Here Comes the Sun and Always Shut the Gate

Posted on May 7, 2010 by Dayphoto

Little Darling, it’s been a long, cold, lonely winter

Little Darling, it feels like years since it’s been clear.

Here comes the sun…

And I say, it’s all right! —George Harrison, The Beatles- Abbey Road, 1969

The alfalfa is looking good. First cutting should be in about 5 weeks.

While we were out there checking the water I got the bright idea of showing you what our gates look like.

They are horrible to open if the wire is too short/tight not too hard to open if you just sqeeze with all your might hard. (Boy, have I heard that line before. HA!)

Anyway ……

To open put your left arm around the big post and grab the little post with your hand, then lean your body against the little post and push the little post toward the big post and take your right hand and lift off the top wire. Be prepared to really push as the wires are very tight. Lift the little post out of the holding loop at the bottom of the big post, then walk straight out (so you do not twist and tangle the wires) and lay it down out of the way. (I’ve twisted and tangled a few in my lifetime and it’s a pain to undo.)

Drive through.

Pick up the gate, keep everything straight, do not let the barb wire tangle, walk back to the big post, put the bottom of the little post into the looped wire at the bottom of the big post. Now lean your body against the little post, pushing with all your might toward the big post. Grab the wire on the big post and slip it back onto the little post.

Good job. Well done.

Law of the land….if the gate is shut when you get there, you shut the gate when you go through.

Always!!!!

No exceptions!

EVER!

Since we have all these furlough days (and it looks like there may be more coming up) I always get a three day weekend. Three days in a row, at home, to do whatever a person may want to do, but one day a week less pay.

I can’t decide if I’m cursed or blessed. 🙂

Have a nice weekend!

Linda

On a Spring Evening

Posted on May 5, 2010 by Dayphoto

Learning to ride a bike

Swinging up high in the sky

And having a swim in the ditch!

Ain’t Life Grand!

Linda

Spring Arrived on Monday

Posted on May 4, 2010 by Dayphoto

We woke up to another morning of snow, bitter cold and feeling really thankful for wood burning stoves.

The day warmed up rapidly, causing melted snow to hang in droplet on the clothes lines

Then a breeze blew in and blew away all the clouds.

By the time Terry and I got the branch cut up and hauled off the yard it was warm enough to not even wear a coat.

We even got the last of the gated pipe hauled out to the field and connected.

The water did what it was supposed to do—and we didn’t even have to walk it down

It was a delightful spring day! Finally!

Linda

Crazy for the Country

Posted on April 30, 2010 by Dayphoto

http://crazyforthecountry.com/

Amy from Crazy for the country is having a really neat give-away contest on her blog. Pop on over and see what she is up too.

Linda

The Big Storm Moves In—Cold Weather Settles In Until Monday Morning

Posted on April 30, 2010 by Dayphoto

The sky is cloudy and we are cold here today. Terry is turning off the water until we warm up. When he called the ditch rider to let him know the ditch rider said almost everyone, but the onion guys have turned off their water. (This makes more work for the ditch rider — the canals get too full and then run over, that is why the farmers are suppose to call so the canals can be regulated.)

We have one field of field corn planted, two more to go. It’s good we only have the one, if the seed rots in that one, Terry will plant it to pinto beans. It would be best if the seed doesn’t rot, but this cold wet weather is just so iffy.

The 80 mph wind we just had knocked down three huge limbs

from our 90 year old cottonwood tree.

The 80 mph wind we just had knocked down three huge limb. We were very lucky it didn’t hit the house or the chicken house.

The lilac’s and the sweet cherries froze last night. It was 29* when I got up this morning. All I have left in my yard (fruit tree-wise) are the apples. Guess we will see if another killing freeze will get those also.

I do believe I sound rather bummed, sorry. I’ll try to perk these posting up from now on.

Linda

Evening on the Ditch Bank

Posted on April 28, 2010 by Dayphoto

Another storm is blowing in

The wind is terrible 35-60 m.p.h., making trash in the ditches next to impossible to keep out.

The trash collects and starts to dam up the rows. After starting about 22 tubes, we then walk the water through each row, making sure all the trash is removed.

Just before going in at twilight we check the tubes and trash cleaners one more time.

A strong cold front is supposed to hit here this evening with temperatures plunging into the high 40’s and low 50’s.

Another worry is that the alfalfa will freeze. A mature stand is fairly sturdy, but too much cold weather can harm it.

We’ve Started Planting Corn

Posted on April 27, 2010 by Dayphoto

The weather is sort of holding. It’s been warm enough the last two days we haven’t had to run the wood stove.

We have been having lots of wind so the combination (warm days and wind) has the corn ground ready for seed.

Another storm is to blow in tonight with temperatures dropping into the low 50’s.

My prune trees will probably get frozen, but at least I have lovely blossoms.

And we’ve been cold enough the daffodils have continued to bloom for a long, long time.

There really is good things mixed in with the hard stuff, if you just pay attention.

Linda

Waiting for Warmer Weather

Posted on April 23, 2010 by Dayphoto

I’m waiting for the snow to leave the point on Grand Mesa, once that happens it is the signal we can begin to plant warm weather crops (tomatoes and such).

Before this last storm blew itself in, this is what the point looked like.

Today this is what we see.

There was ice on the running irrigation water this morning. We had to fire up the woodstove again yesterday.

Winter, winter, go away, come again some other day.

I hope all of you are enjoying really nice weather where ever you are.

Have a nice weekend!

Linda

The Pears are Blooming

Posted on April 22, 2010 by Dayphoto

The pears are blooming, but night temperatures dropped to 31* so of course they froze.

The large orchards in our area smudged or ran wind towers, but small orchards more than likely lost thier crops.

First the apricots and now the pears. Cherries and prunes and apples will be blooming soon.

The snow hit the hills and the mountains around us, which I am very thankful for. We had a really wonderful (but very cold) rain during the night. It was delightful to wake up to a clean and fresh world this morning.

More rain and snow predicted until Friday, which means more freezing temperatures.

Linda

Pivot Systems in Our Neck of the High Desert

Posted on April 21, 2010 by Dayphoto

Pivot Systems in our neck of the high desert are used very, very little. They show-up if a farmer has a flat field which he cannot get to slope. Blue Mesa Reservoir still provides the water to irrigate with (no underground lake in our area), so settling ponds have to be excavated. These settling ponds filter out the mud from the water, then a pump, pumps the water into the pivot system.

What you are looking at is one year’s worth of excavated soil from the settling pond.

Since Terry needed about four truck loads to fix some holes around our place, our neighbor said to come on over and get some of his ‘extra dirt’.

We gladly did.

After we got back, Bladen wanted to help clean out the truck so it was ready for the harvest season.

Linkin wanted to sit on the tractor, so we put Tallen up there with her. Tallen did not like it. But it helped having big sister in the seat with her.

The grandchildren are not allowed to ride on any of our tractors that do not have cabs…it’s just too dangerous. But they can sit up on the seat if we are with them.

Another storm is supposed to come in today, with snow by the week-end! I hope it goes around us and stays in the hills!

Linda