A Rainbow Gift from the Black Forest—-Sunday, 15, 2024

Posted on September 15, 2024 by Dayphoto

Thank you! THANK YOU! Ever so much, Elaine!

“The morrow was a bright September morn; the earth was beautiful as if newborn.”—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

From my world to your heart,

Linda

The Adventures of Boo Berry Betty and TLC Cai-Cai on 2024 Friday—The Huge, GIANT Rain Event, Friday, September 13, 2024

Posted on September 13, 2024 by Dayphoto

Chapter Four —– A Couple of Hens

Boo Berry and I played hide and Get Boo Berry for a long time. Gradually, Mom got done with whatever it was that Mom was doing and started walking back to the farmyard and (I suppose) onto the farmhouse.

Boo Berry got all nervous, gave me a long look, then bounded after Mom.

That left me to walk in by myself.

Oh! Well, it wouldn’t be the first time.

As I was walking in I ran into the two hens, they were right by the grain bins clucking and scratching in the weeds.

“Hey, CAT!!” the White hen yelled at me. “STOP! I need to tell you something! Something very important.”

I stopped, of course. I had nothing better to do.

“Okay—I’m listening.” I replied.

Cluck, Cluck, cluck….”Just a minute…..there is a cricket!!!”

POUNCE! missed, well, kinda sorta missed, got one back leg. POUNCE!! “Bull’s EYE!” The other hen yelled, “Right in the back of the cricket!”

Gobble, gobble, yum, yum.

“Hey I want a cricket, is there another one, let’s look and see!” the second hen clucked.

“Okay, okay,” scratch, scratch.

“You two are annoying!!! I growled. You stop me for something and then just as you start to tell me you lose your train of thought! I’m going. This is a big waste—–”

“NO! WAIT!!! I have to tell you that something big is going to happen and it’s going to happen SOON!!!” Skitter put her claw on my paw and looked me right in the eye. Well, she did have to turn her head to one side to look me right in the eye. But….anyhoo I stopped.

“Silver and I woke up this morning just knowing that something big is going to happen on the farm and it’s going to happen real soon.” She took her claw off my paw and sorta walked around me.

“I don’t know what it is but we both feel it—like maybe we better get all our eggs in the nest early. And maybe we better not go out of the farm yard too far…because, gosh, we don’t know, but we do know. It’s just a feeling in the feathers. Something big is coming.”

At just that moment the other hen scared up a whole slew of big giant flying grasshoppers!!!
I jumped up into the air to see if I could catch one or two. The hens were scrambling madly pecking and attacking the only way a chicken can.

BUGS! The best kind! Skitter yelled with her mouth full…YUMMY BUGS!!!

And—-EVEN the, Thursday, September 12, 2024

Posted on September 12, 2024 by Dayphoto

Not only are the birds flocking together and moving through, (these are not the Swallows but another bird)

And the sky loudly proclaiming CHANGE

Even the snakes are restless….moving here and there, eating as much as possible, not shedding (the growing time is over), they are starting to gather to ‘den up’.

Here is a quote from good ole trusty Google: “Unlike many warm-blooded animals, snakes don’t actually hibernate in the winter. Instead, snakes go into a state known as where snakes become less active and their metabolism slows down tremendously. Brumation is similar to hibernation in that snakes will sleep for long periods of time.”

They seem to be everywhere right now, heading to wherever they want to call home.

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

Time, Throbbing, Ticking, Marching On — Wednesday, September 11, 2024

Posted on September 11, 2024 by Dayphoto

The birds are not the only sign of the Summer transitioning toward winter

The sky will randomly give us a taste of Winter’s colors and shades

Although winter’s colors will be much paler they are still the color of winter;

Our youngest daughter, Misty’s, shirt reflects the Autumn sky.

Light is another sign of transition —Summer to Autumn, then on to Winter- that cold, wet, dark time.

But we won’t dwell on the last season, instead, we will absorb and cherish this glowing time of the year—AUTUMN!

