Saturday the Last Day of August 2013

Posted on August 31, 2013 by Dayphoto

Terry pulled half the pinto beans yesterday before the dew left and the pods became too dry. Pintos have to be pulled early so the dew will keep the bean pods from cracking open and spilling the pinto beans out onto the ground. Once the beans are spilled there is no way to pick them back up.

Today he has been out there since full light. He hopes to get the other half of the field done before the heat hits.

Depending on the weather he will wait about a week then start combining the rows, gathering the beans into the hopper and then the truck and then off to the Beanery to be sacked and sold.

Rain clouds keep building every afternoon, which causes us a huge amount of tension. So far so good, the storms stay around us in the foothills and on the plateau, which is good.

Another thing that is good is we sometimes get a rainbow!

Feeding the bees seems to be working. I use a dollop of honey early in the day…by nightfall it’s all cleaned up.

Terry also said we are on the very last irrigation of the corn. Boy, has summer ever flown. Although, we will still irrigate the hay fields the work load of changing water is fast disappearing.

I’m not sure but I think most of the adult Hummingbirds have left, I still have lots of little ones feeding. I’m not having to fill the feeders as much so I’m thinking this is a sign the large majority of those delightful little birds have gone. I know the Bullock Orioles are gone since I haven’t seen any for two weeks now.

I’m off now to fork the bean ends back so we don’t lose any…those tiny little beans are what we’ve been working all summer to have. 🙂

Your friend,

Linda

August 27, 2013

Posted on August 27, 2013 by Dayphoto

We have been enjoying the rains. (Although, it does make for muddy ditch banks and irrigation roads.)

My hummingbird book says that around August 26th the hummingbirds start their migration to the south. The older hummingbirds leave first…then the juveniles.

The book also says to keep out your feeder until you haven’t seen a little hummer for at least two weeks, allowing the last little one traveling the farthest to have food along the way to the land of blooming nectar plants and tiny flying insects.

My other songbirds have already fled …I haven’t put out seed in the other feeds for over two weeks now. I’m sure the time is coming when I will be slammed with sparrows and starlings…I always try to feed them so they will stay out of the dog food. (I keep the dog food up, but the starlings will dive the dogs until they drive them off and then take over the dish)

With the rain we sometimes get rainbows…another nice gift of rain!

Have a great Tuesday, Linda

Monday, August 26, 2013

Posted on August 26, 2013 by Dayphoto

Our son-in-law, and our grandson are learning to play the bagpipes. Their instructor, and his wife, hail from Bonny Scotland (himself).

We were invited down to listen. Although, I wasn’t allowed to take a close-up photo —just yet. I was able to get this one as they were warming up.

Bladen is very excited to be learning WITH his Dad! They are way past the chanters, and now adding in the drones. So far there are two drones with the rest of everything to go. Maybe, by this time next year they will have a parade or two under their belts.

Mr. Barie said that there used to be a nice sized group in the three counties (Mesa, Delta, Montrose) that would get together every once in awhile, but he is the only one left… that he is aware of. Having a couple of McCormick’s join him in real Scottish music will be real nice.

When Kelly and Misty got married Misty used the McCormick traditional plaid as part of her wedding…once the little group gets comfortable playing it will be time to have kilts made in the proper plaid.

It rained here a nice gentle soaking rain all night starting around 7. It’s still cloudy with a promise of rain. The air is much cooler also. Really rain is nice when everything is not in the harvest stage.

My daily view

I love this double deep red hollyhock…I didn’t plant the seeds it just appeared this year.

Your friend, Linda

The Adventures of Fuzzy and Boomer on Friday — Thunder

Posted on August 2, 2013 by Dayphoto

It’s raining here!

Lots!

Some much so Fuzzy and I have decided we don’t like it

You want to know why

THUNDER!

Thunder is terrible!

I didn’t used to be afraid but NOW I AM!!!

First you see a HUGE FLASH LIGHT

And then the SKY GETS REALLY LOUD

Like a GUN going off!

We have to hang with MOM all the TIME

Because it is just so SCARY!

Boomer and Fuzzy

Right On Time

Posted on July 14, 2013 by Dayphoto

The rains have come…

Lovely quick down-pours that spark lightening and thunder (to the dismay of Fuzzy).

Our mornings start with clouds filling the sky and not much heat. But by noon we are suffering from the humidity and the oppressive clouds. Big thunderheads start to boil up either over the Plateau or the San Juan’s, sometimes they switch sides—one side starting first or the other side. Sometimes they come all at once to meet right over us.

Often times we can hear the storms squabbling on who gets to be first to swing into the surrounding mesa’s, knolls, knobs, hills, and valleys that make up the Montrose and Delta area.

They move by their own power flashing dramatic lightening from cloud to cloud, or in sheets, giving us the dramatic electrical show complete with a cloud to earth strike now an then.

I love these storms and can stand outside and watch them as they move toward us, then stop on top of us staying a short while, moving on to give their leaf cleaning rains and soaking moisture to soil.

Of course it is time to cut the alfalfa. We need to cut ours but will wait until sometime next week. The rain sometimes misses us, but it isn’t good to risk the gamble. Although, the hay will HAVE to be cut soon…if we wait too long the protein content will vanish as food value for the animals and go into to making seeds for the plant.

The other problem is the humidity which doesn’t allow the alfalfa turn to hay…it just takes too long to dry.

So on one hand we are loving our tiny little monsoon month and on the other hand we are concerned about making high quality good hay!

