Wednesday April 4, 2013

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Dayphoto

Terry and I spent the morning cleaning out the waste ditches yesterday. Then as I continued getting the rest of the ditches cleaned he came along with the 4240 and the blade making the ditch that carry the water from our field to the farm just below us.

All of our water comes from another farm(s) to us. After we use it then it goes on to the next farm then to the river and onto California.

I was asked how we siphon out of a pipe under ground. We don’t. The transmission pipe/ditch is just that….a huge ditch that brings the water onto our place. Our head gate is on our place but some peoples’ head gates are a mile or so above their place. The head gate is the beginning of the transmission pipe.

We are putting as much as we can under ground so the water stays weed free, seed free–safe from the sun. We still have sections of transmission ditches that are open (pipe is extremely expensive). We use siphon tubes out of smaller ditches, either made of dirt or cement. Then we use gated pipe for the rest of the place. Lots of ways to get water into the fields.

I also was asked if we practice crop rotation…YES we do! 🙂 We were green before green was cool!

Anyway, we always plant corn after pintos, sometimes alfalfa, but alfalfa is a five-year crop so once it is in the field it stays five years until it is old (showing signs of weeds). We plant pintos after corn or maybe alfalfa…always always working toward good soil maintenance. After all healthy soil is the most critical way of having healthy plants.

So moving on so you aren’t bored we heard the water was at Pea Green last night. That is 5 miles from us. Today we will finish the ditches, fix the gated pipe and then mark out the fields. We want to be ready for the water as soon as the head gate is unlocked!

Spring work is here!

Linda

Maybe This Time

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Dayphoto

We are in the middle of another winter storm…high winds, blowing snow and winter advisory over the Gunnison Mountain Range.

Terry and about 4 other neighbors were talking yesterday evening about the snow on the Gunnison Mountain Range…this is where we get our water.

The whole conversation was dismal, to put it lightly.

One of the neighbors is the Vice-President of the Uncompahgre Water Users (our irrigation water) and he said things are looking very bad in the water department. The snow pack is 77% of normal, but the snow is a very dry snow, with very little water.

The Water Users were going to turn the water on the middle of April, but now they aren’t….they are going to wait until the first day of May, hoping to have water for the heat of the season…July and August.

Now, no one knows what to do….everyone is looking at planting a maximum of 60% of their farm ground, but…can they? The sweet corn farmers and the onion guys need to have the seed in the ground in April, wet and ready to sprout by the third week of April to have a crop. With this late water start it is looking like the crop for Olathe Sweet Sweet Corn and Mountain Sweet Sweet Corn is going to be very slim…if at all.

Pinto Beans don’t have to be planted as early and can be harvested early, but they do need lots of water…the pinto bean guys are wondering if they should even try since they can’t afford to have the water shot just as the pods begin to swell.

Corn for corn bread, chicken feed and cow feed takes a long growing season and needs to be in the ground, watered up before the first of May…

Lets hope this storm is being very good to us and lots of WET snow is falling on the Gunnison Mountains…magic thoughts from all you, please!

Food is going to be sparse this year from our part of Colorado it seems, unless the Gunnison Mountains can get lots and lots of WET snow.

Thanks,

Linda

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Posted on January 20, 2013 by Dayphoto

We are having our January thaw. Sure is nice. After last week’s -21*f and a slight warm up to -18*f at night…..this weather is outstanding!

The temperatures at 2 in the afternoon.

If the weather man is right it will be here for at least the rest of this week. I’m not going to hold my breath that it stays since this is, after all January. Our worst month for horrible cold is always February. Thank Heavens it is a short month….one/two days less than all the other months, but it does count.

By 4 o’clock in the evening

Usually we can start farming the middle of March. We will have to see this year.

The Uncompahgre Water Users are staying the Taylor Reservoir is 60% of it’s normal capacity. February and March can be our snowiest months….fingers crossed this holds true this year.

So saying, Terry is NOT going to plant pinto beans this year…maybe next year if the water conditions improve. But probably never again in his lifetime, he is saying…we will see.

Oh, yes…that reminds me….Terry has decided to farm one more year (are any of us surprised?!?!) The reduction in bean acreage will take off some pressure…it isn’t the growing of them, but the harvest of the beans that is so hard.

Anyway, enough our pondering on farming.

The 4 O’clock evening sun was delightful….I had to take many photos, hope you enjoy!

