Tag Archives: alfalfa

Frost Early This Year — Monday, November 4, 2019

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(from Pinterest)

The remnants of Summer freeze-dried right on the trees, with that nasty storm last week. (As you can see the bright gold of Autumn barely started)

The moisture in the corn zipped down to harvest levels.  Although our renters have not started harvesting on our place

The alfalfa fields are just starting to show signs of turning brown…it takes alfalfa a long time to lose its green color.

Moon and one star

The chill of winter already upon the land.  Methinks we are in for a long, long winter.

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

 

 

A World which is New —- Wednesday, October 16, 2019

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The heavy freezes are continuing.

The alfalfa is always slower to react than, say corn, or the leaves on trees.

Gradually, over a long series of heavy freezes, the fields will turn brown, all the juices stored in the roots, slumbering until spring.

Creating a new world, ready for winter long nap.

And now, for a tiny bit of summer life

Yesterday, I captured, on camera, a butterfly/moth exploding into the air as Boomer and I walked by.

I’m finding capturing bugs in flight is very hard to do. (But ever so fun, when I actually get one on camera.)

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

Sounds Echo —- Monday, May 21, 2018

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The sound of the tractor adds to the un-silence of the land.

Terry planted the pinto beans five days ago, and today he is Mormon Creasing the field.  By that he is taking taking the top off the row and smoothing out the top of the row so the little plants can work their way through a smaller amount of soil.

He also planted a new alfalfa field, which will make us two fields of alfalfa.  Although, the new field won’t be ready until next year.  There will be a possible cutting in September, but sometimes he doesn’t cut it; allowing the cows to graze it off instead.

This makes the whole farm in production. Finally.  Everything is some form of growth or another.

The irrigation water sparkles and splashing it’s way down each furrow cool and free.

Tomorrow or Wednesday (depending on the weather) it will be time to cut the alfalfa

next to our house.  Then the air will be scented with green alfalfa drying into lovely hay.

I will leave all the windows open in the house so the perfume fills our rooms and scents our sleep.

Busy times,

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

While the Gods Hold Their Breath— Thursday, August 3, 2017

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“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.”–Rachel Carson

I must confess I have a favorite word…it is a word I don’t use often, nor do I find ways to incorporate it into my conversations…like those common words: COOL, DUDE, YA KNOW…I don’t even sprinkle in this word here and there

but it is a word I think describes how I feel on a daily basis….

The word is Dazzle.

I feel dazzled as sun touches the word’s edge…morning or evening

Or the glittering lights sparkle on the ripples, making the rather muddy irrigation water twinkle like jewels — sending a blessing to all the water touches

 Even the run, to check water, in the deep silence of the night brings out the sky drenched with twinkling stars, or moonlight seeping into everything — turning the world to silver

I feel a most profound and deep joy when the horizon is edged with a Rainbow…

Or the color of flowers is captured in a heap of clouds

I must confess I am most blessed…living on this amazing earth, which sails noiselessly between the stars

 

Dazzled…that pretty much sums up how I feel about life.

From my world to your heart,

Linda

Riding Straight into the Light—-Monday, June 26, 2017

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We are gradually moving through the growing season.

The middle of this week we will be cutting the alfalfa (for the second time this year)

The swallows flit and dart through the air searching out bugs for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!  Keeping the mosquitoes at bay!

We are still having wind…sometimes a light breeze that stirs the leaves in the garden, sometimes a wind, which whips the branches of the trees, and sometimes a wind we can not see; stirring the clouds causing cloud shadows to move swiftly across our farm

This part of earth is truly full of peace.

All people — well, the majority of people—crave peace.

I find peace here…on this little dab of land…where dreams lift off the earth and rush toward the stars,

The swelling morning sun shouts “WAKE-UP”

And the red blaze of the western sun fills the evening sky.

Mother Earth, Father Sky…the infinite Universe…healer/scryer…the gift of peace.

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

 

 

The Last of Summer’s Hay—-Thursday, September 1 , 2016

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Turning-the-haySunday we ‘did’ hay.

Because we had lots of rain and hail before we could get the hay up; Terry had to ‘turn’ the hay.  Sunday Morning he raked the hay turning it over so the top will be the bottom, and the bottom will be the top and the top will dry.

