I Said a Prayer of Thanks —- Sunday, August 24, 2025

Posted on August 24, 2025 by Dayphoto

We have finally entered the last week of August!

Whew!

I am so grateful!

I never, ever, thought I would say that the heat (we hit 104* lately) would get to me.

But it did! I need a cool down. Of which, I’m sure

Everyone and everything else does too.

Next week, September!!! YAY!

“I believe everything happens for a reason. Everything that happens to you, you will need, so don’t stress it. Don’t worry about whether you’re going to go right or left, or forward or backward. You’ll wind up right where you should be.” — Carla Hall

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

We are HOT!!! Way TOO HOT!!!— Sunday, June 22, 2025

Posted on June 22, 2025 by Dayphoto

Gone are the days I needed a jacket in the morning.

Even the trees are restless, the top leaves are turning yellow and floating down to the lawn in a convulsing sort of way.

My roses are drying up, and chasing each other in a quivering mess of dropped petals

It will take some time for all the petals to drop, but they will. Then the rose hips appear.

The heat (we hit 107°F* on Thursday of last week) wafts the scent of roses into each and every corner

Soothing our hot and sweaty brows.

We need a rainstorm —

But we get instead—

Hot, dirty wind.

But don’t let my whining fool you–

I still love summer best!

Peiskos (n): The feeling you get when you sit in front of the fireplace and enjoy its warmth.

Happy Solstice! Onward we go toward shorter days and even hotter weather. Only cooling down in October!

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

And the Heat Rolls On—Friday, July 21, 2023

Posted on July 21, 2023 by Dayphoto

It is HOT! Mom! HOT!

I NEED IN! MOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!

Hot isn’t too bad…I can do hot! I just hang in the shade.

What I can’t do is the wind!!!

Hot and WIND! I need in, also!

(We need rain…to settle the dust and to cool us down. It can rain anytime now, but come next week—no, rain—we will be cutting the alfalfa for the second time this year)

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

The Summer Solstice —-Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Posted on June 21, 2016 by Dayphoto

“It was June, and the world smelled of roses. THe sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside.”—Maud Hart Lovelace, Betsy-Tracy and TIb

It has been hot here. Very hot! The thermometer read 106* yesterday around four o’clock in the afternoon. And supposed to be even warmer today.

I love the heat! Yes! Really I do. Although…. walking outside is like pushing aside those heavy curtains on stages…the ones usually made of red velvet with gold trim.

The air is perfumed with the incense of rose.

This morning sunrise is a visible promise of more sun-heated shadows under trees and along buildings.

As the sun set, last night, the birds and insects started falling silent—until it was

just us, Terry, Boomer and I–the running water, the cooling earth

And the Strawberry Moon.

From my world to your heart,

Linda

The Adventures of Boomer on Friday—Head Held High

Posted on September 18, 2015 by Dayphoto

With my head held high, I rode proudly with Mom to the middle field. It was here she and I and Dad are working to harvest the last of the alfalfa; now turned to hay.

Just going out to help my people is a very moving experience—I sometimes even get tears in my eyes. Of course, it could be because we are on the four-wheelers. Also, if the wind is blowing the little bits of dust does seem to make my eyes water. (Just saying.)

We went out early, then almost early, then sorta early, by this time it was getting hot. After that Mom and I came in and fixed lunch. I got (2) TWO, mind you chicken wing bones! I also got ½ can of 98% beef and a rub on the belly and both my ears scratched. There is always free-to-eat-anytime dry as sawdust kibble, but I don’t figure it counts are real food.

Since Mom and Dad were concerned that a rain storm was due to come in; right after the lunch dishes were done, we went back out.

It was HOT out there!

I mean so hot my tongue hung clear out of my mouth and dropped saliva all down the fender on my side of the four-wheeler.

I mean it was HOT! After the morning, which was sorta on the cold side, getting used to the heat was something else.

So when Mom came in with the second load, (Mom picks up the broken bales and the loose alfalfa –the stack wagon can’t get that stuff) of a broken bale. (There were three broken bales and two loads of loose stuff. Mom’s trailer holds one broken bale.) I STAYED HOME!

The second she drove into the hay barn I jumped off and headed to my water dish and my spot in the shade.

There I stayed even when Mom called and asked if I wanted to go back out with her…I just wagged my tail and laid my body flat in the cool shady grass. I would have gone if she had made me, but Mom didn’t make me. I heard the four-wheeler go out then a little while later, in mid-snooze, I heard her come back in. Then go out………………

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Boomer

Shimmering Heat—Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Posted on June 2, 2015 by Dayphoto

Yesterday was HOT, so hot that my towels dried on the clothes line in half-an-hour, flapped and snapped with the afternoon wind.

It made my laundry chores easy–wash, hang out, bring in, fold, and put away–load after load quickly ‘done’, no waiting about, finished!

The honey bees, the bumble bees and the hummingbirds all hummed and buzzed over the messy colorful flower beds as I washed windows and watered the flowers and the lawn.

