47 Years Today—Sunday, December 21, 2014

Posted on December 21, 2014 by Dayphoto

Today Terry and I were married 47 years ago!

Terry was working at Holly Sugar at the time. He was on the day shift with a long lay-over before he started grave yard; he was also working at Coors Elevator on the opposite shift with only 8 hours in-between to sleep.

I was going to college in Grand Junction and it was the end of the semester. We decided that now was the best time to get married.

What a thing to do to my parents and Terry’s parents…four days before Christmas! Geez, I think of that now a think what a rat-race we must have made for them.

After the wedding we headed to Alamosa, Colorado where Coors had another plant/elevator and a job opening. Terry was seriously thinking of applying for the job. We thought first we had better see what the country looked like, the housing market, and winter’s over there.

IT WAS COLD! Terribly cold. Icicles hung from the roof to the ground, snow was as deep as my knees.

Back home we decided that Delta was home and we would take our chances here.

As time moved on we purchased his grandparents’ farm from the estate, gradually acquired farming equipment and gradually adding four children to our family.

Our chances have turned out good—-Terry worked for Delta Montrose Electric Association for 37 years and farmed. I retired from the Delta- Montrose Technical College and helped him with the farm.

Here we are last spring when Terry turned 70. Much the same and then not at all. I’m sure the grandchildren look at us and think OLD, and maybe our children do also. Who knows. I just remember watching my parents age thinking every year how lucky I was to have them. I lost my Dad at 71 and Momma passed at 70 …they were just months apart in leaving us.

Now I think how lucky Terry and I are to be healthy and actively still farming; still doing all those things we have always done.

47 years! A true gift in time!

Your friends on a Western Colorado Farm

Terry and Linda

Step into a Canyon–Monday, September 8, 2014

Posted on September 8, 2014 by Dayphoto

We took a short ride. Just over California Mesa, onto the Highway 50 heading toward Grand Junction, Colorado.

Close to Dead Man’s Curve we turned off, traveled onto a rutted dirt road. We were taking a break from the ordinariness of every day. A small hike within the desert landscape that is home to rare plants, Indian rock art and rugged rock formation is all we wanted. Nothing more than an hour. There was still necessary things to do back home and evening was descending.

Above us Highway 50 was filled with fast moving vehicles traveling 65 m.p.h. I”m sure they never even looked into the rugged area alongside the highway.

That’s alright…works for me.

Way down the canyon road live fruit farmers …some of the riches and most delicious fruit comes from down in this canyon.

You can see the highway going from the point in the middle to the left side of the photo. The blue mountain in the center is Grand Mesa, the right side shows a part of canyon hill.

We didn’t stay long. Just a short hike.

Back home (after doing the last of evening chores) we sat on the patio watching the evening turn into black velvet skies, shimmering with stars and the early rising moon.

Sunday breaks are very necessary.

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

The Poetry of Life–Thursday, August 14, 2014

Posted on August 14, 2014 by Dayphoto

We received a call from our daughter in Grand Junction, Colorado and her husband asking if we would like a small break to go on a Four-Wheeler ride on Grand Mesa. (Grand Mesa is the largest flat-topped mountain in the world)

Would we!!!?

Packing a lunch, our jackets, and my camera (of course 🙂 ) we were ready to go.

It wasn’t long before they arrived pulling a trailer which would fit three four-wheelers and the extra four-wheeler in the back of his pick-up truck!

WHEEE! We were off!

Grand Mesa is a special place to me. My brother and I grew up in Eckert, Colorado. Close to the base of Grand Mesa. Many a time our parents and grandparents would ”head up the mountain’ for a day, or a couple of days and nights, or more.

Summers always included times on Grand Mesa.

Today there are many, many more people on this huge flat top mountain than when we were growing up. But having more people enjoying ‘the mesa’ brings with it other things than just crowds. It brings groups of people who band together to create trails for backwoods enthusiasts; off road vehicles, hikers, and fishermen. The winter has cross-country skiers and snow machiners testing their skills.

(Cliff and Kimberly Rezak)

We ate lunch at Trickle Park Reservoir, after which we headed back to every day life.

My goofy husband!

Joy can be sparked by the most simple of delights, don’t you agree?

A day off from the ‘every day of life’ is just so —- well, refreshing. Life isn’t about mastering everything in it…Life is an adventure. Some days you just have to experience something vastly different from the ordinary, for the ordinary to be more than just idling along.

Here is my wish for you today—I wish that each one of you can experience that feeling of the wind in your hair, music blasting on the radio, you singing along at the top of your voice–not caring if you are in tune —just feeling the music, the wind and the simple delight of being alive!

Or anything that is slightly different for your regular day. Something that lifts you right into that other place of refreshment and a feeling of great pleasure and happiness!

