To Which Man Gives His Heart—Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Posted on April 14, 2015 by Dayphoto

“Let no one think that real gardening [farming/ranching/etc.] is a bucolic and meditative occupation. It is an insatiable passion, like everything else to which a man gives his heart.” –Karel Capek

Gradually, gradually everything is moving forward with just the right amount of speed and with few set backs. I just about have all the winter rubbish off my yard, only one more spot to go, Terry has all the corn ground worked up and is marking out the last field even as I type this.

The alfalfa field is receiving it’s last set of irrigation– then we move full-time to the first corn field. (Hopefully we won’t have to walk the water through the rows, but there is a possibility…when the ground is too dry-not enough snow in the winter—the water absorbs quickly and doesn’t want to make its way down the rows. Or there is lots of trash caused by blowing winds, then we walk each stuck furrow; making the furrow a little more wider and a little bit deeper helping the water to move on, soaking just a little bit, heading to the end of the field. We leave the water 12 hours then move it again…in the 12 hours the rows will soak up so the set can be changed.)

This is the head gate...I am terrified of the head gate, although the water isn’t high here the headgate is deep, the board you walk on has no hand railing….I just much prefer Not having to do the work on the headgate. Although I can IF I have too. 😦

The yard is completely cleaned at the other house and I got the hoses out ready for whenever the tile lines fill up with water and I can start water down there. My hope is the potential renters will be moved in and can run the hoses for me. What a gift that will be. Also, the potential renters didn’t like the bubble gum pink bedroom (for little girls) so I need to get to town soon and buy paint so I can repaint that room. They have no children, she would like just a nice bedroom for guests.

Also, I have a new stray cat. She is a very nice older cat, but has something going on with her eyes. Today I will take her in an see what is wrong with her eyes and get some medicine. The potential renter lady would very much like to have the cat after it is well. I think that is good move for both the cat and me. But if not this kitty can stay here and be loved.

I’ve been so busy I haven’t had time to walk the shelter dogs. I feel really bad about that, but hope to get there this week sometime….maybe on Friday.

Thank you, once more for stopping by!

Your friend,

Linda

On a Visit —May 11, 2014

Posted on May 11, 2014 by Dayphoto

We have been invited to go with the kids to Craig, Colorado today.

We will leave just after irrigation is done! Shannon and Jasen will take care of our late morning and early afternoon irrigation sets. We will be back for the last irrigation of the day. Terry has the water in the short rows by our house so it’s easy to set and change! No running clear up to the back forty or swing around to the upper end or any of the middle fields. Easy Peasy.

The kids want to visit the town, look at some houses they are interested in, show Terry and I the schools, in general get a feel for their soon to be new area of living. Hook

Saturday the crocodiles tried to eat Captain Hook….of course, Peter Pan and Tinkle Bell saved him, but still…crocodiles are pretty intense when they are after you!

Have a nice Mother’s Day everyone!

Linda

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Posted on August 20, 2013 by Dayphoto

The day’s are shorting now…around 7:30 in the evening we head out for the last check of water for the day.

We also are monitoring the pinto beans. The field is turning yellow, which means the pintos are now ripe and ready to be pulled.

Probably next Friday Terry will pull the pinto’s so they can start drying.

We will need the days to stay hot and dry once they are pulled.

(see the nasty bull thistle seeds)

(The steps for pinto bean harvest is — pull the plants and leave them lay until nice and crispy, combine the plants, which is taking the beans out of the dried plants and putting them into the hopper then the truck to be delivered to the Beanery, have the beans sacked and the sold—DONE for the year)

He is baling the new cutting of hay as I write this. The first of second week of September will be the third cutting of the old hay field. Dry weather needs to prevail for at least a month now. 🙂

The moon was lovely last night.

I also saw a small rainbow from the storms playing around us.

My four o’clock photo of the Daily View features my Sun dial garden… rich and lush with 4 O’clocks. The Hummingbirds love this area!

A very contented friend, Linda

Monday, June 10, 2013

Posted on June 10, 2013 by Dayphoto

The hay is looking good! We need to haul it in soon…either today or tomorrow, Wednesday at the latest.

This might be the last time we get a cutting off this field since the water is short. Terry will decide after the hay is hauled in.

I know I keep going on and on about the water (I’m sure it is becoming and old song by now) but that is where our thoughts are. Moving water, making sure everything gets wet, always asking the question “can we make it?” Everyday we ask, everyday we work it a little bit more and ‘whew’ we are through those rows.

Terry is off to the Doctor around 9 this morning, which will tell us more about his leg. He is DETERMINED that HE WILL haul in the hay…

sigh

Sigh, sigh!

I decided I will just have to see it though, and if I can pick up the slack I will.

We finally had to break down and hook up the air conditioner. 93* was hot and today it is supposed to be 103* It was time

Besides coming into a cool house was nice after the blistering heat in the fields. The wind is predicted to rise today so having the cooler on will help keep the dirt out of the house.

Well, not much going on here, just taking it one day at a time, one field at a time and waiting to see what the Doctor has to say.

Thanks for stopping by,

Linda

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Dayphoto

I wish to THANK each of you for sending wishes of returned health for Riley. Kimberly says he is having some good days right now…with all of your Magic thoughts (and special medicine) we all hope he can turn the corner . We are going to Grand Junction today to see him…and his parents.

