Tuesday, November 26, 2013 — Change

Posted on November 26, 2013 by Dayphoto

When my brother and I were small our Dad owned and operated a Sinclair bulk plant and gas station in Delta, Colorado. (we also lived on a huge fruit orchard–lots of work on both ends for everyone in Eckert. But that is another story for a different time.)

As far as my memory can go I think I was about 10 and my brother about 7, when this photo was taken

Terry said he thinks he was around 15, so this may/might/could possibly be about 1959 when Delta had one of their huge spring floods. (No longer does this happen because of extensive work along the Gunnison River.)

The arrow is right on top of my Dad’s business. The water had crossed the railroad and had risen to the top of the little rise where his business was located.

The town proper of Delta is higher than the river so it was spared, but North Delta wasn’t-the flooding water reached way back and touched upon lots of farms.

If I could show you this area today you would be amazed…the land across the river from my Dad’s business now houses City Market Grocery, Ace Hardware, Tractor Supply, McDonald’s and many other businesses, plus the Rec Center.

The other side of the road, where the most extensive flooding occurred has even more businesses.

Please go to this site to see an even older photo of a time when Delta flooded.

Sometimes change isn’t a good thing, change just for the ‘heck of it’ is never a good idea, but change to improve, to make better, to stop destruction—well, that is always a good thing.

Today we do not have floods, which is good. I so remember the real fear and concern my parents felt in this really large flood of around 1959.

When our children were little we had another flood, just as big and just as damaging. It was at this point the City Managers and the Army Core of Engineers said “ENOUGH”.

Thank heavens!
Your grateful friend,

Linda

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Posted on November 12, 2013 by Dayphoto

I thought it would be fun to post a few photos for our very quick train trip. I so enjoyed the train trip….Terry not so much (way, way, way too slow for him). I could do it again, just to see the scenery. It is scenery you never see driving in a car, especially on the interstates. We met people who were traveling from the east coast to the west coast…four days and three nights of travel. Some purchased sleeping cars and some slept in the seats of the regular cars.

The food was good, but extremely expensive. $12 for a hamburger with chips, $3 for a drink, although water, ice tea, and coffee was part of the meal. We only ate one meal on the train, but if you purchased a sleeper all of your meals were included—breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

I’m always amazed at the engineering feats of those back in the late 1800 and early 1900. We rode on rails laid at the turn of the 1900’s the skills of those men to accomplish such a feat is stunning.

The trip from Grand Junction to Denver has several tunnels in it…I really can’t remember now – somewhere around 40-50, which is sort of cool. And all of this created way, way back when, when the tracks were first laid.

This is Glenwood Springs, Colorado…the river, the interstate and the pool are all in front of that beautiful building

Going to Denver we went to Granby then on to Frazier and Winter Park. At Frazier and Winter Park we had an hour and a half stop waiting for repairs further on down the tracks. Winter Park and Frazier have really grown up over the last 5 or so years…lots on new buildings, mega mansions, and condos. I was surprised. We also had to stop again for thirty minutes which made the train get in 1 1/2 hours late. Coming home we had no stops and arrived on time in Grand Junction.

Leaving Denver we could see the inversion that had settled down over the area. It was extremely cold in the city. We were there only one night, but since we were right on the 16th Street Mall the cold didn’t stop us from having a special time just for us.

There was snow in Glenwood Canyon on the way back, but it only reached the top of the canyon

To be truthful I enjoyed just looking at the highway and NOT driving on the highway! 🙂 🙂

The corn harvest is starting to wind down today or tomorrow we will be finished. HOO RAY!! The weather has been beautiful the whole time. After the combines messed up and all of you put for your collective thoughts Terry was able to fix the thermostat and move steadily forward.

The motor is now using oil so he will have to change it out or over-haul it. That will be the next project…that and checking fences. Thanksgiving is the beginning of pheasant season…we have NOT had any pheasants for several years now (the DOW planted fox in our area so the ground birds became yummy fox food). But hope prevails as he saw two roosters and a hen while he was combining, we hope they are making a come back.

Even though we post the place there are those who don’t care they arrive leaving open gates and tearing down fences in the hopes of MAYBE finding something to kill. With all that in mind we will head out and check and repair and post signs…sometime very soon.

