Good-bye Sweet Red-Winged Black birds
Always the first sign of Spring in my yard.
Now that your Summer home is greening up (the Upper End and the Back Forty of our farm) I will have to drive to see and hear you sing.
And I will because you are such special birds to me.
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
It amazes me—
The constant beauty of our world.
I do believe the world and everything in/on the earth understands us—it’s us who doesn’t understand them.
But, OH! How I love it—-
! Being part of the Earth!
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
April left us, that wet and chill month, with the massive winds that searched into every crevice and ripped off shingles…the chill of the spring dusk causing the furnace to turn on now and again.
Still the plants woke, putting on a few green leaves, then more, until they studded the flower beds and shimmered the pastures in newness only Spring can bring.
The little humming birds have arrived…I think there are six breeding pairs here so far. The air around their little wings humming so much it it’s like a harp making music.
May has arrived and the winds have changed…growing warm and gentle instead of those massive things we had in March and April.
A calm time. The skies full of sunlight. A time of growing and acceptance.
AND MY LILACS ARE BLOOMING!
The first time in years!
MAY! What a joyous time!
Your friend on a western Colorado Farm,
Linda
Thankfully we got all the wood cut and piled. Our youngest daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren came and helped us finished up the wood. We are set now for at least a couple of years, depending on the weather.
The signs of spring are here, they are in the air, on the earth, in the fading sun or the rising sun, in the lighting shadows and the lengthening day.
I still feed the Red-Winged Blackbirds, although I’m seeing more and more Song birds in the yard and on the farm
I love their songs and strive to keep them here, as long as they will stay. But as soon as the Upper End and the Back Forty green up…they will be gone to sing and mate in that special wonderland they call home.
Then once they are gone—the hummingbirds come so my little bird kitchen stays steady with the joy of winged-friends.
Everyday now is a call to the land, where work is not drudgery, but jubilation—we are adding to the chorus called Spring.
From my world to your heart,
Linda
When up and about, at the cattail area, we saw huge flocks of the 
returning of Red-Winged Blackbirds to their favorite nesting area on our farm. The red isn’t showing up right now, but as the weather get warmer and warmer we will be able to see the red stripe.
If you have never heard these delightful birds sing please go here.
We have small flocks now. but by the time the asparagus is popping out of the ground this area on our farm will be full of these little beauties.
The county has started digging up three large culverts that go under the road at the end of our farm today. It will take them four days, in the meantime the little grandchildren must walk down the end of our corn field to get to the bridge (Terry takes equipment into the fields on this bridge) so they can walk across the road and stand by the mailboxes.
In the way of all children everywhere they are seeing this as a great adventure…we should all be that way…not an obstacle but a new adventure.
Kelly and Misty will have to drive down the tractor road to the back of our farm, across the ‘super highway’ (grandchildren name) over to the dirt lane and into our yard to go to work for the next few days.
“COOL!” Our grandson the sixth grader responded, “Way Cool!”
Adventures are everywhere…hope you have at least one today!
Your farm friend,
Linda
I wish to THANK each of you for sending wishes of returned health for Riley. Kimberly says he is having some good days right now…with all of your Magic thoughts (and special medicine) we all hope he can turn the corner . We are going to Grand Junction today to see him…and his parents.
Nothing really new here. It’s cloudy today with thunderstorms predicted in the afternoon, those usually play around on the Plateau; sometimes they come in and we get drenched for a few minutes.
I was able to a take a photo of a Western Meadowlark singing…I enjoy their really cool little song.
The Swallows are back…I left the nest up from last year. They seem to be interested in doing some maintenance and redecorating. I see long strings of back horse hair, new feathers and other exciting bits of ‘stuff’.
Another bird I really enjoy and love hearing their songs are the Red-winged black birds.
(This is a horrible photo as I had the zoom out way too far; they fly off if I get too close.
They live over in the Back Forty, but have lately taken to following us as we irrigate. They stay a short distance away, but still rather close playing and ‘dipping’ in the irrigation furrows. Boomer doesn’t chase them (I don’t think he knows he is a beagle) and Fuzzy is too interested in the water to even notice.
It looks like a Robin pair have built a nest in the cottonwood tree (at least I think it might be a Robin’s nest.) I haven’t seen the birds in action, just one day it was there.
The little Hummers are back, but very, very shy of the camera I hope I can get some photos of them this year…a goal of mine.
(He is using the 530 to plant with)
Terry decided to go ahead and plant a new alfalfa field, at this precise point we are 100% planted. But it won’t stay that way as he is taking the old alfalfa field out of production …therefore keeping us as the same percentage. The old field is just too old to produce well, water is just too short to waste on a field of low production.
Well off to chase water!
Linda
Life on a Colorado Farm 