Storms–Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Posted on September 24, 2014 by Dayphoto

We have had a series of storms moving though our area. Sunday was nicely wet, and so was Sunday night and early Monday morning.

The sun peaked through the clouds Sunday night and graced our lives with dramatic color, then the rains came.

Having the rain has been nice! It sure has helped me keep the lawn green down at the other house and has given my yard a nice soaking. The Upper End is looking rich and lush with really nice grass.

Mr. Davis’ cows are going to have a real feast come this winter.

Your friend,

Linda

Linkedin—Wednesday, September 23, 2014

Posted on September 24, 2014 by Dayphoto

For some reason I’m getting lots of requests to be part of the Linkedin Professional Network. Please don’t think I’m rude, but at this time in my life I don’t want to join a professional network. I do appreciate everyone who has sent me an email request; but I graciously decline.

I also have heard from other friends that I have sent out requests for you to join me in Linkedin —please know that I do not have an account with this professional social network. I’m sorry if you have gotten those messages they were NOT from me.

Your friend,

Linda

Spend the Afternoon—-From Sara, Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Posted on September 23, 2014 by Dayphoto

Sara, Punkin’s Patch, did a post a couple of years ago about a springtime float down their river.

I loved the last photo so much I asked her if I could have a copy. She so generously sent me one.

Isn’t it wonderful!

“Spend the Afternoon. You can’t take it with you”–Annie Dillard

Sara started her post with the above quote from Annie Dillard. Annie is so right…we do need to remember to just stop awhile and enjoy…there is much out there for us to see, things that soothe and fill our souls with peace and replenishment!

I hope each and everyone of you take an afternoon and just ENJOY…we all need to visit those things which stops time, work, and the busyness of doing!

Your friend,

Linda

IT IS FINALLY HERE!!!–Letters for my Little Sister—Monday, September 22, 2014

Posted on September 22, 2014 by Dayphoto

Finally! The Extraordinary book of 68 glorious letters written to Celi’s Little Sister has arrived! 68 REAL stories, real experience from real women who read Celi’s blog every day!

Letters for my Little Sister, by Cecilia Buyswheeler Gunther and Melissa Hassard, is collection of personal experiences of those who are starting through, or have gone through THE CHANGE! Menopause. The dreaded M word. The word even Men hate to think about.

Remember I told you about the book here. The THING no one wants to talk about, when something happens that is so big a woman enters into the physical process as one person and leaves as a very physically different one. It isn’t the end of the Change that people dread it’s the unknown of the process. Letters for my Little Sister took everyone’s experience and complied it into a simple understanding of what their or their loved one’s process entailed.

Amazon has the book available now. Don’t believe Amazon’s statement there is only one for sale, there is at least 100 more books. One for you and everyone you care about. The cost is reasonable the knowledge you will gain from the stories, poems, and essays invaluable.

I do NOT receive any compensation from letting you know about this book —-wait I do! I forgot…what I receive is the knowledge that if you read it—you will not be alone as you, or someone travels around this bend of Change.

I hope you enjoy Letters for my Little Sister, as much as I did.

Your friend on a farm,

Linda

Footprints–Sunday, September 21, 2014

Posted on September 21, 2014 by Dayphoto

It had been a long horribly busy week for Terry and I. We decided that we needed to remove the privet hedge and lay irrigation pipe and set up a different system to water the yard.

I truly hated to see the hedge go, but it had become a horrendous chore to keep the weeds out of it and to keep it clipped…I have a sorry elbow on my left side and an even sorrier shoulder on my right side. Hefting the electric clippers weekly had fast become a much dreaded job.

We worked on the hedge in the cool of the day and then down at our other house during the heat of the day. We aren’t doing lots down there, sprucing up the paint, sanding down a door that keeps getting stuck…little things that take time, but are necessary.

I also finally finished up my fall house cleaning, walls, windows, scrubbed floors, sorted through drawers…you know that sort of stuff, while Terry worked on repairing the 630 John Deere–he is putting on a different front end.