It may have been hot, but it was peaceful.

The evening was still extremely warm as we sat the water in the top field of corn, then skirting the alfalfa field we changed the set in the pinto bean field.

People think of night falling…falling down around the land, closing off the day.

But really night doesn’t fall, the shadows of the land rise, filling first the hollows and the valleys, climbing up the slopes of the mesas as the sun sinks lower and lower toward the west. Gradually the shadows become darker creeping imperceptibly up fence posts and weeds.

The fields were so warm we could feel and smell the water as the earth and the plants sucked up the moisture. It was a joy to irrigate since the irrigation water has also warmed, no longer feeling like a fresh melted snowbank.

I stopped work to try and take a photo of the moon, which was gradually moving behind a pink cloud. I turned to smile at Terry I told him there is a huge joy of trying to capture what we see on a daily basis and share it with you.

By the time we were done, the sky had turned from pink to flaming gold. The sun was somewhere over Utah and the ground, the farm, was started to join the greater dark of the star and moon lite night above.

My cup of joy runneth over! I wish for each of you, my friends, the same.

Love,

Linda

The Adventures of Boomer on Friday—Rocky/Chaco Man the Rottweiler

Posted on January 30, 2015 by Dayphoto

My oldest sister came over with my oldest nephew, Rocky Chaco Man the Rottweiler, for him and me to have some fun time together.

Shannon and Jason have lots of dogs—they are all hunting dogs, hounds and a lab! But Rocky doesn’t go hunting he guards their place. I don’t go hunting…I pretend guard the farm…so Mom and Shannon thought it would be nice if Rocky and I could have a play date on the farm.

A long (all the way around the farm—then back over the Back Forty, then to the Upper End then down by the alfalfa field) walk.

We had a great time…Rocky marked so many bushes that by the time we got to Back Forty, where the coyotes live, he was just lifting his leg for show– nothing else. I did much better, because after all I live here and I know I have to SAVE UP for the Back Forty so I can let those coyotes KNOW dogs live on the farm!!!

It must have been 300* out there, by the time we got back to the house Rock was foaming at the mouth. Black fur, no water to splash in along the way and not a cloud in sight wears a dog out.

When we got home Mom gave each of us a HUGE dish of water. Rocky slurped his down and then wanted to get in his Mom’s car and go home.

So they did. Shannon loaded Rocky up and drove away. I saw Rocky looking out the back window…he hollered at me that he had a great time and wanted to do it again!

I hollered back! “ANYTIME, Rocky! ANYTIME!”

Boomer

The Adventures of Fuzzy and Boomer—a Great Find

Posted on September 12, 2014 by Dayphoto

I’ve been helping Mom. I help Mom ALL the TIME!!! Sometimes I’m so close to Mom she trips over me… 😦 Not good! Mom doesn’t yell at me but she does say: “BOOMER!!! You have to stop being so close! You are going to get us both hurt”!

I just smile at her and wag my tail. I won’t get us both hurt! Shish! Mom is such a worry-wart.

Anyway we forked up all the loose hay the day before the big rain fell. It sure was hot that day. WHEW! I don’t know how Mom and Dad did it…I just had to ride on the back of the four-wheeler and the sun baked me into a huge Boomie Chip!

Then the rain came. Huge amounts of water fell from the sky. Fuzzy and I stayed inside with Mom, Dad, Sam and Monkey…to tell you the truth being inside while the rain chilled everything down and turned the soil into a giant bog hole was………………………..NICE!!!!

After the rain left then the house seem pant, pant, pant…HOT!

Anyway, back to what I found…yesterday the sky was beautiful – full of big soft fluffy clouds and lots of warm sunshine (although the nights are very chilly. I think Mom said it was 45* this morning. Fuzzy and I sleep inside when it’s cold so we weren’t cold…but I digress.)

So here we were up at the alfalfa field…it’s now and alfalfa field the hay field is gone since the hay bales are in the hay yard. 🙂

Okay, Mom, Dad and I were in the alfalfa field setting the water for the last time this year (maybe the last time—for sure the next to the last time). Fuzzy dididn’tant to come. Fuzzy really only likes riding in the back of the pick-up anymore. He says someone really needs to stay home and watch the place.

That’s okay with Mom and me, after giving Fuzzy lots of pets and lovings Mom and Dad and I headed up the alfalfa field.

I decided to check out the news in the field, Fuzzy is just like me and really enjoys the news. I looked around…Dad was carrying one of the big metal dams and walking down the ditch, Mom was bent over picking up the white syphon tubes and dunking them in the water and then setting the tubes down in the row…Good they are busy.

Tralalalallalal….sniff here and sniff there…hummmmm raccoons…four of them. Sniff, snuff….sniff…

SWOOSHH!

Oh, my heavens! WHAT WAS THAT!!!?

Quail! How neat is this….Oh, calm down Momma Quail I’m not going to do anything to your 8 little chicks! Tee Hee, laugh, giggle….Boy, are you cute!

Got ‘a go now!

