The weatherman is saying that our rain is leaving…which is okay. It’s time to cut the second cutting of alfalfa. Actually, Terry is out there right now cutting the alfalfa so we really don’t need rain for about a week or so.
Still the rain we had was lovely, delightful, and ever so refreshing
Hope our rain makes it to those of you who need it!
Linda
Right after the Zip line tour we headed up to Buena Vista, Colorado. The kids had given us two night stay at the Cottonwood Inn and Spa. Because of the farm we thought we would do one stay in the summer and one this coming winter.
We went from extreme thrill to a haven of rejuvenation.
We had great food in Buena Vista, (the Inn doesn’t serve food) soaked and thought of nothing stressful, slept, got up soaked again. Then headed home.
Linda
We got to Salida to go on our pre-arranged trip on the Captain Zipline tours, but while we were eating it started to rain! RAIN! We have not seen rain in our part of Colorado for months and months and not even a wet snow last winter.
So having this really neat rain was well WONDERFUL! The zip-line tour had to be canceled until the next morning at 9:30, but who cared! Salida got about 60 minutes of really nice rain. They told us this was the first good rain they have had in a very long time.
The next morning we were at the loading dock paid and ready to go…it’s a fifteen minute drive to the mountains and canyons where the zip-lines were located.
I thought I would NOT be able to do this…..attach myself to wire and fling myself off a canyon wall to zip over the wire to the next side of the canyon….but I did it!!!!
What a hoot!
We rode all seven (counting the bunny training line)!
The group we were with was lots of fun and our guides were very good. The whole thing was hugely fun.
I recommend it for everyone…and if you can’t stand heights…well, just keep your eyes shut!
I did for the first two…the last five were incredible!
When we got back into Salida it rained again…for 15 minutes. How delicious it felt!
We called Misty and asked if home got any rain.
No, no rain.
Not even a dark cloud.
While we were in Salida, a fire started close to home. That is the Pine Ridge fire at Debeque, Colorado. (Lightening caused)
Debeque is between Grand Junction and Glenwood Springs, Colorado, if you want to check it out on the map.
Many of you have asked how close that is to us…it’s about an hour and 15 minutes away…around 60 miles. Grand Junction is experiencing lots of smoke from the fire, but we are up the way…. East from Grand Junction, so we only see the smoke as it bellows over the mountains and canyons west of us.
Tomorrow I will tell you about Cottonwood Springs.
Happy Monday Everyone!
Linda
I’m going to assume the color RUST can count as the color Brown…at the Antique Farm Show this old back hoe was on display…our 10 year old grandson found the whole thing “REALLY COOL”.
Then there was “#4” the next size up from the smallest this manufacturer made. There were 5 in the series.
This one was huge…the informational sign says it traveled at 2.4 miles an hour.
For more Sunday Stills, the Color Brown head on over here…. click on the name and it will zip you right on over to the participants blog!
Have Fun! Enjoy the color Brown!
Linda
Linda
Coming back from irrigating last night the moon was just delightful!!
We had some rain storms in the mountains that have helped (sort of) the irrigating situation. Enough that Terry thinks he can go ahead and plant his new alfalfa field.
Don’t get me wrong, water is still short, and we are still having trouble getting the ground wet because it has been so dry. But water in the hills brings a little more water down the canals. Enough to put out two more tubes, or open two more gates for a short time. If we get more rain in the hills or steady rain, that would be great.
Every little bit helps!
Sara did a cool post on Moon Music I would like to share….just perfect, just perfect.
We don’t have frogs or fireflies, but we still have the moon and last night was just beautiful.
Moon Music is right!
Linda
Ed’s brain child, Sunday Stills, was to create a place where people from all over the world could come together once a week with a photography challenge. This week our challenge is to pick our favorite assignment and post it in honor of Ed’s birthday on April 18th.
I picked flowers.
Go here to see some of Ed’s favorite assignments!
Linda
I dug out a camera I had purchased awhile back. It wasn’t a real expensive one, I think I got it for around $90, since I knew my other dear old battered and well-loved camera would someday bite the dust. This camera doesn’t seem to take too bad of photos so I shall continue to use it.
We finished watering our largest field. Which means it was time to move the water. We had to take the water from that field down to the one by our house.
Therefore we had to open the ditch. (Winter is not good for my body, but I’m fast getting into shape.) We only have to open the ditches once, but, oh my, is that ever a job!
Even though Terry makes the ditches with the ditcher there is still lots of trash in the ditch, he turns the water down and then leaves and goes on down to the trash gates, I stay behind and fork the trash out of the ditch.
It starts small, but by the time I make it to the trash catchers I’m hefting huge wads of wet weeds out the water. ( I couldn’t get photos of the wads — I think Terry would have been a tad upset to see me taking photos while massive amounts of weeds were heading toward him.)
Weeds plug up division gates and get caught in the pipes causing floods. Floods are never good as they always go where they are not supposed to go.
By the time I get to the trash screens Terry is already in the field flushing the pipe. This field by the house is set with gated pipe, trash in that pipe is one major pain. It plugs up the little gates and backs up the water. You are looking at a screen that has stopped trash.
We like gated pipe for some fields and cement ditches and siphon tubes for other fields. We even have dirt ditches with siphon tubes for even other fields. Terry is thinking of changing out some of the gated pipe back into a dirt ditch, they (dirt ditches) really are lots easier to work with than gated pipe. You wouldn’t think so, since it would seem all you have to do is open a gate and the water flows out. Pouring another cement ditch is financially not feasible so if we change it will be to dirt.
Trash is the main reason. Here in our part of Colorado when the wind blows heavy it always blows in weeds and icky stuff which lands in the water and then get caught in the gates. With a tube the weed will usually flow on by since the tube is under the surface of the water. With a gate the weed runs right to the gate and tried to get out with the water and plugs up the gate. You then have to put your hand into the water and dig out the trash. For every gate that is open all 20-30 gates.
Anyway, I could lift and toss an 80 pound bale of hay now if I had too. Three weeks ago I don’t know if I could even pick it up.
The pear trees are blooming! They sure are pretty. We’ve had three nights of bitter cold (18* one night) and another cold front moving in by Friday. I remember these days from my youth and how my Dad and my Grandfather would stress out during spring.
Being and orchardist isn’t for the faint of heart that is for sure.
Linda
Terry finished rolling late Monday evening
(Rolling is where you smash the plowed clumps down into soft manageable soil)
After the fertilizer was spread he covered it up by marking out the water furrows
(That’s the combine herd…and a couple of old cars which really needs to be hauled away…. Someday, I’m told, we will get to it.)
Straight rows are a must. Other farmers drive by and always (I do mean always) make a comment on if your rows are straight or not.
With today’s tractors the GPS does all the work, therefore the rows are perfect. We have no such tractor…Terry relies on scribes (marker bars), getting started right, and driving straight. Otherwise, he has to take a ‘ribbing’ until the rows grow shut.
Today we (this is where I start helping him with the farming) work on setting up the gated pipe, making transmission ditches and waste ditches, it won’t be long now until we start water. In fact any day now.
Getting closer—–
Linda
My last post for March will be my trees. I’m taking a photo of the same trees and posting them on the last day or close to the last day of the month so you can see the progression of leaves on the trees. If you would like to see February’s go here.
The leaves are starting to appear. Today we had 80* weather. A bitter cold spring snow storm is supposed to blow into night, stay all day Sunday and leave us sometime late Monday night.
Then we will start to warm back up.
Terry is finishing rolling so the ground won’t pack IF we do get moisture.
Linda
Life on a Colorado Farm 