A Frozen World—Wednesday, December, 16, 2015

Posted on December 16, 2015 by Dayphoto

After a day of snow and wind…mostly wind, we woke to snow scattered here and there in small little drifts.

Brown patches of earth scattered in the tattered and bunched snow.

But the sun came up all red and pink and gold, causing sparkles on the snow drifts, the brown frozen earth appears a softer brown than the melted dark mud will appear (if we warm up.)

The wind-snapped and bedraggled corn reflected the morning light, echoing the glow coming over the mountains, wherein lays Gunnison, Colorado, and a wee bit closer, the Black Canyon.

Terry is going out to check the corn, thinking maybe this cold has driven down the moisture. While he is doing that I will go sweep out the bed of the grain truck, then with the bed facing the rising sun we are hoping the wood will dry.

If this all comes together, maybe, just maybe…harvest can begin.

What a crazy time of the year to [still] be hoping to get the corn in.

Oh, well, it is what it is.

Wishing you a good one today,

Love,

Linda

It’s Snowing Here—Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Posted on December 15, 2015 by Dayphoto

We woke up to a dark covered sky this morning. But as the day woke-up, the sky lightening into a white canvas, the snow has started falling.

Doing my chores the snow whispered around me and my footsteps silent in the crisp breeze.

They say once this snow has stopped the air will turn chillingly cold. But until then…..

I must admit I take a childish delight in being able to walk in virgin snow.

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

Time, Passing, Moving Forward, Always—Sunday, December 13, 2015

Posted on December 13, 2015 by Dayphoto

All of my life, even as a small child, I have felt there is something I am meant to do. Something. Not big, not amazingly over-the-top, but something.

To be honest, everything I tried didn’t seem to be whatever the ‘it‘ is. Although, I have enjoyed many, many things.

Here I am, almost 67 years old in one month, and I STILL don’t know what “it” is.

But I must admit that ‘it’ nags at me, causes a sorta ‘need to know.’

Terry and his family are all super talented, it seems there isn’t anything they can’t do or create or achieve. My brother and my family, also seem the same way, except for me…for some reason I can’t figure out what draws at my heart–what I am supposed to be doing —- while alive on the face of this earth.

Something that is niggling at the back of my mind saying: ‘time is starting to run out’. It will not belong to each of us forever. So I have decided if I haven’t figured out this—whatever it is—I’m probably not going too this late in the game.

Instead I’ll just enjoy each day that is given to me. My greatest and strongest wish I have is to experience joy in every fiber of my being, my mind, and my soul for whatever time I have left to me. And to do that…all I have to do is enjoy each and every moment of every day I have left on earth.

A great big sundog appeared in morning sky today. A major cold front is coming toward us. The weather people say it will be here Wednesday…yep, right on time. Sundog portends a cool down in three days.

Sometimes I look at the sky and wonder…most people only see the emptiness of the sky, for the those things that live upon the earth clang and jar with sound and the trials and troubles of everyday living, plus people thrum with their own energy; their own lives.

But if you will stop and listen you can sense the procession of time on the earth and in the sky–something is going on in that great silence beyond our own knowing.

With much love, your friend,

Linda

Storm Coming In—Thursday, December 10, 2015

Posted on December 10, 2015 by Dayphoto

They tell us a winter storm is coming in. With temperatures dropping to single digits.

It must be so. The last of yesterdays sunlight caught like cobwebs in the corn. The sky gradually filling with clouds from the west. Our storms always come from the west.

As the clouds thickened and gathered the sunlight

Splashed golden and yellow across our land.

This morning we woke up to a fully covered sky, full of thick clouds, which bespeak of snow.

Winter lays heavy on the land.

With much love, from a desperate to harvest but can’t, western Colorado farm,

Linda

OH! P.S. The header is a photo of a double sundog, sent to me from our daughter and son-in-law in Grand Junction. It’s stunning, don’t you think?

A Little Treat for your Dog—-Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Posted on December 9, 2015 by Dayphoto

Dog Cookies!!!

