Fencelines

[Dotch]

Oh yeah. A dozen boxes will only last me about a week though. My little fat buddies expect me to share unfortunately.

[Bobby Bass]

My son in law buys the thin mints by the case and freezes them. I figure pretty soon he will find out I have been helping myself and putting the empty boxes on the bottom.. Hey I go t to get paid for my work at his house someway! 

[Dotch]

  Good 'un, Bobby! We did something like that to a guy who ordered cookies last year. While he was on vacation, they dropped his GS cookies off at our office. Big mistake. We put his cookies in safekeeping, ate all our own boxes, saved the empty packages, then put them in the bag with his name on it. The look on his face was priceless when he picked up that bag of "lite" cookies...

[Dotch]

Or if I ever need a reason to smile...

The scurs were close but not right on target with the weekend winding up a little colder than expected. Oh well, still not as wicked as the week before. What’s on tap this week? Improvement. Wednesday, partly cloudy, high of 25 with a low of 10 and a slight chance of snow Wednesday night. Partly cloudy Thursday, slight chance of snow, high of 20 and low around 10. Becoming partly cloudy Friday, high of 20 and low of 10. Saturday and Sunday, partly cloudy, highs of 25 – 30 and lows of 5 – 10. Monday starting out partly cloudy, becoming cloudy with a chance of snow by evening. High of 25 – 30. Mostly cloudy Tuesday with a chance of a rain snow mix, becoming all snow by evening. High of 30 – 35 and low of 5 – 10. Normal high for January 30th is 24 and the normal low is 4. For the period January 23rd – 30th we will have gained about 16 minutes of daylight, so it’s getting better. The scurs have their shades open to let in all the extra daylight.

It is nice in the evening to actually see what you’re doing when starting chores. By the time we’re finished though, one has to be glad there are lights and we’re not stumbling around out there with kerosene lanterns like the old days. Seeing the artists’ renditions from folks like my late uncle Harvey and Bob Artley, one can these days only imagine what that was like. Once in awhile we get a little taste of the nostalgia when the power goes off for a few days. The novelty wears off pretty fast however.

The common redpoll numbers at the bird feeders over the weekend just exploded. There were several of the feeders absolutely covered with them as was the ground under the feeders. There were a couple that were lighter in color that may have been hoary redpolls but as quickly as they move and as inexperienced as I am at identifying them, I wouldn’t bet my life on it. Regardless, it’s still fun to see all these little visitors from the boreal forest in northern Canada. They do this every few years as I understand it in a migration known as an irruption, in search of food. Well, they found it alright. There are still lots of goldfinches they hang with and after watching the woodpecker numbers over the weekend, there’s a reason the suet feeders need filling as frequently as they do. Some years the starlings are a problem. So far, they’ve been present but not in large numbers. Appears to be squirrel mating season at the ranch judging by the behavior of the three in our yard. Oh it’s a scene, man.

Getting some daylight hours to do the chores one can definitely see there are some ewes bagging under the heavy quilt of wool. With the drier late summer we had and good control of parasites, their wool is especially nice looking this winter. In a few weeks it’ll be shearing time and we’ll get a close up of where we’re at. Did toss the remaining squash over the fence as they had definitely expired, starting to smell faintly like someone's old sneakers in the garage. The ewes were absolutely overjoyed to get the squash and started a scrum to get at their favorite types, not unlike the little fat buddies going after an assortment of bars after an anniversary. By evening chores there were only a few remnants they’d pushed through the fence. Tossing them back over the fence, the scrum was on again. One downside to getting light at choretime, one can actually see how much hay is left in the granary. In a few weeks, the hay fairy will have to make another visit.

The weekend wasn’t good for much outdoors so once again was forced to watch Gopher basketball on the tube. Tubby got the boys back on track again. Nice win at Bloomington Sunday followed by a nap. Always brings a smile to my face when I wake up.

With all the cold weather, it’s been time to clean out the office at the Mall for Men. It’s actually more like an archeological dig. Papers from 2006, receipts from ’04, a couple 37 cent postage stamps, and an ’07 calendar. A remarkable discovery though after removing the protective layer of dust and papers: There is indeed fake wood beneath all the rubble. Should’ve filmed the event and sent it in to the Discovery Channel.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

The winds of Thor are blowing cold...

Improved as the scurs predicted was right for last week but anything was better than the bitter cold we experienced for mid-January. How do we fare this week? Starting Wednesday under clear skies, high of 25 and low of 15 – 20. Warmer both Thursday and Friday, clear Thursday becoming partly cloudy Friday with a chance of snow in the evening. Highs of 30 – 35 and lows of 20 – 25. Partly cloudy Saturday with a chance of snow and/or rain, high of 35 and low of 20 – 25. Partly cloudy Sunday and Monday, highs of 30 – 35 and lows of 20 – 25. Clouding up on Tuesday with a chance of freezing rain. High of 20 – 25 and low of 20. Normal high for February 6th is 27 and the normal low is 6. We officially have over 10 hours of daylight as of February 4th and we gained about 18 minutes of daylight in the last week. The scurs saw their shadow on Groundhogs Day so there will be six more weeks of winter just like there always is.

February 9th ushers in the Full Moon for the month. This was known as the Full Snow Moon as the snow was usually deep during this month. The Indian tribes also knew this as the Full Hunger Moon as the snow had become so deep that hunting became difficult. The Ojibwe knew this as the Full Sucker Moon as the suckers began to run in the streams in the month of February. The Sioux called this the Raccoon Moon as the raccoons frequently would come out of their deep sleep during a February thaw. Without the road system in those days, the raccoons had to feel much safer.

At the Mall for Men one will need to note the change in the barbershop days and hours. Leo will be in on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 – 5. One will just have to wait until Tuesday to look like Brad Pitt. At the training table there have been plenty of offerings as long as one stops at an out of town bakery or the grocery store. Oh to have a local bakery again…

The bird feeders weren’t quite as busy this week as the seed consumed bore that out. Warmer temperatures and melting snow seem to impact that activity. However, there were 6 rooster pheasants and 2 hens that warily made their way across the pasture to the CRP, using the plum and sumac as a staging area. Lots of pheasant tracks around the ear corn feeder there. With the warm up, a few mourning doves have returned. The number of redpolls dwindled although there are a few pair hanging with the goldfinches. The pine siskins were a no-show while a white breasted nuthatch appeared again over the weekend, silhouetted against the tree trunk as if it were a broken off branch. The high winds that seem to frequent the area blew one of the squirrel nests out of the tree. Not sure if it was Tubby’s or Scratchy’s. Maybe they’re cohabitating.

Wasn’t last Saturday a breath of fresh air after all that cold junk we’ve experienced? It was so nice in fact that I went on a garden seed buying mission. Found the cucumbers we’ve enjoyed so much the past several seasons as well as string beans, beets, radishes, sugar snap peas and one packet of old fashioned blue Hubbard squash. That below zero weather has given many of us cabin fever and the chance to get outside and enjoy some warmer temps and sunshine was just what the doctor ordered. Lots of snowmobilers out and about apparently trying to take advantage of what could be the last of the decent snow conditions for awhile judging by the frozen muddy track that was the trail on Monday morning.

Saturday was a good day to get some chores done around the house too. The water softener needed a couple bags to top it off. Amazing how little salt these on-demand type softeners use compared to the old soften-every- so many-days types. A couple bags last about 4 months with just the 2 of us. The sheep buildings needed some bedding so maneuvered a couple big square bales of corn stalks around to make the task easier. No sooner had I set the bale down by the lambing barn and the sound of a couple new arrivals could be heard from within. Not what we wanted to hear for a couple weeks yet but there’s no stopping them.

Everyone was fine and cooperative so got some panels around after bedding the building. Next morning, same song, different verse only with the strong winds, one lamb was chilled so that one has taken up residence in the house. Hope this is the last of the surprises although starting out with all ewe lambs is never a bad thing. Gee, I should be happy the lambs are coming early, the sooner they start the sooner it’ll be over, right? No, the sooner it starts the longer and more drawn out it generally is. The ewes are not shorn, the barn essentially is not ready yet, there will need to be more hay and bedding procured and the trips to the barn before bedtime will go on for an eternity. I just start being crabby earlier is all.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Oh Sweet Pea, won't you be my girl...

The scurs on target once again, their longer-range forecasting frequently prompting phone calls from people wondering what to wear a week in advance, most likely those wanting to avoid laundering cold weather clothing. This week? Starting Wednesday out with partly cloudy skies and a slight chance of snow, high of 30 – 35 and low around 20. Partly cloudy Thursday, high of 30 and low near 15. Friday through Sunday, the weather machine is stuck on partly cloudy, with highs near 25 and lows near 10. Warmer Monday, partly cloudy, high of 30 and low of 15 – 20. Partly cloudy Tuesday becoming cloudy with a chance of snow in the evening. High of 30 – 35 and low of 20. Normal high for February 14th is 29 and the normal low is 9. We’ve gained about 19 minutes of daylight in the past week and since the winter solstice, we’ve gained an hour and 35 minutes as of Valentines Day. The scurs will be full of energy after consuming all their Valentines chocolates.

Longer days are making their mark with the yard light coming on during night chores and going off during morning chores. The weekend sunshine was certainly a welcome sight, making one want to get outside and enjoy it. It was nice as long as one could be out of the strong westerly breezes. With lambs hitting the ground it was great that our sheep shearing neighbor took pity on us and changed his schedule so we could get the brood ewes shorn Saturday. Not like the days of old when it was an all day affair with a big home cooked meal at noon but we threw together what we could for the wonderful crew who showed up to help.

Still amazing to watch a good shearer peel the wool off a ewe in a matter of minutes, then grab the next one the catcher has ready and start the whole process over as the wool bagger grabs the fleece and plops it in the packer. We add an extra step to the process as we treat for parasites when the ewe comes off the shearing board. We had a newbie helping who caught onto the process quickly so it didn’t skip a beat. The wool we produce probably winds up in (where else?) China. The fleeces are taken out of the burlap bags and sorted. Since ours is a fairly consistent medium wool, it probably goes for carpet and overcoats as explained by the wool buyer who also happens to be the shearer. The main thing was I was able to get my power nap in late that afternoon as the bottle lamb quietly read the NRHEG Star lining her cage in the garage. Her favorite columnists? Let’s just say she’s not fussy.

Sunday was a good day for pruning the apple and crabapple trees that I’d made a pretty good start on last year. Not wanting to take off too much growth in one season, these trees were on the 2 year plan. Didn’t plan on being as aggressive as I was but when Mrs. Cheviot gave the finished, platformed product her stamp of approval, I knew I’d done well. It’s always nice to have some of the apple wood on hand too for barbecuing as it imparts a wonderful flavor to the food being cooked. It’s even nicer to be able to mow under the trees without getting snapped in the face or losing your glasses to those insipid lower limbs.

What can I say about the birds at the feeders this week? There were over 50 common redpolls at, under and around the feeders this past weekend at the same time. They outnumbered everything else and when tree pruning they were not amused that their feeder tree was being worked on, vocally letting me know about it. The pheasant numbers are increasing too with more hens showing up. There are still 6 roosters and about an equal number of hens. They change their routine up from day to day too, sometimes coming through the pasture south of the house and other days going around to the west and moving from one clump of yellow Indiangrass to the next. Placed an order for more shrubs from my local SWCD. The deadline in Steele Co. for tree orders is February 27th and for Waseca Co. it’s March 15th. The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is now.

Guys, don’t forget to get your sweet pea something nice for Valentines Day. Yes, I know times are tough but you know how the old story goes: If you agreed ahead of time to not get each other anything, you know she’s going to get you something so you’d better reciprocate or you’ll suffer the consequences. Think on the bright side though, if you have to sleep outside in the car at least it’s warmer out.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Everybody I know seems to know me well...

Wow! The scurs fire another week of nearly precise forecasting. Obama will be calling them to fill some of his advisory posts. Fortunately they’ve paid their taxes. What about this week’s forecast period? It starts out a little taxing. Midweek highs will be below normal starting Wednesday under cloudy skies with a chance of snow for good measure. High of 25 and low of 0. Cold sunshine Thursday, high of 15 - 20 and low of 5. Partly cloudy becoming cloudy Friday with a chance of snow showers late. High of 20 - 25 and low of 5. Partly cloudy Saturday, high of 20 and low of 10. Warmer Sunday, partly cloudy becoming cloudy with a high of 25 – 30 and a low of 20 – 25. Chance of sleet and freezing drizzle in the overnight hours. Cloudy Monday with a chance of freezing rain and sleet. High of 30 and low of 25. More of the same for Tuesday, turning to snow by evening. High of 35 and low of 15 – 20. Normal high for February 20th is 31 and the normal low is 11, the same as we normally see in early December. On the 24th, the sun will begin to rise before 7 a.m. Early to bed and early to rise, makes the scurs healthy wealthy and wise.

Last week’s snow sure left in a hurry, didn’t it? There are still some large snow banks left in the fencelines but generally speaking, the amount of liquid water equivalent in the snow hasn’t been terribly high hence part of the reason for the snow’s quick exit. Speaking of quick exits, the mass exodus of fish houses from area lakes early last week was nothing short of astounding. One after another of the shanties trailing behind a wide assortment of moaning, groaning vehicles gave Gus and Lucy cause to put up a fuss. Of course airplanes, tractors, large trucks and neighbors sneezing are capable of setting off the dog alarm as well.

The rapid snow melt did manage to fill the basin on the CREP wildlife wetland below the hill. On Wednesday morning, there a couple dark figures one could see in it from the house. Thought perhaps the muskrats were playing around. However upon closer examination with the binoculars, two Canada geese had already decided to ply the waters. While it was short-lived as the water froze solid the next day, it almost made one feel that eventually it would be spring. The little horned larks are showing up along area roads in pairs so they’re getting towards nesting already. Having short grass pasture, there are likely some taking up residence although to see them one would have to go looking for them with a flashlight after chores. Still plenty of little Canadian visitors as well in the form of common redpolls. Down to about 30 this past weekend but still eating as if there’s no tomorrow. Good thistle seed, aye?

Lambs continued to arrive through last Tuesday then the ewes took several days off. Moved some ewes with lambs at side out of the jugs to the loafing area over the weekend. The youngsters were glad to be out of their pens and celebrated by hopping and bounding around their new environment, while the mothers bellered frantically trying to reel them in. Oh to be young again.

Saturday’s Valentines Day shopping made for yet another minivan adventure. Stopped at the Man’s Store where you go to the bathroom in the big orange-topped silo. Was able to hide the vehicle between several large trucks. Wearing my wavy blonde soccer mom minivan driving wig, I managed to slip in and out nearly undetected. The only thing I could figure was that with the beard, people must’ve mistaken me for Robert Plant. Only ran into one person I knew and he didn’t see what I was driving. On to the French female’s store where driving a minivan could be considered a plus. The whole parking lot is full of them as well as a lot of small SUV’s so one blends right in. And, the cramped parking spaces there simply don’t lend themselves to parking an extended cab one-ton dually. It generally takes up a couple spots and sticks out like a sore thumb. Once inside the store, the population was 95% female, all gazing at me as if I’d escaped from a leper colony. There were a handful of metrosexuals and a smattering of older males looking as though they’d received a death sentence while their wives dug through the racks for bargains. No pickup drivers in here I thought to myself.

This store is laid out in a fashion such that only a female could understand it. One can go from DVD’s and bumble into the feminine hygiene products aisle in the blink of an eye. Experiencing this caused me to resurrect a tactic developed and perfected by the Boy Entomologist whilst battling the dreaded Blue Plague: Scrinch your hooded sweatshirt down over your face and run with reckless abandon while seeking out your prey, in this case Valentines cards and a bottle of shampoo. People give you funny looks but by golly you sure get in and out of there fast. Plus no one figures out who you are if you pay cash. I did discover a couple things worth noting: Oreos were on sale and Betsy’s Dad is right; he probably does have more fishing tackle than they do in the whole store!

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

And the young birds eyes do always glow…

While the scurs were a little premature on their precipitation forecast for the week, they managed to catch the cool down right on the money. This week? Starting Wednesday, cloudy becoming partly cloudy with a chance of freezing drizzle rain in the morning. High of 35 – 40 and low of 15 – 20. Thursday, cloudy, with a good chance of snow. High of 25 and low of 5. Clearing on Friday and colder, high of 20 and low of 0. Partly cloudy Saturday, high of 20 and low of 10. March 1st arrives Sunday with partly cloudy skies. High of 30 and low of 25. Cloudy Monday with a chance of wintery mix of precipitation. High of 30 - 35 and low of 20. Cloudy Tuesday, high of 35 - 40 and low of 25 - 30. The normal high for February 27th is 34 and the normal low is 14. On the 25th we will experience over 11 hours of daylight for the first time since mid-October and have gained 2 hours and 7 minutes of daylight since the winter solstice. The scurs will be enjoying their last week of freedom before the Time Bandits steal back an hour of our time.

Temperatures continue to lag along below normal giving us an occasional taste of warmth before deciding we really don’t deserve it. Snowfall for the month while sparse has contained a fair amount of liquid thus far. We’ve only received roughly 3” – 4” of snow but it contained .2” of liquid equivalent. This is typical of course as we get closer to spring. The more recent trend however has been for precipitation falling more often as rainfall in March than what we were used to back in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Less shoveling!

It has certainly been a great winter to watch the birds with the irruption of birds coming down from Canada including pine siskins, common redpolls and white-winged crossbills. Some have asked what irruption means and in layman’s terms, it’s basically a migration of birds from their normal winter range to another area where they are not commonly seen, frequently due to a lack of food in their typical overwintering area. This year has brought more variety at the ranch than I ever recall seeing. It probably doesn’t hurt that we offer more variety of foodstuffs than we once did and the habitat is growing. While not perfect it allows our guests to feel more at home. Seeing a cloud of redpolls emerge in the morning from the spruce and pines in the yard is evidence of that.

Some have wondered about Little Jerry too. I think he’s still around but am not exactly sure anymore which one of the rooster pheasants he might be. There are up to half dozen of them in the yard on any given day. There is one with a set of tail feathers nearly 2’ in length, the likes of which we rarely see. He’s usually at the feeder right before sunrise and slinks back into the brush after the sun is up. Apparently there’s a reason those feathers are so long. Won’t be long and he’ll be courting the ladies so am guessing that’s probably our guy. Hopefully he picks up after himself a little better than he did last year. Colors are beginning to brighten on the rooster pheasants and there is an ever so subtle hint of yellow starting to show on the goldfinches around their throat and on their nape. Spring is coming whether we like it or not.

Gopher fans were almost suicidal after last week’s dismal performances. The men’s hockey team dropped two over the weekend, the Gopher women’s basketball team lost to Ohio St. and the men’s basketball team punted against Michigan. On Sunday however, Tubby and the boys got their act together and avenged their earlier season loss against Northwestern. Will be interesting to see how they fare against Bob Willerton’s Illini on Thursday. Who’s Bob Willerton you ask? A renowned Illinois sheep guy and Illini fan who’s shared some humorous tidbits concerning the Blagojevich debacle with me from time to time. As he points out, the Coleman and Franken matter is small potatoes compared to the media circus there. I agree. Every time Blago’s on the tube, you just know it’s gonna be good. Coleman-Franken lawsuit? Snoozers!

After taking about 10 days off the ewes were back at it again late last week, with this week promising to get us closer to half done in the lambing barn. The first lambs born are growing like weeds and have been taking to their creep feeder like fish to water. For those non-farm types wondering what a creep feeder is, it’s an area set aside designed to exclude the ewes, where the lambs can get started on solid feed. The quicker they’re started on solid feed, the sooner they can be weaned, the ewes can be put out on pasture and the happier Mr. Cheviot is. Ideally, we’d like to wean the lambs at about 8 weeks of age.

There are probably as many designs for creep feeders as there are operations out there. Ours involves use of a panel with rollers in it placed in the opening of a gated -off area initially about 6’ x 20’ long. The rollers in the panel are spaced narrowly enough so the shoulders of the ewes can’t get through it. The spacing’s are adjustable as the lambs get larger to keep their wool intact and allow them to slip in and out without getting bruised or stuck. Come to think of it, this is probably not a bad idea at the Mall for Men where the little fat buddies are anxiously awaiting the arrival of their Girl Scout cookies, another sure sign of spring. The cookies, not the little fat buddies stuck in the creep panel.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

It's got me under pressure...

The scurs were a little overly optimistic in their temperature predictions for this past cold weekend but are more confident we’ll see some warmth return to mark the first week in March. Starting Wednesday, look for partly cloudy skies with a high of 40 and a low of 30. Slight chance of freezing rain in the overnight hours. Thursday starts out cloudy becoming partly cloudy, high of 45 – 50 and low of 25 -30 with a slight chance of rain during daylight hours and light snow in the evening. Cooler Friday, partly cloudy, high of 40 and low of 20, slight chance of snow after dark. Saturday, cloudy, high of 35 – 40 and low of 20 – 25 and again, a slight chance of evening snow. Partly cloudy Sunday and Monday, chance of snow/rain/sleet starting Sunday evening. Highs of 35 and lows of 25. Partly cloudy becoming cloudy on Tuesday, high of 35 and low of 25 with you guessed it, chance of snow flurries. Normal high for March 6th is 37 and the normal low is 17. The scurs will be getting up at 2 a.m. on March 8th as is their wont to set their clocks ahead an hour.

There have been plenty of articles recently about how this time change is nonsensical. It makes perfect sense: If you want everyone to be irritated and crabby for a week, this is the obvious way to do it and while you’re at it, increase their health risks at the same time. From Reader’s Digest, a recent Swedish study showed that the number of heart attacks increases 6 – 10% for the 3 days after the clock is moved forward. In the fall when the clock is turned back, the number of heart attacks falls by 5%. The likely culprit for the increased risk? Sleep deprivation. In the same magazine, there was a portion of an article dedicated to mistake proofing your life. One of the suggestions was to get more sleep. To quote the passage, “Sleepy people make more mistakes and there are staggering numbers of sleep-deprived people out there”. If big government was really concerned about our health, wouldn’t they would be wise to get rid of Daylight Saving Time?

The moon could really give a rip about what time some politicians think it should rise and set. It does what it’s been doing for millions of years in spite of their decrees. This month the Full Moon occurs on the March 10th at 9:38 CDT. It is known as the Full Worm Moon as once the ground thaws we begin seeing worm castings. It is also know as the Full Sap Moon as the sap in the maple trees begins to run during this month. The Indian tribes of the northeast also knew this as the Full Crow Moon as the calling of crows signaled the end of winter. The Sioux knew this as the Moon When Buffalo Drop Their Calves, while the Ojibwe knew this as the Snow Crust Moon as the snow develops a crust from the thawing days and freezing nights. After a long winter, would imagine everything was probably a little crusty. For those who missed it, the moon was in conjunction with Venus in the western sky last Friday. Consulted with RJ, Vista’s noted Swedish astronomer, and he indicated this was indeed true.

Are you ready for it to be spring? I know I am. This has been a long one, starting the latter part of November and not showing much sign of letting up since then. Reckon one can do things to get ready like order garden seeds (already got ‘em), take naps (did that too) and work on getting the lawn mower ready (are you nuts?). Thought about shaving the beard off but would rather wait until it warms up for good. The way it’s going, I’ll look like one of those ZZ Top guys by July.

Last week’s thundersnow was an eye opener as it looked like maybe we were turning the corner and heading towards spring. Spotted a Canada goose flying north just before the well publicized storm started which seemed a little odd. The thundersnow that followed seemed equally as odd. The sudden drop in pressure, the energy the storm contained and the velocity at which it was moving made it a prime candidate for thundersnow. From an e-mail response concerning the relative frequency of thundersnow here in MN, Dr. Mark Seeley, U of M Professor and Extension Climatologist/Meteorologist indicated it doesn’t occur all that often. We experience a lower frequency of thunder and lightning during the months of December through February relative to the rest of the year. As Mark points out, according to NOAA statistics lightning and thunder has a variable frequency in February of once every 8-11 years in Minnesota. As he also points out, the sample size they’re working with is pretty small so it’s hard to be much more precise than that. I remember the first time hearing thundersnow one January night back in 1971 during a blizzard. I would’ve bet anything the Russians were bombing us.

March came in like a chilled lamb and speaking of the chilly temperatures, we still have a bottle lamb living in the garage. Oh it’s no big deal, she’s in a shavings lined dog kennel and we let her out to get some exercise after feeding, allowing her free run of the garage while we’re outside doing chores. Was puzzled though one day last week why the lamb suddenly became a little “loose” in the caboose and was emitting a strange, foul odor. She was healthy as a horse though and drank her bottle greedily just like always. Come to find out during recess one day, Mrs. Cheviot determined the lamb was getting into a pail of onions, some of which had sprouted. While we were working outside the little woolly was delighting in nibbling the nice green tops off the bulbs. We put the onions up out of reach and things have returned to normal once again. We did however change the lamb’s name to Vidalia.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Oh, throw down your plow and hoe…

The scurs should be playing horseshoes as they’ve been getting close. Adjust the timing of some of the precipitation events by a few hours and they’re on the money. After some early week precip and cold midweek, this one promises to be drier and warmer. Starting Wednesday, the scurs see partly cloudy skies with a chilly high of 15 – 20 and a chillier low near 0. Clear and we see the start of a warming trend Thursday, high of 25 and low of 10. Clear Friday, high of 35 and low around 15 – 20. Saturday clear again with a high near 40 and a low of 20. Mostly sunny Sunday with a chance of rain showers. High of 45 and low of 30. Cloudy Monday with a chance of rain, high of 45 – 50 and low of 30 – 35. St. Patrick’s Day Tuesday, partly cloudy with a high around 50 with a low of 30 – 35. Normal high for March 13th is 40 and the normal low is 20. On St. Patrick’s Day we will see our day length increase to over 12 hours for the first time since last September 25th. The scurs will be consuming copious amounts of green malted barley beverages which should serve to make them even smarter.

Spring has been showing us some glimpses of what’s to come although it seems to be doing it in the old “one step forward-two steps back” fashion. Lots of folks saw robins this past week and there were plenty of other bird signs as well. Friday morning during chores there was a small flock of red-winged blackbirds in the yard. A killdeer could be heard and the rooster pheasants have started crowing and drumming on the edge of the yard again. Canada geese have been on the move since the middle of last week, with one group apparently deciding the pond might be open, due to the reflection of the moon off the water on its icy surface. In the wee hours of the morning they were sure to let everyone know about it too. Redpoll numbers at the feeders have tailed off a tad but they’re still around, especially noticeable when the temperature takes a dive or the weather turns nasty. Looks like they’re not quite ready to head back north just yet.

The ewes have taken a break from lambing just as was suspected earlier in the season. We’re stuck at about two-thirds done. Would imagine with the cooler weather forecast, that should trigger another barrage. Am guessing the rams promised to call somewhere along the line last fall but like most guys, must’ve been afraid of commitment.

Getting ready for a late Saturday afternoon nap as is my wont, got a call from a vertically challenged Swede asking me if there were any crows around the ranch. “Well, yes there are, especially in the morning. They get pretty loud.” I said. “Mind if I come over and hunt them? I’ll be there in 5 minutes.” he said. “Yeah, that’s fine.” I mumbled. Scrambled to find some appropriate shotgun shells and by the time I did he was in the driveway. He explained how it worked and set his calling mechanism up in a tree and we repaired to a spot under the spruce trees in the pasture.

There were no birds anywhere in sight but within about two minutes of his activating the call, the sky filled with cawing crows curious to see what the commotion was about. We blasted away at them but only managed to hit one as they flew off. “Well, that’ll probably do it for today.” He said. “They won’t be back as they get pretty smart pretty fast after being shot at.” He was right. We visited for a little after he put the call back in his truck and took off presumably for another site. I went in the house, ready for that nap to ward off the evil spirits resulting from Daylight Saving time. One could get used to this crow hunting I thought as I drifted off.

We’ve been working feverishly in the mornings at the Mall for Men. Our latest endeavor is reviewing restaurants, particularly those serving pie. Of course, in addition to discussing their location, we also hash over how to get to these places. We figure between coming up with a restaurant guide and an area road atlas, there should be some money to be made, at least enough to keep us in cookies and donuts for awhile.

Like a lot of local people, was taken by surprise upon hearing of Orlin Lewer’s passing last week. I could see he’d been having a rough winter a few weeks ago when he’d been in for a haircut but had no idea the end would come so quickly for him. During coffee Monday morning, it was unanimous: He was about as good as human beings get. He’d been a customer of some and served on boards with several of the members at the training table and to a man, we all agreed.

