A Happy Dance — Thursday, August 27, 2015

Posted on August 27, 2015 by Dayphoto

It’s raining here!

Real rain!

Terry is out changing the irrigation water…not me. I’m sitting here, dry, and talking to you. 🙂

I know…I’m a fair weather irrigator! 🙂

Actually, he has some things he wanted to do that I couldn’t help with, but still

He is in the rain, with his yellow slicker on an rubber boots.

And I’m not.

The corn has dented…a full dent. That means the last irrigation is soon.

The pinto beans are starting to stripe and turn yellow…once fully yellow it will be time to let them dry so they can be harvested.

We will irrigate the alfalfa field after the hay is cut and hauled in, then that will be it for the year.

More signs of fall…the ending of the growing season.

Your friend on a Western Colorado Farm,

Linda

The Adventures of Boomer on Friday—Night Work

Posted on July 24, 2015 by Dayphoto

The reality of a dog’s life…a farm dog’s life, that is—is we work at night.

There is much we have to do:

First I go with Mom and Dad to change the water one last time before bed.

Then, when they are inside watch television, I’m outside so I can check out all the places the fox have been. We have a lot of fox. A group of fox is called a skulk, beats me why they call a group a skulk. (Mom assures me this a fact. Weird)

Mom always asks me to come in to spend the night; I go in and try to rest. BUT there is so much going on out outside I head back out. When I’m tired I can always bed down in one of the dog houses.

I’m really always on guard…well, let me clarify I don’t really guard, I sniff out and then I either give chase or I holler for Mom or Dad.

But why holler for Mom or Dad for the common night creatures: fox, owls, cats (Sam and Monkey), mice, deer ….ugh … skunk…those sorts of every day critters that share the farm with us.

Now I do holler when the coyotes come around…so does Mom!

Shudder, shiver…I sure don’t like coyotes!

Mom and I go for a walk around mid-night. After which I usually come in and crash for a spell.

Then come morning…well, you see, I have to get back out there and see if anything came through while I slept.

As my grandpa would say— I’m a very busy feller!

Boomer

A Space to Fill Forever—Monday, July 20, 2015

Posted on July 20, 2015 by Dayphoto

On Sunday the work slows down to just the things which must be done

We changed the water in the pinto bean field (that is our house and barns in the distance)

And changed the water in the smallest corn field. (Grand Mesa is in the background) Flowing

That is all.

I walked through my yard, watering the pots and deadheading some of the flowers.

It was like walking through a cloud of perfume, in some places. The low hum of the bees filled the air along with the chirps of the birds.

The peace was strong enough to fill forever.

I am blessed beyond measure.

Your friend,

Linda

Nothing New or Different—Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Posted on July 15, 2015 by Dayphoto

Everyday, every four hours the water is checked and possibly changed.

I’m still painting on the house…most of the west side is done, I’m working on the eves. I have part of the south side, but still need to CLIMB up on the roof to do the next level…after than I have the east side (You are looking at the east side) and the north side.

Terry blading the ruts and holes out the driveway

There are always little joys, through out the day.

So from morning until

dark we just keep truck’n on. (At our ages we are very, VERY, thankful we can still truck-on, just as we always have.)

It’s still clouding up and raining here and there and all around. It’s nice because the rain IS keeping the heat at bay.

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

Summertime—July 13, 2015

Posted on July 13, 2015 by Dayphoto

Summertime and the liv’n is not as easy as winter. Tee Hee

This Terry coming in from making ditches…that’s the ditcher on the back.

I’ve been painting the outside of our house. It really needs it. Last year I painted down at the other house, but this year I MUST focus on this place.

Our corn is getting close to tasseling out! What a joy that is–the too wet and cold spring, followed by smashing heat gave us a wonder if the corn was going to pull through.

Here Terry is staking a load of hay…I am in charge of getting the stack stable…think poles and such holding up the stack…not a hard job, but a necessary job. We are already getting hay customers, which is a very good thing.