Linda

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Posted on September 9, 2012 by Dayphoto

A huge storm is supposed to come in tomorrow, bringing 40% rain for Monday, 30% for Tuesday, and 20% for Wednesday.

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We are still working on the pinto beans. Keep your fingers crossed it misses us and stays in the mountains only.

Talk to you in the morning…we have lots to do today!

Linda

The Adventures of Fuzzy and Boomer on Friday — Helping Dad Harvest

Posted on September 7, 2012 by Dayphoto

On the way to the bean field …..

FREDDY FOX RAN RIGHT IN FRONT OF US!!!!!!

Fuzzy and I took off running, leaving Mom in the dust!

He was so close his fur almost touched my nose!

Boy, was I surprised and shocked!

Fuzzy and I IMMEDIATELY took off after him, giving him the good old, HI HO chase clear to the end of the corn field, where we immediately lost him!

That was Amazingly FUN!

Back at the bean field I kept sniffing out Freddy Fox’s former tracks…

he even went through the pipe at one point now that the water is gone.

Mom and Dad got the bean truck all loaded up….they have to wait until next week as the three fields left to be harvested are still drying.

Here is one of the fields.

See how fluffy the beans are…they have to get a lot flatter and drier.

Fuzzy and I go everywhere with Mom

We rode in the back while we headed toward the Beanery.

Dad was in front.

We enjoyed the whole experience.

I even like to ride now. Fuzzy smiles all the way, I don’t smile, you get bugs in your teeth and dirt from the load, but I did have a great time.

We had to wait our turn to be weighed and then we came home.

Dad is over there today with the last truck to unload and then he will be back.

Farm Living is the Life for me!

Boomer

When Walking the Shelter Dogs

Posted on August 28, 2012 by Dayphoto

When walking the shelter dogs, yesterday morning, these returning birds made a great landing and settled in for the long winter stay.

These Canada Geese picked Confluence Lake Park to settle in and rest up a bit. Later in the morning they will head to Confluence Lake.

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It won’t be long now when we will see them in the harvested sweet corn fields.

They will have to wait for the feed corn and some of the pinto bean fields to be harvested, but they can settle down in some of the onion fields as they are going to market.

Hummm, I forgot…pinto bean harvest has started here for some of our neighbors. If the weather holds (no rain for two weeks) our pinto beans will be harvested and at the Beanery ready for purchase.

Linda

Sundial Garden and the Pinto Beans are Up

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Dayphoto

Far Side of Fifty (Far Side for short) has a delightful fun blog, complete with a blogging wonder Border Collie, Chance.

Far Side also is the Museum Coordinator for her Hubbard County, in Minnesota, collects old photos from antique shops, scans them and puts them on another blog she has which is used to help people connect with their families (and photos). Her third blog is a photo blog…Far Side takes some very good/outstanding photos from around her area. Her fourth blog (this is one VERY busy lady) is for the Museum.

I feel very lucky to just do two blogs!

Anyway….

Far Side has been asking to see the complete Sun dial garden. She asked me to stand in the water trough and take all sides….since the water trough is planted with Red Hot Pokers, alyssum, and three different colors of petunias…I decided not too. 🙂

The Pinto Beans are up…summer is on its way!

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Thanks for stopping by! I always enjoy visiting with you!

Linda

The Adventures of Fuzzy and Boomer on Friday — Water (Predicted to Shrink)

Posted on May 12, 2012 by Dayphoto

The irrigation water sure has Dad and Mom worried.

They don’t have to go out every eight hours right now because the water is in the corn and the old alfalfa field. See those fields have their plants up and growing so they don’t take as much water, but when the water gets BACK to the pinto bean field they will be back to the eight hour change No Matter What!

Dad is planting the very last of the corn today…this morning in fact. He has given up on planting the new alfalfa field.

He will start planting the pinto beans on Monday. Outside of the alfalfa field (alfalfa seed is like buying gold at today’s prices, so he is not going to chance losing the crop because of the lack of water) he will have everything planted. (Dad will plant the alfalfa seed after the sweet corn farmers start harvesting their crop. Once the sweet corn is gone, more water will be in the canals. Hay is a nice cash crop to have.)

Water is extremely short…they are working with 70% of 100% right now—as they move into the middle of summer the ditch riders have told everyone that water is going to be moved lower and lower until it gets to 40%. That will be a 60% loss of water.

Everyone is hoping 40% is as low as it does get!

We hope so too!!!!

So the race is on!