It’s Sunday and lovely break from the week.

Have a good one everyone!

Linda

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Dayphoto

The gale of a wind blew all day yesterday filling our air with choking dirt and dust. It was a mess changing water —

Boomer wouldn’t even trot around looking for things to smell by the last set of the night, he just sat himself down in the lowest point on the earth (a furrow) and waited for us to finish. Fuzzy had to work hard to stay with me, but he did it.

The wind picked up over the night and went from gale to very strong gale-it even blew off some tin on one of the roofs.

Then around three this morning it rained.

Everything settled down, cool and clear by the time we went out and sat the first tubes.

It was just lovely!

By the time we came in the wind was back. If the wind blows in the morning here it won’t stop until sometime at night, therefore, we will have wind all day.

The weather guys have issued a freeze warning for tonight and a freeze watch for tomorrow night. Then I am hoping we move back toward warmer weather.

Not broiling weather, warm weather. I hope the weather gods are reading this! 🙂

Linda

The County Dump

Posted on January 28, 2013 by Dayphoto

So far we have over an inch of rain and it is still raining. The weather people say it is supposed to turn to snow today around 2 o’clock in the afternoon. I haven’t been taking any 4 o’clock photos since there really isn’t anything to see but rain and fog.

For a really short while yesterday the clouds broke and sun came out. A great cry of joy went up from the cows and the chickens and the cats and the dogs. Everyone was in a frolicking kind of mood.

Terry and I quickly grabbed all our trash and headed out to the dump. We only make the run if we absolutely have too. We were at the absolutely spot…if we didn’t go then I was going to have to go by more trash barrels, which I didn’t want to do as we really do have enough of trash barrels now.

There really isn’t anything really interesting at the dump, but we did get to see the rubber grinder at work grinding up all the tires. I don’t know what happens to that huge pile of ground up rubber but I’m sure they have figured out some way to recycle it or they wouldn’t be doing it.

As we were there the fog settled back down. After we got home the rain started again. No complains on the moisture. It is just very odd this type of rain this time of year.

Three more days until February….I’m into the count down! 🙂

Linda

Clear Skies and Warming Up Some

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Dayphoto

The windy, sleet-filled, blustery, bitter cold storm has moved on. The last two nights have been very cold but beautiful. When out getting wood or checking on something the sky is a delight of twinkling stars in the deep, deep frozen sky.

The dogs always sleep in the house when it’s winter time, but Fuzzy much prefers outside in his dog house, he will open the back door and go out — I will find him there and ask him to come back in. He always comes, but if he gets too hot out he goes again.

Boomer has very little fur so he very much enjoys the house routine.

As it warms up (at night and in the daytime) they both like being outside, as there is so MUCH to do while others sleep, you see.

I have to force them to come in, soon Fuzzy is outside and Boomer is panting at the door to be let out. (He can’t figure out how to open the door—just push Boom, just push)

Anyway, as the storm played around with our area, a gentle little rainbow glowed over our neighbors metal building.

We were lucky enough to see it!

( I hope you can see it)

I was lucky enough to have the camera ready.

The temps this morning were around 18* (at 5 A.M.). The weather guy says we are going to have a small warm- up before the next storm comes in sometime next week.

Thank all of you for your support and also for your understanding of what a fool and a jerk that man was Sunday at Wal-Mart!

Linda

The Adventures of Fuzzy and Boomer on Friday — Storms

Posted on September 28, 2012 by Dayphoto

It’s been raining here—lots! Big dark clouds, full of wet stuff, lots of lightning and THUNDER!

BOOM!

CRASH!

CRACK!

Fuzzy is having a very hard time, not because of the rain, or the clouds or even the lightning, but because of the thunder!!!

(Dad had to turn on the water for 24 hours to soak up a piece of hard soil. Dad worked several days on opening up a new field for next spring.)

That’s a big rain storm coming our WAY!!!!

Most of the time we are in the house with Mom, because Fuzzy turns into this shivering, nervous, wreck of a dog!

Sort of amazes me. That loud noise doesn’t bother me at all.

But if Mom isn’t home and the thunder comes crashing around us Fuzzy always runs off into the corn field.

He says he feels safe in there.

I don’t know why—it’s still wet, and loud, but we are surrounded with the corn. Fuzzy says that helps.

Now if DAD is home and Mom isn’t Dad doesn’t let us come in a hover with him until the rain is over. Dad says he really doesn’t like a hot, panting dog crowding up on him when he is trying to do bookwork, or something important (like watching TV). So he tells us to go into the garage!

We don’t, you know, we head to the corn field!

We sit out there until Mom comes home and we hear the four-wheeler start up and she comes to look for us. She has to go to ALL the corn fields as we don’t always go to the same one all the time.

After a while ( we don’t come out right away, Fuzzy wants to be SURE the thunder gods have passed before we venture out of the safe corn field) we come out and head home.

Mom tells us to stop doing that, if Fuzzy was to have a heart attack out in farm some where she wouldn’t know where to find him. She says PLEASE GO INTO THE BARN!!!

But, of course we don’t.

Mom is always really glad to see us and we are always glad to see MOM! Dad is okay to see also, but we know with Mom there is a big warm old blanket to dry us off and we GET TO GO INTO THE HOUSE until Dad says: “Okay, that’s enough panting the storm is over you dogs need to go outside!”

Which we do! (Mom always takes us out with a really nice dog cookie and lots of hugs and petting).