Sent to me at Christmas time!!! 🙂
This was taken at a park/forest preserve property where I will go to relax and watch trains go by.
Below is a rail car that went by this morning, which was rather interesting:
WOW! Thank you so much!
That is an amazing Sundog. We don’t get beauties like that here.
The train car is fun—so many talented people out there!
May 2023 be a wonderful year for you and your family!
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
Chapter Nine
I hopped up on the windows sill to ponder this whole sad mess.
It was about the time I was feeling most discouraged when I saw
Boomer following Mom to the house.
I sat up and MEOWED “BOOMER! YOU ARE BACK!”
I kept meowing and meowing. I ran to the back door and meowed some more.
“Mindy Sue-Lou, what is up? Why are you so agitated?” Mom asked me after she came in from outside.
“COME TO THE BACK DOOR! BOOMER IS OUTSIDE RIGHT NOW! He followed you to the house. COME, MOM!”
Mom put on her coat and opened the back door for her and me to go outside.
“It’s dark, Mindy. Are you sure you really want to go outside?”
YES! YES! Hurry, MOM! Boomer is outside!
Mom and I made a mad dash out the door.
We looked all around.
Everywhere.
I would walk a little and wait for Mom. If she didn’t come, I meowed at her.
We looked at lots of places.
Sigh!
Nothing.
Mom and I went back into the house.
I headed back to my window.
Boomer WAS out there I know it!
BOOMER! I yelled mentally to the Rainbow Bridge. If you were out there please show me. Make it real!
I need to see you again!
I need help! BOOMER!!!
Meanwhile, right outside the kitchen window
Chapter Eight
It’s been a nice two weeks.
I’ve made sure the mice are at bay
Scared off a few birds
Patrolled the whole farmyard every day, more than twice a day
And even found Dad’s tire jacket laying on the ground
Just perfect for me to play hide and seek in.
Hide the Mindy
Run out
Run back in…jump on it to hear the crackle
Run away
What a blast!
Then yesterday, Black Beauty and Loki showed up.
“Hey, Mindy! Where is Boomer? I haven’t seen him for a very long time” Black Beauty woofed at me.
“Yes, Where IS Boomer?” Loki echoed
Their question just stopped me in my tracks.
“You don’t know, Black Beauty? You came every day to visit Boomer.”
“Yes, yes, I did. But then Mom stopped bringing me. Where is Boomer, it would be good to play with him again. To go sniffing around the farmyard seeing who and what has passed through.”
“ME TOO!” Loki yelled. “I haven’t seen Boomer since July when I was here last. Tell him to come out and play.”
I just stared at them.
They don’t know.
They really don’t know.
It shocks me how many love Boomer and are missing him.
Geez.
I sat down, wrapped my tail around my feet, cleared my throat—and began.
Afterward, Black Beauty just hung her head and walked over to her Mom’s car and sat waiting for her Mom to come out.
Loki just looked at me with a huge stunned look on his face.
“But he was HEALTHY in July! Healthy!” Loki sputtered.
“I know. In October he wasn’t healthy. And he left us. Mom cried for days.
I tried not to cry. But there are times when the whole farm just seems lonely.”
“Wow, I can imagine,” Loki exclaimed. “Gosh, it just doesn’t seem right.”
“No, it doesn’t.” I agreed.
About that time Loki’s Mom and Black Beautys’ Mom came to the back door.
“What’s wrong with Black Beauty?” Black Beauty’s Mom asked.
“Gosh, she acts like she is afraid you are going to leave her.” Loki’s Mom replied.
I just looked at both of them. People just never really understand animals, I thought.
My Mom walked out with Shannon and Misty; stooped down and picked me up.
We watch everyone get into the car and drive off.
“I’ll bet you had to tell Boomer’s friends about Boomer, didn’t you, Min-Min.” Mom said while she petted me.
We stayed there a short while.
Then Mom sat me down and I went back to work.
Mom headed into the house.
Boomer’s friends. I thought. How many more do I have to tell. How many friends are Boomer’s friends who don’t know?
Let me count— Freddy Fox,
Oreo the Skunk,
Freddy’s Mom (Shudder),
all the Raccoons…
OH, PLEASE DO NOT MAKE ME TELL THE COYOTES!!! I yowled up into the sky.
I don’t even want to tell the fox family, or Oreo, or the raccoons…
I DO NOT WANT TO TELL THEM! I wailed.
PLEASE, Boomer, Help!
I ran as hard as I could toward the log pile and screeched my plea to the heavens.
PLEASE HELP!
As the daylight fades, the animals and I try to make the best of the time left before evening, where the next sound will be only of breathing.
Later, much later, on a wee walk-about in the dark of an ice-bound night
We watched the moon illuminate the sky
Then two stars flickering beside the silver moon, in the immense dark heavens.