Your friend,

Linda

Tuesdays with Friends — Fog Bows—Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Posted on July 8, 2014 by Dayphoto

I’m a tad late today as we had to do some stuff before it got too hot to breathe. We had several weed trees (Chinese Elm) that had taken root in my tiny orchard and sprouted to enormous proportions–some dead branches in the ancient (95 years old lilac tree) and some low hanging and dangerous limbs (Rio Grande Cottonwood) and a nasty branch (Colorado Blue Spruce) which kept scraping my neck as I mowed the lawn which all needed Terry’s expertise with the chain saw.

Awhile back I asked if anyone had cool rainbows or other really neat photos that they would love to share with me and with the readers of my blog. If they would send them to me I would put them on my blog and give the appropriate credit for the photo gift.

Leenie from Side Trips sent me two photos of Fog Bows. I have never seen nor heard of a Fog Bow so this was a real treat!

The Side Trips folks stopped by not long ago on their way from Telluride to Grand Junction, Colorado. How cool was that!

Leenie is an amazing watercolor artist. You might take a look at her Esty store to get and idea for a neat gift or two.

Well, off now to get the lawn mowed, the edges trimmed and the hedge clipped. I need to fertilize some of my lagging plants so I best get on the move. The day is heating up…which I LOVE!

Your western Colorado Farm Friend,

Linda

A Tinge of Wonder — June 4, 2014

Posted on June 4, 2014 by Dayphoto

Bladen brought me over a gift. He knows how much I enjoy ‘times gone by’. Because he hasn’t been feeling well (he has been fighting pneumonia for three weeks (he is on medicine) and got bored. (No physical exertion with this mad disease).

He spend several hours, cutting, gluing and creating a castle for Grammy.

How sweet this is!My yard is doing well…although we have extremely hot days (94*-34ºC) the night are cool (49*–9.4ºC). By the time the heat builds up the hot winds develop.

There is also flooding in the low lands.

The Gunnison and the Uncompaghre River are experiencing record melt (translated that means we had lots of really nice snow in ‘them thar hilsl’. 🙂

Both rivers converge at Delta..our town. Once they converge (the Uncompaghre River (Un-come-pah-gray accent on the pah) merging into the Gunnison River).

The Gunnison River flows on down to Grand Junction, Colorado, where it meets up with the Colorado River, the Grand Old Dame of Rivers of the West.

The flood warnings and floods are all along all the rivers clear to the Colorado-Utah border. Sure does help with drought…water that is.

I haven’t seen in rainbows for some time now, when I saw this ‘sort’a’ rainbow in the sprinkler I decided that I have to take my gifts where I find them. 🙂

It’s the little things the buoys us up really.

Like this…a duck swimming with a bunch of goldfish. I thought he might be looking for lunch, but the fish were not afraid; they swam all around his feet and even touched him several times.

Speaking of birds…we have several Canada Geese who have decided to stay with us this summer. They have nests in our upper end and hang out in the fields.

But the coolest thing I saw was an emailed photo from a long time blog reader Elaine Kenny…Conversations on back porch!

It really is all there…wonder, excitement, joy…in the little things…big happenings are also nice, but in reality it’s the collection of little things that really makes every day have a tinge of wonder.

Your Friend,

Linda

Late Winter Work February 27, 2014

Posted on February 27, 2014 by Dayphoto

Terry worked on the fire road most of the afternoon…. there is one spot that is a huge problem…down a gravel hill that seeps. He got everything fixed up to that road; then ‘we’ will work on the seep road together.

I dread this road, it’s not bad when all the seep has stopped but until then we have the potential of getting stuck, sliding off, the earth shifting….sigh.

He will be on one tractor and I on another tractor…gradually we will make the downhill slant, then around the curve. It is the down hill slant where all the problems lie. But we must work together to keep from an accident or worse.

But not today…or this weekend. But soon. Before the fire season starts in earnest! Sigh!

And no, we can not make a different road in a different spot it must be here, because HERE is where the path of the fires usually take.

We are leaving in 30 minutes to finish loading up the consignment equipment then heading to the sale in Grand Junction. Gradually, we are getting everything done before the spring work begins.

Hopefully next week we will be able to start laying the last of the transmission irrigation pipe. It MUST be done before water starts April 1st and it MUST be in the ground before the tractor work starts close to March 10th. Everything has a hurry, hurry, time is passing feel about it now.

Today it is dark and gloomy with rain or snow or sleet threatening any moment.

Still we must carry on!

Your farm friend,

Linda

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Posted on September 18, 2013 by Dayphoto

A late summer storm crashed all around us last night around mid-night. The lightening held all three kinds…sheet, cloud to cloud, and cloud to earth. The cloud to earth ones are always, ALWAYS the dangerous ones. The dogs don’t mind the lightening it’s the loud booming thunder that sends them under my bed. Fuzzy has taught Boomer to be afraid, be VERY afraid of thunder. Not a good thing. Boomer didn’t ‘know’ he was supposed to act goofy when the thunder sounded until he figured it out from Fuzzy.

