Autumn leaves,
Turning to gold, flying silently to the ground,
Leaving behind memories of hot wings of sunbeams
The evening light echoing the beat of my heart.
Your friend, as always,
Linda
The Walk Toward Winter—Sunday, September 20, 2015
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Tag Archives: 2015
The Start of the Pinto Bean Harvest, Thursday, September, 17, 2015
Right after breakfast and the next set of irrigation water on the alfalfa field, Terry, Boomer, and I header over to hook-up the bean puller and bar.
This is the bean puller
And hook up the bar on the back of the 730. You understand that Terry does most the work. Boomer is off somewhere checking out the news and I’m pretty much there to give him a tool, or the handyman jack, or move something out the way. 🙂
That’s the blade…the puller pulls the beans out the ground and the blade cuts off any stems the puller misses.
The pinto beans are ready. The plant is dry, with only the weeds staying green and growing.
Up and down, careful, careful…you don’t want to run over the plants and loose your crop.
Slowly, ever so slowly,
The beans are put into rows. Once the day warms up, Terry stops— warmer air will dry the dew off the pods causing the pods to split and spill the beans.
Tomorrow (if all goes well) he will put on a different blade and go out and lift all the rows UP so they are fluffy and can have air circulate among the plants.
Then we wait. Terry says (if the warm weather holds and NO rain), in about a week the green weeds should be dry and he can start combining.
Harvest! A huge process with nice results.
Your friend on a Western Colorado farm,
Linda
Sometimes….Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Around ten o’clock yesterday, Terry exclaimed…”I’m tired of doing work! I’m tired. I want to do something different.”
“Okay,” I replied. “What do you have in mind?”
“Let’s take a little drive, nothing far, or hard to get too, nothing full of dirt and concern over hunters. Someplace we can see that is different from the farm.”
“Hummm”…..we pondered together.
“Let’s go to Ouray,[ Colorado]!” he announced. “We can get a bite to eat on the way up, stop and get my part for the pick-up on the way back, and be home by supper.”
So we did! 🙂
Your friend,
Linda
The Last Cut of the Year—Wednesday, September 14, 2015
They weather held. What a good thing to have happen.
Although the mornings were a tad chilly, and it took awhile for the dew to dry to just the right point.
The hay crew and Terry got ever last bale in the field stacked and covered.
Monday it started to sprinkle around 9 in the morning, with a weatherperson’s promise of more to come.
Monday morning the irrigation water was started for the last time on the hay field. Helping it go into the winter in a good way.
Joy on the farm and in farm yard!
Your friend,
Linda
My Love of Light–Tuesday, September 15, 2015
I love the light…first light of the daybreak…when things of the dark go to sleep and those of the day start their rustle and bustle
This time of year the air is sharp and chill,
but warms through the day, until a nice and toasty heat is radiating off the land
By nightfall, the things of the farm pause and draw breath, slowing for the long rest.
Brilliant evening light filters through every crack and crevice
The plants pause first, then the animals and birds slow, stopping their frantic search for food; if you are still and just listen you can hear the earth itself draw a slow and peaceful breath.
There are many, many names for God. The reason being; one small word is not enough to describe love.
As always your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
Guest Post— Monday, September 14, 2015
Awhile back I got this really nice email from a gentleman, Jack Smith. He wrote he accidently stumbled upon my blog while looking for more information on chickens and chicken coops. Once there he said he spent much time checking back over my posts and decided he wanted to contact me.
Well, to make this into a short story, Jack Smith, is my guest today, providing us with a infographic about Chicken coops. Jack graciously explained a little of his interest in chickens and why he designed the infographic. He is also connected with the site…gardenholic.com, if any of you are interested.
Hello! My name’s Jack Smith and I’m very glad to have been given the opportunity to write here by Linda.
I designed the infographic you just saw above and I want to talk a little bit about why I created it and about keeping poultry. When I first started looking into how to build a chicken coop I was shocked at the amount of information there was. All the different types and the poultry lingo were all a bit much for me as a beginner and I felt intimidated.
Was I ready for such a huge task?
In reality, building your own coop is a relatively simple DIY project. Chickens aren’t as picky as you and me! My fear is that the vast amount of information on the subject will put off newcomers to our hobby and prevent them from taking the first step into keeping poultry. That’s why I decided to collect just 8 key features that you should have in your coop and put them into an easy to read and understand infographic. I hope that this will soften the entry for newcomers and show them that even just a simple coop is better than no coop!
If you are interested in keeping chickens then I would highly encourage you to get started. Not only do they produce some of the most delicious eggs I’ve ever eaten, backyard chickens are also a great pet for children [and adults] . I believe that children can learn a significant amount from animals and chickens don’t require nearly as much attention as dogs (trust me).
Another small gift from the readers of this blog to you!
Your friend,
Linda
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A Rainbow from Duluth–Sunday, September 12, 2015
Mary from Duluth, Minnesota (the tip of Lake Superior), saw this rainbow and thought of me.
I think I am one of the luckiest people alive to be sent such special gifts–rainbows from here, there and everywhere. Thank you, Mary.
Now each of you can see this special present of love and hope!
Your friend on a Western Colorado farm,
Linda
The Perfect Gift–Thursday, September 10, 2015
A perfect gift arrived for me…all the way from the Black Forest, near Colorado Springs, Colorado.
There in the lovely forest they call home, in the perfect stillness after rain storm, was a gift of hope and love.
Elaine so kindly sent it to me, now I am sharing it with you.
Your friend on a high mountain desert farm in western Colorado,
Linda
Finished—Wednesday, September 9, 2015
We finally got all the firewood we ‘think’ we will need for the coming winter.
We’ve hauled, stacked, loaded, sorted, and arranged. We have some logs out by the machine shed for the stove out there.
Our son said he heard that winter was going to come upon us suddenly and last a very long time.
Only time will tell.
It was the coldest night so far last night. We woke up to 45*. The dew is thick upon the grasses and weeds. The air has a decided turn about it.
Still there is the everlasting light that surrounds us and the farm, bathing all with the start of a new day, or the closing of the old one.
Softly each day brings with it the sheer ordinariness, which is a comfort to the soul.
As always, your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
News of a Good Sort—Tuesday, September 8, 2015
The last set of Linkin’s (shared) pigs had her babies.
She got to help birth them (she helped with the first pig, named Apple); this one is named Cookie. I thought I had blogged about it, but I can’t seem to find where it was to link back to it.
She’s been with them every step of the way. From the second they arrived at the neighbor’s farm.
Mr. Chapman has been an excellent friend and champion to Linky. She was with Apple, even helping deliver the pigs —Mrs. Chapman right there showing her how. And now with Cookie. Linky even got to help deliver two that were stuck. The pigs are excellent Momma’s and adore ‘their little human girl”.
Sadly, Linkin even had to bear the loss of the pig in the front, when she had a heart attack and died. “Life and death,” Mr. Chapman explained “all goes together.”
For this little farm girl, now transplanted to a subdivision, she has been given the gift of both worlds. Terry and I will always be most grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Chapman.
Your friend on a Western Colorado farm,
Linda
Life on a Colorado Farm 