The cranes are leaving now. They stop by in the evening
Then lift up into the sky
Joining with others pointed North every morning.
Good-bye big birds!
Come again this next winter!
We will be waiting for you!
Linda
Sit quietly with me please
Watching the Sandhill Cranes picking through the cow poop
Watch in silence; no one likes to be disturbed at breakfast.
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
Now that the cows have gone
The Sandhill Cranes have arrived
Filling all the fields with their achingly beautiful selfs
And the sound of their trilling calls resonating in the air.
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
A beautiful Downey Woodpecker
Sandhill Crane feathers are just lovely
They look grey until you see them in the sunlight
The red-mask is a lovely touch
These are very large birds…they stand about four feet tall.
These Quail are just darling —see the pheasant running off at the top of the photo?
I love the hawks and falcons who hunt across the farm.
But the most unexpected, (and lucky for me) thing was seeing a flock of Western Bluebirds!
They stopped for a search among the weeds for a bite to eat and I got a photo!
That was so exciting! Not a good photo, but still one!
Living here on the farm is such a good life for Terry and me.
We love it.
The work is hard and never-ending, but here is the secret, we Love it. The work, the farm, the everything—making up our daily life.
From my world to your heart,
Linda
The cranes are starting to leave us
They are still landing here, resting, eating…gathering
Their distinctive calls brightening the day
For just a short while now
We will enjoy their presence
Before they move on toward Idaho
Their spring, summer, and early fall nesting sites.
Flying, higher and higher toward exciting adventures someplace wonderful.
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
The moon is growing smaller each and every day now. Shrinking from a great swollen ball hazed by a shimmer causing it to look gold as it rises into the sky.
There (as luck would have it) were the Sandhill Cranes etched sharply in the newly minted silver of the moon.
What a gift!
What a marvelous gift…the moon and the Sandhill cranes.
From my world to your heart,
Linda
It won’t be long now
When the Sandhill Cranes will start to gather together in even larger flocks
Gathering to start their journeys back to the breeding grounds
The migrations will begin around March 10th
With around the week of March 20th where we will see that largest flocks
Winging overhead.
Then the large number of flocks will start to thin
So, by the first week in April,
They have left us.
To grace those who live close to their breeding grounds.
Until then
I will enjoy (and I hope you do also) their glorious selves streaming through the clouds,
And hanging about on the farm.
From my world to your heart,
Linda
Even though the sky is a brilliant blue
This time of year doesn’t take long for thick clouds to blow in from the west
And a person can smell snow or frozen mix in the air.
We, also, have Sandhill Cranes, instead of cows, gleaning the fields. 🙂
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
Cranes lifting up, flying high into that glorious sunlight of a winter sky
While snow clouds hover over Grand Mesa, lighthearted sunbeams light up our fence line
Then clouds, thick and heavy settle down, suddenly pushing through a ragged-edged cloud a burst of merry sunshine — with Mindy Cat on top of the woodpile
The evening sun bounced and stuttered between the buildings…seeping, carefully and sparkling onto the woodpile and the fence beyond.
Everything suspended in a Moment of Magic.
From my world to your heart,
Linda
We have been clearing the pasture of old and dead tree stumps and branches.
Where we saw a sundog in the early, early morning sky
Shared the farm with the masses and masses of Sandhill Cranes (YAY)
Quail, a large Jack Rabbit (of whom I didn’t get a photo), and mice.
But, one of the neat things the fire gave us
Was a Heart Rock. So hot I had to lift it carefully, with the rake, and place it in a snowbank to cool down.
A heart from the fire!
How neat is that?!
Your friend on a western Colorado farm
Linda
Life on a Colorado Farm 