Sunshine Here Today—March 24, 2016

Posted on March 24, 2016 by Dayphoto

The snow is gone! Well, almost! And the wind has moved on leaving behind a cold front. But WITH the cold front is blue skies and big white puffy clouds, and SUNSHINE!

Beautiful, beautiful sunshine!

Please forgive my whining yesterday. I really do try to see the positives in my world and try very hard to limit the negatives…although, I don’t always make it. Oh. well…moving on.

Randy from San Antonio, Texas sent me a very cool photo of the Delta County Fair around 1940. How much fun this is to ‘step back in time’!

Anyway, to borrow from another blogging friend, Marlene—Herself, I end this short post

from My heart to your heart!

Linda

Post Script…I’ve off to enjoy the sunshine! Love you!

Winter Returns—March 23, 2016

Posted on March 23, 2016 by Dayphoto

What more can I say! How discouraging (although pretty). The temps will be dropping to 24* tonight and for the next several nights.

It’s still snowing…coming in sideways with a stiff wind. It’s supposed to slow down and turn into those big fluffy flakes so loved in December, January and February.

Oh, well…nothing to do about the apricots. They are done again this year. There is a saying among the orchard people: “If you plant apricots, plan on only getting a crop ever five or so years.” It sure seems to hold true.

All farming has stopped and will stay stopped until after we pass mud season (again.)

Still…warmer weather will get here and stay soon, April is just around the corner.

Love,

Linda

Weather and Moon Lore—Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Posted on March 22, 2016 by Dayphoto

(This is an old photo, but I love the fox and the corn and the full moon, so decided to use it for today’s post.)

Today is March’s Full Moon beginning phase…I love the full moon! Anyway, this is called the Worm Moon in the Northern Hemisphere. The earth is beginning to warm, the ground to thaw and the earthworm casts to appear. Once this happens the Robins return to brighten our days. (Although I’ve seen robins for a bit now.)

In the far north this moon is called the Crow Moon–the cawing signals the end of winter and in the eastern part of the north is the Sap Moon marking the time of tapping maple trees.

There is also old farm lore that says if the 21st of the start of the four-seasons…(yesterday was the 21st of Spring) will tell what the next three months will bring; hot, dry, windy or cold. We had beautiful weather yesterday…the morning was clear and bright and warm, by the afternoon the wind came up…a warm wind. Then the clouds started flinging themselves over us.

The wind blew off and on all night (although it was a warm wind) and is still gusting heavily; although it’s still warm it is cooling down.

Terry is rolling the plowed fields (still) it takes many acres of rolling before he can start leveling.

Maybe you know some more interesting rural (country) lore. If you do, would you please share. I rather enjoy collecting them.

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

A Time of Contentment—Monday, March 21, 2016

Posted on March 21, 2016 by Dayphoto

Yesterday was the first day of Spring. The first day that the daylight hours are longer than the night time hours.

My beloved Maternal Grandmother…used to say that when spring time starts the world lies in a balance between dark and light.

(Terry is rolling down the plowed fields today)

Call me strange, but I swear I can feel the earth shifting and stirring beneath my feet as the air changes.The change hums in my blood, the blood of the plants and the animals. Bringing contentment and joy.I just achieved my 9th year of blogging on Sunday. 9 years of being friends with you.

Thank you everyone!

Happy Spring!

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

Plowing—It’s the Only Way to Go—Sunday, March 20, 2016

Posted on March 20, 2016 by Dayphoto

Terry started plowing the old corn fields

Burying the old stalks, leaves, left over cobs, and cow manure….oh yes! And the MILK DUDS…back into the ground to mellow out and decompose.

I must say I am Tickled to Death about the Milk Duds, Beef Jerky and other assorted ‘chews’ NOT readily available for Boomer.

Although, he still goes out and tries to find them, they are now in the rich soil doing wonders for the earth worms and not Boomer’s tummy!

YAY!

He gained three pounds during this February…now he is on a diet. One I’ve imposed and one the plowed earth took away. Three pounds is huge on a 35 pound Beagle!

I finished all but one big spot of work last night in the sunset. Which, by the way, was stunning.

Have a good one, my friends!

Linda

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH! —- Thursday, March 17, 2016

Posted on March 17, 2016 by Dayphoto

This local rock art says: “Little bitty turtle, says Thank-you to all big helpers on big horse and little horse for knowledge on back up of computer.” 🙂 (I now have a game plan and can proceed! You have been most accommodating in helping me! Thank you so Much! —See the mountain lion on the rock? That’s me…I now know the way! tee hee)

Today is Saint Patrick’s Day!! March 17th! On this day everyone, is always a little bit Irish! But for real understanding of the most popular Catholic Saint go here.

