#4 Hawaii baby - girl!

Spring on the farm

It is like the world begins right here every spring. Dozens of birds gather in the tree outside the kitchen to pair off. They are small and yellow and make a loud racket. The raven pair came back and fluffed the tip top tree nest. Lots of magpies and robins, too. Pheasants are courting loudly. The trees bloom, the grasses grow. I can count on the earth.
Weed seeds are an endless problem but now we have a small tiller that can aide me between rows. I missed early planting. Again. But I can count on the earth to start over again next spring.

Junior Recital

All who know our precious Jack have seen the handiwork of God's Promises for those who believe..

Our meistro with girlfriend, Amanda.

Our Meistro

Jack surprised us in the Percussion enseble concert at Colorado Mesa University. He conducted one of the pieces. I don't know why the pic is so small......

More about pasture management

Horses are particular. Green doesn't mean they will eat it. They like timothy and orchard grass, alfalfa, clover and will graze on spring dandelions, chicory, fescue and a few other things. There is some kind of swamp grass in our lower field that they will eat the early tender sprouts in spring but will not eat it once it has gotten tough or dry. I mowed tons of that down yesterday and will gather up what I can and use it for mulch in the potato patch.

David cut out a bunch of Russian Olive trees. If you don't kill them out every year you will have fields of new ones cropping up. Same for the Chinese Elms. If you only cut them they will grow back. Elms can be killed with a brushing of toradon before it makes a scab over the cut trunk. Spray olives after they start to come up from the stump or a new tree will grow in the same place.

We planted the willow tree about 22 years ago. It is first to get spring leaves and the last to shed in the winter. The stream is low this time of year but it will get about 3 feet deep once the natural springs begin to bubble north of us and the ranches north of us begin to irrigate. Jack had trout in there for years. Then the cranes came and plucked them out!