Corn Planting Time

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Dayphoto

One field of corn seed is in the ground.

Terry planted Friday and with this hot weather we’ve been having 80+* for the last several days, the corn seed has already past the swelling stage and starting to shoot roots.

Terry will plant the other field of corn today.

Since the first field is already shooting roots he will harrow off the top of the row bed so the little tips of the corn won’t have a hard time coming through and also that will knock some of the weeds down. Usually the corn bed is harrowed about five days after planting. (This should happen Tuesday sometime-Wednesday at the latest, if it goes too long the corn will be up and will struggle to get through.)

Friday and Saturday we spent getting the gated pipe ready for the other half of the farm and setting the new earth/dirt ditch. After much thought and heavy pondering…..gated pipe is EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE NOW…..We decided to go to earth/dirt in place of some gated pipe that broke. The ditch is pretty soft right now so will take lots of extra effort on our part until it seals. Or imprints — meaning holds water and remembers where the water is supposed to stay….not run off here and there and everywhere.

Of course the gated pipe (two sticks) had to break somewhere in the middle and at the beginning of the pipe. So we had to ‘adjust’ all the remaining pipe so we could put the earth ditch at the END of the gated pipe. That meant lots of jerking apart (by hand) and picking up and moving, one on each end, then shoving back together again.

We had a little break and watched our oldest granddaughter play soccer. Breaks are always nice, they make you appreciate what you’ve accomplished and give you a mini-rest.

The soccer field is in the valley, on the banks of the Gunnison River, and at the doorway of the Adobes. You can see the ‘dobies in the background. The ‘dobies give rise to the foothills surrounding Grand Mesa.

(All the locals call those adobe hills, which skirt the base of the mountain ranges in Utah, New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona, ‘dobies.)

Linda

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Dayphoto

After several days of extremely cold weather, we are gradually starting to warm up. During that time the Sour Cherry trees started to bloom

Then we dropped down even colder — 18*– a couple of nights in a row, which took out some of the blooming fruit I’m sure.

Still the Wild Plum trees that I have growing in a thicket started blooming

We have these trees along the edge of the canal to keep the water from eroding the bank

By the weekend the Crab Apples were in their full glory

Terry sat up the alfalfa marker and got that field ready for water. By which I mean he marked out all the rows so we could turn water into the field. Several morning this week there was ice on the furrows. Not heavy amounts of ice, but still ice.

When you think of it that is cold….it takes lots of cold to form ice on running water.

The good news is that cold front has moved on, the bad news is this very same cold front is what causes horrible storms in the plains….cold air moving out of the Rocky Mountains hitting warm air coming up from the oceans.

My heart goes out to everyone in those storm damaged area.

Linda

The Adventures of Fuzzy and Boomer on Friday — The Upper End

Posted on April 13, 2012 by Dayphoto

We headed up with Mom and Dad to dig ditches to the burn area over on the Back Forty and to the back pastures. They are going to put run-off-water there to see if anything can start growing again. It was lots of work for Mom and Dad but Fuzzy and I had a right jolly old time! We sniffed around to see what is happening up here. The Upper End is where the HEADGATE is. Right now all the cows are around the head gate but they will be moved off tomorrow. These are not our cows, but the south end of our farm’s neighbors. He had to move the bulls when the water came in as the ditch riders and Mom and Dad (and us) have to get to the head gate to keep the trash out. Bulls don’t like to have strange people moving around on their property. The head gate is SCARY! It thunders and foams and roils. It’s really big and has a tiny board to walk across it, which I never do. You have to walk across it, then stand on the tiny board to clean out the trash from the gate with a rake….Mom is terrified, but she ‘gets it done’. We had a sort of mini tornado last evening the wind was so horrible. Dad was on— ON — the head gate (terrible frightening thundering crashing water)…when the storm came through the place. The wind about threw Dad into the roaring foaming mess and even ripped his glasses off his face. We all tried to find the glasses but figured they were swept away in the canal. This morning Dad went on back to clean out the trash and guess what…THEY WERE THERE! Safe in a whole other spot! AND the cows didn’t stomp on them either. We are so joyful! Anyway, as Mom and Dad were working on the burn area, Fuzzy and I found Bunny. We like bunny and he seems to like us. Just hangs around us as we sniff back and forth. Sometimes Bunny even lets us sniff really close to him before he hops away. Sometimes we find footprints…those get really good sniffs. We don’t have wolves here, which we are ALL glad about, but these foot prints will help you see what we sometimes see.

