Silence—March 29, 2016

Posted on March 29, 2016 by Dayphoto

Easter was ever so lovely.

Jolyne and Evan did an amazing job with the meal, the egg hunt and the celebration of our son-in-law, Cliff’s (he and Kimberly live in Grand Junction) birthday!

Then sadly the time came

When everyone loaded up and headed back home…the little family to Craig, Colorado. Jason’s dad, Paul, back to Alamosa, Colorado..everyone else scattering back to their homes and lives.

Then it was just us again. Back to the everyday of Terry’s and my lives.

It’s okay.

The sound our our life is not blank or a void. It is made up of tiny noises: the tractor in field (Terry is leveling now), the clothes washer cleaning all the bedding, the tiny sounds of far away cars and trucks, as I hang-out my laundry on the clothes line, the cats meowing at my feet begging for food, a cold wind flapping the towels on the line, Boomer’s feet padding into the kitchen then out the back door, bacon sizzling on the stove. Everyday sounds the bring me peace and contentment.

“Thank you,” I mentally pray to God. “Thank-you for everything and so much.”

From my heart to your world,

Linda

Christmas Blessings—-December 27, 2015

Posted on December 27, 2015 by Dayphoto

We loaded up the car, took Boomer to Shannon’s and WENT TO CRAIG, Colorado for Christmas!

Even though it was snowing here. What’s a little snow when there are grandchildren at the end of the drive?

I drove…that is saying lots, since I do NOT like to drive on bad roads. Terry drove home…it was much, much worse then. But we caravanned with our son and our son-in-law and daughter from Grand Junction so that helped.

We had a great time. I went with Linkin to see the pigs (then Uncle Evan went with Linkin) the pigs had lots of company off and on for Christmas. 20 inches of snow and -18* with a high of 12*.

The photo up above shows Linkin walking on her ‘short cut’ to the house from the pig barn…’Come on, Grammy! I have a trail, just follow in my foot steps.”

“Okay”, I replied. First step into the trail I sunk up to my knees…I’m just a wee bit—tad bit–a HUGELY bit bigger than an eleven year old. We both had a good laugh.

The grandkids and their Dad built a snowman around the mailbox…a surprise for the mail man. I thought it was cute!

Waiting for the big day!

We brought back the two girls. Blade and his Dad are going to very cold Bronco game on Monday, then they all will come here for the New Year!

Some gifts really are priceless, don’t you agree!

Your friend,

Linda

This Little Girl…Sunday, July 12, 2015

Posted on July 12, 2015 by Dayphoto

This little granddaughter (when the family moved to Craig, Colorado) had a horrible time adjusting to life in a subdivision (although a very spacious subdivision) and a life without the farm.

But the farmer and neighbor who lives just up the hill asked Linky if she would like to help gentle down his very special pigs. (Mr. Chapman raises pigs for shows and for breeding purposes only.)

Everyday Linkin would trudge up the hill to play and pet and love on the three pigs.

These are the pigs today. One of the piglets has a heart attack and died, but two are doing fine. Soon to be Momma’s. Linky told me one will farrow around the last week of July and the other the first week in August.

What more can a child ask for!

While we were there Linky and Mr. Chapman took us on a tour of the pig barns where we visited the boar, all the soon to be Momma hogs, the weiners and the various stages of pig lives.

Mr. Chapman is a very good and kind pig farmer. The pens are open, clean and spacious. The sows give birth in a natural environment, handled all the time so they are very gentle, and fed only the best of natural feeds. (They also have a pellet stove in each house and cooling fans in the summer.)

Next month it will be Linkin’s turn to spend a week with us. First we had Tallen, then Blade and last will be Linky.

Your friend on a western Colorado Farm,

Linda

Quickly There and Now Here—Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Posted on July 7, 2015 by Dayphoto

We took a very quick trip to Craig, Colorado.

Years and years ago Terry was a plumber. Also, he knows how to do house wiring from all his years in the Electrical trade…therefore, when Kelly called and asked if Terry would come up and help with a small remodel he was doing for their house.

The answer was: “Sure, I’ll put the water in the pasture and we will head up”!

(Jumping with Hank Puff and the guinea pig–Moe)

LUCKY LUCKY Terry and I!

Your friend,

Linda

A Cold Front Moved Through—Wednesday, March 26, 2015

Posted on March 26, 2015 by Dayphoto

A very chilly cold front moved through our region yesterday, complete with freezing temperatures this morning. We will have a steady warm-up after tonight, but right now it’s still cold.

The wind was very strong, 30 m.p.h gusts! Most of the apricot blooms have landed on the ground or turned brown on the trees—if we have apricots this year I will be surprised.