Tired and not interested in cooking Terry took us out to Pizza Hut to eat wings and a salad.

It was when we were leaving a wonderful lady came up to me and told me she was a long-time reader of this blog, although she never leaves a comment. She also said she very much enjoys the photos and the tiny peak into our lives.

What a wonderful lift she gave both of us! We talked about her smiling face and her sweet laughter as we drove home. She gave us a extraordinary bit of joy after along week of steady work.

I do believe this world of blogging has given us friends that we would have never/ever otherwise been able to meet and get to know.

It is true we all leave footprints wherever we go…it’s nice to meet the people who read my blog; they truly leave a kindness in our day.

Your friend

Linda

Behind the Fence–Good Fences Thursday–September 18, 2014

Posted on September 18, 2014 by Dayphoto

After Terry’s Dad passed Terry’s Mother came over one day and said: “Here these are your’s now. I’m sure no one else would want them”. Then she handed the titles to Jack’s two farm trucks to Terry.

He was a little bit stunned thinking that she would much prefer selling them and pocketing the money. But no she didn’t….she said she just couldn’t sell them. Would he please come and get them and move them over to our place.

So we did.

Two years ago a man showed up wanting to buy one of the old trucks. Terry and the man looked the truck over, walked up and down talking about the truck, then he offered a price.

My Dear Husband just couldn’t sell either—after the man left he came in the house and told me that he couldn’t let the truck go; they spoke way too loudly about his Dad, the work on the farm, and the dairy those trucks had accomplished.

So they sit here, gracing our corral fence line…a constant reminder of good days gone-by and the man who stood taller than anyone in Terry’s life.

A good thing, don’t you think?

For more Good Fences head on over to Teresa’s Round*A*Round Ranch and check out all the other cool fences and gates from around the globe. Today she has some pretty nice looking cattle behind her fence photos.

Hey, while you are there add your fence or gate…it’s always fun and interesting!

Your farm friend,

Linda

I Give to You a Perfect September Day—Wednesday, September, 17, 2014

Posted on September 17, 2014 by Dayphoto

A perfect ghost of a summer day in the middle of our farm between two corn fields!

It would be very hard to ask for anything more!

Your friend,

Linda

Two Photo Gifts from Two Different Friends—Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Posted on September 16, 2014 by Dayphoto

One year, I think two years ago, Cully Ray sent me a delightful Christmas Present; a photo of her dearly departed Australian Shepherd, Robert.

Here is what she wrote: ” I have to tell you Fuzz really looks like my line of Aussies – and I am partial to the plain tri-colors (Red or Black). Everytime you post a picture of him, I just want to kiss his face! LOL

I am attaching a picture of my boy, Robert (I lost him two years ago – I know he’s waiting at the Rainbow bridge for me)…

Have a wonderful Holiday!!

love and hugz and Blessings!

Cully”

She is so right. Every time I look at her Robert I do see Fuzzy. It’s really nice to know what type of dog he might be—My vet says Border Collie and Chow-Chow, another vet told me he was part Sheltie and Border Collie.

Fuzzy really is a very good dog!

Sometime ago OneFly sent me this photo: “This is not a great picture by any means, but it shows a coyote that was almost on top of this hurt elk.

The photo was taken just south of Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

The magpies are just waiting for their chance after the coyote.

My bud, Kevin, who works right there said the elk survived at least enough to move on.”

I’m glad the elk was able to move on. I hope it made it. I am NOT a fan of coyotes…sorry! If you are that’s fine, as for me–-I’m not.

I thank Cully Ray and Onefly for sharing with me photos of their lives, and allowing me to share them with you. This wonderful world of the internet has given all of us an tremendous gift of friends both near and far! I appreciate each and everyone of you!

Remember if you have have a photo that you would like for me to share with my readers I would be delighted to do so. It might not be immediately as I have several waiting to be posted. I posting every Tuesday in the order that they arrive to me.