Blessings so greatly abound—if we just look for them. 🙂
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
I love the blaze of light which gathers just before night creeps up onto the land
The collapse of the day
The colors only are seen at the beginning of the day or at the ending
The sky turning into the color of blueberry ice cream/ turning the earth the same color
Sometimes there are no masses of clouds defined with rays of sunshine
Or the clouds are so thin that the shafts of light seem misty and blurry
Sunrise can be so stunningly amazing that the trees seem like black shadows
Until the sun becomes high enough in the sky the dark silhouettes fade away
Then there is that golden light…a light there really isn’t words to explain the beauty
Just being outside, in that glory-filled light is really quite peaceful.
From my world to your heart,
Linda
We were fogged in all night last night, until a wee while after sunrise
A white mist curling through the darkness into the light
Touching everything remote and close, making the world look beautiful and unreal
The silver air chimes softly, as the sun climbs over head…
Although (still) not warm enough to melt the hoar frost (it’s ten o’clock in the morning) the very air seems to peal and cascade like ascending and descending notes of a harp.
Cascading, singing, praising the beauty everywhere.
From my world to your heart,
Linda
It’s cold here! Â So cold that your lungs feel frozen when you try to breathe.
There is a hush upon the land, a stillness that says…shhhh, step softly, go carefully, do not disturb the silence of the sleeping earth.
The woodstove is a blessing!
Still there is a wonderful beauty of the evening sky—the jagged pink line of snow covered mountains
As the setting sun brings to us the darkness…flowing in quietly all around us
The brilliance fading into gray.
Still the moon, that heart stopping brightly glowing moon, teases me with the thought I could grab a bare branch, of the highest tree, and swing like a trapeze artist.
If I could do so I Â would be able to catch myself on the hook of that growing moon. Â Then I would skip and jump from one glowing star to another— walking among the vault of heaven, which arches over our magnificent earth.
From my world to your heart
Linda
This is a photo was taken by our oldest daughter while she and Jason were up on the Uncompahgre Plateau (Un-come-pah-gray, with the accent on the pah).  Winter on the plateau!
It’s melting here! Â Bright sunshine and warmer temperatures are quickly destroying all the footprints in the snow.
I am not sure if this is a canine with a bum leg or a lame deer. Â My vote goes for the deer–although, I’m really not sure. Â A dog could drag a leg, but more than likely they hop along on three legs.
Little birds…of which kind I’m not sure….we have quail, pheasant, plus many little song birds. Â There is also a possibility that mice have scampered over the birds tracks.
I have even brought out my EVERYDAY shoes!  Feet need to see the sun!  🙂  That’s my theory, anyway!  🙂 I can only wear these ‘shoes’ when the snow is still frozen, the rest of the time–I wear boots.
Under the big cottonwood tree in the yard, the snow has melted and turned to dry dirt—makes a joy to haul wood. Â I even raked around the wood pile yesterday!
Another storm is due in here in a few days, but for right now! I’m enjoying this warmer weather and the sunshine! Â YAY!
Your friend,
Linda
Before I tell you about the ‘plunge’ Terry and took I want to tell you that Fuzzy and Boomer were featured on PeaceLovinWhisker’s blog on the 30th of January.
She does a really nice blog featuring furry friends from all around blog land. Â If you get a chance to hop over there I think you will find your time well spent.
Yesterday Terry and I decided it was time to ditch the house phone and just move the house phone over to his cell phone. Â He doesn’t like to use the cell phone so it sits in his truck, or in his coat pocket, or out on the tractor seat usually dead.
Lots of people (our ages) have moved their house phone number to a cell phone and just take it with them everywhere.
Now you and I know that we don’t ever really GO anywhere, but we do go around our place, sometimes to Grand Junction or Montrose, but really we don’t travel.
The move was to save money. Â These fixed incomes seem to have a way of making you always looking at ways to save money. Â So we took the plunge. Â No more house phone bill, the same cell phone bill, and I have to get used to having a phone close by at all times.
I rather stopped that when I retired…my phone at the office sat right next to me and rang it’s little bell off all day long. Â When I went home at night the ringing phone was NOT something I wanted to deal with.
But that was three years ago, so I think I can deal with the random call we get now. Â Just a call here and there…nothing like work.
So we did it! We are now a cell phone only family! Â My 6th grader grandson’s comment was: “Cool! Â Just like us!”
Terry and I looked at each other and smiled…we have ARRIVED!
Off to help Terry with the furnace. Â We work a little bit every day. Â He is at the point now whereby he can get the Baso valve off so he can see what the problem is with it. Â Everyday we are little bit closer.
After he is feels confident about the  furnace he wants to take a trip to Minnesota to look at a tractor there.  A 4040 John Deere–I think it would be nice if he could find one much closer.  He found this one through a tractor site and at this time it’s still for sale. (I’ll bet we don’t go, but everyone needs to dream).
He is also wanting to go over to Brush, Colorado to the tractor sale there to see if they have a John Deere 4040. Â That one would be ever so much better and easier to get too. Â Still he knows there is one in Minnesota as he talked to that guy.
Well, off to actually get the house cleaned today!
Your friend,
Linda
Life on a Colorado Farm 