I worked down at the little house all morning…dusting, sweeping, vacuuming, cleaning…come Saturday the kids from Craig, Colorado, will be home to spend 9 days in the little house. I will start a fire in the wood stove tomorrow and keep it going until they get here on Saturday…a nice clean, toasty warm house to spend Spring Break.

The tree house will once again have life in it, and the swing in the front yard will fly through the air with little kids upon it.

I will stand outside and hear (again) the joyful laughter of delighted children at play. Off and on there will be grandchildren walking over to see us…to check out the snacks (prepared just for them, but they won’t know that), hang out with either Grandpa or myself, maybe climb into our tree, or see if Grandpa will either take them for a ride, or let Blade —now age 13–drive the 4-wheeler, so they can ride.

9 full days…9 full days! What a delightful thought.

Easter Sunday all our children and their mates will come for Easter dinner and a egg hunt.

This Grammy’s heart is sure to to be full unto bursting!

Your very excited friend,

Linda

Dwellers of the Land—Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Posted on March 17, 2015 by Dayphoto

“Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life.” — Rachel Carson

Today Terry is plowing…he has the corn fields disked (twice, working until late in the night)— today he plows. We both were stumped whether or not to plow…the weather people say there is a 40% chance of rain moving into our area tomorrow.

Forty percent is a pretty good chance that we will get it right here! Plowed earth is like a sponge…after much pondering (the kind that keeps you up at night) he decided to go ahead and plow. I guess we will see if that was a good decision or not come Wednesday morning. 🙂

I worked on cleaning the house yesterday and then in my yard. My winter weary body is starting to get the hang of spring work, but it’s a slow process.

This afternoon Terry and I will work on the plumbing and wiring down at the other house. Gradually, gradually everything is starting to take shape down there.

We want to have the electricity finished and the hot water heater moved before the last week in March. The kids in Craig, Colorado, are coming for 10 days (Spring break) and want to stay in their old home. We are SO close to being done, we just have to make the time to finish it. I still have to paint one wall in the kitchen then that room is finished. (The the yard work down there starts, but I will think about that later.)

I saw a butterfly yesterday! It was a joy to see. Also, the honey bees were out and about, not to mention the nasty house flies. The house flies are still a little clingy and slow moving.

Spring is arriving! YAY!

Your friend on a Western Colorado Farm,

Linda

Quick Trip— Sunday, December 7, 2014

Posted on December 7, 2014 by Dayphoto

Friday night…no wait!!! Early Saturday morning –3:30—neither Terry nor I could sleep…worrying about getting the corn in…the brakes went out of the grain truck…everything was wet from the rain…just stuff. The kind of thing that bothers you at night but doesn’t in the daytime.

Around 4 o’clock Terry said: “Let’s get up and go to Craig and watch Blade’s basketball tournament.”

“Sounds good to me. If we leave here at 4:30 we should make it to the gym by 7:30. Blade plays at 8:00—won’t he be surprised when we walk in?”

So we did.

The drive was beautiful..randomly we could see the moon, but mostly it was cloudy, traffic was light (not many people up at that time of day), the deer, elk and antelope stayed somewhere safe for them and for us. Right at 7:30 a.m. sharp we walked into the gym…there he was! Lined up with the team…he saw us! A smile and a tiny wave let us know! Around 7:55 the rest of the family came through the ticket booth … huge smiles all around…it was a great surprise. We enjoyed this so much.

In-between Blade’s games we went up to see their Christmas decorations and to then to see the pigs, Linky is ‘sharing’ with their neighbor. (They are his pigs, but this very lonesome for the farm little girl, was asked by Mr. Chapman if she would like to help him gentle down and take care of his latest pigs). Every day she trudges up the hill to the pig barn and plays with the three little pigs–I forget their names. When she gets tired of them she then walks along and pets and brushes down all the other pigs in this very clean and friendly pig barn. There is no smell in this set up because of how the pigs are fed and taken care of…they have their own pellet stove for the winter and nice fans for the summer. These are special pigs raised only for showing…all the little pigs are sold only to those places that want show pigs. It’s a great life for a pig!

Then back we went to watch the basketball hustle. Bladen is a good basketball player! it was ever so much fun.

The only sad part in the whole day was Tally lost her backpack—hopefully someone found it and will return it to the school or to Kelly or Misty. One can always hope, I suppose.

We were heading back home right after the games, but the kids asked us to stay for a bite to eat and a short visit. We did…it was nice.

We made it back home just as the sun was going down around 4:30 or so. It was a very fast trip but a very nice trip.

Now we prepare for another week of harvest (we hope) only two more fields to go. It sure would be nice to be done before Christmas!