From my world to your heart,

Linda

Gathering—Gaining Strength—Getting Ready — Tuesday, September 10, 2024

Posted on September 10, 2024 by Dayphoto

I know it isn’t going to be long now

The swallows are gathering. Waiting for the little ones to get enough strength to migrate.

Each and every day I watch them start to have more and more Swallows arrive to begin the big migration.

Our swallows are the last to come in the Spring and the last to leave in the fall. It won’t be long now. I hope I can see them go. Only once did I get to see them all lift as one, swirl around the farm and our house as if saying good-bye…then rise way up into the sky in a joyful dance.

And then were gone.

One once! But that once was a Huge wonderful gift!

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

Not Long Now — Monday, September 9, 2024

Posted on September 9, 2024 by Dayphoto

The Last of the baby swallows

Have left their warm and comfortable little nest—

Only returning at night. Still just teenagers—needing a bit of comfort before tackling the world.

They were raised over our backdoor. Every time I go in or out I got to watch them as they grew.

Making me smile all the while.

(This makes their parents terribly nervous, but, oh, well, I have enjoyed being part of their little baby lives.)

Soon, they will blend in with the others…making it difficult to ever know who is who again.

Such a distinctly joyful experience!

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

DONE! DONE!! DONE!!! — Sunday, September 8, 2024

Posted on September 8, 2024 by Dayphoto

It’s been a whirlwind this past week. We listed the hay for sale Sunday (last week) and sold every single last flake and straw by Wednesday afternoon!

Exhausting and exciting all at once. (I’m sure you could tell I had my blog posts all messed up; my days and times all blending together!)

WE ARE DONE!

WHEW!

Thanks to everyone who came and purchased!

“Surely it is in the everyday things around us that the beauty of life lies.”—Laura Ingalls Wilder

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

The Adventures of Boo Berry Betty and TLC Cai-Cai on 2024 Friday—The Huge, GIANT Rain Event, Friday, September 6, 2024

Posted on September 6, 2024 by Dayphoto

Chapter Three—LUNCH or Is It SNACK!

Here I am! All snuggled down in the Grass/Alfalfa field.

Mom and Boo Berry are getting closer and closer, but not close enough—- yet!!!

All I have to do is wait a bit.

Oh! Look! There are little white butterflies everywhere out here…

Oh! So exciting!

They flitter and flick from one plant to another.

Flitter.

Flick.

Flitter.

Those little white things are really flickering. One lands on the alfalfa, another on a blooming steam of grass…

Oh! This is really interesting.

I snuggle down in the grass/alfalfa a little deeper. When I do about six grasshoppers jump up out of the grass and hop out of the way.

Well, almost out the way…one lit right on a stem In—front of my eyes(!) and one RIGHT ON MY LEFT PAW!!

Oh!

SHHHHH!

Hum, what do I do? If I move it will jump off my paw and get lost in the grass and the one on the grass will also jump somewhere!

My tail is twitching and twitching…just the tip of it, I don’t want to make those two delicious morsels move.

I’m being very, very still…not even moving my head to see where Boo Berry and Mom are.

BOO BERRY AND MOM!!! I will have to do something very soon—before they get here and scare everything away!

Okay, here is what I’m going to do. I’m going to open my mouth very slowly, move my head closer and closer to my left paw, and chomp down on the grasshopper just sitting there all perky and proud of itself!

THEN I AM GOING TO EAT IT!!!

Slowly, slowly, slowly I open my mouth.

Then I gradually put my head close to the grasshopper sitting on my paw and BITE!!!

Yepper! Got it! Yummmmm! Crunchy squishy goodness!

Okay.

Now where is the other one?

“HEY!!! TLC!!! You came! You even beat us here!” Boo Berry hopped over the gated pipe scattering grasshoppers and butterflies everywhere.

“Let’s play, TLC! Let’s see what to do out here in the field!” she yelled as she crashed through the grass and alfalfa plants. Bugs flying everywhere! I MEAN EVERYWHERE!!!