Baling-with-a-swallowThen about 1:00 in the afternoon the alfalfa had turned to hay. Off Terry went to bale.

Rolling-Bales-2

And Boomer and went out to roll bales and pick up broken bales (there were only two) and pick up all the loose hay on the corners

Rolling-Bales-1

Then we started hauling in the bales.

Stacking-Hay

(See the twisted bales?)

I did have a sort of a fright…not bad, but I was very much startled.  A huge bull snake was resting under one of the bales, when I moved the bale he jumped up and slithered off and I jumped up and out of his path!  🙂 🙂

We got half the field up and then finished on Monday; after we finished we worked some more on the firewood.

We are still irrigating, the alfalfa field will be the last field we set water on then we will be done for the year.  BUT FIRST…the field has to be marked out so the water can get down the rows.  Seems like there is always something.

Now-It's-Fall

It’s cold enough we must wear jackets in the early morning and late evening when we set water.  Sure seems early for jackets, but it is what it is.

Next will be pinto bean harvest—soon…very soon.

(Terry and I are getting a tad tired right now.)

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

Gladness Makes the Heart Lighter —Tuesday, March 8, 2016

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The-storm-clears

Sunrise!

The storm cleared leaving us with a brilliant chilly morning, heavy with frost on the ground.

Terry has started farming today.  The first field to tackle is the alfalfa field.  It is 5 years old and starting to wear out.  He will plant ten more acres this spring—enough to keep him busy, but not as much as before.

WOW

Last night’s sunset!

After much thought he has decided to downsize.  Not in acres farmed, but in What he farms.

He will be cutting back on the corn, but increasing the pinto beans.  Pinto beans are much easier to grow and to harvest.  So once we get to have fresh pinto beans right from the field.  YAY!

It has been a gladness that has made his heart much lighter—this farming decision.

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

 

 

 

 

 

The Land Calls—Monday, February 29, 2016

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Oh! Jolly!  This the LAST DAY OF FEBRUARY!  YIPPEE!!

Combine-ready-to-goTerry and I have been working on the corn combine…little repairs here and there.  Yes, I help, invariably we come into the house with cuts and bruises, but it’s getting finished.  Ready for next years harvest.  As I write this he is putting in the last couple of bolts.

Truck

Saturday afternoon he started on repairing the heater in the grain truck. It’s very cold sitting down at the elevator withOUT a heater.

farming-starts.jpgWell, I think you have now guessed the answer to the million dollar question—Terry is going to farm.

“Are you sure?” I asked.  Worry in my voice and concern on my face.

“I’m sure. There are still things I want to do on the place, stuff I want to improve on, things that need my attention.” he replied with a huge smile.

morman-creasing-the-corn.jpg

“Only stuff I will do, not someone else.”

Planting-alfalfaI need to tear up the old alfalfa field and reseed a new field, take the dirt ditch and turn it into a cement ditch….fix fences so Hank’s cows can come again—if it’s rented out Hank has to take his cows someplace else.

Hubby

“I really can’t see myself sitting around.”

“But you won’t sit around, you have tons of projects you want to work on, not related to farming.”

kick-the-dirt

” I know.  I truly think I have dirt for blood.”

Sunset and combine 1So there you have it!  We begin again.  At least for one more year.  As long the body and mind can keep going.  We will keep farming on this farm created many years ago by Terry’s grandfather (purchased by us), until time demands stopping.

Changing-Water-at-Sunset-2Your friend  on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

 

 

Getting Close–Thursday, September 25, 2015

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Wake-UpWe are getting close (now),  to being done, with the pinto bean harvest.  Tomorrow should see the end!

3Prices are low. They are low on the corn and the hay also.  But storing something doesn’t always produce a higher price later on.

I always find this so odd…the farmer get a small amount, but the retail in the grocery store is extremely high…too many middle people along the way, I guess.

CR-and-T

We are still irrigating the alfalfa field.  It’s a big field and takes a long time to get across, but we should finish with the irrigation by Saturday.

Drying-Corn-1After that we wait.

Corn harvest will start the last of October, or in November sometime, it all depends on the moisture content of the corn.

Winding down to gear up again…it called harvest!

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda