Weeds

The earth was once a 'Garden of Eden'.  We all know what happened.  There were no weeds in the garden until the destroyer conniver serpent fooled the folks.
On a horse farm/ranch Lucifer has a hand in making it tough on you.  All I have been able to do this year is spray weeds.  True, I let it go from year to year and some areas I let go for years on end.  You pay the price when you don't pluck the weeds of your soul and you pay the price when you don't deal with the weeds of the field.

It is a hot and hard job to tug around a 2.5gal sprayer, empty it and go back for more.  I would rather ride or sew or garden or read.  But, I love the inventors of spray tanks and chemicals.  We will thwart the demon one way or another.  God bless the chemists and inventors.  2-4-D is an amazing compound.  8oz in the 2.5gal and you can spot spray or broadcast spray.  Your grass will not be damaged!  Some areas are so dense with poison milkweed, dock and misc weeds that I have to cover the whole area.  Only grass remains.  How cool is that?  I can use 8oz of gly-star (generic round-up) on the worst stuff like elm trees and olive trees. 

Speaking of olive trees, they are blooming and smell so good.  The bees are plentiful.  Anyone who has a bee shortage should have an olive tree.  We have dozens so you can imagine the sweet smell in the air.

My arms hurt and I have only sprayed about 1/5th of the worst area.  But, as my Hawaii son says, 'it is all good'.  Especially on the farm.  No matter what.

flowers and frogs

Barn Cats

Last fall I heard a faint 'mew' while I was feeding the horses.  I found a kitty.  Sooo teeny.  I went to the store for cat food and the next day there was another one.  I was able to pick them up so I put them in the barn to keep them warm and out of the weather.  Then I heard a new 'mew' and found the little boy kitty.  Soon, the black one came.  We have had the 4 of them fixed at the vet.  They are tame and love being our kitties.  Trouble with barn cats - there are more.  The mom and dad and 2 more babies keep coming around to steal the food.

ROCKESTRA

Creamery Arts Center

I discontinued my association with the Hotchkiss Creamery Arts Center. I loved to produce items to sell there but I could never catch up on the 8 hours a month volunteer time that is required from members. I sold very well. I am still sewing and stuffing but at a much slower pace and maybe I can rejoin in the fall. I let a lot of farm needs go while I focused on the creamery. I am trying to catch up on some of those chores that are nagging on me and must be tended to.  I could list them out here but I would get depressed!

A Creature

This guy was spotted on the Ute Trail that leads down into the Black Canyon from Austin.  Look at the moss on the rock.

Bella's Monarch

Bella reads everything and she is quite the nature girl.  She found a cocoon and knew just what to do.  She made this tee pee and found some milkweed and, behold, a monarch!  I have lots of monarch milkweed but have not seen a monarch.  Maybe the elevation is not suitable. 

The butterfly reminds me of a dear friend I lost.  We had a disagreement over me spraying milkweed.  Not the butterfly milkweed but a noxious invasive milkweed that poisons livestock. I have to spray that out because we have not managed it for several years and it is becoming a real problem in the fields.  It won't show up for another month but when it does, I am ready.  Not that I like spraying.  I would rather do about anything else but I will do what I have to. 

Mother's Day

Somehow, working in the garden has become the tradition on the farm.  This Mom's Day David tilled the garden plot.  The little tree is a Stanley Plum we put in a few years ago.  The surprise was to see a cluster of grapes!  This has been a strange spring.  A drought is upon us and the plant life is a month ahead of normal.  The cherries are getting ripe, the grasses are forming seed tops, the weeds are bountiful. 

Baby Catie

Spring Means Horseback Riding

Helen teaches horseback lessons in Paonia year round but now is the time the students can show what they know.  I was proud to see 4 of our MFT horses participating.  Gipper, Rosie, Taffi and Cheyenne. 

Nothing Stops Spring

You can count on it.  The raven pair have new babies already.  Weeds are popping up faster than I can tackle that issue and I can see the Grand Mesa is greening.  Our place is in full bloom and even the elm trees are shedding seeds.  The new garden plot is getting ready.  I have watered it so weed seeds will sprout and soon I can till again and incorporate peat and other goodies.  I will plant small this year and see how it does.  The former garden plot finally got depleted as well as surrounding trees grew so tall that sun was blocked in the morning.

Lucy knows she is not supposed to chase the barn kitties so she stalks them from my 'sewing chair' in the kitchen nook.