A little shadow of a ringed-neck dove
The sound of large wings swooshing through the air
Watching the big birds landing
I love the calls ringing across the land
Rare that the cranes and geese mix, but they do
Their songs streaming though-out the trees
My heart lifts with them as they fly up, up, up
I love hiding so I can sneak up while they are pecking on the seeds
So I sing to you the song
Of the winter sky!
From my world to your heart,
Linda
Chapter Eight
I stopped and just stared down the road. I have a suspicion I know where Mindy went.
I took off as fast as my Beagle legs could carry me.
I had found Mindy’s tracks
And where she rolled in the dirt,
which gave me a very fresh scent
Then I saw where she climbed into the ditch, hum…. oh, yes, out she came here.
O! OH! Humm…. herked up mouse guts. Rather nasty. I guess Mindy ate too many mice.
On I traveled…not long now before I get to the cross-over pipe….I have a feeling I will run into Mindy at the cross-over pipe. She LOVES going with Mom, Dad and Myself when we walk up to the cross-over pipe. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that myself.
I kicked it into high gear.
The sun was starting to set, but that’s okay. I know the farm like the pads on my paws.
Besides
The Cross-Over pipe is LOTS of fun!
Once I catch up with Mindy, we can have our adventure!
Meanwhile—
Now I wonder what this paw print is? Mindy sniffed around on the print.
Cat? Wow! That is some kind of Big Cat? WOW!
The winter birds lift my heart in gratitude each and every moment of each and every day
I always stand outside (each and every day) raise my hands to the sky
And Yell—yes I yell—Please come to our farm! Each and all of you are welcome
And it seems to be working
It’s true I reach out to them with scattered seeds and yummy bits of bird food
I honestly don’t care what variety comes
How big or how small
They are all welcome.
(Even sleepy little loud noisy starlings)
Wings, and brilliant colors, our farm is L.O.U.D with song!
Welcome! I call.
I feel truly blessed!
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
Happy Birthday, Mindy-Lou Kitty
We are really not sure how old you are…maybe seven or eight, or close to that anyway
You lived a long, long time in the wild and had several litters of kittens. It was when you were having your last litter, I met you. You had traveled from a long way to the other house.
I was working down at the other house when I saw you and you saw me. So I started feeding you every day—yummy cat cereal and canned cat food.
Gradually over time, you followed me home.
Making friends with Dad first, then friends with Boomer
Then Me. It took you a while to like me when there was DAD to like you!
Happy Birthday, Little kitty. You’ve lived with us four, almost five years now.
You are a huge part of lives!
From Mom, Dad, Boomer, and the two hens!
(From my world to your heart 🙂 )
Linda
For one night, and one night only—
just before our really nice wet snowstorm arrived
Our grandson came.
He is growing so fast now. A man really, 18 this month.
Joy comes in so many different ways. All we need to do is look— with gladness.
From my world to your heart.
Linda
Yesterday was a rare warm January afternoon…warming up enough we went for a walk just to savor the air
All that changed over-night. We woke to fog and snow. Lots and lots of snow. It’s beautiful
Still, yesterday was strangely lovely (game camera photo)
Then last evening the clouds rolled in; pushed along with a brisk wind, but before the swirling snow started
I went out to take a photo of the finger-nail shaped moon and one star close by
Boomer and I breathing in the cold air of the night
Your friend on western Colorado farm,
Linda
I was out taking photos of the world 
As the air danced wildly in the color of pink. Stuffing my camera in my pocket, leaning down to pet that silly little beagle, I looked up to see the flash of the game camera.
I took out the chip and found our little family (Mindy, Myself, Boomer, and Terry) surround by the warm clear color of the palest red.
We were truly living in a rose-colored world. (until the sun fully set, that is 🙂 )
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
Chapter Seven
This is SO much fun!
First, I climbed to the top of the haystack poles, then I ran across the top, got stuck for a little bit, but figured out that I could get back down if I went backward.
After all that climbing I decided to go into the combine and see if there were mice in there. My tummy was growling at this point, you see.
In I went, first under the cab, then in the place where all the teeth are, nope.
Back into the BIG part where all the trash comes out and WHAM! Mice everywhere.
Yum!
Slurp!
Gulp!
That was good. Burp.
Okay, enough of that.
Back out onto the farm road. Where I rolled around in the dirt for a spell.
Then JUMPED UP! And RAN to the ditch where the water can go one way, if Dad wants it too, or go another way. Whatever Dad decides. It’s really fun to crawl into the pipes and see how far I can go before I get scared and come back out.
Oh! You didn’t read that. I don’t get scared, I just get tired of not seeing daylight.
You understand I’m sure.
Shoot! All the pipes are covered up and locked down.
Darn!
Okay….off I go down the dirt ditch then…I scrabble down the ditch as fast as I could go.
You never know…there may be mice in the ditch, or the grass OR Dad forgot to close off the cross-over pipe. At WHICH point if he forgot…..I CAN GO TO THE OTHER SIDE!
Meanwhile—-
Walking at the Upper End,
there I saw Three Paths; two diverged and one traveled close by.
The birds of winter—-
Those delightful wandering large and small birds
Filling the air with their gossip and chatter
Shining brightly there in the sky
Filling our lawn with their busy searching and scratching
Then suddenly lifting up in a huge swoosh of wings
The tap-tap tapping on the bark of the very old Cottonwood tree fills the cold winter air
A pair of owls gently shake the branches of the same tree each evening as they call one to the other 
A blackbird, of some sort, rests in the branches waiting for submissive sun take back the sky from clouds
The crows tell all the secrets of the land.
Thank Heavens for the winter birds. They make my winter life ever so much better.
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
Life on a Colorado Farm 