The Storm That Wasn’t –February 6, 2014

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Dayphoto

I had everything buttoned down and latched tight, three loads of wood sitting under the carport where it would stay dry, and nothing happened.

I’m not complaining. I’m also glad to be ready than to not be ready.

It is snowing in the mountains, which is hand-clapping/jig-dancing good!

Terry talked to one of the water guys yesterday and he said there is enough snow at Taylor Reservoir to fill the reservoir when spring comes WITH 7 more feet besides. WONDERFUL!! The next trick is for Mother Nature to dump enough snow in the Gunnison area to help bring up the Blue Mesa Reservoir to decent levels.

(While we are talking about water I really hope and pray that California starts to get water! I read where there is huge talk about not allowing farmers to have water to farm this coming year–instead sending all the water to the metropolis areas. What a mess that is going to be…drinking water, but no food. The price of food will skyrocket, farmers will go out of business, and land will sit idle allowing the soil to blow away! I really hope that moisture comes soon for all of them!)

We are progressing here in the health department, the little goat is to have 8 shots, we are closing down on that number. She always enjoys coming to me because I have the graham crackers so giving the shot isn’t hard. The little hen’s head is looking somewhat better. Her eye is starting to de-puff. I saw a tiny crack of chicken eyeball looking at me as I applied her medicine today. I was very concerned that the eye had been pecked out, but NO! She still has her eye!

So slowly, slowly we are wending our way to health and toward spring. I’m into the count down for March-twenty-two days left in February. February always seems like a loooooooong month to me. Thank Heaven’s its a short month!

Your farming friend,

Linda

Now There is a Sick Goat February 5, 2014

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Dayphoto

Now Misty has a sick goat, which means, now I have another patient. She’s a sweet old goat, but no matter how sweet she is she will not be coming into my house at night. 🙂 It’s okay as she has a really nice goat house and her sister/friend.

But every morning I go down to administer a shot to the soft furry old lady. She and her sister each get some yummy graham crackers before I give the shot, then lots of pets and rubs on the back bone where it gets itchy and is hard to scratch.

The hurt hen is doing better. She sleeps inside every night and then goes out to the hen house during the day.

When I get up at night to put wood in the fire I always stop and talk to her in her little laundry basket night nest. She coos and purrs at me in a sleepy in hen voice. Then I wish her a sweet goodnight and go on back to bed myself.

It’s a good thing I’m an early riser because she IS a chicken after all, and does love to get up early. Soon after breakfast I take her back to the hen house, turn on the red heat lamp so she can adjust to not being in the big house.

She is eating and drinking and healing very well. I must wait now until her pen feathers start to come back in, which will be a long ways out yet, before I can bring the little black hen over for company. Until then we will continue this new little routine.

We had lots of snow yesterday, colder temperatures last night, then tonight (by 5 o’clock) the weatherman says another snow storm will make it’s way in here and be here for a length of time.

The storm leaving our area was just beautiful. Most of our storms arrive from the west (southwest, west, or northwest) and head off toward the east or northeast area.

This is the storm as it pushes itself over Cedaredge and Grand Mesa heading to some other part of the county.

Well, I must be off now and go take care of the goat, haul in more firewood and in general just get busy!

Your farm friend,

Linda

The Adventures of Fuzzy and Boomer on Friday — The Bean Field

Posted on July 19, 2013 by Dayphoto

We’ve been helping Mom cut corn in the pinto bean field. She takes the cut corn stalks down to Misty’s to feed the goats…sometimes we go down on the four-wheeler with a load of corn, other times the corn is loaded in the back of the pick-up and hauled to the goats.

Once we get to the goats Hank Puff comes back with us. Hank LOVES riding in the back of the truck! So do Fuzzy and I.

We all just LOVE TO GO anywhere at any time!

The days have been really hot and muggy, but we still go out and help.

Dad helps us also…we go out early in the morning for a few hours. Then we all go back out around 7 in the evening. Fuzzy and I hang out and wait for them…Fuzzy stays in the shade by the four-wheeler and I wait by looking around and smelling what I can smell.

A couple of evenings the grand kids, their Dad and our Sister Misty came out and helped. Our other sister, Shannon did too. Things went faster that way. Hank came along to help me check out things.

