A Rainbow Sky—Sunday, October 5, 2014

Posted on October 5, 2014 by Dayphoto

When the storms started to leave our area the sun was underway to waking up the world on the opposite side of us. The clouds had become ragged and sparse in the West allowing the sun to break free and shine wonderfully upon the land. The East still held the massively dark storm clouds, although they were moving on toward the mountains and the people who lived and worked and played among them.

I was upstairs putting my daily paperwork into a pile and getting ready to turn off the computer when I saw a very faint rainbow filling the east and southern part of our sky! (Close to Olathe)

What a joy I thought to myself! Gazing out the window I watched it fade to nothing. Turning off the computer I headed downstairs.

Wait!!! What do I see around the Eckert, Cedaredge area?

WOW! I grabbed my camera and headed out the front door to stand on the top step

What an amazing splash of color!

It was filling the whole basin with brilliant light! You can even see some little puffs of clouds captured within the prism ray of sunlight!

I stayed an watched until it faded. What a pleasure to be able to experience the wonder of sunlight on droplets of water!

Today is Sunday. Today we stop and rest, only doing those things that are necessary. Tomorrow we will be back to working on the other house and picking back-up the dropped tasks of the week. The fields are starting to dry enough the dogs and I will be able to go out and start gathering in the siphon tubes, the plastic dams, and the metal tin dams. The corn is still green, but if the storms stay away it will continue to dry down taking all the moisture out of the stalks, leaves, and the little seeds. Once it is dry enough we will begin the last harvest (for us) of the season.

Your friend on a Western Colorado Farm,

Linda

Storms–Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Posted on September 24, 2014 by Dayphoto

We have had a series of storms moving though our area. Sunday was nicely wet, and so was Sunday night and early Monday morning.

The sun peaked through the clouds Sunday night and graced our lives with dramatic color, then the rains came.

Having the rain has been nice! It sure has helped me keep the lawn green down at the other house and has given my yard a nice soaking. The Upper End is looking rich and lush with really nice grass.

Mr. Davis’ cows are going to have a real feast come this winter.

Your friend,

Linda

IT IS FINALLY HERE!!!–Letters for my Little Sister—Monday, September 22, 2014

Posted on September 22, 2014 by Dayphoto

Finally! The Extraordinary book of 68 glorious letters written to Celi’s Little Sister has arrived! 68 REAL stories, real experience from real women who read Celi’s blog every day!

Letters for my Little Sister, by Cecilia Buyswheeler Gunther and Melissa Hassard, is collection of personal experiences of those who are starting through, or have gone through THE CHANGE! Menopause. The dreaded M word. The word even Men hate to think about.

Remember I told you about the book here. The THING no one wants to talk about, when something happens that is so big a woman enters into the physical process as one person and leaves as a very physically different one. It isn’t the end of the Change that people dread it’s the unknown of the process. Letters for my Little Sister took everyone’s experience and complied it into a simple understanding of what their or their loved one’s process entailed.

Amazon has the book available now. Don’t believe Amazon’s statement there is only one for sale, there is at least 100 more books. One for you and everyone you care about. The cost is reasonable the knowledge you will gain from the stories, poems, and essays invaluable.

I do NOT receive any compensation from letting you know about this book —-wait I do! I forgot…what I receive is the knowledge that if you read it—you will not be alone as you, or someone travels around this bend of Change.

I hope you enjoy Letters for my Little Sister, as much as I did.

Your friend on a farm,

Linda

Moving Along-Harvest-Sunday, September 7, 2014

Posted on September 7, 2014 by Dayphoto

Friday and Saturday were super busy!

Terry got the pinto beans bladed and

placed in nice fluffy rows to dry. We are still holding our breath that the rains stay away…(OH! PLEASE STAY AWAY! Just until the pinto beans are in the Beanery!) It might be like wishing in the wind

since we can see storms moving all around us.

Terry has all the hay baled and part of the field in the hay yard…this afternoon should see every last bale stacked and ready for sale. (Fingers crossed)

You can see the storms playing on Grand Mesa in this photo.

Everything seems like a ‘race against the weather’ this time of year.

I’ve got part of the fence scraped and brushed ready to paint down at the other house and I even have all but the two biggest flower beds weeded in my yard. Sure feels good to start getting caught back up.

Tuesday and Wednesday Misty will be back for some training she needs for her new job, Linkin has asked to come with her. It will mean missing two days of school. Linkin is a very good student, so I think she will get to come with her mother. It will nice to have that ten-year-old here again. Her Grandpa has bought her a neat surprise. He will give it to her at this point, if she comes. Otherwise it will wait until a later, or even much later date.

Maybe Linkin’s Best Friend can come out after school on Tuesday and stay for supper. I’ll ask Misty and Ellie’s Mom. Hopefully she can.

Today we only do what we must do…a day of rest. Makes the week go faster.

Your friend,

Linda

One of Summer’s Pleasures—Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Posted on September 3, 2014 by Dayphoto

One of the pleasures of summer (to me) are watching the Swallows. I allow them to build on the house or barns or wherever they want to build.

They are a lot of fun swooping for insects over the yard and farm, chasing flies and moths and mosquitoes with high dives and sharp turns…truly eating on the fly!

These little birds arrive in spring…rather the middle of spring, their long forked tails and silvery wings and orange throats are unmistakable. Throughout the day we hear their jubilant twittering-warbling, bzzzz,click-click sounds as they court each other and care for their young.

