Because Terry likes to irrigate before he plants, step 6 is marking out the rows
This is always my favorite part. I love seeing the fields all marked and ready for the first water to come hurtling down each and every furrow.
After all the snow and rain, then wind and snow, and then rain, the sun came out and warmed up the earth.
To check the soil to see if it was ready for more tractor work, a good rule of thumb is to rub your foot into the soil to see what type of moisture comes up.
The soil is ready!
Even though we are still not through heating the house, Terry is rebuilding our woodpile.
The piles also keep down the weeds plus the chickens LOVE to climb on the logs!
High winds for a couple of days, snow and the weight of leaves and flower blossoms sometimes cause the collapse of really, really old tree limbs.
Sigh!
But the tree is still living so to shave off a heavy branch is just alright.
And I just thought we were heading into spring farm work.
Organized sports are such a fun thing, especially when you are in the first grade and you get a neat shirt with your last name on it, “Like Dad has”.
That is worry on his face, he was afraid he won’t do well.
“Only Dad’s say Football, or Basketball, or Track and also say Coach” I was informed.
But the “REALLY BEST THING is getting to run ALL the time! Football is ‘okay’ but soccer is the best BECAUSE YOU GET TO RUN ALL THE TIME!”
Sunday we got a 65 mile an hour wind from Utah, full of dust, sticks and weeds.
Then we woke up to snow and ice this morning! And it’s cold! 3:00 p.m. and the snow is still on the ground…brrr! 38*
Here is where art meets practicality. If this part isn’t done right, whoever irrigates will spend the rest of the summer fighting water.
But if it is done right, the water will flow to the end of the field, subbing the ground along the way, without nary a hitch. But if the ground doesn’t have the right fall, if there is a hole or a pocket, or a hill, well—- you have a mess.
Here you can see what the leveled ground looks like.
It’s a good thing Terry got this done, because this morning we had snow. All farming has come to a stand still until it dries out. Having the ground leveled, will help it dry out faster than if it were a big plowed sponge.
Our water, for irrigation, comes about because of the Uncompahgre Valley Water Project. The project has one storage dam, several diversion dams, 128 miles of canals, 438 miles of laterals and 216 miles of drains.
The project canal runs right by our road and is the source of all water for our crops and my yard and garden.
Usually the water isn’t turned on until closer to the 30th of March, but when a grower calls
for early water (because of raising onions or lettuce) the water is turned on early.
I love the canal, I love hearing the music of the water as is trips along on its way to the states of Arizona and Nevada and California. I think of it as a friend, one who goes away for the winter and then comes back bringing life to our farms.
And of course if froze, so that means no fruit. The average in our area is every five years we get an apricot crop.
Still I can enjoy the blossoms, this is one type of apricot (Sun Gold, I think) and here is another, which I don’t know the name.