The field corn, aka: pick’n corn, feed corn, maize, is getting riper by the day.

I’m still feeding the bees, although I moved their plate away, away from the hummingbird feeders

I like it much better. As you can see the yellow jackets have also found the sugar water

These tables we aren’t using anymore because the bees where to thick in the Russian Sage anyway. A win-win for all of us involved!

Just for fun…here is the west side of our place looking toward the canyons and Highway 50 to Grand Junction.

Your western Colorado friend,

Linda

Just for Fun

Posted on September 9, 2013 by Dayphoto

Just for a bit of fun or in the interest of the moment I thought I would tour you of the parts of the farm I talk about — The Back Forty and the Upper End.

This is the head gate…you’ve been here many a’time with me, but I’m going to start here…where the lifeblood of the land (the irrigation water) starts

Those are two alfalfa fields on either side of the irrigation road. They are not our fields but our neighbor’s.

To get to the head gate we go past lots of ‘fun to hide in’ areas. (Fun for the cows when we had them.)

When we had cows this was their favorite pasture. We call this the Upper End. It is the Upper End of our place. You can see one of our alfalfa fields in the corner.

The Upper End is full of hills and dales. When the kids were little we would take them and their little plastic sleds and head up here and go sledding in the winter.

Shannon had a goat, Bambi, and the dogs who always went with us…the dogs didn’t sled, but Bambi always road down on his own sled every time. He would even help pull it back up for another go at the hill. 🙂

From the Upper End we take the only road over to the Back Forty,

That is Terry the tiny blue dot going toward the Back Forty.

The Back Forty is stunning (in my opinion). All of the front of the photo is our land. The view is from the hill on the Back Forty. Our land ends way over to where you see the two trees and the dry looking spot. This was also the area that burned, a couple of years ago.

I could take you to the Burn Road, but I didn’t this time. The Burn Road is the road Terry built so the fire trucks could make it to the burn instead of waiting for the fire to ‘get closer’. The ‘get closer’ was almost a disaster –coming 1 foot from the equipment and 5 feet from Misty’s house and barn. “Never again,” he said, so he built a road. I’ll have to do that sometime, just so you can see the West side of the place.

We are not big, we are small farm, but we are lovely farm full of diverse lands and wonderful pastures. At the new alfalfa field

You can see the into the south west portion of the Uncompahgre Plateau. You say “Un-come-pah-gray,” meaning — rocks made red by water, rocks that make red water, or just plain dirty water.

Between the two blue mountains (part of the Plateau and another mesa) is Grand Junction

This is a little further away so you can image the span.

Well that is a short little trip to give you and idea of the places I talk about when I say the Back Forty or the Upper End.

Thank you for coming along for the ride,

Linda

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Posted on April 21, 2013 by Dayphoto

Finally we are warming up!

Yesterday, Terry and I went to Grand Junction to so some shopping…Sam’s Club, Whole Foods, Michael’s, Hobby Lobby…all the places I save up for so we can do it in one day.

Terry goes to Home Depot, Sears, Western Implement, Sutherland’s ..it’s a busy big day when we make the trip.

Last night was just lovely

And today even better…we plan on getting rid of all the trash today, changing water (always) and getting a few things done that are restful, not huge.

I hope everyone has a peaceful Sunday,

Linda

Douglas Pass, Green River, Wyoming and Wild Horses

Posted on October 10, 2012 by Dayphoto

We met Terry’s family in Green River, Wyoming to begin our trip. We live close to the Utah border and they live close to the Wyoming border, meeting at Green River had us (both) driving 6 hours and a few minutes to the destination.

Our route went through Grand Junction and over Douglas Pass, to Rangely, Colorado then onto Green River, Wyoming. I DO NOT LIKE DRIVING DOUGLAS PASS!!! Pretty much straight up with lots and lots and lots (are you car sick yet) curves and straight down with lots and lots and lots (you are car sick now, I’m sure) plus the two-lane highway needs some tender loving care.

The colors were spectacular!

My photo doesn’t give them justice, but here is an idea.

We stayed in an Inn in Wild Horse Canyon, then the next day we drove through the Canyon and we saw a herd of wild horses, (which I thought was really cool).

Of course, you have to take my word for it that they were wild, they are wild.

We looked upon civilization

From the top of the canyon and even saw a train heading somewhere.

The start of the day was pretty cool. We will end the day in Jackson Hole.

Stay Tuned!

Linda

P.S. Marie ,from My Little Corner of Rhode Island, is doing a daily 4 o’clock photo, which I thought was a good idea. I asked her if I could steal her idea and do my own 4 o’clock photo showing how the day is moving into the long nights of winter.

She said “SURE”! Actually, she said “steal away” so I did!