Orlin was one of the generation of farmers I’d watched retire and hand the reins over to his son and daughter-in-law. He was truly one of the nicest people I’ve ever known, always interested in what was going on in the fields and after he moved to town, what was going on in his yard and garden. Wasn’t unusual for him to call and ask about things or leave a bug or a weed with a note on them if I was out when he’d stopped by. Gotta admit, I’ll miss those wilted weeds and containers of bugs on my desk as well as the conversations that followed. Never got to say it in person so thank you Orlin.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

It increases my paranoia...

The scurs keep on getting close and that’s all anyone can ask. The upcoming forecast promises to bring us back to near normal temperature-wise. Starting with Wednesday, look for partly cloudy skies and a slight chance of morning drizzle. High of 50 and low of 25. Clearing Thursday and slightly cooler, high of 45 and low near 25. Partly cloudy for the first day of spring on Friday on through Saturday, highs of 45 - 50 and lows of 30 both days. Warmer Sunday, partly cloudy, high of 55 and low of 35 – 40 with a chance of showers Sunday afternoon or evening. Rain possible Monday under cloudy skies. High of 55 and low around 35. Cloudy with a chance of rain changing to freezing rain Tuesday, high of 45 and low of 30. Normal high for the first day of spring is 43 and the normal low is 23. The scurs will on the lookout for cranky chickens due to all those eggs standing on end as a result of the vernal equinox.

During the vernal equinox of course, you’re supposed to be able to balance an egg on its end with no support. This myth has long since been debunked but you still see people monkeying around with it. Hey, this sounds like a perfect project for Betts and Jody! Actually, it took me awhile to figure out as a lad how they came up with the “vernal” name for spring. Just assumed at the time it was named after the alfalfa variety “Vernal” that everyone used to sow in the spring. Did seem a little odd to name an astronomical event after a forage legume

Was a great weekend to observe the birds starting to move on through. There were waves of Canada geese, more robins, red-winged blackbirds and grackles of course. Monday morning there was even a small group of snow geese passing by the ranch to the north. There were also bluebirds Sunday just before dusk checking out the nesting box situation. Luckily most are cleaned out and ready for occupation, booting the deer mice out in a couple cases back in December. There were 4 very flashy-looking hen pheasants scooting across the yard on Thursday and on Friday, Little Jerry the rooster pheasant was gobbling down corn. Good thing because he’ll need a full tank of gas to keep up with those girls. We had a bald eagle fly over Sunday morning. There have been some in the area over the years but this one was certainly majestic, as it flew with the sunshine accentuating the brilliant white head and tail.

Cranky seems to be the buzz word when it comes to working people responding to the dreaded Daylight Saving Time. When you go out the door in the cold (it was -2 March 12th) and dark, then wake up the birds and livestock, that generally is not a positive sign, especially when you just got done doing it a month ago. The adjustment is getting a little easier due to some quality naps readers have informed me they’ve taken. Of course, if you can’t take one yourself, some of the little fat buddies will volunteer to take one for you. Just the kind of guys they are.

The longer day length is helping to ease some of the stress now we’re receiving over 12 hours of daylight, increasing daily by about 3 minutes per day. The 54 degree high on Sunday didn’t hurt either. The number of people out for walks and crotch rockets humming around greater Bugtussle and environs were signs that folks were more than ready to shed their winter garb to enjoy the weather. However, the leaves continue to cling stubbornly to the red oak in the yard. Known for his propensity for practical jokes, am convinced Al Batt may be sneaking over and super-gluing the leaves back on the tree.

Not to be paranoid but I also suspect the neighbors have been going to the sale barn and dropping off additional sheep at the ranch when we’re not looking. Every time it seems we might be making progress in the lambing barn, it appears there are more ewes left to lamb than we recall. Maybe it’s just a sign of getting old but the process is starting to be pertpetual. My best guess would be the neighbors who are selling us hay. Makes me wonder though how they’re finding all these bred Cheviot ewes and sticking our flock tags in their ears. Something fishy going on around here…

The confuser was acting up and no amount of “magic words” or idle threats seemed to be making any difference so we called in professional help. Seems it could use more memory the computer guru said, increasing the present memory from 1 GB to 4 GB. Ordered last week, it should be in and ready to be installed this week sometime. If only it were that easy on a human level. Making mistakes and cursing Bill Gates at an even faster pace than before should now be possible.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Need a little work and there's fences to mend...

The scurs started out hot and heavy, ushering in spring with some very spring-like temperatures. They’re indicating some cooler temperatures and you guessed it, some chances of snow for this forecasting period however. Starting Wednesday, cloudy with a chance of rain and/or snow in the morning. High of 40 – 45 and low of 30. Partly cloudy Thursday and a chance of rain in the morning and a chance of snow in the evening. High of 40 -45 and low of 30. Partly cloudy Friday, same scenario for precip, high of 40 and low of 25. Mostly cloudy Saturday, high of 40 and a low of 25 with a chance of snow for the day. Sunday and Monday, partly cloudy, highs of 40 – 45 and lows of 25 – 30. Chance of snow Monday evening. Tuesday, cloudy, chance of rain and/or snow, high of 40 and low of 30. Normal high for March 27th is 47 and the normal low is 26. The sun will rise once again before 7 a.m., just like it did back on February 24th. The scurs will be readying the lawnmower for the onslaught of upcoming green grass.

Last Saturday was absolutely fabulous and after the winter we’ve had, one had to say we were due. With a high near 65 at the ranch, one couldn’t get out the door fast enough to enjoy it. Too bad so much of the time winds up spent working rather than taking a little time to stop and smell the roses. Between all the sticks and gravel showing up under the snow pile remnants, there will be plenty of messes to keep Mr. Cheviot busy well into April.

Did manage to get the electric fence mended then up and running again early last week. Moving more lambs out of the nursery building and into the loafing area allows them to exercise while their mothers stuff their faces. The younger lambs also follow the lead of their older playmates and head into the creep feeder. They catch on fast as the first bag of solid feed bit the dust already last Sunday. When the weather is nice, the lambs tend to come out and play. So do the spectators causing a gawker slowdown outside the ranch. It’s fine if you want to watch them but please pull in the driveway for safety’s sake.

Gus and Lucy have helped move lambs by guiding the ewes to barn. They’ve enjoyed the warm temps too although they are about like the Odd Couple. Gus does his best Oscar impression by running through the puddles at full throttle while Lucy tends to be like Felix and skirt the edges. Gus turns into a mud ball and Lucy remains relatively clean. Just the same they’re both tired out after the animals are moved and glad to take a load off after receiving their treats for a job well done.

Saturday’s warmth caused a noticeable tinge of green to show up in the pasture below the hill on the south facing slope. There was a striped gopher who had apparently decided it was time to come up and have a look around. Haven’t seen any sign yet of pocket gopher activity although am sure someone probably has if the ground had been covered by a snow bank for most of the winter. While I was sitting on the throne overlooking my kingdom Friday morning, caught a glimpse of 3 deer moving along the south fenceline before dawn. The leftover brown grass and alfalfa across the fence made them difficult to pick out save for the flick of a white tail giving away their movement.

The redpolls appear to be officially gone. Last Sunday there were nearly 100 and by Tuesday, one lone straggler was all that was left. It’s been fun to see all the visitors from the north we usually don’t see in this neck of the prairie. The goldfinches don’t seem to mind though that they’ve got the thistle and sunflower feeders all to themselves. More Canada geese arrived like waves of bombers over the early part of last week and plenty of ducks, primarily mallards and ring-necks in small flotillas gracing the pond. A great blue heron made a low altitude flyby after probing the murky shallows for morsels. The frogs haven’t been heard yet so the wetland may not have had much to offer. Pheasants can be heard crowing and drumming every morning at choretime although they’ve been kind enough to stay in the CRP thus far.

One special note for me anyway, last Saturday marked the first male cardinal we’ve ever seen at the ranch. Sure, we’ve seen a few females here and seen males other places but never at our home. Apparently some of the plantings are beginning to attract their attention, especially the red osier dogwood where we noted the redbird becomes almost impossible to pick out this time of year. He was seen picking away under the feeder late Saturday as well. Not sure if he’ll stay but it was definitely a thrill to finally see and hear one. Hopefully many more to come.

My bachelor uncle Basil passed away at the ripe-old age of 96 this past week. While his picture can be seen in the dictionary under the definition of “curmudgeon”, he lived for hunting and fishing, sharing that with the many of us nieces and nephews who he took along on his many excursions. He usually shared his grumpiness too but we got used to it. The last fishing trip my brother and I took to Cox Lake, we were busy making some last minute adjustments before putting the boat in the water. Cousin Eugene and company with then 92 year old Basil in tow happened to roll up about that time so naturally we had to visit and decide how to maneuver the vehicles in what was already a cramped access area. Basil being his usual “diplomatic” self had had about enough of our chit-chatting and bellered from the back seat of Gene’s truck, “What’s the holdup?” As we were conditioned to his grumbling we laughed it off and went about our business. After last week, no more holdups; Basil ought to be able to fish whenever he wants now.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

I ain’t gonna take none of your foolin’ around…

The scurs taught those blow combs a thing or two last week. No TV weather hype here in an attempt to get ratings, just an honest assessment what potentially lies ahead. This forecast period starting with Wednesday April Fools Day, partly cloudy with a slight chance of snow in the morning. High of 35 and low around 25. Thursday, partly cloudy with a chance of snow showers in the morning. High of 40 and low near 25. Partly cloudy Friday with a chance of snow in the evening. High near 40 and low around 30. Partly cloudy Saturday in the morning becoming cloudy by afternoon with an increasing chance of rain/snow. High of 40 and low of 30. Cloudy with a chance of snow Sunday forenoon, becoming partly cloudy. High 40 and low of (what else?) 30. Monday and Tuesday, partly cloudy, high of 40 and low of 30 with a chance of precip sneaking back into the picture by Tuesday evening. Normal high for April 3 is 51 and the normal low is 29. We continue to see Jupiter as a major feature of our morning pre-dawn sky on the eastern horizon. On the 6th of April we will experience a day length of just over 13 hours, about the same as we noted back on September 4th. The scurs will be closely watching their caller ID on Wednesday to avoid prank phone calls.

What a letdown this past week was after seeing 65 the weekend before last and then dealing with lows in the teens on Friday morning. We’ve also had to settle for days struggling to get above freezing although there has been bright sunshine and highs in the 40’s. The strong winds of the prior week coupled with the warmer temperatures did take the ice out of most of the local lakes with St. Olaf becoming ice free on March 24th and Clear Lake in Waseca following suit the following day according to Waseca SROC golfing legend TH. Suspect the T stands for “Tiger”. The cooler weather also caused some of the shallow wetlands to re-freeze. Sunday morning was watching the ducks swimming in the portion of the pond that was thawed and resting on the ice shelf after their swim.

There are some encouraging signs too. Saw a robin working along the outside of the lambing barn and went over to examine what he’d been up to. Sure enough, there was an earthworm where the snow had set so the frost must be out there. Have spotted several meadowlarks in my travels locally although none have stopped at the ranch yet. The goldfinches are making their color change. Some of them are pretty blotchy, with the yellow feathers beginning to replace the drab olive overwintering plumage. A few of the little males in our yard are nearly all yellow and their colors will only get brighter as we move into April. They’ve wasted no time establishing the yard as their territory after the redpolls left. If all of them stay, they give our leafless ashes the appearance of yellow flowering trees. The striped gopher was back out again on Saturday afternoon too. Imagine he’ll be stuffing his cheeks with the sunflower seeds the goldfinches toss under the bird feeders, judging by the clumps of sunflowers appearing in the lawn and garden.

Thursday at the Mall for Men looked like a little fat buddy convention, what with all the pickup trucks and commotion. Just our annual meeting complete with guest speakers and the first free grilled brats of the season, an annual rite of spring at the Mall. No self-respecting little fat buddy pays for meals this time of year. Some even go so far as to exchange notes at morning training sessions and write down the times in their date books so as not to miss any free food. All part of their personal economic stimulus package.

Saturday I had to get a load of hay so accomplished that in the forenoon after chores. Had warmed up enough by noon so it was time to go for a tractor ride to get a load of screenings from a very kind neighbor who graciously saves and stores them for me in his shed until needed. In order to make the trip though, the chains needed to come off the tractor first. Managed to stay just warm enough with the heat houser on with as the chilly breeze blew in my face. Was great however to see the “da ‘hood” at a blazing 14 mph. Moved several more pens of lambs out of the lambing barn Saturday early evening so chores would be more consolidated. Border collies Gus and Lucy got their workout in for the week as a result. Transferred screenings out of my wagon, cleaned it out, put it in the pasture, then backed the neighbor's wagon in after moving a bunch of junk out of the way and unloaded the hay Sunday afternoon before evening chores. Likely only one more ewe left to lamb after Sunday night. Gee, sounds like farming!

Gus and Lucy enjoyed the Lions Pancake Feed once again. When I open the car door upon my arriving home, they always put their feet on the floorboards and give me a good going over with their olfactory senses. If their tails are any indication, they love that pancake smell and their eyes get big when they see the bread wrapper full of FFE’s (Flapjack Flipping Errors) and out of code French toast. Funny thing, they never gripe or complain if the French toast is a little too dry, the pancakes are on the medium-rare side or that there’s not enough butter or syrup. Know any humans like that? These are two pretty lucky dogs and some days, they know it.

See you next week…real good then.

[Randy Kaar]

Happy Birthday Dotch!!

Hope you have a good one!

 

randy

[Dotch]

Games people play, you take it or you leave it...

Once again the scurs avoided making any rash storm predictions for the past weekend as opposed to the wild prognostications of some weather professionals. This week’s weather promises to get us back closer to normal. Starting with Wednesday and Thursday, clear to partly cloudy skies, highs of 50 and lows of 30. Clear Friday and Saturday, highs of 50 – 55 and lows around 30. Sunny on Sunday becoming partly cloudy with a chance of rain by evening, high of 55 and low around 35. Cloudy Monday and Tuesday with a chance of a rain and freezing rain changing to sleet. Highs of 40 – 45 and lows of 25 – 30. Normal high for April 10th is 55 and the normal low is 32. The scurs will be getting anxious to plant their early garden. The cottontails are beginning to look gaunt after all the cool weather.

