Sometimes I do wonder, at my age, what the next year, or two years, or even if there will be five years to wander here upon the earth.
Sometimes I feel a tad sad, because, after all, this is a marvelous, wondrous, exciting place to spend a lifetime
But I don’t wonder long, for I always seem to be gifted sparkles (glimmers), delights.
Yes, time may be bearing down on me — but my soul whispers….not yet.
And that is what I’m going with.
Not yet.
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
Sunday the water felt like stinging drops, cold, hard rain, off and on all that day and into the night scattered bits of rain.
On into the night, it went—mostly wind and cold, cold chill. Winter has arrived (for a spell).
I won’t be doing corn right now. It’s too wet to get to the fields, and the shucks are too wet to dry.
But wet is a good thing. Corn waits.
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
The corn ears are starting to turn down
When they are looking at the ground it should be getting close to time.
Terry tested the corn on Friday and we are at 19% When it gets to 14% we begin!
SOON!
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
It rained.
Sure, did put a crimp in my style.
I tried to go out and cruise around the farm
But it was just too wet.
You have to know if it’s raining: I get wet
If it’s raining the weeds get wet
So, I get even wetter!
I have a hard time being inside. I go STIR CRAZY. That’s what Mom says.
When I’m stirring crazy, I climb the drapes and sharped my claws on the furniture, and I run as fast as my legs will carry me all over the house.
In a frenzy.
So, Mom, says…” Okay, TLC Cai-Cai, you can go outside, but it IS wet.”
Mom opens the door and I Dash out. Wet or not I’m going OUTSIDE!
Just so you know…I have figured out a place to stay if it is too WET….
I stay in the hen house, while the hens go out and scratch around in their pen.
Works for me.
And sometimes I can catch a mouse in there.
TLC CAI-CAI
(This photo was taken just before the First Snowfall of the Year)
I decided yesterday,
I needed to go into the heart of the farm,
into the heart of the Earth;
where places of wonder exist,
places where I could forget politics
and angst
and worries.
I went off and on throughout the whole day
Looking at the crisped bushes, trees, and the fallen leaves
Gathering the heart of the Earth into my heart
Enjoying the peace
(Looking for these creatures)
The shadows
Before the predicted
High winds of Fall
(I only saw a few of these)
Are due in here of Friday
Bringing with it several days of the second snowfall of the season.
The light last night was lovely.
My favorite light—looking at the world through the color Rose.
From my world to your heart,
Linda
(From Pinterest)
A few leaves have fallen off the freeze-dried branches of the old Cottonwood tree
Scattered here and there; stretching loosely across the farmyard
The chickens adding their delighted wing-stretching excitement to the downward slide into full-blown winter.
But what thrilled me the most (while on a walk with Boomer)
Was the swirling and darting of the leaves in a wee little breeze
Standing upright on their stems dancing, dancing, dancing creating a brilliantly choreographed ballet of green and golden leaves.
I was supremely delighted to have been gifted with this amazing event!
From my world to your heart,
Linda
A storm blew in yesterday…bringing snow to the mountains
and rain to the fields
The setting sun echoed color throughout the clouds
The rain filled the sky—
Then charged over the land slowing down harvest!
We will begin again when everything is dry enough.
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
It rained off and on all day yesterday, and way into the night.
We actually woke up to rain. The air rich with the smell of ozone and the dried leaves, corn stalks and ears; now absorbed with water.
Then there came a feel of snow in the air.
Although, the sky was the same leaded gray the air itself had changed. A heaviness and feeling of something different; colder/sharper.
Silence, no small voices of birds or rustling of little creatures, as the crystals in the clouds changed from water to ice.
Then it came, sudden and hushed, flurries of little tiny noiseless flakes, whirling out of the air.
The sun is out now (as I type), the sounds of water returning, running off our metal roof, the snow is melting adding to the mud, flatting the fallen leaves.
The weather people were right. An early winter storm has arrived.
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
It’s been a week (today at 11 a.m.) Life without the Fuzz Dude goes on. I still want to put two bowls of dog food out, or reach down and pet Fuzzy when I’m sitting somewhere.
Being distracted with others who need food, conversation, activity has helped. Although, it has made me really behind on answering my comments and emails. I have over 300 comments and emails combined that I need to respond too. I hope to get to everyone. Please know that I have appreciated your kind thoughts and comforting words….even those of you who wrote on my Pinterest pages.
Terry took a sample of corn down from all the fields…still too high…the lowest field was at 17% the highest at 18%. We continue to wait. Although, the huge dip in night time temperatures is sure to keep drying out the knerals, which is good.
Two huge stacks of hay has been sold, although, the buyer is leaving them here for a time. He took a third of them yesterday and will call when he is ready to come back out, maybe in a couple of days. Only a small stack is left (100 or so bales). The other 300 bales go to the Delta Elevator. Almost done with that crop…Excellent! What every one strives for to get their product sold.
Those really neat cows
I was so happy to see (at our neighbors) made the great escape and traveled into our Upper End by jumping the fence between us. It was only three, but three is too many. (with corn to be harvested…you can lose a cow in a corn field and the cow would make a mess and possibly bloat)
Terry and I (Boomer rode along) headed the cows down the hills and into the draw of the Back Forty where we could open the gate between our two farms and send them home.
We had them rounded up and in their home land in just about an hour. BIG SMILE 🙂
It was nice to have people to take evening walks with, Boomer and I enjoyed the company.
Anyway, please know how much your words have meant and that I WILL try to get everyone answered soon!
Your Friend,
Linda
Terry started the corn harvest
The day was cold and cloudy, but not windy. He waited until noon to see if the promised rain/sheet/snow was going to come. Since it didn’t he began.
About the time he got half the truck loaded the diesel motor started getting HOT! Stopping quickly (we both hope the motor is okay)…and some long flustered and frustrating minutes he dug out the gasoline combine.
That machine hasn’t ran for years. About two hours later (including lunch) he got it going and was able to finish one load. We parked the truck and covered it for the night just as the wind picked up. (Terry is at the elevator right now waiting to dump the load–he says it will be a long wait — he thinks he will be back around lunch or 1:00 p.m. A four to five hour wait.)
Late in the evening as the wind blew and the rain pelted he was able to get the thermostat off hoping that is the problem, if not sometime this after noon he will work on the water pump…let us hope it is the thermostat and not the water pump or worse yet…Not the whole motor! Please send Magic thoughts for a easy and non-costly fix! What a start to the harvest.
Over night the wind blew, the rain turned to sleet/snow and we woke-up to ice everywhere.
The snow isn’t staying, which is good, although the wind is still bitter and nasty. The weather person says this will blow out of here today with the next 6 days really nice!
That would be great…if things could hang together maybe we would be done in 6-10 days.
Anyway, life goes on. Sometimes the days within are a little brain stretching but we always make it.
I must go now and go pick up a sick granddaughter and take her to the Doctor’s Office, an ear infection. Another request for healing for this little girl so she can go to school her ‘most favorite thing in the whole wide world to do–even better than playing with My Little Ponies’.
Your rather frazzled friend,
Linda
Life on a Colorado Farm 