As the sun started peaking over the Gunnison Mountain range…Terry and I were
Taking a load in —- what a nice way to start the week.
It’s still a little too high, but they said bring it in and go get another one.
So we are!
(Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just bring in all three fields? Work all this week and be done? — Oh, well, we are NOT complaining, just very grateful.)
Your friends in a sorta, kinda, maybe, corn harvest.
Linda
Yesterday we had a wee melt. Complete with dashes of sunshine here and there, off and on!
It was lovely. Boomer and I walked in slush, and mud, and even on some dry spots.
Later that afternoon, Terry, Boomer and I took a four-wheeler ride to the rocky hill. The chilled air knifing back in a shower of tiny bits of snow from the wheels of Terry’s four-wheeler, causing Boomer to snuggle up tight against me. I found this comforting-his warm body smashed against my back.
Our farm and the neighboring farms were a winter painting, cows dotting the landscape far and away. As we sat there, the sun hanging low in the sky, the silence was broken by a murder of crows, settling down on the farm, actually on the corn still standing in the fields, for their supper.
Then over night the air cooled allowing us to wake up to a
Winter wonderland. It was lovely. A vision of frost draping everything in it’s path. Life in the middle of a frozen cloud.
It’s all gone now…warmed up and melted away. A winter fairy-land.
Your friend, in January, on a farm, on the western side of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. 🙂
Linda
We were going to test the corn again today. By that I mean we would gather three ears of corn from each corn field, keeping them in separate buckets, bring them in and shell the kernels off the cobs into their bucket, then run (each bucket separately) through the corn moisture meter tester. If the moisture content was low enough, Terry would then take the three buckets down to the elevator and have THEM test each bucket. (Remember each bucket represents each field).
It doesn’t NOT matter what your moisture tester says, it only matters what their moisture tester says. They buy and store and sell the corn so they know what they want in their silos. We have our moisture tester set to match theirs, but we are always erring on the side of caution. To combine a huge load of corn and have it turned away would be not be a very good thing.
Anyway, that is what we were GOING to do. But not anymore.
It’s snowing again. Snow is a good thing for January. Something we have prayed for in the past, enjoyed when it was here, and just plain understood, that is winter after all.
Until this year…until this very strange year when the corn doesn’t dry down in a normal way and is harvested by late November and/or early December. This year we are eagerly waiting for the snow to dry off (or fall off) the corn shucks; then we go out and hand check the shucks for dryness. If everything is looking just right we get our buckets set up for the next day…and wake-up to more snow.
So for now we wait. Even if the corn is dry enough, the shucks are not, maybe next week. Only time will tell.
As I was hauling in wood to fill the wood stove this morning, Terry was standing at the back door looking out, “Snow,” he mumbles. ” Well, I guess it is January.” Turning around he headed to his spot on the sofa, feet stretched out toward the wood stove; matching Boomer’s four paws toasting on his side of the wood stove. “I guess we wait some more.”
I guess so.
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
We had a small warm-up yesterday, which was a HUGE help. Finally, Terry and I got the frozen drain working down at the other house.
Terry is still perplexed why the drain froze.
Last night the temperature didn’t drop as terribly low as normal, which was another nice thing.
Today another storm is rolling in. The weather people said we could have RAIN this afternoon. RAIN?!?! What an odd thought for this time of year. I guess we will find out later on today.
Outside everything is quiet, I can not hear the Canada Geese or the Sandhill Cranes. Sometimes I can hear in the far distance cow talking to another cow…it’s too early for calves yet.
There is a sense of ‘hunkering down’ — a waiting.
“Storm coming! Prepare, hole up, stay warm.”
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
It’s snowing here again. A mixed blessing of sorts. 
(This is an old photo…from three weeks ago.)
The snow has warmed up the air a tad. Always good.
The gray light across the landscape has lifted the world from night shadows into a soft filter of sun.
The dying night speaks volumes of what our frozen landscape is made up of—
Vast fields of white and, of course, last years [still] standing corn.
A quote says it all…. “there’s just something beautiful about walking on snow that nobody else has walked on. It makes you believe you are special”.—Carol Rifka Brunt, Tell the Wolves I’m Home.
So we move forward, you and I…day five of the year 2016. Searching for those little bits of joy that fill our lives with happiness.
Your friend,
Linda
Boomer and went for our walk just as the evening sun started sitting.
Saturday morning had been cold, very cold, but by noon a small melt was in place, the earth was bright and shiny from all the sparkling snow, the air dazzling with dancing sun motes.
The tangible evidence of last years crops still standing silent and snow covered gives proof nature is always in command on a ranch or farm.
But standing at the edge of two corn fields, as the sun sets or rises, feet warm and toasty in winter boots, listening to the secret murmurs of the dry leaves and corn stalks—walking further on, past the now harvested pinto bean field, up to the dried alfalfa field, then onto the rocky point…the whispers of the chico and sagebrush, the rabbitbrush and last year’s cattails tell me that my mind, body and soul is firmly in the grip of the land.
I love reading the books by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas… here is a quote from her, by which I totally agree:
Today has dawned cold and clear, but with a promise of warmth around noon. A small joy–but a perfect joy.
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
Here we are…the last day of December in the year of our Lord 2015.
Tomorrow we start a new year, 2016. A.D.
What an amazing time to be alive!
Sometimes I get over-whelmed by the scary stuff going on in the world, then under-whelmed at the cruelty and desire to hurt and maime, with seems to also abound.
Still—here we are time to think about how we are going to make the next year better, how we are going to help ourselves and our families, add depth and good things into the lives of friends and strangers—-Resolutions for some, goals for others. A chance to have a clean start—to start over, so to speak.
For myself I have lots of little goals:
And above all—
I want to enjoy each and every moment of every day I have left in the rest of my life. This is my most fervent wish of all time. I do believe for me—time is short. Time might end 20-30 years from now, but that is short compared to the years I’ve had—66, and in 15 days 67. So much can happen in a year…so very much. But if I can Live each moment with true wonder and joy what a great blessing I will have experienced.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2VCwBzGdPM
With wishes for a wonderful year for you,
Your friend on a Western Colorado Farm,
Linda
Life on a Colorado Farm 