Last night Mom and Dad and Fuzzy and I were all out in the field—the clouds were nice and fluffy when we went out

Then a storm blew in

The folks talked about heading in, but there was always just one more row to finish

So we stayed

It was awesome!

Storms here and there all around us!

Then suddenly we saw it —-

A beautiful rainbow

From one end of the field to the other end

Complete with the middle!

Mom and Dad kept on working until almost dark then they went and changed the water

As we were coming in I realized

THE PINTO BEAN FIELD WAS CLEAN!

No more corn!

Dad said, “It looks real nice, doesn’t it?”

Fuzzy and I barked yes and I whapped my tail on the ground. Fuzzy tried to wags his but he only has a little stump.

WE DID IT! Mom, told us “Thanks, boys! Everyone did a good job.”

Farmer Dog,
Boomer

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

July 2, 2013

Posted on July 2, 2013 by Dayphoto

We hit 100* again yesterday…I looked at the long-rang forecast -the next 10 days shows no relief in site.

Please send your thoughts and prayers to all of the grieving families who lost a firefighter in that horrible fire in Arizona…my heart goes out to everyone.

This morning we woke to scattered clouds…which means that the morning starts out a little cooler.

Blade is trying to learn to ride Terry’s unicycle (Terry is multi-talented)…he was suitably astonished at how very difficult it is to balance yourself and GO FORWARD. That is Kelly, Blade’s Daddy, helping Blade.

I still have the 6 hummers (three pair) at my feeders. I had wondered if I would get more, but the territories seem to be set now.

The Orioles have their own feeders (now) so they are not interested in the hummer feeders. I haven’t been able to get anymore photos of them as they seem to be shyer than the hummers.

Once more we had almost a rainbow as the storms played out in the heavens, nothing dropping to the earth since the air is so hot.

Have a good Tuesday everyone, I must get back outside before the heat sucks my energy flat!

Hugs,

Linda

The Weekend

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Dayphoto

We spent Saturday and Sunday in Grand Junction at the soccer tournament. The two oldest grandchildren were playing—of course we had to attend. 🙂

It was horrid cold, bitter, bone chilling wind, thunder storms and lightening which slowed the games down…..everyone has to leave the field until 30 minutes after the last lightening strike, and long. We couldn’t stay for the last games of the day because of getting home to change water.

Today is still cool, jacket wearing cool, but no freezes THANK HEAVENS!! Everything is up and growing to have a killing frost now would be…a disaster! (But we won’t even go there in our thoughts—tomorrow it starts to warm back up.)

I some photos of one of the males of the little hummers who are visiting the feeders

They aren’t the best photos,

but at least a start!

I hope everyone has a great Monday.

Linda

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Posted on February 12, 2013 by Dayphoto

Yesterday we had a snow storm move in about mid-night.

It left some pretty nice wet snow, which was gone by noon.

The cows came out to eat after the snow left and the air warmed up. They were still eating around ten at night so I figured we might be having more stormy weather today.

There was nothing happening before light, but I saw the cows heading back into the corn field…appearing as ghostly shadows until it lighted up enough you could see them

Now this morning (as I write this) big fat lazy snowflakes are drifting down out of the heavens, taking their time leaving the clouds and softly landing on the earth. It’s cold, but it as to be cold to have snow.

I always watch the cows, they know…trying to fill up before they have to hunker down and wait a storm out.

I worked at the animal shelter yesterday. Some of the things people do to animals just amazes me…and I really would like to choke out the people……….GRRRRRRRRRRRr

Four dogs were brought in from a Real Estate woman, who had gone to a foreclosed house to make sure everything would be ready for a showing that afternoon…inside she found the foreclosed on families three bird type dogs (I think Brittany Spaniels) and the little tiny bit of fluff poodle. They had been left in the house by the family in the hopes that the animals would leave huge messes for someone to find. Of course there was no food or water (all the water and electricity had been turned off…this was a foreclosure).

The dogs were just stunned and hungry and extremely thirsty. One of the bird dogs got adopted yesterday, which was good. But the others have to wait.

The things people do to animals, just makes me sick.

These people are known and will be prosecuted for animal cruelty, which will take time, but it is something. In the meantime I hope just the right families will come looking for wonderful sweet animals that need love. The shelter has lots to chose from.

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.