I wonder what it would be like to be inside a cloud
Or even like riding on a cloud—–like Elijah ()
Is it pleasant, with a diffused light, or exciting and vibrant like we see from Earth?
Ah! Yes! I do wonder.
From my world to your heart,
Linda
I saw this fox at the Upper End the other day. It looks rather ill, I think. See that knot by its eye? Who knows what it is—tick, cheatgrass seed, tumor?
There looks like something wrong by the shoulder too. Maybe how it’s standing, but something just isn’t right with this poor creature.
I’ll never know.
It quickly turned and ran the moment it saw me.
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
Step Three—On the Land
Once the headgate is opened, Dad and Mom have forked out all the ditches in use, then it’s time to start the water into the fields.
Water is never, ever wasted. It goes into one field and runs to the bottom of that field in a small ditch, which takes the water to another field.
This goes on until the last field of the farm,
then that water goes back into the canal to go to other farms along the way.
This happens over and over and over again until the water winds up in the Colorado River.
Water is never wasted ever!
We move to step four—keep watching this place for more interesting information about the backbone of our Farm! (and wonderful photos of ME!)
TLC Cai-Cai
The First Step of the First Step is clean the canal.
Then clean all the ditches.
After that Dad goes out and makes the big ditches
Then he goes back out and makes the waste ditches (smaller ditches)
Then before he plants, he marks out the fields
And then he and Mom BEGIN!
That means they start the water on the farm.
Step One!
TLC Cai-Cai
The backbone of the farm is not Dad—although, he does put lots of backbone into making the farm what it is. Nor is it, Mom. Mom doesn’t make the farm go; she helps Dad make the farm go. Mom says there is a difference.
The backbone isn’t the land, the land IS the farm.
Nor is it the seeds, fertilizer, or crops. Those are extensions OF farming.
The backbone isn’t animals with backbones…we all have backbones, so living breathing things don’t count as the farm’s backbone.
The Back Bone and the Life Blood of the Farm is WATER!
It takes Water to make the farm and it takes water to make the farm grow so for this last series of FARMING—We are going to learn all about water on the farm!
TLC Cai-Cai
First, there are
SNAKES!!
(this is a snakeskin)
We have two kinds, that Mom and I know of
(This is a bull snake. Photo is by Linda Pierson in Alberta, Canada)
Bull Snakes and Water Snakes.
Bull Snakes are non-poisonous…they can get BIG…Long…and they are fast. Mom and Dad see them, once in a while in the alfalfa fields, but Mom said they haven’t seen one for a long time now. She doesn’t know why.
Then we have
WATER SNAKES! They live here, there, everywhere. We have them in the farmyard, on the ditch banks…in the fields.
Mom has two that live in the hen house with the hens. I see them once in a while when I’m in the hen house.
They don’t bother anything, but the mice. One snake can eat one mouse a week.
They seem to eat everything whole, so if you are in the hen house and see a snake with a bulge in its tummy then you know said snake was helping me keep the mouse population down.
That said—they do scare me a bit and I have seen Mom jump a little jump when one of the snakes comes slithering out from under the nest boxes.
Mom and Dad try to take care of the water snakes, if they are laying on the bridge taking in the sun and the warm cement…then one of them shoos the snake off the bridge so the vehicle can drive on over.
If there is a snake on one of the farm roads – yep, Dad or Mom takes a shovel and lifts the snake off into the weeds so the tractor or four-wheeler can pass by.
Snakes. Fuzzy hated snakes, he would shake and snap them to death. Me…I just go the other way.
Other Things that are a creepy factor to them are:
Lizards—we have little greenish-gray lizards with strips along
It’s back and sides…I think they are called—six-lined race runner. I call them “FUN TO CATCH!” which is exactly what I try to do when I see one!
Frogs and Toads:
We don’t have lots of frogs
Once in a while, one or two will float down in the irrigation water,
but that’s all.
What we do have lots of are toads.
Mom LOVES toads.
She has little toad houses for them.
She tells me to leave the toads alone
She tells me to leave the toads alone they eat lots of bugs.
Mom doesn’t have to worry about that…they don’t even look good enough to chase.
TLC Cai-Cai
FIRST and FOR MOST is that black and white striped cat-like creature that stinks to HIGH HEAVEN!
SKUNKS!!!
Skunks are —well, stinky. They also are good bug catchers, and…if Mom isn’t careful…eaters of CHICKENS!!!
Skunks love to spray things, and for sure— dogs. But since I’m not a dog, when I see a SKUNK, with his/her tail all fluffed up…I RUN! I’m not stupid like a dog.
I have no desire to ‘take on a skunk’ — I don’t want to meow at it, run headlong at it with my mouth open and loud sounds coming out of my mouth, nor do I want that NASTY GREEN STINK to hit me in the face!
Let’s just say…I’m smarter than a dog!
Just say’n.
Then there are
PORCUPINES!
