Gladness Makes the Heart Lighter —Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Posted on March 8, 2016 by Dayphoto

Sunrise!

The storm cleared leaving us with a brilliant chilly morning, heavy with frost on the ground.

Terry has started farming today. The first field to tackle is the alfalfa field. It is 5 years old and starting to wear out. He will plant ten more acres this spring—enough to keep him busy, but not as much as before.

Last night’s sunset!

After much thought he has decided to downsize. Not in acres farmed, but in What he farms.

He will be cutting back on the corn, but increasing the pinto beans. Pinto beans are much easier to grow and to harvest. So once we get to have fresh pinto beans right from the field. YAY!

It has been a gladness that has made his heart much lighter—this farming decision.

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

A Little Bit Every Day—-Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Posted on December 8, 2015 by Dayphoto

Going for our daily walk, Boomer, Monkey the cat, and Sam-Sam our old cat, watched the night slowly come in….spreading it’s wings of brilliant color on the Paonia Mountains,

Brushing Grand Mesa with broad strokes of rose, and orange and a different shade of pink. Sky-6

The mountains and the Black Canyon around Montrose and Gunnison lite up in vast amounts of the same color.

The cold silence of darkness descended—darkness is coming faster and faster every day. Spreading night into the dips and hallows, filling in the rows of still standing corn, while the stars burn brighter and brighter as the evening gloaming grows stronger.

We walked to small point on the land where I can look over the tops of the corn to the south, west and north…enjoying the stunning vista. A small rises where the plateaus fall away below us, and we can see beyond our mesa, and beyond the Rubidoux Canyon into the next Canyons and the flat lands and more knobs and knolls, into a blue distance, hazed with the breath of the desert. (Looking toward Grand Junction, Colorado)

Turning around to the east the land is flat, devoid of corn crops, whereby the sunset was busy splashing masses of color on all the mountains.

Only a few more days [now] until December 21st and the winter Solstice! At 9:49 p.m. here in our part of the world.

I can’t tell you HOW READY I am!!!

Your friend on a western Colorado farm,

Linda

Pink Rain—-Thursday, October 22, 2015

Posted on October 22, 2015 by Dayphoto

Last week a little storm played over the Uncompahgre Plateau…(Un-come-pah-gray).

As I stood taking a photo of the sunset and the pink rain cloud — a wedge of returning geese passed over us…calling to all who could hear…”we have returned, winter in near.”

As always your friend,

Linda

Gifts—Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Dayphoto

We are all blessed, each and every one of us. But sometimes…just sometimes life gets in the way.

Something that takes us away from looking at the good–something that makes our hearts and minds roil in panic or sadness.

Still the gifts of this world keep on shining…

Telling us to be calm. Given time everything works out.

Everything!

As my dear departed Momma always said: “Everything works out for the best, if you just let it.”

And it does. It really does.

Your friend,

Linda

OH! MY! Look at This!—Monday, September 21, 2015

Posted on September 21, 2015 by Dayphoto

Merri, from Virginia, Mn, was sitting outside on her back porch a couple of evenings ago and thought I would enjoy seeing her stunningly beautiful sunset!

I did! I asked her is I could share it with you and she said yes!

Aren’t we all lucky to see what she gets to see every day!

WOW!

Your friend,

Linda

Day Length–Thursday, February 12, 2015

Posted on February 12, 2015 by Dayphoto

Everyday the length is growing longer and longer. Such a huge relief to me.

Here, in our part of the world, the sun is rising close to 7–today 7:08. Of course it starts to get light earlier, around 6:40.

Then the sun sets at 5:45 with twilight lasting a spell.

The joys of a longer day! For us…10 hours and 38 minutes (today).

These longer days, coupled with the warmer weather is making February go fast.

Looking at the weather maps there is a huge line drawn straight down the United States, terrible cold and snow on one side, unusually warm on the other half. What a study in contrasts!

For now, though, I am enjoying the longer days and the beautiful skies!

Your Friend,

Linda

Looking at a Rose Colored World—Sunday, January 25, 2015

Posted on January 25, 2015 by Dayphoto

Terry and I were outside splitting firewood yesterday as the day started to end…colder air was descending and the sun was sitting.