The Full Moon for the month falls on the 9th and occurs officially at 9:56 a.m. CDT. This moon is known as the Full Pink Moon because of the wild pinks that show up in the woods this time of year. It is also known as the Full Grass Moon or the Full Egg Moon. The Ojibwe knew this as the Broken Snowshoe Moon and the Sioux the Moon of the Greening Grass. At the Ranch we know it as the Moon When Sticks Fall Out of the Trees, keeping Mr. Cheviot occupied when weather allows.

Seems like the old one step forward two steps back approach to spring thus far. After a gorgeous weekend two weeks ago, we sunk back into a pattern of messing with snow/rain combinations. Luckily for us, the amount of precipitation hasn’t been excessive. At the ranch we only garnered a tad over and inch of liquid equivalent for the month of March. Most of that went in the ground as there has been very little runoff in evidence. Even though the weekend snow was the consistency of frozen mashed potatoes, it didn’t amount to enough to significantly slow progress. There has been some pack manure spread in the mornings when the ground has been frozen and rumor of some anhydrous ammonia being applied here and there. Farther south prior to the snow, tool bars and anhydrous tanks were common around Ames. Given several days of 70 degree temperatures and some breezy conditions, it wouldn’t take long for field conditions to become fit for most folks.

We’re still making progress towards spring albeit slow. After moving some manure and piling it up, 4 or 5 days later one noticed the south side of the small pile was covered with weed seedlings. Pocket gophers began digging in many spots last week although one could still see signs of snow here and there on north facing slopes in areas. The western chorus frogs that Al Batt mentioned recently began their spring song on the 2nd in the pond. At bottle feeding time, one could make out the faint sound of one lone frog barely croaking but it was there. The following evening was warmer and the tiny frogs began to make themselves noticed in the yard.

Lots of juncos under the feeders this past week, apparently on their way back north to their boreal forest summer homes. Goldfinches are getting more yellow and usually by mid-April we see some of the males complete their color change from a pastel to a more vibrant yellow. Male house sparrows completed some nests in the shed a few weeks ago. Little do they know I have an extension ladder and I’m not afraid to use it. It would be fun to go back in time, find those knuckleheads who decided it was a great idea to bring them into this country, give them a pressure washer and a rag, then tell them to clean all the bird droppings off the tractors in our machine sheds.

After seeing the sleight of hand on display in the recent Star/Eagle, I feel compelled to defend myself. There were several as of yet unconfirmed UFO sightings last week although I suspect to determine why all those eggs were standing on end, one need look no further than the conspicuously placed “easy button” pictured beside the perpendicular hen fruit. Heed my advice; never play cards with the crack management staff.

The little fat buddies had some grueling sessions at the training table, grinding through an assortment of birthday cake, cake, cupcakes, cinnamon rolls and donuts this past week. Best bulk up now while they can as spring work is looming on the horizon. One of the local Bandwagon stars pictured on the front page of the Star-Eagle last week had a hand in this too, supplying the black walnuts on the cake as well as in some oatmeal raisin cookies that mysteriously appeared in my mailbox. We are fortunate as this individual also supplies fishing wisdom and knowledge. A man of few words, when asked where the fish were biting he replied coyly by pulling on his lip.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

And the redbird sings, I'll be blue...

The scurs dire predictions of a sleet and freezing rain event failed to materialize at ground level for Monday and Tuesday. Due to virga however, it was raining several thousand feet up. They set their sights on the upcoming forecast period, predicting improving fortunes for the greater Bugtussle and environs. Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny becoming partly cloudy by evening. High of 60 – 65 and low near 40. Thursday, partly cloudy becoming mostly cloudy in the afternoon with a slight to moderate chance of showers. High of 60 and low of 40 – 45. Partly cloudy Friday with a slight chance of showers. High of 60 – 65 and low of 40 – 45. Saturday and Sunday, cloudy with a slight to moderate chance of rain, the best chance being Saturday evening. Highs 55- 60 and lows of 35 – 40. Monday and Tuesday, mostly cloudy with a moderate chance of rain both days. Highs 50 – 55 and lows around 35. The normal high for April 17th is 58 and the normal low is 35. Sunrise will occur at 6:30 a.m. on the 15th and will set at 8 p.m. on the 17th. We’re adding day length at roughly 3 minutes per day. The scurs will be buying a Jersey cow so they can make creamed peas, onions and potatoes.

Was a dry week and allowed field work to commence for another spring season. Am impressed with the amount of restraint most have shown however when it comes to planting corn. Perhaps the Federal Crop Insurance date of the 11th had something to do with it although would suspect average soil temperatures in the mid-30’s at the 2” depth and the calendar date were determining factors. All bets are off this week however. There has been a nice window for anhydrous ammonia application as well as application of pre-emergent herbicides. Small grain seeding was accomplished and along with an accompanying forage crop in some cases. Great timing for this as the fields are firm and worked up beautifully. There is apparently some frost in areas however as evidenced by local tiling lore. Even with the warmer temperatures, the soils are generally still cold and slow growth from weeds such early emergers as lambsquarters and giant ragweed bears that out.

In the garden things are starting to come to life. Checking the patch on the south slope, the rhubarb planted last spring is rubbing the sleep from its eyes and should pop some leaves out this week. There are some volunteer bachelor’s buttons so the pine siskins must not have eaten all the leftover seeds. Didn’t get the potatoes in the ground on Good Friday but unless this week is a total washout, there appears to be ample time. That and I failed to make the trip to Edna’s for the onions last week. The tiller needs an oil change yet and a giving the plot a dosage with a few skid loader buckets of composted sheep manure first probably wouldn’t hurt.

Bird-wise some notables include the return of the tree swallows to the ranch on April 11th along with some Eastern phoebes. The phoebes found something to their liking in the grass as they’d perch and pounce, devour whatever it was and repeat, their tail flicking the entire time. A brown creeper has been surveying the ash and maples closely each morning. Auntie Mar Mar and Mrs. Cheviot spied the male cardinal again on Easter Sunday as he made a brief appearance in the crabapple tree. Always love to see the redbird.

Was a sad day last week when I received a voice mail Tuesday morning saying my favorite radio personality has passed away the night before. I’m referring of course to Steve Cannon, whose booming voice and radio program graced the airwaves, emanating from ‘CCO’s basement studio for several decades. His program, talent and verbiage has influenced many including myself lo these many years. Reminiscing with several other Cannon fans this past week, there was a common denominator among us: We all tried to make a special effort to be by a radio, whether it was in a combine, tractor, truck or the office no later than 3:07 p.m. to tune in those barking dogs. Steve-O’s theme song (What do you mean you lost your dog?) was just the beginning before introducing the engineer, saying that he would not be adequate.

The Little Cannon’s of course were the hallmark of every show, whether it was Morgan Mundane talking sports along with his prognostications, Ma Linger talking about her little black dress and girlish figure or socialite Backlash LaRue keeping Cannon abreast of the local happenings. It took me several years as a lad to figure out that he was doing these voices himself. Wasn’t alone apparently as Cannon fooled lots of people including the likes of Calvin Griffith. The schtick was the same every day but we all listened and learned all kinds of things about being Minnesotans.

There was Point of Pancake (Point of Law) with Charlie Boone, interviews with Bill Dull (Diehl) as well as with the ink stained wretch, the oracle Sid Hartman, with lots of “Hi gang!”, “Oh yah!” and “Yethir!” mixed in along the way as Cannon moved through his Cannon Mess and all the commercials. There was always the weather with Mike Lunch (Lynch) talking about the “blow combs” on TV weather, the Crack Management Staff, the computer system Cannon apparently was not fond of he nicknamed “Terrible Tone” as well as his reference to ‘CCO as “The Evil Neighbor”, a takeoff on the “Good Neighbor” they fancied themselves to be. Cannon always called his wife “Nanook” making one wonder if he was really married to an Eskimo.

He must’ve loved to play games with people’s minds as we were convinced that he was going to use the ‘CCO cough button so no one had to listen to him coughing up phlegm. This was normally when Cannon claimed to have contracted “The Alien” and of course he’d hack and cough loudly so everyone would hear it. He frequently referred to Hurley’s Hanging Garden’s up Nordeast way. Always figured it was in Northeast Minneapolis somewhere but never did find it. (it didn’t really exist but lots of us thought it did). Every day, after the music to end the show was done, his signature sin-off was always, “I got the money”.

As Cannon used to say after playing his favorite college fight song “Fight on for Ol’”, as performed by the Eveleth City Band with genial Emil Stern wielding the baton, he always got a crick in the knee, a frog in the throat and a tear in the eye. That’s the way I felt when hearing of Cannon’s passing. Steve Cannon truly was the King of the Kilohertz, the Prince of the Airwaves.

http://www.830wcco.com/In-Memory-Of/4123966

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

And go get yourself some cheap sunglasses...

The scurs were close and that’s all that counts in horseshoes, hand grenades and weather forecasting. Will we get rolling in the field once again? Very likely after last weekends showers. Starting Wednesday and Thursday, a couple carbon copies under mostly clear skies. Highs of 70 – 75 and lows of 45 – 50. Partly cloudy Friday, a high of 70 and a low of 45 – 50 with a slight chance of some overnight showers. Saturday and Sunday, partly cloudy with an increasing chance of showers, highs of 65 – 70 and lows of 45 – 50. Monday and Tuesday, mostly cloudy with a chance rain late Monday lasting into Tuesday afternoon. Highs both day around 60 and lows of 40 – 45. Normal high for April 24th is 62 and the normal low is 37. The scurs are trying to decide if they should sharpen their lawnmower blades or rustle some sheep for the onslaught that is the lawn mowing season.

Speaking of the lawn mowing season, wasn’t it incredible to see the green-up in area lawns and pastures overnight following last Saturday’s rain? The rain was welcomed by most although some were disappointed they couldn’t finish their corn planting. Perhaps the calendar should be consulted before bringing corn back and swapping it for beans just yet. Nice to see it rain as it has done so grudgingly to this point. Hard to blame people for planting as much as they did though. Soil conditions have been nearly ideal and soil temperatures at the 2” depth were above the magical 50 degree mark most of last week. Just a guesstimate in the area, probably 20 – 25% of the corn has been planted around Bugtussle. As one gets towards Mayberry, the town directly east on Hwy. 30, progress is not as rapid.

Lots of early gardening progress reported as well although it’s simply too early for most things like tomatoes, cucumbers and squash unless you really enjoy covering them when the forecast pulls the usual surprises typical of late April and early May weather. It was a good weekend at the ranch to get things whipped into shape for another action packed season of lawn mowing and gardening. All the limbs from the apple tree pruning were cleaned up, the tree wrap taken off, the crushed rock put back on the driveway where it came from and the skeletons of last year’s garden were removed, awakening the little native pink spotted ladybugs from their slumber. Could’ve burned the debris but would rather keep the little six-legged aphid eaters around awhile. Just stockpiled the residue until it warms up sufficiently to allow them to stroll around the grounds until they feel at home. On the north side of the house under one clump of sod, a large chunk of ice was discovered. Was suddenly glad I hadn’t decided to rush into the garden just for the sake of getting something planted. Still lots of time.

The latest arrival in the yard is one of the sweetest singers. The chipping sparrows have set up shop for the season and were only too glad to see Mrs. Cheviot brushing the loose hair out of Gus. His fur is prized by many of the area birds as nest construction material. There was a male bluebird through the yard again on Saturday but it didn’t stick around. Still need to reposition a couple of the nesting boxes the tree swallows haven’t staked a claim to just yet. There is still time although the sooner the better. There was a thrush, either a gray-cheeked or Swainson’s judging by the size under the spruce trees while I was moving some brush to the pile. Wasn’t there long enough to get a good ID but it was not one of the usual suspects.

Area ponds including ours have erupted with chorus frogs. Last Friday night when it was warm, decided it would be a great idea to open the bedroom window to let in some fresh air and allow the frogs to lull me to sleep. That they did; the thousands of amphibians in the basin are truly Mother Nature’s little white-noise machines. However, along about 3:30 a.m., my deep slumber was disturbed by something. In my half-awakened state, I couldn’t figure out what the racket was. Once the cobwebs cleared, the honking of a giant Canada goose from the pond was all I needed to close the window and drift off to sleep once again.

Was with great trepidation and reluctance I finally scraped the underbrush off my face. Truth be known, it actually got to the point last week where it was too warm. Of course, the weather naturally became much cooler following that making me long to be a furbearer once again. However, one doesn’t want to be known as heap big paleface either by waiting too much longer. One thing about it, it’ll grow back and if the scurs call the winter like they did last fall, it will likely reappear albeit in more grizzled form. Now what to do about my blonde minivan driving wig? Maybe accessorize with a pair of cheap sunglasses and one of those big, clunky purses.

Oh and Mar-Mar, lest you think you’ve been spared, will be down some rainy weekend for a Clint Eastwood film festival and to do my best icemaker impression. The mystery guy with no teeth? Put this question to the panel of experts here at the Mall for Men. The consensus: It was Jim Morrison. He faked his death you know. Bet his hair was long and gray and he was wearing the same leather pants he wore in 1970. See? The little fat buddies will stoop to just about any level to get raisin bars.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Rainy day people always seem to know when you’re feeling blue…

The scurs scored another bull’s-eye with their last forecast and we received some much needed rain. What’s in store for this edition? Wednesday, partly cloudy becoming cloudy by evening with an increasing chance of showers over the course of the day. High of 65 and low of 45. Cloudy Thursday with showers likely. High of 65 and low of 45. Cooler Friday May 1 with a chance of lingering showers. High of 55 and low dropping to 35. Saturday, clear. High of 60 and low around 40. Partly cloudy Sunday becoming mostly cloudy with a chance of showers. High near 60 and low around 45. Cloudy Monday with a chance of showers. High of 60 and low of 45. Tuesday, Cinco de Mayo, cloudy with another chance of showers by evening. High of 60 and low of 45. The sun will rise at 6 a.m. on that day in Bugtussle. The scurs will be scouring the neighborhood, looking to cash in on unattended May Baskets. Chocolate Easter bunnies are long gone.

