They turned the water down the canal! It rushed toward the Gunnison River; all full of winter’s weeds.
Gradually, they will turn in more, allowing farmers to start irrigating our fields.
We are getting closer to putting water on our farm. Possibly next week!
SPRING WORK is in FULL SWING!
Brus (n) — Noise; the sound of waves, wind, streaming water
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
The plowing is all done!
All the plowed ground is now rolled—you have to smash all the plowed earth flat, the roller does that
The plowed and rolled ground is leveled—meaning fixing the ground so there are no humps, lumps or bumps in it so the water can go through from the top of the field all the way to the bottom of the field
All the grass fields and the alfalfa fields have been marked out ready for the water to start
Equines (not cows) are very hard on gated pipe—-we now have all the gated pipe repaired.
Getting closer to starting water on the farm. Soon now.
Very soon!
Your friend on a western Colorado farm
Linda
After the big wind (and it WAS BIG)
We had this!
It did not last long
BUT
It was still here
Mom says she thinks this is winter’s
Last Good-Bye
TLC and Boo Berry
We had to put out all the siphon tubes
Which was a big, big, back-bending job
Some neighbor up the road a-ways was burning off a field. Scary.
Then it was time to open the headgate. See that little long chute-like box with the little waterfall. That is the headgate to our farm. This is where the water is taken out of the FN Lateral Canal (just our amount) flows into the headgate, where there is a tin dam stopping or letting the water through the long box going off toward the edge of the photo.
That is our allotted water. The water is measured and monitored by the Uncompahgre Valley Water Ditch Rider assigned to whatever ditch.
Water is expensive, much more so than the taxes for the farm—and it is precious.
This is our fork to clean out the trash which collects in the headgate.
Once we turn the water onto the farm, we have to clean out the trash in the ditches.
The easiest way is to let the water push it into a pile, then take your pitchfork and lift it up and over the side.
We do this all the way through all the cement and
dirt ditches until we get to the end of the farm, where (then) the water flows back into the canal. Cleaned of trash; moving toward the next farm.
Terry takes the first stand and I take the second stand. In other words, Terry lifts the most and I pick up the trash that gets away from him as he is flipping the big wad out.
Then back we go to the Upper End, where we cleaned and planted a new pasture. Here is where we started the first of the irrgation.
Then (as the pastures water started flowing back into the transfer ditch, we laid out the siphon tubes in the Middle Field.
Once the water got to the Middle Field Terry put in dams and we set the tubes
Water! Gurgling and flowing, shimmering across one of the alfalfa fields.
A whole long day of hard work, but a perfect result!
Thirsty ground, happy plants.
Perfect!
The water will be changed twice a day—just as the sun comes up in the morning and then in the evening before the darkness descends.
Every day from now on out. And if we have our water cut (which they might) then we change it even more…sometimes even in the night.
I suppose some would say it’s a hard life, but honestly, Terry and I love it.
But you know that, don’t you? 🙂
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
Terry is checking the moisture in the furrows—we want the water to sub over under the top of the soil, deep inside of the furrow
You can see the top of the soil showing wet
It seems simple, doesn’t it? And in theory, it is; in practice, it takes lots of monitoring and paying close attention
Sometimes you can walk out on a dry looking row and suddenly sink right up to your ankles…sigh.
The water running beneath the dam is good…this is the water going to the next field — if the water was coming over the top of the dam we would need to start more tubes
The brilliant rays of sunlight on the furrows, in one of the alfalfa fields
It was so pretty, the glow of the rays, the sparkle of the water, the rich green of the alfalfa plants coming together in a perfect way.
Then when I looked up, in the bluest of blue skies, a sweet little bird flew over-head
The work is hard, still nothing to hide from,
I truly could not ask for more.
From my world to your heart,
Linda
Terry and I are very content with how this spot is starting to look. After we grind down the stump, then I will plant grass. In time, we will put up a fence, maybe a white picket fence.
Keeping this one is good
And getting this one with the new sturdy railroad ties this area will be much easier to take care of.
Now! The spot that has me confounded. If I didn’t have grass growing in it, then I would like it. But I do have grass and
THAT is the problem.
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
Lucky, lucky us! Our oldest granddaughter is here for a short visit. She will leave on Saturday; having come in Monday.
Terry forgot his cell phone when he headed out this morning
Guess who took it to him!
Delivered!
What fun to have help in the form of a grand child!
From our heart to your world,
Linda
Finally we are finished with all the gated pipe! What a long job. Although, to be fair we didn’t work at it steady, but here and there until the wind got to be too much or we got tired.
Then we would stop and go work on something else. Blade helped us lots. A thirteen year old boy really is a big help.
Thank heavens for 4-wheelers! To have to carry… by hand… all those pipe would have been over-whelming, although, when we started out farming Terry and I DID lay the pipe by hand.
Anyway, Thankfully we are finally done with the pipe. NOW next step is to mark out the alfalfa, clean the cement ditch, lay out the siphon tubes and start water! Once the water is started it won’t be turned off until harvest.
Twice a day every day (more times, if the water is short) we will change the water. Terry says moving water is just like milking a cow…twice a day no matter what! 🙂
Your friend on a western Colorado Farm,
Linda
Life on a Colorado Farm 