Of course there is always water to change, several times a day. If not change at least check.

I would really like to wash my windows, but we are being gifted with afternoon thunder and rain storms…I think I will wait a spell. 🙂

Boomer and I go out to scatter the corn once a day. This is old corn we keep around to feed the deer, birds, raccoons, whatever or whoever wants some—it keeps the critters OUT of the corn fields.

Life is busy. To be honest with you I really don’t want it any other way.

Off now to keep painting — I just about have one side done. ( We have a two-story house…I sure dread the 2nd story 😦 )

I still need to do the eaves on the west side, which is going to be time consuming.

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

Gratitude—Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Posted on July 1, 2015 by Dayphoto

It was 92* (33.33c) last night at 9:30. But this morning it is only 86* at 9:30.

What a small joy cooling air is after too much heat.

As John Milton once said; “Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.”

A few clouds, a small breeze, the song of the birds…a wee epiphany for this Wednesday.

Your friend,

Linda

Racing Against Time—Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Posted on June 24, 2015 by Dayphoto

I am sorry about not being able to post yesterday…the internet was down. Sure was frustrating!

Anyway, it’s back up today, for which I rejoice greatly!

We are racing madly here. Everything came together all at once—the pinto beans needed watered, the corn needed fertilized and cultivated, and needs water —the hay needs hauled in from the last field, and the water sat on it. (Not to mention weeding in my yard –two more huge beds to go—helping a tad down at the other house…clipping hedges and other yard work–ironing and straightening up my house, mundane things but necessary.)

The days are just not long enough 🙂 🙂

Although, we get up at 4:15 and then finish around 10 at night, there always seems to be something more needing done.

Don’t read bad into this —————— I LOVE EVERY MINUTE OF IT!!!

We hauled hay until too dark…Boomer and I picked up the loose bales and broken bales and Terry hauled in the loads.

It was miserable hot yesterday…my car said it was 111*f (43.89c) when I ran to buy groceries for the month. That’s HOT!

Around 8:30 or 9:00 p.m. it looked like a hail or rain storm broke over Peach Valley. It was just too hot not to develop some sort of activity in the heavens.

Today we are still in the same race…although, we are gaining on the pinto beans (the beans are up! YAY!) with the water, the small corn field is wet, and cross all fingers, Terry will get the big corn field fertilized and cultivated today-then we start water on it tonight).

Two more days of hauling hay and that will be over. Then, if it rains, all is well.

Although, we are busy; it’s a good busy!

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

The Adventures of Boomer on Friday— A Routine Day on the Farm

Posted on June 5, 2015 by Dayphoto

Mom hollered at me saying: “It’s your turn to write, Boomer. Today is Friday.” Then she walked upstairs to turn on the computer. As soon as I heard her voice I had already scrambled up from my dead sleep ready for action.

I wagged my tail and bounced up the stairs beating her by three steps! I might be 10 ½, but I’m still fast!

Tee Hee

I waited with Mom while the computer turned on and warmed up. Then I had to sit down for a spell, because Mom wanted to check out the news and a few things.

“Be thinking about what you want to say, Boom. I’ll look at the a few blogs, then when you are ready the computer is yours.”

I sat there watching her move the mouse around, click a few things…stop and stare at the screen…I guess I’ll just lay down here and put my head on my paws; looks like she is going to take forever!

Geez, my eye lids are getting heav…y…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

“Okay, Boomer, your turn,” mom announced as she got up from the computer chair.

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMmmph! Znort! HUH!? Oh, My turn.

Let’s see-what was I dreaming thinking about? Oh Yes! What we did yesterday. Yesterday was a typical day. A day just like any other day. I like days like that they are FUN!

Mom and I took the finished siphon tubes out to the dirt ditch at the pinto bean field.

