Autumn a Type of Contentment—-Sunday, September 17, 2017

Posted on September 17, 2017 by Dayphoto

We’ve had rain…the days damp and the mornings with a chill

The days warm up nicely.

The pinto bean harvest came to a screeching halt—the bean puller broke…

Then as it got fixed…

The rains came. Which means Terry will have to go out and lift all the plants up out of the soil, (rains smashes plants) before he can combine the two fields—there is still one to pull and let dry and then combine.

I’ve been canning…pineapple candy peppers and

Salsa

Plus we’ve turned off water to the place. Irrigation is done for the year. The only thing left now will be picking up the syphon tubes and flushing out the ditches.

Fall galloped in…complete with wild geese flying over us in the wind!

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

Summer’s Ghost—-Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Posted on September 20, 2016 by Dayphoto

The bees are very busy now…flying back to the hives, their bodies covered with pollen; the droning sound they make so much a part of the landscape one must pay attention to hear it.

The company of the plants are still soothing to the eyes and the soul

But the signs are there; spangling the edges, hurrying the plants along, pushing and a nudging–to set seeds — prepare for that long sleep called winter

The autumn winds will soon arrive, rustling across the plateau, through the canyons and bursting forth upon our mesa—flinging dry leaves across the land, stripping the trees bare

For now the rooted silence is a sort of balm to my spirit and to the earth

But the hint of fall is still there….a flicker out the corner of your eye, a tingle at the back your neck

Yellow leaves

Float quick and light, reflecting back to the wind, the earth and the sky the soon to be ghost of Summer.

From my world to your heart,

Linda

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

More Signs—Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Posted on August 25, 2015 by Dayphoto

We are still having haze from the fires! Although, and in spite of, yesterday was a lovely fall day.

The leaves are just beginning to turn; some are already falling. Not many, one or two, silently, a slight flicker at the edge of eyesight.

Sunday we had over thirty of these flying little jewels. Flitting here and there, getting in squabbles with each other, dipping and dodging. I go through a gallon of sugar water every day.

After we came in from setting the last of the water, the dappled light from the setting sun, glowing through the haze Terry, Boomer, and I rested before going in. Glow It was at that moment I realized the sounds of the Hummingbirds had dimmed. Only six little birds were visiting the feeders. The same count this morning. The hummingbird migration has begun.

I would much prefer Fall/Autumn to begin the last of September, not now, not in August. Still it is here…the sunlight this morning caught in the cobwebs heavily dappled in dew. Many of the other spring and summer birds have left…it won’t be long now until the Swallows leave. They seem to be around the last to go. Not always, but close. I understand why we measure time—for it is the hope that in doing so it will not leave.

As always your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

Fall is in the Air—Monday, August 24, 2015

Posted on August 24, 2015 by Dayphoto

No matter how much I wish to ignore the signs…they are here.

Fall has arrived!

The nights are cooler–so much so I must so I must shut the windows in the house by two in the morning.

The Rabbit Brush is starting to bloom, the trees are sporting lighter leaves, even yellow in some places.

The last of this year’s bird babies are rapidly growing and changing. One set fledged yesterday…to the relief of Sam-Sam. These little ones were on the back porch light, causing the parents to very aggressive to Boomer, Sam and Terry and I.

We even have a few leaves starting to leave the trees.

No matter that it is still August…Fall has arrived.

Your friend,

Linda

A Doctor Seuss World—Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Posted on October 15, 2014 by Dayphoto

I always think of Autumn/Fall as a Doctor Seuss World… Not only could he tell the most wonderful stories his art work took us into fanciful worlds of color and delight.

I always feel we have a rare opportunity to actually step INTO the world of Doctor Seuss when the brilliant colors surround us in October! Suess

The days are so incredibly brilliant; so full of charm and warmth.

We are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel on the inside of the house, by the end of this week (knock on wood) those things we’ve been working on (moving a door, painting, a few other things) should be done.

If the weather holds we have fences to fix: there are some broken boards —cows like to jump fences, if the other side looks yummy. and electric wire to string before the range cows arrive( sometime after the corn is harvested).

