When I went out to the hens, I saw a flock of geese landing by the Grain Bins
SHHHHHHHHHHH. Careful— does it. They are extremely afraid of people. There might be guns you know.
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
The tiny bits of rain hardened over-night Saturday
A gale blew in early Sunday morning with persistent bits of snow within it
The sky gray; the temperatures dropping to ‘feels like minus degrees.
Pelting, vicious…just plain nasty.
The gusting winds blew on and on…
Winter….it’s still here. (See the fox in the photo…what brave creature to be out in this mess)
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
This is Tonto.
Tonto is beautiful….terrifyingly so
If you are anywhere around him you MUST keep out a sharp eye (just like he is keeping on you) for like all roosters…he wants to come at you from behind.
I prefer Tonto running away, diminishing in size as he gets further away from me.
Tonto lives with our daughter and the whole flock of hens. Since the demise of Grace (the fox got her)
Shannon wanted another farmyard protector.
Therefore, she nows as TONTO!
HI HO SILVER! AWAY!
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
I don’t believe it!
I didn’t ask for this!
A dog friend maybe, but NOT A BABY!!
Come on, Mom?
What gives?
Sigh!
Well, I guess a baby is what gives. It’s taking me a little spell to get used to this thing.
I’ve finally got myself figured out…I still love Mom and Dad. I still come in a eat and lay around on the sofa and my bed, but if that KID decides to play with me.
I get up and leave!
I make Mom or Dad let me outside.
Then outside I follow my Mom and Dad around
but inside…
huff, huff…
I haven’t gotten used to having a KID around again.
Mindy
(Stay tuned for more information about this little twirp. I guess he also gets his own, ADVENTURES on Friday posts. Sigh)
On the way to do the early morning chores,
The soothing, serene, and eternal
Waking of the sun lifts hearts, minds, and souls; leaving me feeling light-headed and possibly able to float in the glided gossamer air.
From my world to your heart,
Linda
Cranes lifting up, flying high into that glorious sunlight of a winter sky
While snow clouds hover over Grand Mesa, lighthearted sunbeams light up our fence line
Then clouds, thick and heavy settle down, suddenly pushing through a ragged-edged cloud a burst of merry sunshine — with Mindy Cat on top of the woodpile
The evening sun bounced and stuttered between the buildings…seeping, carefully and sparkling onto the woodpile and the fence beyond.
Everything suspended in a Moment of Magic.
From my world to your heart,
Linda
During the night, one-day last week, the snow arrived
Not lots and lots of snow,
But enough snow, the ground was frozen
And pleasant to take a wild run about.
Fun!
Perfect!
The gifts of clean air, fresh snow, who could ask for more?
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
(The Bridge into our farmyard)
It’s there, a wee tiny hint of Spring
The sunlight breaking through the trees, the ground starting to dry more and more
Coyote hunters walking on soil instead of mud
Then a wee slide back to small and light snow
Where the earth is blessed with moisture
Then warmth, creating mud again
Still cold enough I wear socks with my flip-flops
Winter on the bridge to our farm
After a chilly, but drying wind, on a day of sunshine
From this
To this
To this.
Spring is coming.
Yes, it is.
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
LOOK!
There in the crowded little bird cafe…enjoying a tiny little feast
Twisting this way and that on the treat feeder….a darling little woodpecker!
I think it is a Downy Woodpecker.
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
Chapter Twelve
There is a sadness Mom and I feel,
each and every day.
Sometimes one of us thinks we see
Boomer Beaglie Brown, but alas he is not there.
Although, I know something Mom really doesn’t know.
Boomer isn’t very far away.
Mom said she wonders if we animals live with the gift of ‘seeing’ and ‘knowing’ the other side.
Because of that knowing it isn’t so very hard for us to slip on over,
although, having to leave our furry bodies can be a tad rough.
Outside, where I truly like to live, it is still winter.
Some days the sun warms everything up nicely, somedays the heavy snow takes the joy from the warm.
Mice are still abundant. Mice are my favorite food. They never really seem to become sparse, although I do work at keeping them thinned out.
The coyotes are terribly brave. They come yipping and yapping in the yard, running down the farm road, they know our farm is just air and darkness, at night.
They know we are dog-less.
I weary of the coyotes, as does Mom.
Still, Life Goes On, the wind continues to blow, sometimes soft, sometimes a gale.
The moonlight filters through the tree branches, making the shadows look like cobwebs.
I feel and know that Boomer is here. Maybe not all the time, maybe not as much as he once was, for sure not like he was before he passed over the Rainbow Bridge, but still here.
Boomer, Mom, and I love you. We really do. Thank you for coming to help me. Your rare gifts of protection have been proof that you are here.
Thank you, my beagle dog-friend.
Thank you.
(Shamelessly stolen off the internet)
Mindy Min-Min Brown
February 4, 2021
Life on a Colorado Farm 