Terry finished rolling the old pinto bean ground. Today we take a break.

Yesterday, was uphill from sunup to sun down.

I finished raking the whole yard, all the of the farm yard buildings and the corrals. Then in the afternoon Terry and I worked on tearing down and cutting up an old building, which was crumbling. We were concerned that a huge storm would finish it off. This meant moving all the stuff in the building, then the laborious process of dismantling and sawing up the wood. The old barn wood we saved, but other than that we started making fire starter wood.

Today….we are tired. Very. So today we rest, sorta…I have that tedious thing to do call grocery shopping and Terry is working with a guy to do some back hoe stuff.

With much love,

Linda

A Request for Help—-Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Posted on March 16, 2016 by Dayphoto

Last year’s corn fields are all disked, setting mellow waiting for the proper time for Terry to start plowing them up. (The old corn fields are plowed up, turning the soil into the earth allowing the stalks and leaves to compost)

This is one of the pastures thoroughly fertilized by the cows. A very good thing!

But now I have a Request for Help from You, if you would be so kind as to give me some advice. I want to back up my computer to an external hard drive. Not to a company…although, I do have Carbonite. They are very good. VERY GOOD. But the expense of keeping them connected is starting to wear on my pocket book.

SO I took myself down to Wal-Mart to see what was available for a good back-up system and instantly became terribly over-whelmed. The helpers in there really don’t know anything except to sell me the most expensive or the cheapest one available. They talked me into system, which I can’t really figure out how to use…got some stuff on it and can’t get it off…in general I just don’t like it. (It’s called Passport)

I’m thinking about just using ScanDisk memory sticks. I would like to usethe memory sticks AND something else.

What I was wondering….would you give me some advice on what to purchase to back up my system? If you don’t want to leave it the comments, please email me. coloradofarmlife@gmail.com . Of course, if you leave it in the comments everyone will benefit.

So…anyway….I thank you for your time and for your information.

Love,

Linda

HI HO—Tuesday, March 15 (the Ides of March), 2016

Posted on March 15, 2016 by Dayphoto

Today is the Ides of March…the Ides of March the date on which Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC. Caesar was stabbed to death at a meeting led by Brutus and Cassius. A seer had warned that hime harm would come to Caesar no later than the Ides of March (See Wikipedia).

For me it also seems to be a date when the weather starts to shift. Yesterday we had lots of wind! Huge stiff wind gusts. But today…it’s cold and beautiful.

A update on the farming—

The old alfalfa field is ready to mark out and plant. It will be corn this coming year

Terry finished leveling that field around four yesterday afternoon. Leveling is the last step of soil preparation…

first is disking

then either plowing or ripping depending on the soil and what was grown in that field last year.

Then leveling.

After leveling will be marking, irrigation and then planting.

One field down!

The conversation every evening goes like this: “I sure am tired. I don’t know WHY I wanted to farm again.”

“Well, goodness! Anyone would be tired after eight hours on a tractor.”

“I guess.” he replies…”but I don’t think of hours, I think of acres.”

“Okay…anyone would be tired after acres and acres and acres on a tractor.”

“True.”

Then morning comes——

(Ripping up the old pinto bean field early, early this morning.)

“Well the sun is poking his head up, ♪♫♫♪ guess I’ll head on out. Nothing like a fresh day to get some work done. ♪♫❤♪♫❤ The dirt is calling me!”

Then with a smile and wave he’s out the door, fueling up the tractor and leaving the farm yard in a little puff of dirt.

From our western Colorado farm •❥*◝◟¸* to you!

Linda ❤(smiles)

A Weekend Get Away—-Monday, March 14, 2016

Posted on March 14, 2016 by Dayphoto

For my birthday, in January our daughter and son-in-law, who live in Grand Junction, Colorado, gave me (and Terry) a one-night-stay at our favorite of all hot springs— CottonWood in Buena Vista, Colorado. Then they told us they were going to drive us to the Hot Springs and spend the time with us. When would we like to go?

After much thought…from January until March… we decided the best time to go would be just after the cows leave and the heavy farm work starts.

So this last weekend they picked us up (our oldest daughter who now lives in our other house — she took care of the cats for us and took Boomer home to play with their dogs) and drove us to our wonderful weekend destination.

NOW! We had a little surprise for Cliff (our son-in-law) because HIS birthday is this month. So we gave to him (and Kimberly) one nights stay, also. 🙂 🙂

It was a lovely time! We had yummy food in Buena Vista and a huge breakfast in Salida on Sunday–home by 2:00 on Sunday, all rested and refreshed ready to tackle the week.