We still wanted to do a few more logs and I still needed to haul the nightly load to the house and fill the wood box.

As we worked the sky started filling up with the most amazing, scrumptious, delightful rosey glow. It started out as a very pale pink.

Getting brighter and brighter as we finished up.

I hurriedly filled the wheelbarrow and pushed my heavy load to the house, then leaving the wheelbarrow right next to the back door I grabbed my camera and ran back outside!

Light like this doesn’t last long…a few minutes at the most.

And I wanted to be in the light, surrounded by the light…a complete part of the light.

And I wanted to share it with you!

The world is a truly stunning and beautiful place!

Your friend on a Western Colorado farm,

Linda

Housebound—Monday, January 5, 2015

Posted on January 5, 2015 by Dayphoto

Feeling a tad housebound Terry decided that a short walk to hook-up the fence down by the head gate (for the next farm) would fix the problem.

Starting at the electric fencer each strand of wire was checked and re-hooked–working around our farm yard; gradually making it to the gate at the end of the pinto bean field. This is also the head gate (for irrigation water) to the next farm.

Sunday we try to only do those things that MUST be done. But, sometimes the air inside starts to feel closed in an way too warm.

Still feeling like we just DID NOT want to go back inside Terry and I finished up the cleaning of the grain bin. We swept up two buckets of corn, cleaned out the tubes and hooked up all the doors and vents. (Boomer wanted very much to help…but doggie toes on the mesh floor was NOT a good idea.) Then we took the two buckets of corn and flung it out into the ditch to feed the quail and pheasants—the mice and song birds—and yes, any deer that might trot along looking for a nice winter treat.

When we finished our slight chores I noticed that the sun was setting; breaking through the clouds in a tiny rim along the Uncompahgre Plateau. What a joy to see even that tiny bit of sunshine.

This morning the sun rose causing the thin clouds to turn a brilliant red…another joy for a winter’s day. This color is rare, rare, rare in the pale frozen time of winter! I sang a song of happiness when I saw it!

Now, as I sit upstairs in my little office, looking outside I see the thin clouds have become thicker and typical white/blue colors that mark each day have arrived. Today Terry and I will continue to work on the fences and do all those every-day things we each must do.

I am also sending to each and every one of you warm thoughts for a perfect Monday, filled with pleasures and happiness!

Your friend,

Linda

The Long Weekend–Sunday, July 6, 2014

Posted on July 6, 2014 by Dayphoto

What a silly thing to say…a long weekend! Terry and I are retired and we farm (we retired from our paying jobs, but kept the farm job 🙂 )

All that this means we we either have long weekends constantly or we never have a break…who knows.

Anyway…right after we got all the water set for the day, we loaded up in the McCormick van and headed up to Paonia Cherry Days to watch our second daughter dance. (I will post this in an up coming post)

We watched a coal shoveling contest, (vintage and classic cars, lots of friends, Visited many booths of yummy food, and looked at many things to purchase.

Bladen stood in line for over an hour to get a ride on the bungee jump. He said it was FUN!!!

A much braver soul than I….even if I were his age!

Home again, home again…it’s always nice to be home again. We got the water set as the sun was going down. Nice and tired after a break from the day to day.

Your farm friend,

Linda

The Start of April is a Cold Start–April 2, 2014

Posted on April 2, 2014 by Dayphoto

So far our start into April is a tad chilly. Very cold bully winds, with rain, sleet, snow showers; if I have to guess the apricots are pretty much gone for another year. We may get a few, only time will tell.

The sun had a hard time shining through the cloud cover this morning. This looks more like a Halloween photo than an early morning photo in April. 🙂

The water has not made it to us yet. That does not mean that it isn’t on it’s way, just that it isn’t here yet. Since our irrigation water comes from Blue Mesa Reservoir in Gunnison (two hours away by car) or out of the Ridgeway Dam (1 1/2 hours away by car) it takes a long time for it to get to us. We are close to the end, just a few more farms below us then our irrigation water flows into the Gunnison River.

We are very close to being ready to start irrigation. If you want to see a post about starting the water here is an old post.

I leave you now, with a lovely photo of the apricot blooms as the sun was setting last night.