Finding Wings—-Sunday, December 8, 2018

Posted on December 9, 2018 by Dayphoto

While I was out collecting the firewood for the evening, I decided to take a walk first

Since the evening was coming on fast; long shadows stretching across the farm road

I knew if I were going to find things of interest I needed to be about it

The wind was rather sharp, but not strong or cutting, just brisk with a chill to it.

The sky was beautiful

Making my walk even more special

The colors swirling around me

On the way back to the farmyard, the woodpile and the warmth of the house…I saw a glittering little heart-shaped rock.

Giving joy to my soul and wings to the essence of myself!

From my world to your heart,

Linda

Bright Days—Sunday, June 3, 2018

Posted on June 3, 2018 by Dayphoto

We’ve planted another alfalfa field. That will make two fields in our place. Alfalfa lasts anywhere from three to five years, so the initial cost of buying gold (:) ) pays for itself over time.

We’ve been very hot and very dry here. I am thinking some of you might have learned about the huge fire at Durango, Colorado.

Durango, Colorado is about 2 1/2 hours from us. Over the

San Juan Mountain Range. Just to the south of us.

Fire is so scary. And we are so dry. Although, there is the talk of 50% chance of rain coming in today, which should help.

Today, Terry and I are ‘taking it easy’. It’s been a hard week, with lots of push and pull and pressure to get the hay sold and loaded and on its way to its new home to feed animals.

Don’t take me wrong. The selling of the hay (within 24 hours) was amazing and wonderful, and a huge blessing.

Plus I have a waiting list of 10 people who want some of the second cutting of hay and to be put on the list for third. Many of those people have called back saying it’s some of the best hay they have ever had. (That’s always nice to hear. Makes the hard work worthwhile. So it’s not just the money, but the satisfaction of a product done right!)

And it was our first paycheck for the year! 🙂 Which is always a very good thing. Spring is such an expensive time, with so much money going out, that the money coming in from the hay sales is very welcome.

We will have two more cuttings of alfalfa this year. Normally Terry doesn’t cut the new field allowing it to grow and go into the winter to feed the cows which winter here on the farm. But hay is very short here so he may cut the new field. Only time will tell.

So, today, we have a wee slow down. Just the maintenance of the irrigation water, the few things I want to do in the house, and rest. Being in your 70’s having a wee day of maintaining the status quo is a rather nice thing.

I hope you have a perfect Sunday!

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

Eyes Ready for Wonders—-Sunday, May 27, 2018

Posted on May 27, 2018 by Dayphoto

We took a wee trip. Over the Uncompahgre Plateau (just behind our house) to the west end of Montrose County…into the towns of Nucla, Naturita, and Norwood.

We traveled across the Uncompahgre Plateau to the base of the Lone Cone guarding the hills, vales, and towns from it’s majestic view there in the sky.

We have been hearing how terribly horribly dry everything was on the plateau, so we took off for a five-hour-round-trip drive (with a nice lunch in Ridgway, Colorado)

Oh…it is sooooooo dry up there. So very dry. The green grass, which should be green, just isn’t. It looks like October grass all brown and crinkly.

The ponds, sloughs, ditches, and reservoirs are dry. Nothing there, accept possibly a puddle.

It’s all so scary.

The west side of the Uncompahgre Plateau looks much better than our side. It is greener, the wild berries are blooming and the trees starting to put on new leaves. There are even some ponds with water in them.

As we grew closer to the San Juan Mountain range we saw snow still on them—so there is hope for those living in that area.

If we start to get rain it will help. Then next winter’s snow (as much as I don’t care for winter, it is an important source of water) needs to fall early, thickly and very often.

Only time will tell.

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

The Unbelievingly Beautiful Vista of Sunday’s Storms—Monday, May 8, 2017

Posted on May 8, 2017 by Dayphoto

Sunday was a day full of wind, threats of rain and stunning beautiful storms

The mountain ranges surrounding us filled with dark and threatening clouds, dumping either snow or rain, creating an endless series of drama

Even on the sawtooth mountain range of the San Juans…the snow-clad peaks etched needle-sharp against the sky received their share of the storms

Silent forks of dazzling light split the sky on the Uncompahgre Plateau and across the desert between Delta and Grand Junction.

Dull rumbles of thunder boomed in the canyons and hollows of the deserts beyond our farm. Sheet lightening shimmered far, far away threatening to come closer and closer to us.

Although the sky was a stunning crystal blue between the storms; the lightening would light up the plateau like an X Ray.

The air was filled with particles of dirt when the mighty gusts of wind pushed through

The storms raced here and there; composed of energy, and full of sounds echoing through out the sky and the earth

It was actually very beautiful.

We changed the water in both of the corn fields in the rippling, storm-filled spring skies…all of us driven here and there by the wind…shifting to hold ourselves upright and still set and move water.

It was exhilarating, to say the least.

