It is that time of year! Oh! The! Joy!
A wee walkabout (TWICE) upon the farm yesterday told us, this year the rancher left the cows too long.
He normally likes to have them at the ranch house, closer and easier to monitor them
I understand.
But this year they got to stay longer than normal
Which works for me!
Three new babies yesterday, more to come today!
I am sooo excited!
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
It was a shock to read on Tuesday that a wonderful, and long-time blog friend, Jan Williams was killed in her home while watching the Super Bowl playoffs.
She started following my blog in 2007. At which time I started following her.
Over the years she would send me private emails of encouragement, a Christmas gift of her stunning quilt work, and many-times two thumbs up for something I wrote.
She, among others, encouraged me to try my hand at printing a book. Then she even announced my book on her blog.
She was a huge friend.
Follow the blue links for more information.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/danlorrierecovery
That man even had his kids in the car. The rest of his life he will be paying (emotionally) for the belief he could drink and drive.
My heart goes out to everyone.
Good-bye, Jan. You were a wonderfully stalwart friend!
From my heart to your world,
Linda
Then sit frozen in a hidden spot
Camera at the ready
And hope they will come.
Often times they will.
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
February’s Full Snow Moon broke through
A blend of magic and sorcery, causing the black night to fade
Sending (for a short spell, a very short time) silver light, sharp and clear.
Just perfect for me and my camera.
From my world to your heart,
Linda
Walking out of the gym in Parachute, Colorado I had to marvel at the beauty of the full moon
It was stunning, rising above the mountains and the Bus and Maintenance barn
The silver moonlight followed us all the way home, through Debeque Canyon, over the desert to home…the glow of February’s lovely full moon.
From my heart to your world,
Linda
Chapter Nine
“BOOMER!!!” Mindy yelled. “BOOMER Come SEE!”
I trotted over, put my nose to the ground and smelled.
“WOW! BIG CAT!”
“Yes! A Very big cat! Are we safe, Boomer?”
“Well,” I pondered, “I think so. We’ve had them walk down the farm road and the irrigation pipes before and nothing ever came of it. Although, I did hear Mom and Dad talking about our neighbor, just over the way from the Back Forty, losing several sheep to a Mountain Lion.”
“SHEEP!” Mindy jumped sky-high landing on her four feet over on the other side of the paw print. “These big cats eat SHEEP!?!?!”
“And other things.” I mused. I remember Etta, my sweet lovely Etta telling me they were out on a hike once and came across a BIG CAT in a tree. She said those big cats don’t waste their time eating mice and birds, they need BIG things to fill their tummies so they eat horses, cows, calves, sheep, goats…you know BIG things.”
“Oh! Boomer! Does the smell say the cat is gone? I really don’t want to be food.”
Sniff, sniff, snuff, snuff…” yes gone. Gone one down the road. I think we are safe.”
“BUT Mindy…the sun has set and now it’s dark.
Dark is NEVER a good thing out on the farm
EVER!”
“OH! BOOMER! WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO!!!” Mindy wailed.
It was just at the very moment when:
“Danger!” Mindy screamed. “Danger!”
We have been going to our oldest grandson and our oldest granddaughter’s basketball games
As I sat there Tuesday afternoon and way into the evening
I marveled at how amazing these young people are (not just my grandchildren, but all the kids out on the court—all of them)
It’s a very special time, for each young man and young woman. They are being gifted with teachers, coaches, plus parents and grandparents who believe in them.
Not only believe in them but are willing to help the young adult stretch and experience and sometimes to pick them up so they can start all over again.
The message to each young mind is: “You can Become. You can mold yourself into whatever you want to be and you can do whatever you want to do”.
Here are the tools. Even horrible situations of misery — have adults close by who care about the student.
Once we leave the nest, those days are over. Sure there will be special people who come along for a spell…echoing the voice and lessons from that growing time of the past.
There will be experiences which lift us up interweaving spells of joy and tears
Never again will we ever get to experience that special time of support we get before we become full-fledged adults.
Once we are adults we figure out…adulting is hard. Even though, we strain and strive for it all through our high school years.
From my world to your heart,
Linda
It’s terribly cold here. 5*F (-15 c) when I work up this morning, with a feels like 1*F (-17*c) temp.
Although, we don’t have snow. Thankfully. Cold and snow make me feel even Colder!
The grasping nasty cold has the little goats struggling. Although, they have a very warm house, full of warm sawdust and lots of good food
Their ages are working against them. When they came to live on the farm they were very elderly and in a rather poor condition. They had spent all their lives in a tiny box of a pen only able to stand and move to the food box then move back to the end of the stall to sit down again…not enough to stretch and run and jump as goats love to do.
Our oldest daughter, whose goats they are, has worked with them —allowing them to have a very luxurious pen, with lots, and lots of runs to run in. Very good food and lots of brushing and pets.
I take down apples and special goat treats daily, the two little goat brothers coming happily to be fed.
Still, this winter has been hard on them. Causing their ancient bones to stiffen up; making movement very hard. Right now in the dry, extremely hard cold, it seems worse.
Winter..I am a tad ready for you to fly away, and be gone.
Which reminds me…I saw two Western Meadowlarks two days ago. And last week a flock of about 8 (eight) Mountain Bluebirds. Hopeful signs of warmer days to come!
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
I’ve finished another quilt.
For some reason, this has been a hard quilt to put together. You wouldn’t think after doing the other three quilts it would be, but it was.
I didn’t have enough of each type of square, for one thing, then each square was quilted differently…and I made the purple strips too small…
Gradually it started to unfurl and come together. Enough so, I can pronounce it DONE!
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
I try to wear something on my feet all the time,…although, I think shoes are so confining.
Outside walking is NOT the same as Inside walking—those days of just running outside in bare feet are over
Now (if the ground is not wet) I can struggle along with socks and flip flops
Slip-on shoes for the rest of the time
With socks. Shoes without socks feel rather ‘not right’
But this is my preferred mode of travel on the farm…socks, and flip-flops 🙂 In the winter-time.
Of course, there are those moments, with the mud is just way too much for anything, but
Boots!
Terry is always practical; his shoes appropriate to the ground.
But, if I am very careful, and walk-in old footprints…I can still go about in winter in my favorite mode of SHOE!!!
🙂 🙂 🙂
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
Life on a Colorado Farm 