Randomly we have one or two come into the yard and snack on the fruit in the Apricot trees, but mostly porcupines stay out on the farm.
Porcupines are another DOG Magnet! Not cat magnet…DOG MAGNET!
Dogs LOVE porcupines! There is always at least one dog who never learns what a porcupine can do TO a dog. That said dog get clobbered with QUILLS up the nose, in the mouth, down the throat, all over the face.
(This is Hank Puff–the grandkids’ dog)
Then there are dogs who never get clobbered or, if they do, it’s only once, and then it’s maybe just ten or so quills.
Sometimes Cows, horses, and other curious creatures get clobbered with the tail of the porcupine, but cats Never do.
Yes, I know cats are known to be very, v.e.r.y. curious, but when it comes to DANGER…cats know to SCRAM out of there! A porcupine and his tail of quills spell DANGER!
You see…Cats are SMART! Very Smart!
Then there are those extremely clever creatures called
RACOONS!
Raccoons are over-the-top smart! I mean eye-q’s of beyond the clouds smart.
Raccoons love eating all sorts of stuff, corn on the cob, corn spilled on the ground, corn scattered to feed the birds, speaking of birds—
raccoons love eating chickens. They reach their very clever little hands through the chicken wire on the pen grab a hen by the neck, pull the neck through the wire, and bite off the head.
If a person were to let their hens run wild all over the yard, lay their eggs wherever then the raccoons would find the eggs and eat them all up.
That is why mom’s hens don’t get to run in the yard until AFTER they lay their eggs!
Raccoons love to eat anything in the mom’s garden…. all the melon’s the corn, tomatoes, you name it. If they don’t eat it then they rip it up and tear it out.
They like all sorts of chicken, dog, cow, horse, and mule feed, so Mom and my sister, Shannon, keep those things in big black plastic barrels shut up in buildings.
Speaking of barrels, raccoons LOVE GARBAGE.
Those very clever and smart creatures can take the lid off a 50-gallon barrel and tip it over scattering all the garbage from here to there.
Raccoons have hands just like humans and they use them just like humans.
Just so you know— MOM DOES NOT LIKE RACOONS no matter HOW cute they are!
Badgers. Now if you want to take on something that looks like a flat skunk, without the big bushy tail, try taking on a Badger.
Those creatures are mean!
Over-the-top mean. Dad has been chased by a badger, Mom said Boomer and Hank were chased by a badger…every fox on the place gives the badgers a wide berth.
Thankfully Badgers don’t come into the farmyard so I’ve never met one. Nor am I likely to go way up to the Upper End or the Back Forty just to see one.
I am a good learner…just tell me to stay away and I will!
TLC Cai-Cai
Well, let’s see you’ve learned about what a farm is
and how a farm works;
you’ve learned about the weather on our farm, and now—
You get to learn about the animals who share the farm with US!
We have big animals—
some wild and some who are domesticated (sorta kinda),
we have birds—lots and lots and lots of birds (slurp),
(it is HOT already)
we have small animals (like mice—YUM)
and animals who leave some sort of mark,
we have things that slither,
and bugs of all sorts,
and, that most awful animal of all the animals;
the animals who spell D.A.N.G.E.R. the second thier paw sets down on the ground.
So, for a few days,
you and I will check out “the wildlife who share the farm with us!”
TLC Cai-Cai
Something that happens in the Fall, is a true mystery to me.
The birds leave!
All the Summer Song Birds!
There is not one left.
Although, we do have some birds who stay here, but they aren’t the same sweet tasting sounding birds of Summer. Boy, don’t let Mom know I wrote that…I crossed it out so she can’t see. Do NOT tell her! Eating birds is something that ALWAYS gets me in trouble.
If Mom sees my catch one, she runs very fast and scares me so I drop the bird. Then Mom grabs the bird and takes it someplace where I can’t find it.
Mom and I have a thing about Me eating birds!!!
Anyway, the birds leave.
And lots of bugs seem to leave, although those nasty wasps seem to stay year-round.
And Spiders.
We never get rid of spiders. I got a spider bite so bad Mom had to take me to the vet.
Anyway, the next installment will be the WORK of AUTUMN!
TLC Cai-Cai
Okay. I’ve put it off long enough. Summer can mean—Drought.
Drought is some pretty awful stuff. Everything wilts, and I do mean everything…except the coyotes. They never wilt.
EVER!
Drought is a humongous dry spell. Once it starts it never seems to leave.
Although, Mom says it can be broken.
Ya…I wonder.
What’s bad about drought it kills all the good stuff, which leaves space for all those pesky weeds to spring up and grow.
Weeds are the coyotes of the plant world.
Kochia weed can grow taller than DAD and Dad is 6’2” tall.
That is some weed!
Then when it dries down in the winter it
becomes a tumbling, giant, scare the heck out of you.
Well, that’s all for Summer. Next on the list is Fall. Or Autumn or finally COOLER WEATHER!
TLC Cai-Cai
Life on a Colorado Farm 