Getting water to one of the burn areas took all morning. Dad said “that will have to do. If this works then we’ve helped part of the burn.”

Mom asked Fuzzy if he was ready to ride back to house.

Man, that dog can move when he wants too. Fuzzy beat both Mom and I back to four-wheeler he was so ready to get home.

The sunrise this morning was pretty cool…there was a cloud that looked like a mini-tornado.

Hummm, maybe that isn’t a good thing!

Boomer

A Cat and Catnip

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Dayphoto

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While I was working in the herb garden Sammy-Sam, one of our cats, decided to work with me.

No, hummm, he decided to partake of the catnip.

A spring storm is blowing it’s way into our lives starting this afternoon. But last night, Boy, was the sky beautiful!

The whole sky over us and around us was amazing!

Linda

Opening a Ditch

Posted on April 10, 2012 by Dayphoto

I dug out a camera I had purchased awhile back. It wasn’t a real expensive one, I think I got it for around $90, since I knew my other dear old battered and well-loved camera would someday bite the dust. This camera doesn’t seem to take too bad of photos so I shall continue to use it.

We finished watering our largest field. Which means it was time to move the water. We had to take the water from that field down to the one by our house.

Therefore we had to open the ditch. (Winter is not good for my body, but I’m fast getting into shape.) We only have to open the ditches once, but, oh my, is that ever a job!

Even though Terry makes the ditches with the ditcher there is still lots of trash in the ditch, he turns the water down and then leaves and goes on down to the trash gates, I stay behind and fork the trash out of the ditch.

It starts small, but by the time I make it to the trash catchers I’m hefting huge wads of wet weeds out the water. ( I couldn’t get photos of the wads — I think Terry would have been a tad upset to see me taking photos while massive amounts of weeds were heading toward him.)

Weeds plug up division gates and get caught in the pipes causing floods. Floods are never good as they always go where they are not supposed to go.

By the time I get to the trash screens Terry is already in the field flushing the pipe. This field by the house is set with gated pipe, trash in that pipe is one major pain. It plugs up the little gates and backs up the water. You are looking at a screen that has stopped trash.

We like gated pipe for some fields and cement ditches and siphon tubes for other fields. We even have dirt ditches with siphon tubes for even other fields. Terry is thinking of changing out some of the gated pipe back into a dirt ditch, they (dirt ditches) really are lots easier to work with than gated pipe. You wouldn’t think so, since it would seem all you have to do is open a gate and the water flows out. Pouring another cement ditch is financially not feasible so if we change it will be to dirt.

Trash is the main reason. Here in our part of Colorado when the wind blows heavy it always blows in weeds and icky stuff which lands in the water and then get caught in the gates. With a tube the weed will usually flow on by since the tube is under the surface of the water. With a gate the weed runs right to the gate and tried to get out with the water and plugs up the gate. You then have to put your hand into the water and dig out the trash. For every gate that is open all 20-30 gates.

Anyway, I could lift and toss an 80 pound bale of hay now if I had too. Three weeks ago I don’t know if I could even pick it up.

The pear trees are blooming! They sure are pretty. We’ve had three nights of bitter cold (18* one night) and another cold front moving in by Friday. I remember these days from my youth and how my Dad and my Grandfather would stress out during spring.

Being and orchardist isn’t for the faint of heart that is for sure.

Linda

The Morning After

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Dayphoto

The huge cold front is pushing itself through our area, leaving behind a beautiful sunset last night complete with sun brightened jet streams.

This morning as the sun came up I saw a sun dog along with the sunrise.