Boomer loves these! He won’t eat them in the house, always takes it outside to a ‘special’ spot. I guess he is afraid the cats will want a bite.

Cranberry Spinach Dog Cookies

Place 2 1/2 cups brown rice flour, 1/4 c chopped fresh cranberries, 1/4 cup chopped spinach thawed and drained, 3 large eggs, and 1 T olive oil. Mix together until it forms a ragged ball.

Turn out onto a floured (with brown rice flour) surface and knead until the dough is smooth. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill until firm—I let it set overnight.

Remove from the refrigerator and roll a generous thickness between two sheets of waxed paper. Cut out and place on baking pans, then back in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350*

Place baking sheets in preheated oven and bake 6 minutes then reduce the temperature to 325*. Bake until cookies are firm. Turn off the oven and leave the cookies to dry completely for 2 hours.

Remove and leave cookies on your counter at least overnight to continue drying. A perfectly dried cookie will snap and crumble when broken. Place in jars and seal.

From Boomer to Your fur children with much Love,

Linda

A Little Bit Every Day—-Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Posted on December 8, 2015 by Dayphoto

Going for our daily walk, Boomer, Monkey the cat, and Sam-Sam our old cat, watched the night slowly come in….spreading it’s wings of brilliant color on the Paonia Mountains,

Brushing Grand Mesa with broad strokes of rose, and orange and a different shade of pink. Sky-6

The mountains and the Black Canyon around Montrose and Gunnison lite up in vast amounts of the same color.

The cold silence of darkness descended—darkness is coming faster and faster every day. Spreading night into the dips and hallows, filling in the rows of still standing corn, while the stars burn brighter and brighter as the evening gloaming grows stronger.

We walked to small point on the land where I can look over the tops of the corn to the south, west and north…enjoying the stunning vista. A small rises where the plateaus fall away below us, and we can see beyond our mesa, and beyond the Rubidoux Canyon into the next Canyons and the flat lands and more knobs and knolls, into a blue distance, hazed with the breath of the desert. (Looking toward Grand Junction, Colorado)

Turning around to the east the land is flat, devoid of corn crops, whereby the sunset was busy splashing masses of color on all the mountains.

Only a few more days [now] until December 21st and the winter Solstice! At 9:49 p.m. here in our part of the world.

I can’t tell you HOW READY I am!!!

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

A Marvelous Sunrise—Sunday, December 6, 2015

Posted on December 6, 2015 by Dayphoto

Back when my computer was broken, and we had a snow storm, our oldest daughter and Jason captured this sunrise over the farm.

Since they now live in our other house, just across two fields, they have a nice view of our farm yard —right from their kitchen window.

Although the day was miserable cold, the sky leaden and heavy with grey clouds full of frost, the rising sun was able to cast it’s life giving rays through brightening the sky.

What a marvelous wonder to behold!

Your friend with much love,

Linda

Corn Report—Thursday, December 3, 2015

Posted on December 3, 2015 by Dayphoto

The deer are eating the corn, yum-yum. Not a good thing. Good for the deer. but not the bottom line.

Still I don’t think we are going to be hurt! It would take more than the small sized herd we have living on our place.

We did have a nice melt yesterday.

A few of the farmers have started started corn harvest. Just a small amount of farmers. Terry is thinking possibly Friday we can start…of course it depends on the melt, the mud, and the moisture content of the knerals. I’m sure when everything gets just right for us the rest of the the farmers will be ready also. 🙂

That is when the lines are long, long, long at the elevator. Still, it will mean Corn Harvest (and paycheck)!

Today we are building fence. Seems like there is always something that needs done. 🙂

I hope your day is going well for you. As always, Your friend on a western Colorado Farm,

Linda

THANKFULLY! —- Wednesday, December 1, 2015

Posted on December 2, 2015 by Dayphoto

Thankfully! My computer is fixed!!! And it wasn’t a huge fix or an expensive one, nor did I have to buy a new one! YAY!

We are frozen here! Although, we did have a wee melt today around three o’clock. I think we got up to 33*. Strange weather…more like January and February.