Your farming friend,

Linda

Tuesday, November 5, 2013 A Need for Magic Thoughts

Posted on November 5, 2013 by Dayphoto

Terry started the corn harvest

The day was cold and cloudy, but not windy. He waited until noon to see if the promised rain/sheet/snow was going to come. Since it didn’t he began.

About the time he got half the truck loaded the diesel motor started getting HOT! Stopping quickly (we both hope the motor is okay)…and some long flustered and frustrating minutes he dug out the gasoline combine.

That machine hasn’t ran for years. About two hours later (including lunch) he got it going and was able to finish one load. We parked the truck and covered it for the night just as the wind picked up. (Terry is at the elevator right now waiting to dump the load–he says it will be a long wait — he thinks he will be back around lunch or 1:00 p.m. A four to five hour wait.)

Late in the evening as the wind blew and the rain pelted he was able to get the thermostat off hoping that is the problem, if not sometime this after noon he will work on the water pump…let us hope it is the thermostat and not the water pump or worse yet…Not the whole motor! Please send Magic thoughts for a easy and non-costly fix! What a start to the harvest.

Over night the wind blew, the rain turned to sleet/snow and we woke-up to ice everywhere.

The snow isn’t staying, which is good, although the wind is still bitter and nasty. The weather person says this will blow out of here today with the next 6 days really nice!

That would be great…if things could hang together maybe we would be done in 6-10 days.

Anyway, life goes on. Sometimes the days within are a little brain stretching but we always make it.

I must go now and go pick up a sick granddaughter and take her to the Doctor’s Office, an ear infection. Another request for healing for this little girl so she can go to school her ‘most favorite thing in the whole wide world to do–even better than playing with My Little Ponies’.

Your rather frazzled friend,

Linda

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Posted on September 10, 2013 by Dayphoto

The rains have arrived. They threaten all day long, then around 8:00 in the evening they began.

We were lucky that it waited until we got home. Just as I drove into the shed the rain started falling in a serious manner. Terry didn’t believe me when I said it was raining (he beat me in) but as we walked out of the building he became a believer. 🙂

Today Terry has a meeting, which leaves just the dogs and I to change the water…I hope it isn’t raining at that point. I also dread the drive on a mud slick ditch bank, but I know it can be done.

Yes, I do!

Anyway, The Farmer’s Almanac has printed their predictions for the up and coming winter…I’m already ready for Spring. I guess I shouldn’t be so selfish, as I know some of my Dear Blog Friends are also ready for Spring—-they can only have Spring if we have Winter so I’ll slap on a Happy Face and ‘try’ to be okay with Winter.

Now for the Good part of Winter…if the predictions are true we will have snow, which means the reservoirs should recover some, which is a very good thing.

Your Grateful the pinto beans are harvested and sold and the hay is baled and stacked friend,

Linda

August 27, 2013

Posted on August 27, 2013 by Dayphoto

We have been enjoying the rains. (Although, it does make for muddy ditch banks and irrigation roads.)

My hummingbird book says that around August 26th the hummingbirds start their migration to the south. The older hummingbirds leave first…then the juveniles.

The book also says to keep out your feeder until you haven’t seen a little hummer for at least two weeks, allowing the last little one traveling the farthest to have food along the way to the land of blooming nectar plants and tiny flying insects.

My other songbirds have already fled …I haven’t put out seed in the other feeds for over two weeks now. I’m sure the time is coming when I will be slammed with sparrows and starlings…I always try to feed them so they will stay out of the dog food. (I keep the dog food up, but the starlings will dive the dogs until they drive them off and then take over the dish)

With the rain we sometimes get rainbows…another nice gift of rain!

Have a great Tuesday, Linda

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Posted on August 20, 2013 by Dayphoto

The day’s are shorting now…around 7:30 in the evening we head out for the last check of water for the day.

We also are monitoring the pinto beans. The field is turning yellow, which means the pintos are now ripe and ready to be pulled.

Probably next Friday Terry will pull the pinto’s so they can start drying.

We will need the days to stay hot and dry once they are pulled.

(see the nasty bull thistle seeds)

(The steps for pinto bean harvest is — pull the plants and leave them lay until nice and crispy, combine the plants, which is taking the beans out of the dried plants and putting them into the hopper then the truck to be delivered to the Beanery, have the beans sacked and the sold—DONE for the year)

He is baling the new cutting of hay as I write this. The first of second week of September will be the third cutting of the old hay field. Dry weather needs to prevail for at least a month now. 🙂

The moon was lovely last night.

