The Adventures of Boomer on Friday—Finishing Up

Posted on September 11, 2015 by Dayphoto

Mom and Dad finished stacking all the firewood this week. We have firewood in Mom’s pile by the old basketball hoop, by the machine shed for Dad’s stove, and out by the hay stacks—just in case.

The cats and I always know that the wood pile means MICE!!! It also means Stewart and Stanley have a cool place to hide from me! (That part I don’t like so much.)

Then Dad took out the hay swather for the very last time this year.

(Dad keeps saying this is the last year he is farming-if he can find someone else to farm this place he is re-tir-ing from farming. He says if he can’t find someone he is just going to let it sit idle.—-Hummm I wonder if he really is going to retire from farming!?)

Then Dad and Mom and I…I go EVERYWHERE with Mom! Everywhere!

Went out to take care of the ends on the hay…Dad raked and Mom and I gathered the scattered ends.

After that we ate supper—and changed the water.

Mom always gives me the talk when we get to the water—“No rolling in anything dead, smelly or stinky, Boomer! Don’t run off. You can sniff around, but you come right back when you hear the four-wheelers start”. Then she gives me a kiss on the nose and we are off! Mom and Dad down the ditch bank and me INTO the corn field!

It’s cooler now, much cooler, out on the ditch banks. Also the grasshoppers are BIG and thick and nasty…they like to jump on us as we walk through the weeds, makes my hide twitch. I can hear Mom say things like: “Ew get off me you big ugly thing”! When I turn around I can see a grasshopper stuck on her shirt, or pants, even once in her hair. Dad always laughs about it. Mom not so much.

We are only watering the corn now. The pinto beans are close to being pulled so Dad doesn’t want the ground muddy.

There will be one more irrigation, after the hay is hauled and stacked, then this irrigation season is DONE!

Fall has arrived!

Boomer

From Ann Patchett, Truth and Beauty—Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Posted on September 2, 2015 by Dayphoto

“To say it was a beautiful day would not begin to explain it. It was that day when the end of summer intersects perfectly with the start of fall….”—Ann Patchett, Truth and Beauty

Your friend on a Western Colorado Farm

Linda

A Day of Catching Up—Thursday, August 20, 2015

Posted on August 20, 2015 by Dayphoto

We are picking up all the loose ends today–

Terry and I ran down early, early this morning to cut some tree limbs, which were too close to the roof on the other house.

A hay customer just left

We checked to see how the bean crop was doing at the early morning irrigation –the pods are now at the green string bean stage…we need at least three more weeks of growing weather for them to ripen and strip.

The corn is looking good. This is not sweet corn, but the kind of corn you have for cereal, corn bread, and animal food. Harvest for the corn is not until late October or sometime in November.

The alfalfa is coming along nicely. It looks like around Labor day will be third and last cutting of hay.

Boy, the growing season is fast coming to a close!

I’m pleased with my canna bed. This is where we cut down a dead pine tree this winter. I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do with this area, but I think having the cannas here was a very good thing.

Like most of you, we are having cold temps. It was 47* this morning when we woke-up. Sure feels like fall. Although, we are NOT ready for a freeze. We need the heat to return to be able to get the crops to maturity.

I guess I won’t worry about it…there is nothing I can do anyway.

Your friend as always,

Linda

Tiny Bits of Magic—Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Posted on August 4, 2015 by Dayphoto

I’ve been working in my yard…weeding.

I have company coming on Thursday.

I want to get my yard weeded and watered then I will straighten the house. I have the windows washed and the floors mopped anything other than that isn’t going to happen.

These little acts are protection against my worrying about worrying.

A bit of preservation of the mind.

Once they have come, I will not think about those things again. Just enjoy the time together.

Your friend on a Western Colorado Farm,

Linda

WE MADE IT!—Sunday, July 5, 2015

Posted on July 5, 2015 by Dayphoto

After a horrible start to our farming season, rain, cold, rain…hard to get the ground worked up…too wet and cold to plant…we were very concerned the corn wasn’t going to make.

But here it is! More than knee-high by the 4th of July!

What a huge relief!

Your friend on a Western Colorado Farm,

Linda

Mid-Summer Days—Monday, June 29, 2015

Posted on June 29, 2015 by Dayphoto

To some working on the land is lonely. Only you and the sky and the earth. But to me (and to Terry) it isn’t lonely.

There are plants who need our care and plants

we despair of (the nodding thistle, lovely but a huge nuisance).

Light floods the air and heat shimmers up off the land. Just to glace upon the brilliance is to think there is nothing but silence there. But it isn’t true…the song birds fill the air with music and bugs (the good bugs and the not-so-good bugs).

The new momma deer and her brand new little fawn scamper close to us, not afraid. They are many generations of deer, who have lived here safe. We feed them so they stay out of the crops. They do their part and eat at the pastures.

The thought always runs in the back of the mind…’my this is pretty. I feel so tremendously blessed’…all the while acknowledging the inadequacy of the word blessed.