I like to look out the windows as one nest that is, well, RIGHT there. If they could they would dive-boom me, but they can’t! I’m inside…tee hee!

Then comes the day I dread…the call that goes out to all of the swallows in our area….”It is time! Hurry! Gather together! Come quickly, in singles or pairs, come all ye families; the seasons are changing, winter, that time of woe, will soon fall upon the land.”

That is when we see the electric lines starting to fill with little birds, first just a few, then gradually more and more…they swoop down upon the pinto bean field, flying over the yard, then back to sit on the electric line.

Gradually, gradually over two or three days the line grows fuller and fuller as the swallows gather from near and far. Their sounds a deafening chorus. Then one day the longing for Spring and Summer becomes too much; they lift off in a loud swoosh heading toward Central and South America.

This year I missed the huge take off; I wanted to be home for the leaving! I wanted to wave GOOD-BYE! I wanted to holler loud and clear—

“You’ll Come Back NOW…You Hear?”

The song of the swallow has fallen into silence.

We will have a few flocks of Swallows arrive off and on for a little while—Swallows moving from areas further north of us. until those brief visits are over. I will enjoy their stops for rest and for food. Then wave them on with a Good-bye and welcome to return.

Your friend,

Linda

Summer’s Gifts—Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Posted on September 2, 2014 by Dayphoto

It is cold here this morning. 49*…a light jacket was in order to change the irrigation water.

As a gift to me I was sent several photos of those beautiful little flying jewels of summer. Kagedog lives in Cedaredge, Colorado and is a regular visitor to our little blog. She knows how much I enjoy the Hummingbirds so sent to me some very nice photos. She also gave me permission to share them with you. 🙂

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

We still have lots of Hummingbirds here. I don’t know if they are the regulars or if they are moving through. This morning they were fluffed way up as they drank from the feeders. Although, it is cool in the mornings the days still warm up nicely, as much as 89*.

I hope your Tuesday is a good one. It’s time to put the bean puller on and finish work on the combine. We are still waiting for the alfalfa to turn into hay. Hope the rains stay away for a least two or more weeks!

Your friend on a western Colorado Farm,

Linda

Stretch Marks, Labor Day, Monday, September 1, 2014

Posted on September 1, 2014 by Dayphoto

It’s that time of year….

(Third cutting of alfalfa)

When all of spring and summer come together

Third cutting of hay is cut and drying…Terry is raking and turning the rows even as I type away.

Soon, very soon…maybe tomorrow or the next day…it all depends on the weather, he will pull the pinto beans.

The corn has passed the blister stage, moving into the dough. After that it will be ready to ‘dry down’.

We are on the last little bits of irrigation. No more changing water on the pinto beans, only one more good soaking of the alfalfa, after the last bale has been hauled and stacked (possibly two if the fall is terribly dry—alfalfa can’t go into the winter dry or the crop will die.)

All that is left is watering the corn, by the end of September (in 30 days, maybe a few more, but not many-maybe even less) the irrigation water will be turned off to our farm.

We will be done.

After that we wait…until the last of October or the first of November when the harvest of the field corn begins. Those that have ensilage or chopp’n corn, or silage (it’s all one in the same) will start filling the silos this week.

The stretch for harvest has begun!

Then winter’s silence will descend.

But not for awhile.

Not for awhile.

Not just yet.

The gift of the spring and summer’s work will be collected. The work is has begun!

We will stretch ourselves thin, eat on the run, get up before dawn and settle back down way after dusk. It will look easy to those driving by—people who have moved to the country to get away from the crowds.

I suppose it is, after all these years…it’s because we practice all the time. The continuing education credits come when this year’s paycheck comes in. (We are paid once a year for pinto beans and corn. The hay brings in small checks as the bales are sold.)

Harvest! It is what we work for— the accumulation of the year.

Your friend on a farm in Western Colorado,

Linda

You Just GOT to See This–Wednesday, August 26, 2014

Posted on August 27, 2014 by Dayphoto

Linda Pierson from Just Another Day on the Prairie in Alberta, Canada, said I could use this photo of a bull snake sunning itself. A friend of her’s took the photo. It is such an unusual place to find bull snake I just had to share it will all of You!

On barbed wire no less!

Hope you enjoy!

Your farm friend on a Western Colorado Farm

Linda

So Far So Good and a Guest Post—Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Posted on August 19, 2014 by Dayphoto

The sleep-over part of the sleep-over went well. After lots and lots of running and playing.

Linky and her BFF, Ellie, practiced their archery off and on all afternoon and evening—everyone settled down around 10:00 p.m. (I know that’s late, but it is the last week of Summer, and they are at Grammy’s and heck…why not ?! 🙂 )

By mid-night we heard not a sound. I crept slowly upstairs to see what might be going on…playing on IPads…? Sleeping?

Sleeping.The pinto beans are on their last water of the season. The pods are getting dry, which means the beans have reached their full size. This last water will help the beans finish filling out.

Then we wait until all the leaves dry up. Once that happens it will be time…pinto bean harvest will begin.

My Guest today is Red Door Coop. She sent me a double rainbow which occurred in July! Alli is also from Colorado, but she lives on ‘the other side of the mountains’…the eastern slope of Colorado. Drop over and give her a comment, if you have time!

Your Friend on a Western Colorado Farm

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