I WILL post them and I WILL link back to you with credit for your photo. 🙂

Your friend,

Linda

All Through—Monday, September 15, 2014

Posted on September 15, 2014 by Dayphoto

Thankfully the pinto beans are at the Beanery (this is the name of the elevator that cleans and stores the pinto beans in our area—the Olathe Producers is another elevator which does the same thing).

At the elevator the pinto beans will be cleaned and sorted and culled…any broken (splits), discolored beans, and green pintos will be sifted into the proper pile to be sold.

Green pinto beans will be thrown away along with any chaff or weeds or weed seeds. The discolored beans has a very small market for animal feed….cows love pinto beans. The splits will go to a factory to be made into smashed canned pinto beans ready for your taco.

The other pinto beans…the really nice ones will be sold at market value for whole pinto beans to be used however the buyer wishes. The whole pinto bean market is what a farmer strives for…that is where the most money is to be made—right now the market is extremely volatile/unstable. Terry will talk with the owner of the Beanery sometime today to see if they can sell the beans for us and for what price.

Then Terry will decide if we hold them for a spell or sell. Mostly he likes to sell because a truly fresh pinto bean is liked by most people. If you have ever eaten a truly fresh pinto bean you will be stunned at the difference in the cook time, the flavor and the size of the bean.

There isn’t pay check until the beans are sold!

Oh, for the record….I’ve been asked several times if we take subsidies for farming.

NO! NEVER! Neither did my parents or grandparents and neither has Terry’s Dad or grandfather. If we can’t pay our own way we don’t do it. That is why we both worked in town…and why we have old equipment…if you can’t afford it you don’t need it…has always been the mantra on our farm.

ENOUGH of that ….since Terry got Linkin a new compound bow, we thought it would fun to take Tally shopping. She wanted a “REAL COWGIRL HAT”. Not a fake one made of plastic.

Off we went to the Davis Clothing Company where she picked out a black hat…no pink one for her, Thank you Very much! It was really nice to shop at the Davis Clothing Company, Rena, Mr. Davis’ daughter, let Tally try on several different colors—then she steamed the hat so it was the perfect COWGIRL shape, and took her to the special three-way-mirrors so Tally could see which one was just right for her. The experience was very nice.

Later, at home, Tallin wanted to practice with Terry’s longbow and her ONE arrow, of course wearing the COWGIRL hat! What a hoot!

Well, the two big harvests are out of the way (the hay and the pinto beans), and the irrigation is about done— now we wait until the end of October or later for the harvest of the field corn. A little break in the farming before the next big round of hard work.

All is good and right with the world!

Your friend on a farm

Linda

And So It Begins….Sunday, September 14, 2014

Posted on September 14, 2014 by Dayphoto

The weather is nice, although it is starting to be cold at night. We woke up to 40* this morning. Autumn days do warm up nicely.

About 10:30 Friday morning Terry started the process of combining the pinto beans.

The pinto beans are being picked up and run through the combine. It always amazes me that a bunch of plants can go through a huge machine and come out whole.

It is a simple as that, but it does require concentration….if the driver goes too fast the pinto beans will be cracked and therefore unsellable, if you go too slow the plants will wad up and bind somewhere in the first part of the combine. Once again you will lose all your sellable pinto beans.

If your field isn’t dry you will get wads in the combine and will have to stop.

Wads always have to be dug out by hand. 😦

Yesterday was a good productive day…the field was dry, the combine driver (having 50 some odd years of driving a combine 🙂 ) knew what he was doing so could make steady headway.

Since the dew was extremely heavy on Saturday he wasn’t able to start until 1:00 in the afternoon.

Harvest…what we work for all year!

Friday night we had company drive in….Misty and the two little girls! They are only here for the weekend because Linkin has a birthday party with her BFF.

Grandpa and I feel really lucky. They will head home today sometime after lunch. But first the little girls get ride in the bean truck to deliver the pintos to the Beanery!