We irrigated the corn and the pinto bean field. We are watering the BIG corn field now…it takes a week to get across to get all the rows wet…I explored while my folks worked. Sadly I found out that one of the porcupines died over on the sagebrush hill. It’s always sad when something like that happens. Mom and Dad had a wee flood from the large cornfield into the little corn field…they were scrambling pretty fast to get the water back into the big corn field’s cement ditch. I thought it was pretty neat since several mice had to scamper very quickly away from the water. I didn’t chase them, but I did give some of them a couple of good sniffs.

Then Mom loaded me up…I don’t jump up any more, ever since I tore my knee Mom lifts me up and takes me down. My knee is better but she doesn’t want “another hurt knee”.

Then we moseyed on down past the alfalfa field … Dad says he will cut hay next Wednesday; it’s starting to bloom. To the pinto bean field. Mom told me to stay that this wasn’t going to take long.

It didn’t…22 set siphon tubes later and we were back on the 4-wheeler heading home. HUH!? Not home!

We were going to the Rocky Hill…Dad’s favorite spot on the farm. Then we rode through the pasture between the Rocky Hill and the Coyote Hill…it’s a good thing I was on the 4-wheeler the grass was over our heads!

We saw three doe deer…Mom told me today she and I are going out to put corn on the ground so the deer won’t eat the new baby corn plants. COOL!

After that we headed home. See. Not much happening. But it sure is fun.

Boomer, the Beagle

The Deep Hush—-Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Posted on June 3, 2015 by Dayphoto

The upper corn field is a pasture away from the headgate. As Terry and I work (last night I shoveled ends and Terry dug the little depressions to hold the siphon tubes and then started the tubes, the night before he shoveled and I dug and started tubes) we can hear the roar and the crashing of the water in the FN Lateral Canal, as it moves over the little dam and into our headgate, then the turbulent flinging of the water back into the canal heading on toward the Gunnison River, then into the Colorado River.

It’s our own mini-Niagara Falls.

We usually work in companionable silence; the rumbling of the water making casual conversation hard to hear.

After checking the headgate for trash we drive through the Upper End pasture, around the Fox den area and take the ditch bank road separating the largest corn field from the Alfalfa field to set water in the soon-to-be-planted Pinto Bean field. (Whew! That was a long sentence!)

By this time the sun has set and twilight fills the land. I was walking back from the dirt ditch, (counting rows of set water as I went—too many open and the water dries up, not enough open and the cement ditch over-flows—when the full moon started rising.

I am not a ‘good taker’ of moon photos…usually I have the wrong camera with me at the time . Still I thought…why not. The full moon in June is called the Strawberry Moon.

Once away from the roar of the headgate the land is growing silent. Although, night is never truly silent, the sounds take on a deep hush, shhhhhhhhhhhhh, bidding our hearts to be still, step lightly, those who live in the daytime are preparing for sleep.

Here and there the night sounds start, the hoot of a owl, or a cry of a far away fox, the night birds starting to awake, the earth’s breath slowing down to a gentle heartbeat.

It’s easy to stand with Terry, our arms linked, or me resting against his chest his arm around me-both holding a shovel. 🙂

Silently we survey the rushing of the irrigation water down it’s own little furrow. Boomer at our feet, waiting for the word to load up.

The earth calms, our hearts match the beat of the earth’s– peace descends.

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

Making Headway–Thursday, May 21, 2015

Posted on May 21, 2015 by Dayphoto

Everyday we are making more and more headway.

It’s cloudy again here today, with rain coming in this afternoon.

Oh, well. It is what it is. This is a photo of Boomer and I walking up the ditch bank, moving the dams and helping Terry set the tubes for the alfalfa field. You can see the baby corn coming up in this (our largest) field. Hubby

The tool of our trade so to speak. 🙂

Terry has also started working on the new motor for the corn combine…he’s waiting for a couple of parts to come by UPS and then we (mostly him) will take the old motor (it got hot and created a mess) out and this one will go in.

Last’s nights sunset was beautiful…full of amazing colors…it’s so true, if you just stand still, when you are outside you can hear the earth breath!