Wild week weather-wise, seeing highs climb well into the 80’s and lows down near freezing. This is why we live here however. Give the weather time and there will be something to complain about and someone to complain about it. Showers overnight on the 25th knocked planters out of the field once again. Weekend showers probably sealed the deal for much of the week with little in the way of drying weather in the forecast. Still, roughly 80 – 85% of the corn in greater Bugtussle has been planted. So far so good. Sprouts appear normal and emergence should be occurring even on fields planted by some heathens on Easter Sunday. We may be glad we have the moisture come the end of July or early August when we’ve tended to be a little short. And with the size of the equipment, one can make up lost ground pretty rapidly. It is amazing how planting equipment has expanded since my arrival some 25 years ago. 8 row planters were the norm and if someone had a 12 row they were big stuff. Now, if you aren’t going back and forth with at least 16 rows, some might consider you a hobby farmer.

Tree swallows continue their indecision in picking a nesting box. Am thinking these must all be female as they can’t make up their minds. A pair of Canada geese have had no such difficulty in making the pond their nesting territory. A barn swallow was the latest new arrival on the 24th. No evidence it stayed but at the ranch as with most other small farm operations, one just takes the little bug eaters for granted until suddenly they’re gone in the fall. Did hang up feeders for the orioles and hummingbirds on the odd chance that one or both species might show up. The only thing that showed up though was a lot of wind that proceeded to empty to hummingbird feeder within a matter of a few hours.

Last week I said there was plenty of time to get the early garden crops in. Well, there was until Thursday when warm temperatures caused my farming hormones to kick into overdrive. The rain in the forecast might’ve had something to do with it also. Composted manure was applied, ground was worked and potatoes, radishes, onions, snap peas as well as a new crimson red rhubarb plant all went in the ground in a matter of a few hours. To go along with that, a Mt. Royal plum and a Honeycrisp apple tree were added to the fruit tree arsenal here at the ranch.

Speaking of apples, there may be no honor among thieves but there obviously is among little fat buddies. Recently loaned the pride of my farm equipment fleet, namely the manure spreader to one of our senior members to clean up several loads of road apples. Upon bringing it back he looked a little sheepish and explained that on the way back to the ranch, the jack stand hadn’t latched completely. The foot on the bottom had been ground down pretty well on the asphalt and he vowed to get it repaired at MacGyver’s. A couple days later, the jack stand had been repaired and reinstalled. Just watch, will probably tear it completely off the next time I use it.

Letters, we get letters. A. P. from Owatonna writes that I was mistaken about not being able to stand eggs on end during the precise time of the vernal equinox. Ah, but if one reads closely, notice I never said they couldn’t be stood on end, only that the myth had been debunked. The plot thickens. I have it on good authority that the eggs used in the recent NHREG Star-Eagle photo were fertile. Would be mighty curious to see just what hatches out of them. This may explain why Betts and Jody have been taking turns after hours exercising a rooster and a setting hen on a leash in the alley behind the office. With Reed making amazing progress developing nuclear cold-fusion in the basement, there is no telling what is going on around there at any given moment. I must apologize for being unavailable when numerous attempts have been made to contact me at the Star-Eagle office. The dimly lit tool shed out back from hence this column emanates has only telegraph service. It’s slow too. Guess what? The Civil War is over! A.P.: Appreciate your reading and thanks for the nice handwritten letter that arrived by Pony Express the other day.
http://www.snopes.com/science/equinox.asp

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Upon us all a little rain must fall...It's just a little rain...

The scurs were in the proximity last time around and that’s all anyone can ask when forecasting a week at a time. How close will they be predicting no washouts but chances of rain most days. We shall see. Starting Wednesday, cloudy skies with a fair chance of rain. High of 70 and low of 50. Partly cloudy becoming cloudy Thursday with a moderate chance of rain. High of 70 and low around 50. Mostly cloudy Friday and Saturday and a tad cooler with a slight chance of showers. High of 65 and low near 45. Sunday, partly cloudy, fair chance of showers. High around 65 and low of 45. Partly cloudy Monday, high near 65 and low around 50. Mostly cloudy Tuesday, with a good chance of rain. High of 65 and low of 45. Normal high for May 8th is 68 and the normal low is 43. The scurs are relaxing in the hammock following a long weekend of lawn mowing.

The Full Moon for the month of May falls on the 8th at 11:01 p.m. This is known as the Full Flower Moon or the Corn Planting Moon. The Ojibwe called this the Blossom Moon and the Sioux knew it as the Moon When the Ponies Shed. This is known at the ranch as the Moon When Border Collies Shed although that seems to be perpetual. The nest building birds don’t seem to mind or Gus and Lucy for that matter as wads of hair the size of tumbleweeds roll out of the garage when the door is opened.

Field activity in and around Greater Bugtussle was slowed as the cooler temperatures last week were stubborn about allowing the fields dry enough so planting could commence once again. By Friday afternoon though, breezes blew and by late Friday and early Saturday, planters were rolling. Corn is virtually all in the ground and soybean planting is probably around the halfway mark as of this writing. As fast as soybeans go in, given some good weather between now and press time, that amount could be higher. There are some fields with corn starting to spike through and seedling health thus far looks good. Small grain fields look fantastic as this has been an ideal spring thus far for cool season crops.

Speaking of cool season crops, the early garden stuff is coming along nicely. The radishes started to emerge April 30th, exactly one week after they were planted. The onion sets are also poking through although the peas have yet to make an appearance. The rhubarb that was a little ping-pong ball sized mass of wrapped up leaves just a few weeks ago is now about 18” in diameter. Mrs. Cheviot assures me that it is just about ready to eat. May have to tap into the oriole and hummingbird sugar stocks to make some pie or sauce soon.

Lots of bird activity as the migrants continue to move on through and some of the residents are returning and setting up shop for the summer. Notable among the migrants have been a male rose-breasted grosbeak and a white-throated sparrow. The barn swallows are here to stay as are the brown thrashers who still impress me with their Jimmy Page-like musical skills. On the pond, 3 egrets were wading the shallows in the bright morning sunshine. There are several nesting pairs of ducks too. Counted 3 pair of blue-winged teal, 1 pair of mallards and a pair of Canada geese. There has been something working in the wood duck house too but haven’t been able to determine what so far. Almost all the cedar chips have been tossed out of the nesting box and it’s down to the cedar shavings in the bottom. Curious to know who’s been responsible for all the housecleaning. Still no oriole’s yet the same as one other loyal observer but saw one of the house finches was drinking out of the nectar feeder the other day. As active as they are, they probably don’t need a sugar high.

Grilling burgers Sunday night just before sundown, was amusing to hear the rooster pheasants scattered across the still landscape crowing before their bedtime. Little Jerry has made his presence known during the day too, checking out the corn feeder stationed in what’s left of the sumac and plum thicket after the highway dept. go done with it. He wasn’t impressed and neither was I. Fortunately for him, he was the recipient of all the ears from the food plot. No sense in attracting large numbers of striped gophers to the garden when Jerry needs to keep his strength up. Much handier to shoot the gophers out the window that way too.

Around the yard, buds are popping and this week should display a lot of spring flowering across the countryside. The flowering crabs are ready to burst into bloom as soon as the wild plums are done. Our apples survived the severe pruning they received and are leafing out. This is their “on” year at the ranch so will be interesting to see how the apples are affected. The nannyberries in the yard and fencelines are loaded with buds as are the serviceberries. Thanks to Eric at the Steele Co. SWCD was able to get my chokeberries planted the same day they came in. They only received a little over a quarter-inch of rain though so watered them thoroughly over the weekend by hooking every available garden hose we had together. Hopefully Edna will have a sale soon. Another 5 or 6 hundred feet of hose and we could probably fill the pond when it gets low in July and August.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

I have a bird that whistles, and I have birds that sing.

The scurs have been on fire as of late and not because they’ve been playing with matches. With that degree of accuracy, one would think they’d be on their own private island somewhere in the Caribbean. Alas, they must forecast another week’s worth of potentially wet weather first. Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy becoming partly cloudy with a good chance of rain in the forenoon hours. High of 70 and low near 50. Thursday, partly cloudy, no rain expected. High around 65 and low of 45. Partly cloudy Friday with rain potential increasing by evening. High of 75 and low around 55. Mostly cloudy Saturday with a good chance of rain in the overnight. Expected high of 70 and low of 50. Slight chance of rain under mostly cloudy skies Sunday. High of 70 and low of 50. Partly cloudy Monday and Tuesday with a slight chance of rain Monday a.m. and a better chance Tuesday evening. Highs around 70 and lows near 50. Normal high for May 15th is 71 and the normal low is 46. After Monday morning’s frost, the scurs are keeping their tender vegetation inside a tad longer.

Some progress in the fields although it has been slow going over much of Greater Bugtussle, particularly in areas receiving sudden downpours. Some areas east of Otisco received over 2” in a matter of 45 minutes or less. Corn is slowly emerging and is showing the effects from the lack of sunshine and cool temperatures. Pale color is the norm thus far. Some soybeans have emerged and as of this writing, it remains to be seen how some of them have handled the cool Sunday overnight lows. Small grain continues to look beautiful as do the pea fields at this point. Weeds are beginning to show in the small grain and it will soon be time for control measures where applicable.

In the garden, lots of things starting to show up finally and like the corn and soybeans, it’s been slow coming. Snap peas are emerging as are the potatoes and Indian corn. Some spotty areas in the rows of peas and corn however and upon further investigation, appears the culprits are seed corn maggots. There were lots of small flies buzzing around the freshly turned earth the day they were planted so it should come as no surprise. Also shouldn’t be surprising that there are a few wireworms in the mix. Having torn up some sod a few years back where the garden is makes it suspect for that pest as well. Since the wireworm can live in the soil up to 7 years as larva, it could be awhile before they’re out of the system. The adult wireworm of course is none other than the click beetle. As a lad, would place the beetles on their backs, watch them click their head capsule and do a flip to right themselves again. You see, we were poor and didn’t have many toys.

The Dubya’s weaned calves last week and it was a little noisy for a couple days. Not too long and all is forgotten however. The same program is coming at the ranch with the ewes and lambs soon. Some of the lambs are big enough so they almost lift the ewes off the ground when they nurse. The ewes are getting fatter and more aggressive every day, attempting to make my knees bend in directions they were not intended to while trying to get at the feed. Feed isn’t cheap while grass is plentiful and lush. Doesn’t bother me in the least to torment the ewes by weaning the youngsters after putting up with that nonsense.

Great week to observe the birds as they return for the summer and migrate on northward to their summer homes. Spotted the first oriole on Tuesday and he was later joined by a couple other males. Was curious if they’d stay and Wednesday morning after wondering if someone had lobbed an orange up in the tree it turned out to be the oriole singing away. Have seen at least 3 different males so far. The grosbeak is still around, whistling shyly before bellying up to the sunflower feeder. The white-throated sparrow is still here too and was joined on Sunday by a couple Harris sparrows. No white-crowned sparrow yet but there’s still time. There was even a lone pine siskin one Friday. Not sure where the rest of his pals were but most likely a long way north of here. The first house wren was singing on Friday and the first ruby-throated hummingbird was at the nectar feeder on Saturday morning. Summer can officially start now that they’re all back.

The pond area is still noisy at night, especially on the warmer evenings. In addition to the chorus frogs, the toads are extremely vocal, with their near constant trilling in contrast to the frogs thumb on a comb-like chirping. There were numerous toads spotted in the yard during the first lawn mowing. It wouldn’t be surprising if some of them were heading to the pond to do what toads and frogs do this time of year: Sing!

The little fat buddies had cause for celebration last week upon reading news in the Star-Eagle of the bakery being slated to reopen this fall. The possibility of light rail from the Mall for Men to the bakery has been discussed. So far it’s been slow going especially since there have been lots of treats (pie, cookies, chocolate donuts) amongst the several rain delays. Since tax dollars are short, car pooling may have to suffice for now.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

You gotta roll, roll, roll, You gotta thrill my soul, all right

The scurs hit a snag last week with temps cooler and lesser rainfall than was anticipated. This forecast period includes some warmth and not a moment too soon. Starting Wednesday, high of 80 – 85 and lows around 55 under partly cloudy skies. Moderate chance for rain in the overnight hours. Partly cloudy and cooler Thursday, with a moderate chance of showers. High near 70 and low of 55. Partly cloudy Friday through Sunday with highs of 70 and lows of 45 – 50. Warming up on Monday, partly cloudy, high of 75 and low of 60. Warmer still Tuesday, partly cloudy with a high around 80 and a low near 60. Normal high for May 22nd is 74 and the normal low is 48. On the 23rd, we will see just over 15 hours of daylight, the first time since late July last year. The scurs will be spending Memorial Day at their secret hideaway, not far from my hovel only minutes away from beautiful downtown Zerkel.

Area farmers are putting the final touches on soybean planting. Most was completed this past week and weekend as the promised showers turned out to be less than expected. The frost early in the week singed some corn here and there while the early planted soybeans weren’t generally emerged enough to have taken much of a hit. Crop progress was slow however as temperatures were cool and few GDU’s were accumulated. Small grains and peas continue to look fabulous as this has been their kind of weather, namely cool and on the drier side. In places like IL, corn planting progress has been an ongoing battle with each weather system seemingly targeting that state’s corn growing areas. At this point we have been very fortunate. As the old saying goes, it doesn’t grow in the bag.

Lots of questions about the big rollers seen going across area fields. They are used to smooth the field surface and smoosh the rocks and corn root balls into it so the combine doesn’t pick them up. It’s also very helpful in the fluffy peat soils to take some of that fluff out of it so one doesn’t sink to China when planting. Cost effective? Hard to put a dollar figure on it. There are lots of opinions on the operation but it’s hard to argue with the clean sample of soybeans that results, not to mention the reduction in wear and tear on the combine.

It’ll soon be time to put the rest of the garden in. Can’t wait for the first cucumbers and tomatoes but after seeing the frost this past week, will have to pay attention so there actually are vegetables to be harvested. As in the fields, the garden has been slow too. Lack of heat equals slow growth. Sheltered areas make a difference of course and gardening in town is a whole different ballgame as opposed to coaxing seed out of the ground on the wide open spaces of the prairie. Wind never stops blowing seems like.

Birds continue to move on through or assume their position in the overall scheme of things. Finally saw the white-crowned sparrow although it wasn’t in our yard, it was down near Lonergan Lake. The little cliff swallows are back under the area bridges. Chimney swifts are commonplace in town now and the bobolinks have shown up in the CRP, another sure sign that summer will be here to stay soon. There has been a male red-bellied woodpecker at the corn and sunflower feeders. Odd because for the past many years all we have seen is females. 4 male orioles were disputing the ownership of the nectar feeder one afternoon and by the weekend, there was one who seems to have signed on as our resident songster. The common yellowthroats are busy with their little witchity, witchity, witchity, call. Eastern bluebirds have not stayed here at the ranch, yet, although it appears there is at least one nesting pair at the kindly neighbors pasture thus far. Does a soul wonders just to see and hear them.