All the farmers HAVE to get the seeds in the ground, watered up, and growing well ….BEFORE…the irrigation water drops to 40%.

As the water levels shrink the nightmare, of keeping everything wet, will just get worse. But the critical stage is getting the plant UP.

Boomie is doing better about coming when he hears the four-wheeler start…Mom talks to him as soon as we get to the field…”Boomer…you can play, but when you hear the four-wheeler start, you HAVE to be back here ready to go home or you will have to run home by yourself!”

He has done real good, even coming back to check on us once in a while.

But the last evening he said he was clear over in the wet lands smelling out the birds and things when he heard the four-wheeler start. Everything was just getting really interesting so he decided he would run home.

That’s a pretty long run, let me tell you!

We had everything put away for the night when he came dashing in just as fast as his Beagle legs could carry him.

Worked out for me really well, as I had the whole four-wheeler to myself!

Fuzzy

The Adventures of Fuzzy and Boomer on Friday —It’s All About Beans

Posted on September 16, 2011 by Dayphoto

Lots happening here!

Well there was lots happening here….its’ raining now so everything has come to screeching halt.

Dad has been ‘doing the beans’. What that means is he pulled all the beans and put them into rows so they can dry. The beans themselves need to dry, the stems on the beans need to dry and if there are any weeds (and there is always weeds, no matter how much my people try) need to dry.

Then they sit for about a week if the weather holds.

By that I mean if we have lots of really nice sunshine and maybe a slight breeze or so.

In the meantime, while we are waiting for the fields to get ready for the combine…we all get to get the combine ready for the beans.

This is more work that you would think….Dad really is the one who has to get the combine ready so off we go to get the combine.

I sometimes like to run alongside (not very often anymore-but every once in a while). Going after the combine I decided this was one of those times.

Tally was spending the day with us while her Momma was working at Blade and Linkin’s school so Tallen and Hank/Puff where also along to get the combine.

It was a really nice warm day.

Actually Hank/Puff got hot and had to go for a swim in the canal. When Mom saw that she said it reminded her that I needed a bath and hair cut.

I really hate the bath and haircut thing…but the brushing out thing is ….

Ahhhh!

…..really nice!

So everything was going along really well…the beans were about ready for harvest (Dad said a couple of more days of drying and he will be in the field and the beans will be at the Beanery), when it

RAINED!

Lots of rain!

Days of rain!

Everything is sitting in mud. Dad is worried that the rain has pushed the beans down into the mud; if that is the case he will have to go back out there and rerun the blade under them and wait for them to dry…..again!

The hay customers are coming right along in a steady stream. Boom and I really enjoy barking them down the lane. We do a real good job too! Boom gets in trouble because, well…he pees on the tires! Dad yells at him…I don’t do yelling. I gave up tire peeing some time back.

Well….unless

There is another dog in the back! I have to just ignore Dad if another dog is present…can’t be the laughing stock of the neighborhood!

Well, it’s raining again.

Guess we just wait for the sun. Mom said we could go to town with her, see ya later!

Fuzzy

The Delta County Independent—Thursday, October 12, 1944

http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com/

Crop Report

Posted on August 22, 2011 by Dayphoto

Summer is fast coming to a close. It doesn’t seem possible that this is the last full week of August. School started here for everyone. The big busses passed our house early this morning (there are two). This afternoon my little grandchildren will get off the bus and walk down our lane until volleyball season ends. Misty is one of the volleyball coaches at the middle school so the two oldest grandchildren will ride the bus to our house. The littlest kid will already be here. 🙂

The pinto beans are starting to turn yellow and the bean pods have striped up, Terry should be pulling them in about two weeks if the weather stays warm.

The hay is getting close to the third cutting which should also hit in about two weeks (crops have thier own schedule…they don’t take yours into consideration 😉 )

And the corn has moved from the blister stage (where it is soft…if you stick your finger nail in one of the kernals it will pop) into hardening up. We raise hard-dent corn…. this is the corn you cook with to make corn bread or it is ground up and put into animal feed. Only about two maybe three more irrigations for the corn.

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We will still have to irrigate the hay to make sure it has a good healthy start into the winter, but our work is rapidly winding down.

The last week has brought moisture into our area…I only saw one rainbow, but it was wonderful….hitting the pinto bean field just about the time I was out picking corn! It was raining closer to the south side of Delta … we didn’t get wet. They got the rain, but I got to see the rainbow!