Sniff, sniff, snuff!

WOW!!! NOW THIS IS COOL!!!!

“BOOMER!! BOOMER, what are you doing?”

Oh, heck! She would call me just as I found this stuff. Oh, darn…here she comes…do I dare….

“BOOMER!!! Don’t you DARE roll in that you hear me?”

Geez…Mom got here just as I was about to flop over…sigh.

“Yuck, Boomer! Don’t do that! Do you want another bath? Stop!”

Oh, okay…I won’t. But LOOK MOM it’s HUGE! We have a HUGE deer eating in the alfalfa field!

“Come on, Boom, let’s go. Maybe we will be lucky to see the buck that dropped this mess. The deer always come on the farm when hunting season starts.’

******************************************************************************************

Hey, Fuzz! I found some cute quail and a GIANT DEER POOP! The best part of starting the irrigation water was the GIANT POOP!!!

POOP! Lucky you Boomer. I know we have deer that live here year round, but finding GIANT poop means we have a GIANT DEER!

Yeah, Fuzzy…it was giant for deer poop! Next time I hope I can get a good roll in it so you can have really nice sniff!

I hope you do too, Boomer. My eyes and ears might not work well, and my legs are wobbly, but my nose is just fine!

I promise you this, Fuzzy, the next time I’ll bring you back some good poop smells!

You’re a good Buddy, Boomer a real good Buddy!

Ah, thanks, Fuzzy! You are welcome.

Boomer

The Adventures of Fuzzy and Boomer on Friday—We are Tired

Posted on June 20, 2014 by Dayphoto

Mom, Dad, Fuzzy and I are wore out!

Really wore out!

It’s been a long week…I mean L.O.N.G.!

The wind wore all of us down. It also wore out all the plants. Not only that; it was a hot wind. Really hot! And full of dirt!

So we had …hot, dirty, wind.

But there were some fun things too. Like going to change water all the time. (That is my most favorite thing in the world to do.)

Up there I found a cool snake! Mom was putting the trash catcher into the ditch and a green snake was in there with a Mouse in his Mouth! The snake dropped the mouse and it floated now the water. The snake tried to wiggle up the side and couldn’t make it. So Mom and Dad helped the snake out. It was really fun!!!!

How cool is THAT!!!

Sammy brought Mom a GIANT mouse one morning. Just purrrfect for breakfast, Mom! Sammy purred.

“What a good kitty you are Sammy-Sam!” Mom gave Sammy lots of loves and pats. Fuzzy told Sam that he would have just snapped the thing in two and left it where he found it.

Sammy just purred back to Fuzzy… Yes, Fuzzy, you would have. But Mom wouldn’t know so you wouldn’t get any pets.

HA!

Shish, fumed Fuzzy. I didn’t think of that.

Then the wind blew down a HUGE branch! It was a giant job!

It took lots of work…Fuzzy and I helped Mom load all the little branches into the back of the pick-up. Then we rode with Bladen and Mom up the Coyote Hill to dump the broken limbs off into a big pile. Misty and the kids picked up the big chunks Dad cut off the HUGE branch, (Kelly was at work but when he came home from lunch he also helped).

When we got everything down to just the colossal limbs Dad came back down with the tractor. And Mom came back with the trailer.

Once we all got to the tractor part Fuzzy and I had to just wait until Mom and Dad to chain up the logs and load them onto the trailer. Then we rode up to the Coyote Hill with Mom in the pick-up pulling the trailer; Dad following with the tractor.

DONE! A huge pile to rot away on Coyote Hill!

After the last irrigation of the day Mom and Dad sat down outside with us and just gave a huge sigh, “Friday we are taking the day off,” Dad said.

Of course that really won’t happen, but the work will slow down to just what has to get done.

Sometimes a rest is necessary. You have a little rest today (everything will be there tomorrow)…those of us on our Colorado Farm plan on doing so!

Boomer

The Adventures of Fuzzy and Boomer on Friday — Bean Harvest

Posted on September 6, 2013 by Dayphoto

Bean Harvest! Dad and Mom sure have been having a hard time getting all those pinto beans out of the field.

First the belt broke on the auger (day one) so the hopper had to be emptied BY HAND from the combine into the truck.

That was a huge job.

Boomer and I took it seriously and stayed out of the way.

Besides it was really super-hot! Super-hot like that just takes everything out of you.

Then everything was going along really good

Boomer and I were helping….

right after supper the folks headed back out and it

STARTED TO RAIN!

Rain is NOT good.

Everything grinds down to halt.

It messes up the whole works.

Dad said maybe by four this afternoon he can begin again…the rows of beans have to be dry, VERY DRY, to combine or the combine won’t pick up the beans.

The other sad thing about the rain is it rained on the hay. Dad was going to bale first thing this morning, but now he can’t do that either. Rained on hay is not good…rained on hay can ruin the protein of the hay. Dad is up there checking out the hay to see how much damage occurred. 😦 (Maybe not much, as sometimes the rain will miss areas of the farm.)