Speaking of the kindly neighbors pasture, following the appearance of the Hay Fairy, it was time for the annual ritual of getting the fence back in order. Always a treat to go for a stroll along the fence and put the insulators back on the posts where winter’s ravages pulled them down. While I’m at it, there are bluebird houses to tend along the way or take down and repair. All this so after hauling the freshly weaned ewes over to capitalize on the high quality grass to be consumed there, they stay in where they belong. And as one might expect, the din from the bellering ewes and lambs can be almost deafening. Hauling some of them to the neighbors certainly doesn’t hurt when it comes to cutting down on the noise factor. In the immortal words of Mr. Rogers, it’s nice to share.

Luckily for me there were ample opportunities to regain my strength after all the weekend toils. The Lutheran church in Geneva had their annual meatball feed. Always very good but I missed the Jell-O salad again this year. Wonder what they did with it? I mean a Lutheran church without Jell-O of some kind? Always thought there was something in the bylaws of the church concerning Jell-O. Lest I incur the wrath of the church basement ladies, there were plenty of good things to eat; the meatballs and pie were exceptional. Then, following an afternoon of hauling sheep then mowing and choring for the day, celebrated one of our 4-H kids graduating from vet tech school at her folks place. Lots of great vittles once again and was encouraged to eat more. Most importantly, great to see Alyssa going on to a successful career doing something she appears to love.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Walked out this morning, Don’t believe what I saw…

Egads! The scurs performance was almost as dismal as last week’s Twins losing streak. Something tells me they’ll come out swinging though and hit for the cycle. For those readers who absolutely need to know Wednesday’s weather, look for partly cloudy skies with a high of 70 and a low of 55. Warming up on Thursday and Friday, clear, highs of 75 – 80 and overnight lows of 55. Cloudy on Saturday with a good chance of much needed rain. High of 75 and low of 50. Partly cloudy Sunday, high near 70 and low of 50. Monday June 1st, partly cloudy, 75 for a high with a low of 55. Tuesday, partly cloudy, high around 80 and low of 60. Normal high for June 1st is 77 and the normal low is 52. We’re still gaining a little more than a minute of day length each day, the rate of gain slowing each day as we approach the summer solstice. The scurs will be picking up their lawn chairs at the neighbors a mile up the road after last week’s winds.

What a week in weather contrasts! We start off with a low of 33 on the 17th in Waseca and end up with a high of 97 there and 99 in Owatonna on the 19th. By now most residents of Bugtussle should have all the corn stalks picked up that were blown into town due to the strong winds on Wednesday. Sustained winds were running in the 30 – 40 m.p.h. range, with gusts clocked at over 50 at the Waseca airport. While not a pleasant task to clean up, better than the soil that would have been blowing had that residue not been on the surface of area fields. One has only to look in the road ditch near fields that were in peas last year. The amount of topsoil in them conjures up images of the Dust Bowl. Kudos to farmers who did their best to try to stop some of that wind erosion by rotary hoeing or dragging. Your successful efforts were duly noted.

It’s that time of year once again where I take one for the team. My esteemed colleague and one time philatelist told me it would be nice if I got my column done a little early with the Memorial Day holiday and all. So, armed with a strong cup of hot coffee from our re-gifted one at a time coffee maker, lots of balm in case I spill, and some Dylan and Neil Young on the record player, set course for another adventure in literary magnificence. Man, that’s some strong coffee!

Actually, it’s a gray, drippy Saturday forenoon and with tunes calming the nerves, it’s relaxing to reflect on the week. My mind wanders while watching the house wrens drinking big water droplets off the maple leaves outside the window as the fox squirrel (looks like Tubby) leaps from branch to branch, being dive bombed by the robins and grackles. Saw the first baby robins of the season on the morning of the 20th. Almost flew right into my head while making my way to the barn and Dad was right there to defend him/her. I must have a big head. At least I was a good “breaker-upper” I thought to myself, as I gazed at the map to the barn my pal Jonny had drawn for Mrs. Cheviot, and kept moving as there were “chorse” to do.

Later that day while grilling brats, was scolded severely by an olive-colored oriole appearing bird at the jelly feeder. Looking at the Sibley’s guide, determined it was a first summer orchard oriole. A feisty young lad too, chasing the Baltimore race Northern oriole off so he could have the grape jelly all to himself. Finally broke down and purchased a jelly feeder as the constant wind empties the nectar feeders on a regular basis. Took all of about 10 seconds after putting it out for the orioles to find the feeder and begin dining. Just like opening a box of donuts at the Mall for Men and watching the little fat buddies come out of the woodwork.

With any luck the remainder of the garden should’ve gone in over the weekend. If it didn’t, not to worry with Memorial Day being as early as it was this year. Memories linger though of the Memorial Day snowfall in ’92 followed by the Father’s Day frost that year. Freshly cultivated corn got torched. Then of course there was ’93 where our summer temperatures were about the same as those experienced normally in central Canada. Our tomatoes never did get ripe that year. Oh well, that was a long time ago, and there have certainly been lots of great growing seasons since then. Thanks to my squash loving buddy, the vine transplants are ready to go. Now if it stops dripping, gardening should commence. Maybe after finishing my coffee and a little lunch…

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Strawberry fields forever...

The scurs have been faltering as of late, with rain falling on days it isn’t supposed to and none falling when it should. Sounds like Murphy’s Law is in full force. This week’s attempted forecast is as follows: Wednesday, partly cloudy becoming cloudy, high of 70 and low of 45 - 50. Clear on Thursday, high of 75 and low of 50 with a slight chance of an evening shower. Cooler Friday, high of 65 and low of 50 with slight chance of a daytime shower. Partly cloudy Saturday with a slight chance of showers. High near 70 and low of 50. Slight chance of showers continuing into Sunday, high of 70 and low of 45 – 50. Partly sunny on Monday with a high of 70 and a low of 50 – 55. Slightly warmer under partly cloudy skies on Tuesday, high near 75 and low around 60 with a slight chance of a passing shower. Normal June 5th high is 78 and the normal low is 53. We will only gain roughly 8 more minutes of daylight before the Summer Solstice. The scurs will be savoring these long days napping in the hammock, knowing that by the 26th, they will become one minute shorter.

The Full Moon for the month will occur on the 7th. It is commonly known as the Full Strawberry Moon and is generally agreed upon, even by the Ojibwe and the Sioux who didn’t agree on a lot of things. The name truly fits as the strawberry is primarily in season locally for the month of June. Many of the delectable berries are consumed during the month, making them hard to resist. June is also known as Dairy Month. Strawberries and whipped cream made from fresh Jersey cream were a favorite treat growing up. Few things better!

We’re into the month of June although the temperatures have been somewhat reluctant to give us much in the above normal category. This may be a blessing in disguise however. We seem to be stuck in a pattern lacking an abundance of convective type storms. Oh sure, we’ve been getting a few tenths here and there but haven’t had much in the form of soaking thunderstorms. Since we are just getting by on moisture, probably better to have it a little on the cooler side at this point as opposed to consistently warm temps with high winds. We seem to have plenty of wind regardless.

The crop continues to progress although with the cooler temps, it’s not moving as fast as it might. That’s OK too. There’s no law that says we need to be done harvest by October 1st. After being yellow to start, corn has made that transformation to the nice dark green we’ve all come to expect. Soybeans have emerged, some of them without the benefit of rain so some fields are a little uneven. Small grains and peas are loving this weather. Cool and dry suits them just fine. Some 1st cutting alfalfa has been harvested along with the dandelions in some cases.

Still, it is June. How do we know? The June bugs began showing up in the water tank shortly after seeing them in the soil when working the soil for the garden. They’ve also made their way into the garage and bounce off the screens on the windows, especially when the lights are on in the evening hours. The lilacs are on their way out although their fragrance was powerful the last week in May, wasn’t it? A warbling vireo has added its song to the tunes being sung in the yard at the ranch. The garden neared completion as the transplants all made it into the ground, as well as the beans, beets, sunflowers and early planting of sweet corn. The ground certainly worked up beautifully, just like a garden!

Even with the dry weather the lawns continue to grow. Gus and Lucy went into sensory overload when unloading the 4 wheeler and loading the lawnmower Memorial Day morning to head to Spring Valley to give Mom an assist. Upon returning later that day they got all wound up when the swap was made again. Can always tell when Gus is around. When the lawnmower is started, you suddenly feel something pulling on it, not unlike a sunfish tugging on an angleworm. In this case it’s just Gus, the black and white tire biter.

Made several graduations over the weekend. Got the opportunity to drive my favorite white mini-van once again. Needed to go to Owatonna to Sunday morning to get some supplies and gazed at the non-functional fuel gauge then at the mileage on the trip meter I use to measure miles between fill-ups, noting that there were over 500 miles on it. Normally the little low fuel icon shows up on the dash before needing to hit the panic button anyway so not to worry. With that many miles on the meter, Mrs. Cheviot must’ve put some fuel on while she was driving it this week I thought to myself, pulling up to the store where you go to the bathroom in the silo with the orange roof on it.

After making some purchases, made my way home and hammered on the garden, mowed the windbreak, then did chores. Got cleaned up to go to the graduation, put my driving wig on and hopped in the van, pleased with my day’s accomplishments. About half a mile south of town, the van suddenly began to lose speed and along with it came the sinking feeling of knowing you’re going in. Did manage to make it to the gravel road and pulled off to the side.

Through the miracle of technology, made a cell phone call to Mrs. Cheviot who happened to be working at the graduation just up the road. She needed a break and came to get me. Given my inquisitive nature, I asked if she had put any gas in the van after driving it this past week. The reply was “no” and “the gas gauge doesn’t work but the little orange light should come on if it’s low on gas”. Three things went through my mind as we headed home to retrieve a gas can: (1) The little orange light must not work anymore, (2) No wonder GM went broke and (3) They must not sell gas in Albert Lea.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

His brain is squirmin' like a toad...(again)

The scurs tracked the rain over the weekend and not a moment too soon. What’s in store for this forecast period? The scurs are saying “seasonal”. Starting Wednesday, partly cloudy skies, high of 65 – 70 and low around 50. Slight chance of showers. Partly cloudy Thursday and Friday, highs of 75 with lows around 50 – 55. Starting out partly cloudy Saturday becoming mostly cloudy. High of 75 and low of 55 with a moderate chance of rain Saturday night. Sunday, mostly cloudy with a chance of lingering showers. Highs of 75 – 80 and low near 60. Look for a humid Monday under partly cloudy skies. High of 75, low of 55 – 60. Partly cloudy becoming mostly cloudy Tuesday with a good chance of rain. High of 75 – 80 and a low near 55. Normal high for June 12th is 80 and the normal low is 55. The scurs will be sharpening their mower blades in anticipation of massive lawn growth.

If one listens to the Twin Cities TV weather blow combs, one would swear we were in the middle of a Great Depression era drought. Perhaps they were; only time will tell. This is part of the reason I generally ignore what they have to say about the weather. MN cuts off at about Lakeville to the south and extends from there to the Canadian border. For the time being in SC MN however, while we have been dry, we are a long way from any record dry conditions. In fact, looking at the past week’s release from the SROC in Waseca, this past May ranked only the 16th driest on record and as recently as 2002 May was actually drier. If one looks at the weather data recorded at the ranch, we received slightly more rain than they did at Waseca, 2.32” vs. 1.9”. Anyone who knows the weather here in MN knows that it can change rapidly and without notice so fretting about it is wasted time. As for our crop development, yes we’re a little behind what we might expect based on date of planting. However, we’re far ahead of areas to our south and east where they struggled to just complete planting. The rains from the weekend were just what the doctor ordered with nearly as much rainfall being recorded as we accumulated for the whole month of May depending on location.

Out and about this past week in the fields one ran across in several locations newly hatched baby killdeers. These are some comical looking little birds, looking like striped, fuzzy ping pong balls on stilts. They can run too, not as fast as the parents trying to lure you away by dragging a wing, but definitely quick enough to get out of trouble in a hurry. The baby robins finally left the nest in the garden, leaving me with more solitude and less scolding when getting close to their arborvitae. They’re around the yard yet, trying to adjust to their vocal chords like junior high school boys. Little Jerry the rooster pheasant was in the corner of the lawn looking forlorn on Saturday during the drizzly rain. Sunday he was back at it again, trying to drum up business for one last fling.

In the garden, the radish crop this year has been phenomenal. Have made several harvests and they just get better and better. Eventually they’ll be done and their space occupied by either vine crops or some annuals like bachelors buttons that were planted in the interim. Given the recent rains, this should work out about right. The snap peas have fastened their tendrils onto the pieces of hog panel being used as their trellis. The rabbits continue to annoy. The most recent casualties were the peppers so another piece of chicken wire fencing was put in place to thwart their efforts. This is a nasty bunch. One of them has been eating the tops off the onions. Think I know which one it is too as there’s one the others all seem to avoid.

Saturdays’ rain brought with it the rumble of thunder. What? There was no thunder on Saturday you say. There was if you were a little fat buddy taking advantage of the drippy weather to take a nap. Let’s see, it was gray (check), it was cold (check) and it was rainy (check). That usually enough to do it after a long spring of toiling in the fields, lawns and gardens. The Saturday afternoon rain pattering softly against the east window was about as gentle as one could imagine been and you could hear that pleasant sound until drifting off. The effort was one of my personal bests: A 2 ½ hour powernap. Think there could be some new TV shows in the offing here. How about “Napping with the Stars” or “So You Think You Can Nap”? Guaranteed to be at least as exciting as some of the junk that’s on now.

Managed to finish up planting the last of the planters at work on Friday morning. Tossed the partial flat of petunias in the truck and headed off to work on a mission. After arriving at the Mall for Men, set the flat along the side of the building then proceeded to pull the weeds out of the remaining pots and replace the top 4” – 5” with new soil. After that it was time to plant and it went off without a hitch until I got to one pot that looked a little peculiar. Something was stuffed down into the soil, jamming the petunia off to one side, almost the same size as the 3” pot it was occupying. Upon closer scrutiny, it turned out to be a toad about as wide as it was long that had hitched a ride to town and was hunkered down in the cool, damp petunia container.