Nothing really new here. It’s cloudy today with thunderstorms predicted in the afternoon, those usually play around on the Plateau; sometimes they come in and we get drenched for a few minutes.

I was able to a take a photo of a Western Meadowlark singing…I enjoy their really cool little song.

The Swallows are back…I left the nest up from last year. They seem to be interested in doing some maintenance and redecorating. I see long strings of back horse hair, new feathers and other exciting bits of ‘stuff’.

Another bird I really enjoy and love hearing their songs are the Red-winged black birds.

(This is a horrible photo as I had the zoom out way too far; they fly off if I get too close.

They live over in the Back Forty, but have lately taken to following us as we irrigate. They stay a short distance away, but still rather close playing and ‘dipping’ in the irrigation furrows. Boomer doesn’t chase them (I don’t think he knows he is a beagle) and Fuzzy is too interested in the water to even notice.

It looks like a Robin pair have built a nest in the cottonwood tree (at least I think it might be a Robin’s nest.) I haven’t seen the birds in action, just one day it was there.

The little Hummers are back, but very, very shy of the camera I hope I can get some photos of them this year…a goal of mine.

(He is using the 530 to plant with)

Terry decided to go ahead and plant a new alfalfa field, at this precise point we are 100% planted. But it won’t stay that way as he is taking the old alfalfa field out of production …therefore keeping us as the same percentage. The old field is just too old to produce well, water is just too short to waste on a field of low production.

Well off to chase water!

Linda

The Adventures of Fuzzy and Boomer on Friday — It’s Warming Up

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Dayphoto

It’s warming UP!!!

Boy, Fuzzy and I are sure enjoying it!

Lots of work going on….the water is about done in the alfalfa field — today is the last day. Dad has water in FIVE PLACES!!! Five different fields on the farm and we get to go to ALL of them all the time.

Today we go to just one field …. The pinto bean field!

Sometimes I go off and check things out – I like to check out all the animals that live on our place and see what news is out of there.

Sometimes I get behind, but I can

ALWAYS

CATCH UP!!!!

The pears are blooming…part of the pears was frozen, but part not.

The ‘not’ part is blooming now…they sure smell good!

House

AHCHOO! SNEEZE! SNEEZE!

Sometimes they make me sneeze – but just when the wind is right!

Fuzz sticks RIGHT BY MOM all the time. I try too….but…well, you understand.

Anyway…I just wanted to say we are warming up.

It was so warm last night Fuzzy and I didn’t even go to the dog houses until after mid-night. It was just way to hot in them to sleep.

Besides there are always lots of things to do at night, that we forget about when we sleep inside…

Like——-

Sorry————-GOTTA GO!

Hurry Fuzzy!!!

FOXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Boomer

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Dayphoto

Terry is leveling the fields. He will plant only two fields this year. These two fields with the alfalfa field will be our crops.

The Uncompahgre Valley Water Users have cut the amount from 60% to 50% of your allotment. (Although, we will still have to pay for the 100% allotted to our farm–as does everyone else who farms. Doesn’t seem right to me, but that is what it is).

If–-IF — there is more water (which we all doubt) by the end of May, he will plant, possibly, some pinto beans. We just have to wait and see.

We would like to plant more alfalfa, depending on the water, maybe we will and maybe we won’t.

I guess, Dear Readers, you are in just as much of a quandary as we are. As my Mother used to say: “Time will tell.”

And so it shall.

Thank you for all of your magic thoughts and your concern…we are moving forward in faith and hope and with a little luck we will make it to harvest!

Linda

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Dayphoto

This is what we had yesterday!

Lovely! I enjoyed every minute of it….I worked in the yard for four hours yesterday, it was so nice. 47*.

Terry finished up the ground work on the fields he is going to plant…next he will level the fields, then fertilize, mark out and we are ready for to turn on the water. They are still saying they will turn it on April 1st. It takes a full week for the water to get to us, but when it does get here we will be ready! 🙂

The temps dropped to 15* last night, a huge warm-up from the night before! It is predicted to get to 62* today with a low of 23*.

Unless something changes (where the weather is concerned it just might) we are on our way to settled weather!

Linda

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Posted on November 14, 2012 by Dayphoto

8:00 this morning saw much warmer temps than yesterday at the same time….

Still cold, but I’ll take it.

The dry, powdery snow is just about gone except in spots on the north side of things.

But we have snow in the high places

This a photo of Grand Mesa at the front of our place

The snow along the Craig Crest Ridge on Grand Mesa. This part is closer to the Cedaredge, Eckert area.

The snow along Green Mountain and the Ragged’s. I wasn’t able to get a photo of the Paonia Mountains or the Gunnison Mountains or the San Juan Range because of a haze covering those parts of the mountains surround us.

But the Uncompahgre Plateau was looking good, with a little snow ridge in the higher parts of the Plateau

The canyon, that our mesa tops off, is called the Roubidoux…

No snow there, unless you look way, way, way at the top where you can see a tiny white ridge of snow.

A good start for the potential of water for next year!

Linda

Fall Maintenance Work

Posted on September 18, 2012 by Dayphoto

Terry and I spent yesterday switching out the broken gated pipes for new pipes,

putting in new seals in the pipes that needed them.

He also decided that he wanted to not replace the four broken pipe but extend the dirt ditch further into the field.

If he likes this he might (MIGHT) turn the whole ditch into a cement ditch…heavy on the might. The cost will be high, but the work load (after the ditch is made) lots easier.