Forgotten

 

Only a very short walk from my house

an old farmstead has lost its owner.

Only a few months ago cattle were fed from this big haystack.

A bachelor farmer lived here.

Look at the size of that saw blade.

He said he didn't need a wife 

"because he had a woman  (that's me) 

running through his fields every day". 

Will someone take over this farm? 

Probably not.  Farming is hard and has few rewards. 

This fertilizer spreader shows how many years it has been dragged through the fields...

it has picked up bailing twine that will never come off.  

And the water tank will never be moved to a pasture.  

 The Danes knew how to build fine cabins.  Cabins which have stood straight and proud for more than a hundred years. 

This one probably built by the same family. 

The granary is still full of barley.

It takes a lot of equipment to run a farm. 

There is order in a forgotten corner.

He will not leave his owner's house.  

I have known  him since he was a puppy, now he barks at me.  

Not to worry, a neighbor is taking care of him.  His brother has already moved over. 

Have a great weekend dear Friends, 

Gina 

Partial Repost

Not enough time

It's all right.

I love what I see even if it isn't perfect.

Wild roses seeking support.

Salpiglossis are a challenge.

Poppies are amazing.

Yank out the entire plant, singe the stem and every poppy head will open. 

A poppy bouquet for a week. 

More rain than usual brought on the berries.

I have eaten the rest. 

I can grow figs in Utah ...in my greenhouse.

Nasturtiums grow easily from seed.

Who can resist an Opium Poppy?

The hay barns will be filled to the rafters.  

We will most likely have 3 crops of Alfalfa this year, 

who knows, maybe even four. 

Wishing you a bountiful week ahead. 

Gina 

Alfalfa, the crop of choice

Life under the Horseshoe Mountain. Our Watershed.

Oldtimers watch the snow crest on top. If there is snow on the 24th of July, we will have a good water year.

The first ton of alfalfa from our field, almost 3 weeks late. We usually get three cuttings ... maybe not this year.
Finally, our trees have grown so much that our house is now hidden behind them. What you see is the barn, the garages, and the guest quarters upstairs.




Beginning from the outside of the field, the first row is cut. And a bit later, the entire field is cut.



Next morning, very early, the field is winrowed. The gathering of hay from 2 rows into one. Has to be done before alfalfa dries or too much of the precious fodder is lost.





Next day the alfalfa has dried and is now ready to be baled. Rain is coming. Will it be small bales of 80 pounds, easy to handle when feeding lifestock or will it be large, one-ton bales?
It was baled during the night, in the dark, with lights shining into our windows. One-ton bales it is.




As soon as the alfalfa bales are trucked away the cycle begins all over again. The wheels carry the pipes, which carry the precious, life giving water.

Gina

Burning the Ditches

Smoke travels a long way in our valley. So not to alarm our neighboring farms, we first call the Sheriff.

We have to time the burning just right. Before the ground-nesting birds build their nests. The wind has to be just right and come from the south.

Burning weeds and underbrush is a very efficient way to clean an otherwise wild area.

It only takes a few days and the burned area is emerald green and ready for the birds and countless other little creatures to take up residence.

Gina