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Our sky’s are just wonderful! All we need to do is look up!

Have a really nice Tuesday, everyone!

Linda

Saturday—Trees

Posted on April 1, 2012 by Dayphoto

My last post for March will be my trees. I’m taking a photo of the same trees and posting them on the last day or close to the last day of the month so you can see the progression of leaves on the trees. If you would like to see February’s go here.

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The leaves are starting to appear. Today we had 80* weather. A bitter cold spring snow storm is supposed to blow into night, stay all day Sunday and leave us sometime late Monday night.

Then we will start to warm back up.

Terry is finishing rolling so the ground won’t pack IF we do get moisture.

Linda

Apricots for Wednesday

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Dayphoto

The apricot tree in the yard burst into bloom over night, Monday night. This tree is a different variety than the other tree…the old apricot tree.

This one is only 40 years old. I planted it when we moved here 40 years ago. It, too, is a heritage apricot, but it produces a lighted apricot colored fruit. The fruit is sweet and make wonderful jams.

Yes you can tell the difference between the two jams if you don’t mix the fruit while canning.

Now for having fruit trees in your yard, I have a couple of prune trees, four pear trees, several sour cherry trees and two standard delicious trees. You see I was raised on an orchard. My grandfather had 60 acres of all sorts of different fruit and my Dad had 180 acres of all types of different fruit.

I missed the trees when I moved to here, their lovely blooms, the deep shade under their branches and climbing into the trees and finding bird nests, and I missed the humming of the honey bees.

(We have lots of bees because we do NOT spray for bad bugs, but allow the good bugs to do their thing.)

So I planted fruit trees in my yard.

I would never ever in a million years do that again.

NEVER!

While it works well to live in the middle of an orchard, the house is usually in a ‘space’ of it’s own. Having the trees right with you in the house space is very different. The problem occurs when the fruit comes on —- the fruit drops and turns to mush if you don’t get out there immediately and pick it up. The birds get most of the fruit because you work and can’t get out there the second the fruit even thinks about turning ripe, the trees grow BIG and BIGGER and BIGGEST and of course the best fruit is UP THERE! (So you must and have to prune…you can’t NOT prune, which is a winter job.)

Since the best fruit is UP THERE the birds get it first and they only peck on one side or they only peck on one spot. After all it is a bird buffet and there is so much to choose from, so that fruit is gone, even after you pick it. If you don’t get it picked ON TIME, then the fruit drops onto the grass or the flower bed or the side walk, whereby YOU MUST GET OUT THERE AND GET IT CLEANED UP NOW!

If you have little kids its a great job for them, but little kids grow up and leave so the job becomes yours.

Still I have all of the same fruit trees I planted when we moved here, I put up with the mess. I enjoy the bees who are very happy to have delightful food the first thing in spring, and the birds who feast on the fruit. I can, I bake, I freeze and yes….
I pick up fruit by the wheel barrow loads before the mush turns into an ant feast.

Come spring, I fall in love with each and everyone of my fruit trees all over again.

And this is why!

The trees in spring always bring me this delightful surprise!

Linda

The Old Apricot Tree Made It

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Dayphoto

I walked over to the old apricot tree the closer I got I realized that the Old Apricot Tree made it through the fire.

I was delighted!

This lovely old girl is starting to bloom. The fire went around it.

The sun was just coming up adding a wonderful luster to the morning.

This apricot tree bears pink flowers and medium sized, extremely sweet fruit.

I am so happy the fire spared this wonderful tree. So very happy.

Linda

Chickens and Mice (do not proceed if you like mice)

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Dayphoto

Mice in the chicken house are a pain. They are nasty, dirty and (if you don’t take care) EVERYWHERE!

But one nice thing about chickens…..

They are very good mousers.

I was raking around the wood pile and the chicken house when suddenly a mouse ran right by me, followed with a very determined Lucky Hen.

She grabbed the mouse and ran over to the trash pile (will get it cleaned up soon, I promise!) making sure the other hens don’t follow or Sam the Cat.