Fort Collins' feed store with an attitude, Northern Colorado Feeders Supply, wants everybody to know that while their building on the northeast fringe of the city's Old Town has been sold to become a restaurant, they are not, repeat not, going out of business! Stay tuned to their Facebook page for further development! (No pun intended.) Question: How would you rate the City of Fort Collins' and Larimer County's approach to development these days?
According to The Coloradoan, a retired nuclear physicist's electric fence was connected to a 100-foot extension cord that was plugged into a power strip plugged into another extension cord plugged into an electrical outlet. The contraption sparked a brush fire that consumed 1,348 acres of Colorado's Lory State Park.
Many of our horses came back into the barn soaked after
about three hours in Day 2 of Snowmageddon 2013. Their turnout blankets and
rain sheets were soaked through. Considering what horse people pay for
blankets, you would expect better results. Oddly, it was not a case of popular
name v. knockoff. Some big names failed as did a lesser-known model. I also
think as blankets age, they lose their water repellency. Watch the video to see
what our stable discovered during this crazy spring snow storm!
"PB" wears blanket that survived
Manure spreader buried in the snow.
This horse also wore one of the blankets that did well in Snowmageddon 2013. Watch the video to learn more.
Snow hangs over shed roofs in a big way.
This little guy loves being dry and close to the heated water.
Bonnie peeks out over stall door. She didn't enjoy getting soaked in her Weatherbeeta turnout blanket.
Hobbes watches, wishing he could go back out and play in the snow. He didn't seem to care whether he was blanketed. His off-brand rain sheet failed completely, leaving him soaked.
Kalvin with his Wal-Mart pencil carrier stall card holder. Kalvin's rain sheet failed, leaving him soaked, too. Watch the video to see the exact rain sheet.
Snow piled up against the barn. Let us hope we do not have to repeat this experience soon!
It seems to me that most weather experts predicted the giant storm "snowmageddon" about a week ago. Instead it came yesterday and today, leaving about 15 inches of snow at our place. Snow always makes managing horses interesting. Sadly, our beloved John Deere 950 met its final demise during the storm. While plowing, it blew a rod, which smashed a hole in the engine block. On the up side, I hope this helps the drought!
Our John Deere 950 blew a rod while plowing heavy snow.
This deep snow will be great for the lower pasture!
I've seen turkey vultures in Fort Collins neighborhoods south of us, but never here. These lovely specimens perched in the old willow, which is the lone survivor of the twin willows that gave our house, the Twin Willows Tea Room, its name. Click on the Historic Farm category to find that story.
Our pond stayed liquid during the storm, which the mallard ducks appreciated today. You cannot see them, but they are behind the tree in the foreground.
"Big business, big government, and big farmers have forged an agricultural economy that is not sustainable. Everybody knows it. We have watched economic bust follow every economic boom regularly over the years. Why not just accept it all as the price of human greed and go our separate ways. But I can’t help being fascinated, the way rattlesnakes fascinate me."
Local government's topography has changed a bit with the election of Fort Collins developer and planning and zoning board member Gino Campana to the city council, and the selection of Robert “Terry” Gilbert as community development director for Larimer County. One wonders about future changes in land use ...