Decided he might get along fine in the shade on the west side of the building so placed him there as I finished up the planting. Having given marching orders for the day, thought to myself there must’ve been a reason this fat toad was hanging out on the north side of our house. There are after all lots of insects flying around especially when the outdoor lights are turned on and it was my fault he’d been moved from his favorite spot. Went around to the side of the building to see if he was still there. He was and not more than a foot or so from where I’d left him. Picked him up, placed him in a bucket and quickly gave him a ride back to the ranch where he was released to his old stomping, er, hopping grounds. May sound kinda dumb but since the rain, reckon we’ll need all the little non-chemical bug controllers we can get.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

They carry news that must get through...

While the scurs had predicted some rain for last Saturday, it snuck in ahead of schedule and caught us Friday. The seasonal weather was slow arriving but it too made its way here. This go around starting with Wednesday, skies will be partly cloudy with a moderate chance of rain. High of 80 and low near 60. Thursday, mostly cloudy, increasing chance of rain with a good chance by evening. High of 80 and low around 60. Moderate chances of rain on Friday decreasing as the day goes on under mostly cloudy skies. 80 for the high and 60 for the low. Saturday through Monday, partly cloudy. Highs in the low to mid-80’s and lows in the low to mid-60’s. More rain likely by Tuesday. Partly cloudy, high of 80 and low of 65. Normal high for June 21st, the Summer Solstice is 82 and the normal low is 57. The scurs will be enjoying piña coladas poolside at 12:46 a.m. in celebration.

Yes, we’ve reached the point where the days will be starting to get shorter soon. Is the 21st the longest day of the year? Technically “sort of”. It is in some locations and not in others. For instance, for us in Bugtussle, actually the day before, June 20th this time around the sun happens to rise slightly earlier at 5:31a.m. than it does on June 21st at 5:32 a.m. It also begins to set at approximately 9 p.m. on the 19th and will continue to do so until July 4th. Through fractions of minutes in the calculated day lengths, the day length actually becomes detectably shorter on June 26th by one minute. We may as well enjoy it as it’s all downhill from here.

Crop growth really got a shot in the arm with the weekend warm up. Corn seemed to increase by about a third in size and has begun to get that deep green color that says nitrogen needs are being met at least for the time being. Soybeans also are beginning to look like they’ve made progress. From one week to the next it was tough to see they were making much progress. Spring wheat has nearly headed out and some of the oats are doing the same. The earliest planted peas have completed their flowering and barring some untimely weather, this looks like it could be one of those years when peas are a decent crop to have. Stay tuned.

While our bluebirds have been no-shows at the ranch, apparently we had some cardinals nesting in the area. Late last week the female was under the feeders cleaning up some sunflower seed and the next day, a couple juveniles were spotted briefly. Let’s hope it’s the start of something to look forward to. Their habitat is coming along nicely. All but one of the chokeberries planted this spring have leafed out and the other bushes and shrubs in the yard have had a decent spring despite the earlier dry conditions. There are still a couple male orioles coming to the feeders yet. One is a first summer male and the other is a splendidly colored male who controls the feeders when he’s around. It’s always a treat to hear their song break up the silence in the yard. The pond still appears to have at least one nesting pair of blue-winged teal. Hopefully there will be some youngsters on the scene soon. Sunday afternoon was special as an egret paraded around the basin as a doe and her fawn drank at the waters edge. That’s the way it ought to be.

As a lad I went to swimming lessons during the early part of the summer. Really would’ve rather played Tee Ball but that wasn’t in line with what my Dad was thinking. Instead we were hauled to the swimming lessons by Mom who waited in line with us until the doors opened and we could get in. It was customary to wear your trunks under your clothes then roll your undies up in your towel so you could get in the pool faster. Of course one morning, while standing there all the sudden, kids started laughing and I seemed to be the focus of that laughter. Looking around, there were my Anthony’s “tidy-whities” lying on the sidewalk. Not sure who wanted to crawl under that sidewalk worse, me or my mother. I did learn how to swim but at that point, playing Tee Ball looked much more attractive.

Ah, but no one is laughing at the little fat buddies newsgathering and networking skills. On Saturday, it was time to make one of those trips to the store where you go to the bathroom in the silo with the orange roof on it. Driving along in the Silver Bullet, my “Man Truck”, I received a message: A couple more little fat buddies were in the pickup behind the car that was following me. All I could think as the 5.9 Cummins chortled its way through the curves was mercy sakes alive, looks like we got us a convoy!

We put the hammer down, made our purchases, put on fuel, had lunch and were back home in about 2 hours. Upon arriving home and doing it all some more, received a call from yet another little fat buddy who was on his way to investigate a rumored area Dairy Queen closing. He later phoned to inform us the rumor was false and large malts were going for $3.89. After having some of the leftover ice cream birthday cake the Swedes didn’t eat on Monday morning, may just have summoned enough strength to make that journey to the east to see for myself.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Hummingbird don't fly away, fly away...

After putting up with last week’s unstable weather and quick hitting little pop-up storms, hail, tornadoes and rain, the scurs are planning on seeing if this one will be any different. Starting Wednesday, cloudy skies becoming partly cloudy with a moderate chance of rain. High of 85 and low of 65. Warmer on Thursday under partly cloudy skies. High of 85 – 90 and low around 65. Partly cloudy Friday with an increasing chance of rain. High 85 – 90 and low near 65. Slightly cooler Saturday, partly cloudy, slight chance of afternoon showers, high of 85 and low of 60. Sunday, partly cloudy, high near 80 with a low of 55 and a chance of afternoon showers. Showers Monday possibly lingering into Tuesday, partly cloudy with highs of 80 - 85 and lows around 60. Normal high for June 26th is 83 and the normal low is 59. The scurs have laid in their first transport load of mosquito repellent.

The recent unsettled weather and resulting rainfall has definitely kicked the mosquitoes into high gear. No more going out around dusk without long sleeves or repellent on. The crops have definitely responded well to the heat and moisture, making up for some lost time. There is already corn well over knee high in many fields and we should start to see some flowering beginning in the soybeans soon. Hay fields greened up quickly too so hopefully the second cutting will be better than the first in areas where the cutting was a little short. Some of the first cutting that was knocked down a couple weeks ago is becoming nice, clean hay.

Still lots of bird activity around the yard but am sad to report that Little Jerry was likely hit by a car and killed. Can’t say it was due to a speeding or inattentive driver but I do wish people would slow down and pay attention a little better. The bluebirds are still in the kindly neighbors pasture although now the mosquitoes are out in force, am not sure which house they chose to build in. In our yard, the goldfinches and orioles still get top billing. The first of the tree swallows are getting close to leaving their nest and the second hatch of robins can’t be far behind. The hummingbird numbers have increased too with the addition of a “hummingbird only” nectar feeder the orioles can’t monopolize.

There are lots of June bugs around yet too. White grubs, the larvae of the June bug must be fairly active in area lawns, judging by the mole complaints one hears. Grubs are a favorite food of moles. Did you know there are probably 2 main beetles we’re commonly calling June bugs in SC MN? There are the larger models from the genus Phyllophaga that range from about one-half to 1 inch in length and are chestnut in color then there is a smaller type, Cyclocephala borealis only about one-half inch in length. The smaller beetles are lighter brown in color and have a dark spot on each side of the thorax. They really like our garage for some reason. These smaller beetles are actually called Northern masked chafer beetles. The larva from the masked chafer beetles only last one year in the soil where the larger beetles are in the larval stage for 3 years. They’re all June bugs to most area folks when they’re buzzing around lights and bouncing off window screens.

Growing up as a lad, this was always about the time of year Dad decided it was time to get the oats sold from our farm to the north in Stewartville. Much of the crop at home was fed but the crop that was our share at the other farm was stored in a granary. So we were sent on a mission to get the oats hauled either to Spring Valley about 12 miles which sometimes had a better bid or to Stewartville which was of course much closer. We were armed with the E-3, a “barge box” type wagon that held about 250 bu. of oats, a 4” electric auger, some wood to make a tripod setup and of course a shovel.

The first couple loads weren’t so bad but of course by today’s standards, the loading was still pretty slow with a 4” auger. By the time the last 2 loads came around and the bin was swept out, one could guarantee it was going to be at least 90 degrees and muggy. Dust masks were something no one wore especially when it was hot and one was wearing glasses. Did I mention oats were dusty? The amount of black gunk coughed up for several days after the completion of the task was not for the faint of heart.

There were several ways to get to and from our Pleasant Grove farm including one containing a huge hill known as Hardscrabble Hill. For some reason as a kid, I always thought it was Hart’s Gravel Hill. After all it was a big gravel hill but never did determine who this Hart person was it was named after. It was extremely steep and I only went that way when I was going to our other farm as it was downhill. There was no way the E-3 would pull the wagon full in road gear up that slope. As it was, the tractor would sound like it was cranking out about 8000 rpm when you descended it with the empty wagon.

Going through metropolitan Washington where we used to get our black and white TV fixed and on to Masonic Park was the main route to get back and forth. The slopes were more gradual but the road was winding and it still made the tractor grunt pretty hard, especially if the wagon was full and the oats were heavy. Plus, one always wanted to make it through there before dark. The lights on the tractor didn’t work and the park was where the fictitious “Claw-Man” resided. Sure, we made him up as part of a story to scare people but we did such a good job, we weren’t about to take any chances on running into him ourselves.

Next week, we say farewell to Lucy…real good then.

[Dotch]

Well, it's been ten years and maybe more since I first set eyes on you…

The scurs called the cool down over the weekend right but the potential precip fizzled. That’s OK as long as it remembers to rain sometime in the months of July and August this year rather than forgetting as it did in ’08. What’s on tap this forecast period? Gorgeous seasonal summer weather sayeth the scurs. Starting Wednesday, look for clear skies, a high of 75 – 80 and a low of 60. For Thursday and Friday, partly cloudy, highs around 80 and lows near 60 with a slight chance of a shower creeping in Friday overnight. Saturday and Sunday, partly cloudy skies, highs of 80 and lows around 60 with a slight chance of showers both days. Partly cloudy Monday, high of 80 and a low of 60 with chances of rain increasing by evening. Chance of rain Tuesday under cloudy skies. High of 75 – 80 and low of 55 – 60. Normal high for July 4th is 83 and the normal low is 60. The scurs will once again be hiding their cap pistols from the fireworks police in the state where absolutely nothing is allowed.

The Full Moon for the month will occur on Tuesday at 4:21 a.m. for all those wishing to rise from their slumber so as to be astronomically correct. This moon goes by several names including the Full Buck Moon as white-tailed deer bucks are pushing antlers in the velvet, the Full Thunder Moon as we experience thunderstorms frequently in the month of July some years anyway, and the Full Hay Moon as July was a month in which much hay was once made. The Ojibwe knew this as the Full Raspberry Moon and the Sioux called this one the Moon When Wild Cherries are Ripe. They must’ve had better bird netting than we have at the ranch. In our cherry tree’s existence, think I managed to eat a whole handful over its brief 5 year lifespan. They were good and could understand why the birds liked them so well.

Crop progress was rapid this past week which should come as no surprise. While we were still behind normal by about 3 days on GDU’s, we were actually ahead of where we were in ’08 at the same time. Rainfall amounts have been variable. With just over 5” of rain recorded for the month of June at the ranch it seems every few days we get a few tenths of an inch of rain, almost like someone has been watering us with a water-wand. There are areas that have received the short end of the stick and there are places where moisture has been excessive particularly when trying to harvest peas and plant soybeans behind them. So far pea yields have been excellent. A lot of area corn is waist to chest high so making the knee high by the 4th benchmark in most cases has been exceeded. Some flowering was noticed on area soybeans already last week, right on schedule with the Summer Solstice.

After being in suspended animation much of the first half of June, the vine crops in the garden have taken off. Unfortunately so have the weeds. Ditto in the sweet corn and much of the rest of the garden so much weeding has been required. The lawn grew at a frantic pace also so mowing has been moving at breakneck speed. As busy as things have been in the lawn and garden department, still manage to catch a Twins game occasionally. The ads are frequently as entertaining as the games, especially when the Twins are losing. The most recent ad to grab my attention was the AFLAC ad featuring a Herford cow with a milking machine attached to it. Now, my folks used to have milking Shorthorns but I don’t recall them ever mentioning anything about milking Herefords. Must’ve missed that one in ag class too. Would be interesting to see what happens to the guy trying to attach it to the cow’s udder, that’s for sure.

Would like to thank all those who caught the mention of Lucy’s passing in last week’s column and passed along their condolences in person or with a card. While Lucy was over 12 years old it came as somewhat of a surprise when she suddenly became ill. For her age she had been the picture of health. This was more than a dog to us, it was a companion and a coworker. Not more than a couple weeks before she passed away, she had neglected to come in one night after I’d finished working the garden and walked to the house. Wondering where she’d gone when I came to let Gus out for potty time, she had stayed in the barn because there was a lamb that had gotten out in the alley way. I was overjoyed to find her and even happier that she’d stayed on the job until I came and got her.

That was probably the thing that sticks in my mind most about Lucy. She was consistent, all business even when she played and always tried her best to please us. Not that she didn’t have her little quirks but they were also consistent and part of what made her so unique.

She had a unique appearance. When people think of Border Collies they generally think of animals that look like those from the movie “Babe”, those doing the obstacle courses or those in the dog shows on TV. Lucy was a red and white Border Collie with a short, smooth coat. She had a little swirl of hair on top of her head that was like a miniature Mohawk. The white racing stripe across her hips was distinctive and those ears sticking straight up were like radar especially if there were trucks or airplanes to bark at. We were taken by the red and whites that were being used by Kim Kuykendall and Joyce Burnham back in the days when we were showing sheep around the country. In early March of ’97, I went to Steeleville IL to get the puppy they had picked out for us.

The bond was immediate as was the fact this dog wanted to learn. Learn she did. The best thing about her herding was the great “stop” command she mastered keeping her in the game even though our Cheviots were being total knotheads. Dogs that ignore a stop command keep chasing and scattering the sheep only making matters worse. Bringing sheep up out of the pasture and putting them in the shed was her forte. She saved us many steps over they years, especially in the off site pasture at the kindly neighbors where in her prime it normally took longer to load up the sheep equipment than it did to trailer the sheep. Moving ewes with lambs at side from the lambing barn to make room was a battle when by yourself. With Lucy, the ewes seemed to key on her and through some eye contact, would follow her down to the loafing barn rather than galloping around the yard.