Your friend on a western Colorado farm

Linda

I’m Sorry–Monday, September 29, 2014

Posted on September 29, 2014 by Dayphoto

I’m sorry that I miss lead you somehow…I didn’t grow up in Craig, Colorado. I grew up in Eckert, Colorado.

My Dad’s people arrived here in around 1900, settling in the Read/Austin area. My Momma’s people came when she was a freshman in high school–around 1943.

There were just the two of us—myself and my brother. My brother lives in the Denver, Colorado, area now, but I live here.

Although, I grew up in the Eckert, Cedaredge (my Dad and Grandparents on my Mother’s side had huge orchards which were part of our income)

I’ve lived on this farm all of my adult life accept for the first two years of our marriage.

My parents are the ones who moved to Craig, Colorado. After selling the gas station they operated the orchards only. After several years of bad prices and huge expenses Daddy got a job with Colorado Ute (now Tri-State). He was 37 years old when they moved to Hayden, Colorado. By that time we had Shannon and were waiting the birth of Evan (we have four children–Shannon, Evan, Kimberly, and Misty. Misty is the one who just moved to Craig.)

And that is the irony…my parents and now our youngest living in the Craig area. Hayden is just a 30 minute drive from Craig, Colorado.

It’s still raining here…we had 2″ of water when I checked this morning. Still for a short while there is sunshine, then another downpour is expected starting around noon. Wet we are, that is for sure.

Anyway, I apologize if I made it sound like I grew -up in Craig.

Your friend,

Linda

Socked in- Sunday, September 28, 2014

Posted on September 28, 2014 by Dayphoto

A HUGE rain storm rolled in last night complete with rolling thunder and stunning flashes of lightening. By 9:00 in the evening we were wet. The rain hasn’t let up since the storm rolled in. On one hand the lovely drenching of all the parched and dried spots in the lawns and fields is a very good thing—on the other hand not so lovely. It’s harvest here. Not for us. We have finished our harvest of the two first crops and are waiting for the corn to dry down before we start the third and last crop –corn.

There are others, neighbors and friends, who are in the middle of onion harvest, or their pinto bean harvest, or getting in the last cutting of alfalfa turned hay.

Moisture like this is not good for harvest. 😦

This weekend found us in Craig, Colorado, to watch our grandson play Middle School football and take

Ellie up to play with Linky for a spell. Of course, we also got to enjoy the little Cowgirl and her REAL Cowgirl girl friends.

Craig is home to Tri-State Generation plant. My Dad worked at the station right after it was built- until he retired. Daddy started work for Colorado Ute—now Tri-State–at the Hayden plant, then was promoted to this plant right after it was built.

My parents moved to Hayden, Colorado, the year I was pregnant with Evan. They stayed they for over twenty years, Daddy retiring from Colorado Ute (Tri-State) and Momma retiring form Peabody Coal.

It’s sort of ironic that our youngest daughter and her family are now back in the Moffat/Routt County area don’t you agree?

Anyway we are back to a decidedly very wet fall day. It has the feel of a huge weather switch coming…I wonder if a killing frost will follow all this moisture; I would not be surprised.

It’s all most October…a killing frost is just around the corner, if not imminent.

Your friend on a farm,

Linda

Footprints in the Sands of Time —-June 11, 2014

Posted on June 11, 2014 by Dayphoto

Sunday our oldest granddaughter left for camp for the week. Bladen was supposed to go but he is on the down-hillside of recovery of pneumonia.

Their Mom and Dad needed to go to Craig, Colorado. Bladen and Tally thought it would be fun if they came to stay with Grammy and Grandpa (instead of huge long boring ride to Craig).

Blade is twelve. He was lots of help. Although, I wouldn’t let him do lots (still recovering, I would remind him) he could do some things for short spells.

Which meant that the 6-year-old had to give it try to also.

🙂

They stayed with us until last night. We had lots of fun, even going to play miniature golf one night after all the work was done and the last set of water in place. It was ‘way dark’ when we finally drove home. Another ‘cool’ thing.

Several years ago I had a wonderful friend, who has since passed, tell me once: “You know, the footprints on the sands of time are really made with work shoes.” I had forgotten all about her saying this until I ran across the quote last night, while reading just before bed.

Those footprints start young, don’t they? They start young and they stay with you (or your children or your grandchildren) all the rest of life.

When it is you and your children it is a necessity that your children learn to work, to process information, to be a ‘big help’. But with your grandchildren you are giving them a gift…but on the same hand they are giving you one right back.

There is nothing better than working with children who really appreciate what you do and want to be part of it.

The footprints might be on the sands of time, but in reality they are created in the soul.

Your friend in life,

Linda