From my world to your heart,

Linda

The Adventures of Fuzzy and Boomer on Friday — The Earth Ditch

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Dayphoto

Fuzzy and I have been helping Mom and Dad.

You can tell it was really windy the last few days by looking at Fuzzy’s fur.

SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHh……really Fuzzy helps…I like to run around and see what I can see and sniff what I can sniff and eat dried out milk duds and well…

I (harrumph) I have LOTS TO DO!

We had snow and cold and wind for two days, in fact it is still cold! Mom is having us sleep inside, although Fuzzy really doesn’t want too….BUT I DO!!!!!

Mom told Fuzzy when the nights warm back up we can go back out to our covered and snuggly warm dog houses, but until then she would prefer old arthritic dogs and thin-furred dogs to sleep inside.

SO WE GET TO SLEEP INSIDE!!!

YIPPEEE!

Oh.

Well, while Mom and Dad have been busy and Fuzzy has been in charge of the four-wheeler I’ve been checking things out.

The hay is starting to look nice…Dad will mark it out and start water when he gets done with the corn ground (soon).

The trash has been horrible in the ditches and in the canals…

Here is the trash at the head gate

Dad cleaning out trash in one of the ditches

And piles of trash already cleaned out along the canal

Wind does most of the trash and winter…winter knocks down lots and lots of weeds that the wind loves to carry here and there.

Dad started water in the earth ditch. We have more than one earth ditch, but this is the biggest and the longest and takes the most work

Dad uses siphon tubes in the earth ditch…works just like siphoning gas out of a car tank….just saying. Dip the tube in the water, hold the other end closed, pump several times, fling the tube into the just dug out little furrow and BAM!

Water!

Works every time…unless Mom is doing it and she has to work at it a bit longer than Dad. Earth-Ditch Just saying.

I saw a killdeer…he wouldn’t look at me, but at least he stood still. I was really good and didn’t chase it…I don’t chase things, not even rabbits.

People say I’m a weird Beagle, Mom says I’m perfect!

(SMILE 🙂 )

The sun set last night flinging color all over the San Juan Mountain Range…pretty cool.

Well, Fuzzy and I are off to go check out the yard and bark HELLO over to Hank…I see he is outside his fence now. (Hank stays in the house most of the time with the little kids).

I want to find out what is happening with him!

See Ya!

Boomer

Winter Rain

Posted on January 27, 2013 by Dayphoto

We are having the oddest weather for January. Weather more along the line of July. An unusual warm air mass has funneled itself up from the Gulf of Mexico, giving us RAIN.

Friday we were rather warm with heavy fog, the weatherman was calling an inversion. But we never cooled down to below zero, instead we stayed warm…22* all that day, into the night, and even into the next morning.

Visibility was very poor.

Then the weather people started telling us about the odd weather pattern we were now in.

Fog is beautiful.

We see very little fog here. As a child I was always fascinated that (for us, here in the high mountain desert) when we have fog it is really a cloud sitting down and surrounding us. Living in a cloud made me feel rather ethereal—light, airy, not earth-bound. It still does.

Then it started to rain…a very wet drizzle, you could walk in it for thirty minutes before getting soaked, but very steady. On and on it rained, all day, all evening, all night, until about 4 in the morning. Then it stopped. But the heavy fog didn’t leave.

Visibility, as I write this is 1/4 of mile. We are surrounded in cloud. It isn’t raining …. yet.

But it could start.

It might snow! The water guys are saying that it is snowing in the San Juan’s and up at Gunnison. That is good news. I hope it dumps FEET of very wet snow! 🙂

For FEET of snow I can enjoy living in a Cloud! 🙂 🙂

Linda

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Posted on January 13, 2013 by Dayphoto

It’s snowing here today.

Last night, I remembered that I hadn’t taken my 4 o’clock photo yet. I usually take it on Wednesday afternoon, but for some reason it slipped my mind.

Our days are growing longer, instead of 9 hours and 30 minutes long, we have reached new lengths of 9 hours and 42 minutes.

We are still cold. Although, three days ago we warmed up to above freezing for about two hours, I did the happy feet dance the whole time.

Our day was darkening down when I got outside, the snow clouds just starting to blow in over the Plateau. Our storms usually come out of eastern Utah, crossing the Uncompahgre, then moving on past us toward the North Fork of Delta county. From there I don’t know where the storms go.

Randomly and very rarely (right where we live) a big storm will roll into Montrose from the Durango area, blow itself around to the Plateau and then land on us. The storms from the San Juan area can lose steam at Montrose and never make it clear on down here to our Mesa.

Even rarer is the storm that comes in from Gunnison, spins onto Montrose, then to us. Usually those storms (the ones from Gunnison head into Peach Valley and the Black Canyon area, then into the town proper of Delta).

I watch the sky a lot……as if you can’t tell. The sky and the weather are major interest and concerns when you farm and have animals that live outside.