppose to come in this evening….that huge storm rocking California right now!

I am so NOT a fan of winter.

At the Paonia EnergyTech(TM) campus yesterday the homeschooling/Creative Compass a children asked if they could decorate the little tree out back with treats for the birds and squirrels. They were having so much fun I couldn’t resist a photo to share with all of you!