Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Dayphoto

Terry finished ripping the old pinto bean ground. Old pinto bean ground doesn’t have to disked, plowed, rolled, and leveled, it only has to be ripped and rolled and then marked.

(He is using the ripper here.)

Terry will finish rolling it today, then he (and I) will continue work on the transmission ditch. This our main ditch from the head gate to our whole farm —it is where we are laying pipe so the work load can shrink. Just like moving everything to your computer the upfront work is hard, but after that everything is a breeze.

Putting the main ditch in pipe, underground will help with the loss of water from evaporation the slew of weeds that love having an unlimited supply of water, and HIP HIP HOORAY keeping the trash out of the rest of the ditches.

Oh, there will still be some trash, because THE WIND DOTH BLOW IN OUR PART OF COLORADO, but it will shrink considerably!

We’ve been having storms playing along the edges of the Uncompahgre Plateau and over the canyons, sure makes for exciting sky photos!

Happy Spring Tuesday!

Linda

A Good Day–Old Dog

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Dayphoto

So far I’m having a good day. Thank-you each and every one of you for your wishes of wellness and for writing and giving me ideas on how to recover. Your comments and emails are very appreciated.

Yesterday was a good day… which is good, if I can have a good week, then I’ll know I have this licked.

Anyway, enough of me.

It was warmer yesterday, so the dogs and I went for a short walk. It was warm enough that as I sat on the point of a hill I could feel the sun warming my shoulders, which was heavenly.

On the way back I stopped at the old grainery. Terry wanted to tear this down, but I want to keep it. We have only two buildings left of the original farmstead (outside of our house); the tractor shed (build out of adobe dirt) and this old grainery.

This spring (soon, any day now) Terry is going to move it up from behind the barn and the haystacks and put it next to my gardens by the corrals. After that I’m not sure what I want to do with it — potting shed, play house, whatever I want.

Today is Tuesday, February, 5, 2013…the sunrises at 7:15 in the morning and is setting at 5:38 in the evening. A month ago on January 5th the sun was coming up at 7:31 and setting at 5:04. The days are growing longer -January 9 hours and 34 minutes and today- 10 hours and 23 minutes. More sunlight…which is a true joy to me.

I haven’t seen the old dog for some time now. I might drive around the farm neighborhood now that I’m feeling up to it, and see if I can see the dog in someone’s yard. If not… I wait, but I will also know that the possibility of the dog taking a path to the other side just might have occurred–one of those sad parts of life.

Once more thank you all for your kind thoughts,

Linda

Windy Tuesday Post on Wednesday

Posted on October 24, 2012 by Dayphoto

We have a leaf removing wind come in this morning right around 5:30

It has blown all day…not hard, but hard enough that we went from lovely leaves on the tree to lovely leaves on the lawn

and every place else

I have winterized the garden hoses and the pump

We are all buttoned up, where it comes to the water.

Here is my 4 O’clock photo — The Day length is now 10 hours and 54 minutes. Sunrise starts at 7:30ish and sets around 6:51 or so in the evening.

Linda

It’s Raining Here

Posted on September 25, 2012 by Dayphoto

And with rain, there is sometimes a

RAINBOW!!!

Happy Tuesday Everyone!

Linda

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Dayphoto

After several days of extremely cold weather, we are gradually starting to warm up. During that time the Sour Cherry trees started to bloom

Then we dropped down even colder — 18*– a couple of nights in a row, which took out some of the blooming fruit I’m sure.

Still the Wild Plum trees that I have growing in a thicket started blooming

We have these trees along the edge of the canal to keep the water from eroding the bank

By the weekend the Crab Apples were in their full glory

Terry sat up the alfalfa marker and got that field ready for water. By which I mean he marked out all the rows so we could turn water into the field. Several morning this week there was ice on the furrows. Not heavy amounts of ice, but still ice.

When you think of it that is cold….it takes lots of cold to form ice on running water.

The good news is that cold front has moved on, the bad news is this very same cold front is what causes horrible storms in the plains….cold air moving out of the Rocky Mountains hitting warm air coming up from the oceans.

My heart goes out to everyone in those storm damaged area.

Linda

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Dayphoto

Terry has finished getting the corn fields ready for the fertilizer. Moving from former bean ground to corn ground doesn’t take as much tractor work. First he disked the already mellow soil (beans are good for the soil), then he leveled. Here is is leveling, which means he is filling in any hollows and removing any hills that the wind and water created over the last year. It needs to have a little fall so the water can start at one end and run to the other end.

Finished! (Complete with a little dirt devil). Next we will add fertilizer, then roll in the fertilizer, then mark it out (so the water can run from the top of the field to the bottom) and start water.

I don’t do tractor work, but I do irrigate. Irrigation should start the first week in April on this field and on the already planted alfalfa fields.

Terry ripped up an old alfalfa field (they have to be torn up every 3-5 years to keep the hay produced full of healthy rich hay, instead of mostly weeds), which will go into corn. We will put water on that field around the second or third week in April.

The upper end (which burned in the fire) will be worked up and planted to alfalfa. He will do it sometime in April. It had corn in it, but since we are losing the largest field he likes to have a certain amount of hay to sell every year. Usually Terry plants a mother crop with the hay, but this year he is going to ‘thick seed’ it. Meaning only the very, very expensive alfalfa seed will be planted, a planted very thickly to choke out the weeds.

Old corn ground has to be plowed. We have lots of clay in our soil so plowing is the best way to go. Old corn ground is the only ground we plow. Plowing takes all the old stalks and leaves, turns it under in the soil where it breaks down adding richness to clay-type of soil. More work with the tractor, but way better results.

This field will become a pinto bean field next year. We do rotational farming, which helps the soil and the plants the next year.

The nasty high winds have left our area for a spell. I worked in my yard all day yesterday and came in looking like a fresh dug potato. Its a wee bit cooler, but HEY no wind.

I take it!

Linda

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Dayphoto

The kids made it home! My critter sitting is done until they go back to visit the Grandparents in Nebraska or Kelly’s brother in Kansas. That won’t be for awhile now as trips like that have to fit into school breaks.

Our indoor cat was very interested in Hermie the guinea pig, Snowball the bunny wasn’t nearly as interesting. Probably because the rabbit couldn’t see the cat and the cat couldn’t see the rabbit.

The trap lines are busy….mice can destroy feed grains, cars and trucks, and anything else thier sharpe little teeth can get into, they also build nests in the hay, which is not good. Not good at all.

Terry is working on the corn combine….blowing out the filters, plus other job of maintentance.

So not much happening here, but the same old stuff.

Oh…and the letter to Santa was my letter, that Momma saved. I found it in her cedar chest after her death. I thought it would be something fun to share.

Linda