Spring has sprung. At least for the time being as I write this on April Fools morning. Most all the snow patches have disappeared while meadowlarks, robins, flycatchers, and BLUEBIRDS have arrived back to the valley here. Deer have moved back up to graze and owls still sound at dusk. Resilient and wonderful bunchgrasses are… Continued
Truth to tell, sitting by the woodstove while listening to the Labradors snore this morning feels mighty good. Siskins, chickadees and finches visit the feeder, silhouetted by a gray and foreboding sky beyond. Most of February gave us ample sun and warmer temperatures that sped us toward spring, while easing up the cold… Continued
As promised, you are reading me again (last notes) at the beginning of a New Year. A Healthy New Year I hope for all. Good health can lead to happiness. One big goal of organic farming and organic food processing is to make sure nutritious food can see its way to your plate. Truth to… Continued
As the afternoons grow ever short, finches and chickadees hurry to fill up on the sunflowers we’ve left for winter. Truth to tell, an edging of snow now crowns the sunflower’s circular face, almost as round as that of Raggedy Anne. We’ve traded the sodden month of November – emphasis on sodden – for the… Continued
It’s here. Fall, and all the colorful glory! This October couldn’t have been any nicer with mellow 60-70 degree days on end, and cooler nights running on for the first three weeks. Crisper air; crispy leaves, resulting from Canada’s bristling breeze pushing down from the northern prairies and mountains. The Hunter’s Full Moon prompted geese,… Continued
Ahhhhh….autumn at long last! And as mellow of a September as this, I can not recall. Which is a strong statement given that September is presumed by many as the mellowest month on our calendar. I can’t get enough of the slow evenings. Evening begins much earlier now and almost suddenly however, evening in of… Continued
Wow! The request I wrote at the end of my last notes was for those displaced by our July fires to be back in their homes with no lives lost. This hope for our valley here was one hundred percent granted! Mother Nature just never ceases to amaze. We couldn’t have had a more drastic… Continued
The smoke has even the birds off-kilter in my estimation. Truth to tell, I’ve heard evening songs in the middle of these shrouded days. As was somewhat feared, if not expected, our little valley is on fire again. The heavy heat came early, back in late June, and has run head-long into the hot month… Continued
There is a bird I’ve yet to identify that wakes me each day at dawn even before the natty house wrens set to chatting. I am awake. I am of the sort that once awake to birdsong and gathering light I seldom go back to not being awake. Just past the Summer Solstice, wake-up time… Continued
Well, it hasn’t been a quiet month at Bluebird Grain Farms where birdsong greets us each morning, the extended high pressure rolls on with lots of sun, temps in the 70’s, mostly calm days but where the wind right now blows above average. Afternoon gusts from the north rattle windows, toss the aspen trees about,… Continued