Coming home at night, we were frequently greeted with a loud welcoming “Roooooo-ooooo!” not unlike Devon in Jon Katz first book. Several people heard her do this when we were on the phone pulling into the garage and laughed when we’d explain it. She could shake hands, give “high-fives” and would thump her tail when asked. She loved to fetch and retrieve tennis balls and was a constant companion on our many excursions around the country. She was a good mother too, taking great care of the litter of pups she had. She loved to ride in the front seat of her truck and was disappointed if she didn’t get to ride along. Her final ride was a tough one. She was in pain and whimpered uncharacteristically on the ride to the vet’s office. Oddly enough, she always enjoyed going to the vet’s office as they were very good to her. It was not an easy decision to have her put to sleep but at the time we felt it was for the best. She’d lived a long productive life and watching the quality of that life deteriorate was more than we could bear. We plan to scatter Lucy’s ashes in the pastures and around the barnyard so that she may rest in peace in the land she was an integral part of.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Ooo, baby baby...

The scurs played it close to the vest last time around and it was right on the money. This forecast period? Some chances of showers early on and drying out for the weekend. Starting with Wednesday, partly cloudy skies with a moderate chance of showers and thunderstorms. High of 75 – 80 and low of 65. Partly cloudy and warmer Thursday and Friday with a moderate chance of showers on Thursday, lessening as we move into Friday. Highs of 85 and lows around 65. Absolutely gorgeous weather Saturday and Sunday for Farm and City Days. Partly cloudy, highs around 80 and overnight lows near 60. Monday, partly cloudy, warmer, high of 80 – 85 and low of 65. Partly cloudy Tuesday with a moderate chance of showers by evening. High of 80 and low of 60 – 65. Normal high for July 10th is 83 and the normal low is 61. As of the 10th, we will have lost 13 minutes of daylight since the summer solstice. The scurs don’t care and will be waiting to collect all that candy from the fleet of Minneapolis Moline’s and the Swede’s car in the Farm and City Days parade.

Summer is flying by at warp speed. With Farm and City Days upon us and the 4-H kids working at a breakneck pace with their show lambs almost daily at the ranch, it serves as a reminder that it won’t be long and school will be back in session. Crop growth is on track too even though we are officially behind normal on GDU’s. One needs to bear in mind that the “normal” is calculated from May 1 and most of the corn was in the ground well in advance of that date. Corn does appear to be shorter from the road but once one is in it, it gets over your head pretty fast. Corn will likely be slightly shorter as a result of the cooler early season temperatures and that’s a good thing when it comes to the windstorms that can frequent the area in late summer. Tasseling should begin in earnest in about another week although around groves and sheltered areas, tassels will likely be seen sooner. Soybeans are in full bloom and are starting to look like soybeans. It helped that the weather dried out and they’ve shaken off the effects of iron deficiency chlorosis.

Rains have become hit and miss but more miss than hit. We in greater Bugtussle and surrounds could use some rain and while not desperately yet, it would help by pollination time in the corn. Area gardens are probably more in need at this point than the field crops. Fortunately in many instances, watering is a possibility. At the ranch, without rain in another week or so it will be time to decide whether to string the hose back to the garden to give it a drink. The flowers have already benefitted from the recent re-plumbing operation making hauling water a thing of the past. It is nice to see all the flowers in the planters downtown too. It adds a touch of class and shows that people care.

This has been a week to watch the new crop of feathered friends in and around the ranch. Was particularly amused by a mommy downy cracking sunflower seeds open and feeding them to her youngster. The house wrens haven’t emerged from their birdhouse gourd yet but judging by the amount of noise and the frequent trips by the parents, they’ve got to be close. An immature oriole has been hanging out in the backyard, presumably waiting for someone to come with food. It appears though it may be on it’s own. Lots of little chipping sparrows around having left their small woven nests in the windbreak evergreens. Young nuthatches are starting to come to the sunflower feeders and are smaller, even cuter versions of the adults. The house finch fledglings are numerous there also. One wonders where all these things have been nesting because it isn’t real obvious where they were hidden. The young tree swallows have taken flight from all but one of the nesting boxes. Can tell because there are still some dive bombing me when dorking around the garden. A male rose-breasted grosbeak has suddenly appeared and seems to be staying around. Most gratifying was my recent trip to the kindly neighbor’s pasture. Not one as in the past but two nesting boxes with bluebirds in them. Can hardly wait to see the newbies on the wing.

Thanks again to all readers who have expressed their sympathy concerning Lucy. I was really impressed Friday that one reader took the time to stop by the house and express that sympathy in person. Al Batt is right. We do have the best people here and they are kind. Some have asked how Gus is dealing with the loss of his mother and constant companion of almost 6 years. He’s adjusting but it’s taking some time. After all, there were very few times where Gus was allowed in or out a door first and if he didn’t follow protocol, Lucy let him know about it. He still looks before going outside, just in case there are some flashing eyes forbidding it. He does like to ride so have taken him along on some errands and to the kindly neighbors pasture. While I doubt that Gus will ever make it as a herding dog, he’ll always be one very friendly and silly, great companion.

Mrs. Cheviot travelled to Ohio to the All American Jr. Sheep Show, something she’s been doing for quite some time in July. However, I don’t recall her specifically saying when she was coming back. If she did it may have been contained in one those mutterings under the blaring TV while I was foraging in the kitchen in search of food. Fortunately some took pity on me while she was gone and I did not starve. For some reason, I was under the impression she’d be back on Sunday and when I flipped the July calendar over sure enough, the event was over on Sunday. Hmmm…does that mean she’s back on Sunday or do Gus and I have to do it all for another day I thought to myself? After a cell phone call to check it out, sure enough Gus and I did have to do it all for another day! Note to self: Pay particular attention to the murmuring and muttering of your spouse. It may contain clues of their whereabouts.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

With the help of some fireflies...

After scraping the last of the road kill Farm and City Days Tootsie Roll off their shoes, the scurs will be ready for just about anything this week. Starting Wednesday, look for partly cloudy skies with a high of 75 – 80 and a low of 55 – 60. Mostly clear Thursday. High of 80 and low of 55. Partly cloudy Friday through Sunday. Highs in the low 80’s and lows of 55 – 60. Partly sunny Monday, high of 80 and low of 60. Clouding up on Tuesday, slightly cooler. High of 75 and low of 60 with an increasing chance of showers as the day wears on. Normal high for July 17th is 84 and the normal low is 61. By the 21st, we’ll be back down below 15 hours of daylight, roughly the same as we were back on May 21st. Come Monday the scurs are turning their attention towards Wednesday’s Waseca Co. Fair and their favorite greasy onion rings.

More crop progress being made albeit a tad slower perhaps than some would like. With corn pollination looming on the horizon, a widespread rain of 1 – 2 inches would be welcome as opposed to the spotty performance of last week’s systems. Even what looked like a surprise “can’t miss” on Thursday turned out to be little more than a dust settler at most for most greater Bugtussle residents. It is fortunate we have the subsoils here we have or we’d be in a lot worse trouble than we are. The moderate temperatures have been keeping us in the game in the moisture department so far but we are starting to get behind, even on those corn fields planted from the 13th through the 20th. Small grains are beginning to turn however and the pea harvest continues. Some many fields have been passed recently it’s been difficult to put any kind of an exact figure on those yields.

Were lots of cool critters and birds out and about last week. At the end of the driveway I spied what appeared to be a small brown dog sitting on it haunches at the end of the driveway. Upon closer inspection, it had some mighty long ears. Turned out to be a jackrabbit, the first one I’d seen in 4 or 5 years. In a field south of Waseca, there were a couple of strange creatures about a quarter mile from the field approach where I’d parked. Didn’t have a set of binoculars along so hoofed it out far enough to see that there were 2 sandhill cranes poking around. Not sure what they were up to but they made quite a ruckus when they took off and flew into a marshy area to the west. On the weekend visit to Mom’s near Spring Valley, there was an orchard oriole ruling the roost or at least the jelly feeder when he was present. There were several Baltimore orioles waiting as he helped himself. A pair of cardinals landed in the lilac bush and the late evening sun on the male made him appear even more stunning than normal. Mom has also had a rose-breasted grosbeak show up this past week. This week at the ranch a second male grosbeak appeared at the feeders.

Lots of insect activity lately too aside from mosquitoes and biting flies. Fireflies can be seen flashing on and off in an attempt to attract their prospective mates. This same procedure does not seem to work well in humans. Green lacewings can be seen in soybean fields where they lay their eggs. The small eggs are oval shaped and attached to the plant on a hairlike stalk. Upon hatching the larva, also know as “aphid lions”, are voracious feeders on soybean aphids, not unlike the little fat buddies when descending on a pan of warm baked goods.

That sure was a nice photo of an old horse out cultivating beans on the front page of last week’s Star-Eagle. The 1206 looked pretty good too! Seriously, the days of the 1206’s bring back a lot of memories, particularly watching tractor pulls at the Fillmore Co. Fair as a lad. Oh sure, there were always a lot of John Deere’s but the souped-up 806’s and 1206’s almost always ate their lunch, belching thick, black smoke into the evening sky and shaking the old rattle-trap grandstand as their drivers sought to keep their tractor under control to the finish line. Tractors of today don’t seem to have quite the same personality, what with all the gadgets, electronic wizardry and creature comforts. Oh to be sure, working all day in the field there’s no comparison but for their time, the 1206’s and 5020’s of the world represented the sheer raw power that farmers were looking for, and that handsome rugged exterior didn’t betray that expectation.

Say, are you getting as tired of this “going green” business as I am? People on TV ads act as though they’d discovered cold fusion or something. Heck, I’ve been going green for years, especially after eating too many sugar snap peas! And what about all this “carbon footprint” stuff? I can just about imagine what would’ve happened growing up on the farm if we’d tried to tell Dad about this phenomenon as a basis to get out of a task. I think his answer would’ve likely been pretty plain, something along the lines of “If you don’t stop your yapping and get to work you’ll have a carbon footprint on your backside!” One thing about Dad, his advice was usually right on the money.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

I caught a fleeting glimpse out of the corner of my eye...

After a cool, dry forecast, the scurs are serving up another helping of cooler than normal without large amounts of rain. Starting Wednesday, partly cloudy with a high of 80 and a low of 60. Slight chances of rain every day for the period Thursday through Monday. Partly cloudy with highs Thursday and Friday near 80 and lows near 60. Cooling off slightly Saturday through Monday, highs around 75 and lows of 55 – 60. Partly cloudy again on Tuesday with a high of 75 – 80 and a low around 55. Normal high for July 24th is 84 and the normal low is 61. The scurs will be licking their chops, looking for another local mid-summer celebration at which to sample the cuisine.

Tassels showed up slightly delayed, which shouldn’t be surprising given weather that threw a couple of days with highs in the 60’s last week. Soybeans are starting to set pods and like the corn would benefit from some timely rainfall. The cool temps did help forestall some stress but it puts us further in the hole on GDU’s for the season. Last week at the SROC we were about 11% behind normal and back on the 18th, a new record low high temperature of 64 was set. By press time, we will likely be farther behind than that. Forecast rainfall amounts have certainly left us high and dry. Frequently the tenth and quarter inch forecasts have yielded squat. Rainfall at the ranch for the month has totaled a whopping .4” for the month through the 20th. And some have had the nerve to call me a “rain hog”!

It has been tempting to start to water the garden in earnest. We did some to get transplants going but hate to get into the habit of watering just yet. Plants are generally not exhibiting much stress yet due to the cool conditions but there will come a point pretty soon if it doesn’t rain that the sprinkler will need to be cranked up. The hose is already in place, just need to couple it up and let it rip. Sugar snap peas are still bearing like crazy while the cukes and string beans are flowering like crazy and are about ready to get cranked up. Trees and shrubs in area yards including those at the ranch are showing some signs of moisture stress. There are some places where trees like soft maples are exhibiting signs of what could possibly be verticillium wilt. Symptoms include a yellowing of the leaves and sudden dying off of parts or all of the tree. We’ve had a ratty soft maple in the yard here it took part of the one side off of a year ago and with the moisture stress things are under, wouldn’t be surprised to see it finish the job. Looking around the countryside, it might have a lot of company.

A bit of a bittersweet week with the birds. First at the kindly neighbors pasture, one of the nesting boxes originally claimed by a bluebird was overtaken by a wren, something that is not all that unusual. While they sing ever so sweetly, wrens are very aggressive and will peck holes in the bluebird eggs and build their little stick and twig nests right over the top of the bluebird nest. However, in the other bluebird house, there were 4 very rapidly growing youngsters that not very long ago were 4 blue-green eggs. Meanwhile back at the ranch out of the corner of my eye I spotted a bluebird beating a hasty retreat from the mealworm feeder on my way back in from the barn. The orioles had also been picking at them as had one of those insipid starlings I like to blast every opportunity I get.

The two male rose-breasted grosbeaks have been joined by at least one female so they’ve been fun to watch. The hummingbirds are either very sneaky or are no-shows. Since they seem to prefer eating out of the oriole feeder, it’s hard to say if they’ve been here or not. The orioles must have invited every oriole in the county, judging by the amount of grape jelly and sugar water they’re blowing through. Not unusual to see 4 or 5 stacked up waiting for a turn at the feeders and the jelly feeder is licked clean after a couple days.

The pond with the dry weather has nearly dried up, leaving any remaining waterfowl high and dry.
Thankfully the neighbor to the north dug his pond deep enough so it contains water year round. Even though I’m told our pond is important as a seasonal wetland, it’s frustrating. Would still rather see some waterfowl on it rather than watching it dry up and wishing there was. It has raised a dandy crop of mosquitoes to be sure. Speaking of that, one would think they would’ve just about run their course. All one need do however is go out in a wooded area near sundown on a still night and they’ll still nearly carry you off.

The little fat buddies started the week off in style. A fresh pan of cinnamon rolls from CS and coffee on the training table always makes Monday a lot more tolerable. Wide ranging discussions including bird talk, county fair happenings, WWII spotlights, motorcycling, corn head repair, the weather, etc., were covered so once again the world is safe until the next morning when we reconvene to solve the problems that have arisen overnight.

See you next week…real good then.