I also saw a small rainbow from the storms playing around us.

My four o’clock photo of the Daily View features my Sun dial garden… rich and lush with 4 O’clocks. The Hummingbirds love this area!

A very contented friend, Linda

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Posted on August 13, 2013 by Dayphoto

Fall is in the air! Every day I see more yellow leaves turning up in the trees!

We had to run up to our lake on Grand Mesa

while our company was here….stunningly we saw fresh snow on the ground.

The little chipmunks were very active – I think they now their time for storing is just about over.

Terry and I decided that we just can’t get away from the place to haul the much more needed firewood so we ordered more in, now we have a mess to sort through, but at least we are NOT having to go “GET IT”. It will work this time for us … we will see what next year brings.

Misty had a terrible reaction to a new drug so she is with me today. Please keep your prayers, magic thoughts and crossed fingers in place for a little while longer — we are desperately in need of them.

Your friend,

Linda

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Dayphoto

Terry is out cultivating the pinto beans…THANK HEAVENS FOR BIG EQUIPMENT! I would hate to have to go out and weed that whole field by hand…although, we have to when the pintos get too big to drive a tractor through. At that time we only go after the big weeds and still they will get away from us.

Linkin rode her bike over…

you can see by this series of photos that they live just over the fields from us…

which is nice, because the kids never have to get on the road to ride their bikes…

they just have to head down the field roads.

We took her to her school (Lincoln Elementary) to show us what she likes to do at recess,

whereby she and her Grandpa had a very hot game of Tether Ball. After a well balanced super of Chili-cheese fries and a Frosty we took on a game of Miniature Golf! No scores kept just good fun. Grandpa won the prize at the end of the game, which was a turn each in the batting cages.

It was Linki’s first time to ever swing a bat — she did really good. We used the softball pitch.

Then back home to change water and set it in the next area.

While they were up at the corn field I tried my hand at photographing a hummer or two.

I still have a long ways to go to getting a good shot!

Have a good Tuesday everyone! Meet you back here tomorrow!

Linda

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Dayphoto

The water at Blue Mesa Reservoir is horribly low….Terry says it is down about the size of the length of a football field. Blue Mesa Reservoir is also an extremely long reservoir—20 miles long.

Taylor Reservoir is still frozen over, but starting to thaw. It is low also, but nothing like this. Taylor Reservoir flows into the Blue Mesa Reservoir along with tributaries from other creeks and rivers.

Going back home (on the way up we went through Montrose to Gunnison then to Almont) we took ‘the long way home’ over the rim of the Black Canyon to Crawford, Hotchkiss, and then Delta.

The Black Canyon is the pathway of the Gunnison River, from which our irrigation and drinking water arrives to us.

We saw lots of deer, some elk, but the best was this Cub…wandering across the road.

He/she was heading to the other side, where Momma was probably waiting.

Having a little trip was really nice…broke up the work so we felt refreshed and able to get ‘back at it’; glad to do so!

Off now to work in the yard. I’m planting. I have cut my amount down considerably…two years ago I had 175 containers in 9 beds. Last year I cut down to 75 containers and nine beds. This year….I’m tired. I have 10 containers and the nine beds which at times still seems too much.

Anyway off to plant!

Linda

In-Between Irrigations

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Dayphoto

Last week we had rain…lovely, lush, wet, rain. Four days of rain. It soaked in 1/2 inch giving much needed life to everything.

Irrigation doesn’t stop just because of rain, mainly because the rain doesn’t really soak in far enough to do tons of good.

But in-between irrigating we had lots of things to do-

Terry was given a hot shave gift certificate for his birthday…off we went to Grand Junction for this first time experience
Our daughter and son-in-law lost Riley—that was very hard
I was a parent volunteer for our oldest granddaughter’s class field trip–which was a lot of fun. We rode on a bus and played and EVERYTHING
This same grandchild had a piano recital
We went to Gunnison and on up to Taylor Dam to see what the irrigation water is looking like–not good. Not good at all!

When I was chopping weeds along the edge of the fields one evening the sky turned amazingly orange as the storm clouds blew away. The color filled the whole sky and even surrounded Terry on the ditch bank and probably me at the end of the field.