And the furnace—the ever looming furnace problem. I always feel so sorry for Aunt Benita. This was her home…it had been she and Harry’s home all their married life. Up until Harry died they had a coal furnace, then after Harry passed she needed something that didn’t require so much work. Enter the con-artist– he sold her a HUGE office complex unit that was to blow UP to heat the building. But this man created all sorts of boxes and giant pipe to try to force the UP air DOWN into the existing duct work. Therefore, it never worked. Ever. The poor Dear could never get warm. Eventually she moved in with her brother. Then we purchased the house.

Then the kids moved into the house and brought with them a Woodsman wood stove, which they used the whole time they were there, which is why we never knew there was a problem with the furnace. (Benita never told any of us that the furnace didn’t seem to work.)

While we were working at the house, Terry got to looking at the furnace (he used to be a plumber years and years ago) and realized there was a huge problem. He brought out a friend who is a master plumber and then we knew.

So now we have a furnace problem to figure out. The wood stove is still there so we can heat the house while we work, and the kids have heat when they come back each month — but we really want to get the furnace corrected—therefore the next huge project looming on the horizon.

Well, I must be off to finish up my painting.

Your friend,

Linda

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Posted on August 13, 2013 by Dayphoto

Fall is in the air! Every day I see more yellow leaves turning up in the trees!

We had to run up to our lake on Grand Mesa

while our company was here….stunningly we saw fresh snow on the ground.

The little chipmunks were very active – I think they now their time for storing is just about over.

Terry and I decided that we just can’t get away from the place to haul the much more needed firewood so we ordered more in, now we have a mess to sort through, but at least we are NOT having to go “GET IT”. It will work this time for us … we will see what next year brings.

Misty had a terrible reaction to a new drug so she is with me today. Please keep your prayers, magic thoughts and crossed fingers in place for a little while longer — we are desperately in need of them.

Your friend,

Linda

Sugar Beet Harvest

Posted on July 31, 2013 by Dayphoto

Way back when our kids were growing up the Holly Sugar Factory still operated here and farmers in the area grew sugar beets for a cash crop. Not only did they grow the beets, but the factory hired many farmers to help process the beets into sugar. The job was a very welcome thing—fall and winter (sometimes until March) employment. Right during the time many farmers had to be very careful with their money.

Farming gives you ONE paycheck a year…yes, one per crop you grow. This is the money that a farm family lives on and uses to purchase all the necessities, pay the taxes, and pay the huge irrigation bill plus to start and continue farming until the crop ‘comes in and is sold’.

If you know what a once a month paycheck is like to stretch – try a once a year paycheck! Then get all your expenses out to start your business all over again in the spring and carry you over until the crop is sold. Sure can be hard at times.

Holly Sugar was a great and wonderful thing for ‘tiding’ a farm family over—not only did they buy your crop … paid on the sugar content of your beet…poor beets poor paycheck…rich in sugar beets really nice paycheck. They hired four shifts of men and sometimes women for certain jobs. The pay was always very welcome…you work you get paid.

Holly Sugar left town in the 70’s. It was sad for everyone.

Sugar Beet harvest always started in October giving the beets a chance to get cold so the sugar content in the beets would rise. Many times the harvest happened in wet, frozen, turned to mud fields. Right along side the corn harvest and the apple harvest and the turning of the leaves.

This is the way our local farmers used to bring their sugar beets to market. This photo shows a line-up of wagons loaded with beets waiting their turn to dump their load at the Delta beet dump. Beets were dumped directly into open rail cars prior to 1921, and after the factory was built in Delta, they were dumped at the factory site where they were transferred mechanically to the processing at the facility.

My sweet corn is ready for picking so I’m off to start my tiny harvest of sweet corn. When winter comes we will enjoy rich, golden, sweet, sweet corn once in awhile. A small delicious reminder of summer.

Have a good one my friends!

Linda

Pick’n Corn

Posted on September 21, 2010 by Dayphoto

Those that have raised onions and potatoes are now starting thier harvesting projects. The last thing to be harvested will be the hard-dent corn. This is the corn used for cooking (corn meal) and critter feed.

So far the weather is holding…we got very close to killing frosts, but we are now heating back up. Which is good, if you are trying to get produce in. Killing freezes tend to kill what you are trying to harvest.

The pick’n corn is at the hard-dent stage. Now we wait until all the moisture leaves the ear. If shelling corn is harvested wet it will mold. Last year we hauled our first load to the Elevator on October 20th. One month away.

Of course that doesn’t mean there isn’t lots still going on, just that we have reached our goal.

Linda