Your friend on a western Colorado Farm

Linda

A Race—Monday, May 4, 2015

Posted on May 4, 2015 by Dayphoto

You are all heard the old adage: ” a race against time” I am sure. We are in a race against weather. Thunderstorms and light rain are predicated for this afternoon and tomorrow. Therefore, the planting of the corn is in a rush stage. Terry is planting the last field today. First he rips open the ground, lets it dry for two hours, goes back in and plants.

But by the end of the day he will have every little seed of corn in the ground and starting to sprout. The other two fields are already planted. If the rain holds off (rain will crust the ground and make it hard —we are mostly clay here—for the little sprouts to poke their heads above the soil) Terry will then get out there and harrow off the hilled part of the rows, making soft soil for the sprouts to come up through.

Today I must go work in the corrals for a spell then I’m going to WEED MY OWN YARD! I’m so excited!

Thank you everyone for stopping by, it’s always nice to touch base with friends!

Your friend on a Western Colorado Farm,

Linda

Planting Corn-Thursday, April 30, 2015

Posted on April 30, 2015 by Dayphoto

Terry is planting corn today. This will be a several day activity, as corn is our major crop. Still it isn’t our only crop, we also have alfalfa and pinto beans.

This is the workhorse tractor on the farm. Anyway, see all that lovely moisture coming up as he plants? The ground is perfect to start the little corn seeds sprouting and growing.

How do you like his welding table? Part of a motor, tee hee.

Anyway today I’m dancing a happy jig–I only have to go down and feed and love on the kitty down there, she doesn’t want to come live here, so the renters and I agreed she could stay in the old chicken house. She is around 7 years old or so and loves that house. I think she has had enough stress in her life…it looks like one eye is blind. Sigh! I will take her in and have my vet check her over. Hopefully everything will work out for all concerned.

The sun was amazing, it looks like we can even see the flames on the sun in this photo.

Off now to do MY STUFF!!! Mow the lawn and clean my car! Yippee YAY!

Your friend on a western Colorado Farm,

Linda

Checking it Twice—Sunday, November 23, 2014

Posted on November 23, 2014 by Dayphoto

Some of you have asked if the corn is tested at the elevator…for it looks like unscrupulous souls could just truck in wet corn and drive away laughing, if the workers at the elevator didn’t check.

You are so right!

The new combines all have computers in them—monitoring everything from the time the seed is put into the planter to when the corn is harvested. The operator knows what the moisture is when he puts it in the truck. BUT it doesn’t matter what the farmer says the moisture is…it matters what the workers at the elevator say the moisture is. They are the last word…it is their product once it goes out of the truck into the silos. Depending on the size of the truck probes are inserted into the load and samples of the each and every load is taken before the corn is approved for purchase.

YES! there are always those that try to slip in a wet load….but they always get caught and the word is out on them. Who wants that type of reputation?

Our combines are not computerized (at all); we use a moisture meter at the house. Sometimes Terry drives samples on down to the elevator, but mostly it’s done here.

The best time of the day to take the test is in the afternoon, before the sun starts to set and the air starts to chill down. We –Terry, Boomer, and I drive to all the different fields and get two or three cobs to test from each one in different locations of the field.

The cob is shelled and then dumped into the tester, if we get a consistent count (14%) we are good to go. (Dry corn will take on the moisture of wet corn raising the moisture content within the truck bed–so we aim for the 14%).

Still too high…now what?

We went shopping! (and lunch out)

Surprisingly just what he has been looking for was right there waiting for us to write a check.

Not bad for a Saturday trip to Grand Junction, Colorado!

Your friend on a Western Colorado Farm,

Linda 🙂

A Week Later— Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Posted on November 5, 2014 by Dayphoto

It’s been a week (today at 11 a.m.) Life without the Fuzz Dude goes on. I still want to put two bowls of dog food out, or reach down and pet Fuzzy when I’m sitting somewhere.

Being distracted with others who need food, conversation, activity has helped. Although, it has made me really behind on answering my comments and emails. I have over 300 comments and emails combined that I need to respond too. I hope to get to everyone. Please know that I have appreciated your kind thoughts and comforting words….even those of you who wrote on my Pinterest pages.

Terry took a sample of corn down from all the fields…still too high…the lowest field was at 17% the highest at 18%. We continue to wait. Although, the huge dip in night time temperatures is sure to keep drying out the knerals, which is good.

Two huge stacks of hay has been sold, although, the buyer is leaving them here for a time. He took a third of them yesterday and will call when he is ready to come back out, maybe in a couple of days. Only a small stack is left (100 or so bales). The other 300 bales go to the Delta Elevator. Almost done with that crop…Excellent! What every one strives for to get their product sold.

Those really neat cows

Neighbors-Cows

I was so happy to see (at our neighbors) made the great escape and traveled into our Upper End by jumping the fence between us. It was only three, but three is too many. (with corn to be harvested…you can lose a cow in a corn field and the cow would make a mess and possibly bloat)

Terry and I (Boomer rode along) headed the cows down the hills and into the draw of the Back Forty where we could open the gate between our two farms and send them home.