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This is the before picture of the pond below the house.  It was very dry, allowing us to dig it deeper and build up the dam.  Lots of work.  The pond is filled with excess irrigation water from the Pine River Canal, which originates at Vallecito Reservoir north of Bayfield, Colorado.

In just a few hours the pond filled, albeit with very dirty water. It was fun to watch the water snaking through the ditch, working its way to the pond, and then watching it slowly fill. Although the water overflowed the dam, as expected, it all worked beautifully.  Allan was relieved, and quite proud of another successful project.

We have a young man, Ben Rote (far left) from Memphis, Tennessee, interning with us for the summer, and hopefully the fall as well.  He is such a pleasure to work with, works very hard, and is already a tremendous asset to the team.  With so much hustle and bustle this spring he is probably wondering what he got himself into!

We were also blessed to have two young men from Albuquerque, New Mexico, help us with a few projects.  Walker Simpson (middle) and Chase Snyder (right), high schoolers doing their senior work project for the month of April at the ranch next to us, volunteered to help us with some of our work.  They were great help and fun to work with.

If this is any sign of how the summer is going to go, it will be a great one!  Allan couldn't be happier.

If you remember we planted 2 cherry trees, 1 peach, 2 apples, and 5 chokecherry trees last fall, and they all survived the winter. The cherries in the forefront are blooming, perhaps just a little too early.  The other trees are across the drive, directly below.

The day after I took this picture we covered each of the trees with Agribon, a fabric that protects the blossoms from the frost.  The temperature is still dipping below 32 degrees at night, so I am hoping that a little protection will increase our chances for some fruit this summer and fall.  We will keep you updated.

There is an epidemic of gluten intolerant people lately, and it had me scratching my head, wondering what was triggering it. Wheat has been the staff of life for ten thousand years, but suddenly it's everyone's worst nightmare.  Surely Jesus would not have used bread as a symbol representing himself if wheat was such a toxin.  So I decided to do a little research, which did not take long.

I found out that the wheat grown today is a hybrid dwarf, and very different from the wheat of our ancestors.  Not only that, but through a process called chemical mutagenesis the wheat becomes tolerant of the herbicide Beyond in a process very similar to GMO.  Not only that, our modern methods for processing the flour strips the wheat of its essential nutrients.  Once again, thanks to modern science, we are left with a product that only vaguely resembles its former self.  

Please click on the link below to read the entire document. I think you will find it very enlightening and well worth the read.  

Itching to get the grill sizzling?  Try our May Day Grilling Special.  In this chef's delight you will receive the following (all weights approximate):

May is such a lovely time of the year.  The threat of winter is past and the promise of warm summer days and nights makes getting up early each day something to look forward to.  The birds are singing their songs of good cheer, the chickens are scampering about collecting bugs again, the grass is green and starting to lengthen, and all is well at GrassRoots Meats.  Hope that wherever you are, you and your family are enjoying the spring as well.  God bless you!

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Email: grassrootsorders@centurylink.net

Phone: 970-582-0166

Website: www.grassrootsmeats.com

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