Fencelines

[Dotch]

Maybe get a blister on your thumb...

The scurs palate was satisfied as were the weather gods last week. Some rain fell finally but with seemingly more chances than actual rain falling, the scurs are thinking we’re due. Starting Wednesday, look for sunny skies with a high around 75 and a low of 55. Thursday, mostly cloudy with a chance of showers. High of 75 and low of 55 – 60. Slight chance of showers Friday, partly cloudy, high of 75 – 80 and low of 55 – 60. Saturday and Sunday, mostly cloudy with a better chance of showers. Highs of 75 – 80 and lows of 55 – 60. Partly sunny on Monday. High of near 75 and low around 55. Slightly cooler on Tuesday, partly cloudy skies, high around 70 and low near 55. Normal high for July 31st is 83 and the normal low is 61. The scurs will be resorting to a tanning booth soon given all the cloudy weather.

Boy, did things ever pop after the rain last week! Some areas received as much as 2.6” while most of greater Bugtussle received somewhere in the .7” - .9”. At the ranch we recorded .68”, putting us at just over an inch for the month. While the rain was welcome, we’re hearing some concern about the accumulation of GDU’s and rightfully so. In the report from the SROC last week, their calculations showed us 20% behind normal for a May 1 planting date. Along with more rain as many are thinking, it’s going to take a long fall to for this corn and soybean crop to realize its potential if this trend continues. It has been a marvelous pea year, one we probably won’t see the likes of again anytime soon. Small grain harvest is upon us with several fields of oats swathed (swatted) and one field of winter wheat known to be harvested. Given the cooler conditions, one might expect we’ll hear some good reports about yields. We shall see.

In the yard at the ranch, still lots of oriole activity. They seem to enjoy the grape jelly and sugar water with about equal zest. The greatest number of them are young orioles but there is still a brightly colored male or two dropping by for a snack. Also saw a hairy woodpecker male feeding a youngster last week, repeating what the downies had been doing a few weeks ago: The adult cracking open a sunflower seed and feeding the kernel to Jr. One new addition this week was a gray squirrel. Typically we have lots of fox squirrels but can’t recall seeing a gray at the ranch before. Think we’ll call him Dobie.

Had an interesting question about a plant in the ditch with white flowers that is fairly common in the area this year. What was it? Sweetclover. As long as 2000 years ago in the Mediterranean region, sweetclover was used as a green manure crop and as a honey plant, as bees are attracted readily to it. The origins of the plant are likely in Asia Minor. There are two types of sweetclover commonly growing wild in our area, yellow and white. While no longer used much for the purpose, sweetclover was once grown primarily as a green manure crop on idle acres or fallow ground. Under the proper conditions, one can pick up between 100 and 140 lbs./acre of nitrogen for the following years corn crop.

I recall Dad growing sweetclover on the Spring Valley farm one year, chopping it, then plowing it down, only to have it reappear in a few years later in the alfalfa that had been seeded. There are annual types but sweetclover is usually a biennial, meaning that it grows vegetatively the first year, then flowers and produces seed the second year. One nasty habit of sweetclover is that it produces a high amount of hard seed, that is seed that will not germinate the first year, rather remains in the soil until the seed is scarified. This is most likely what happened in our situation and is part of the reason we still find some sweetclover occasionally growing in area fields where it hasn’t been seeded for many moons.

While ruminants can bloat on sweetclover, the likelihood is lower than for alfalfa, red clover or alsike. Another drawback to sweetclover: The common types frequently contain coumarin, making it bitter tasting and less palatable to livestock than alfalfa. The amounts with the age of the plant and are the highest in the second year at late-bud or early flower. The stems are tough and get woody at that point too so it’s also difficult to get sweetclover dry enough to bale although it does ensile well generally. However, if sweetclover is baled wet or improperly ensiled and it molds, it can convert the coumarin to dicoumarol, the synthetic form of which is used as an anticoagulant in humans and in warfarin rat poison. If livestock are fed the moldy sweetclover and if they get enough of it, they can bleed to death internally. This is why Dad opted that year to sell the first cutting to someone who chopped it and blew it in their silo.

Would’ve been a little difficult for Mr. Cheviot to bale hay last week, that’s for sure. After accidentally grabbing a thistle by the pointy end and sticking it in my left thumb last Sunday, I thought little of it. Been poked by thistles hundreds of times. Along about Tuesday, the digit began to get sore so I opened up the entry wound and could find no sign of the thorn so doused it with some iodine and called it good. Got to the Mall for Men and it began to swell, get red and it was hot. Picked at it some more, squeezed some liquid out of it, put some merthiolate on it and it only got worse. Was advised to soak it in Epsom salts that night and seeing the swelling and redness moving into the hand, went to the clinic the next day. One tetanus shot, an antibiotic shot, a bottle of pills and a sore behind later, was glad I’d decided to go in. Bumping the thumb a few times, it smarted worse than hitting it with a hammer so the little guard thingy they gave me came in handy. Feels better now but it’s still pretty tender. One doesn’t realize how tough it is to do things without functioning opposable thumbs until something happens to one of them. Would’ve been a good way to beg out of doing chores I suppose but being able to eat along with sneaking in a nap or two on the weekend, I’m still a gamer. One good thing: Since I’ve been making even more than the usual number of typing errors, at least I have something to blame it on.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Watch this train roll down the track...

Thos wily scurs managed to be close with their last forecast and that’s not necessarily a good thing. With chances of showers every day and warmer temps, let’s hope their close again. Starting Wednesday, look for partly cloudy skies with a slight chance of showers. High of 75 and low of 55 – 60. Partly sunny Thursday, high of 80 and low around 60 with a slight chance of showers. Partly cloudy Friday with an increasing chance of showers. High of 80 and low near 65. Time to blow the cobwebs out of the AC on Saturday. Partly cloudy skies with a moderate chance of showers. High of 85 – 90 and low of 70.Cooling down slightly on Sunday. Partly sunny with a high near 85 and a low of 65. Mostly cloudy Monday. High around 85 and low near 65. Partly cloudy Tuesday with a good chance of afternoon thunderstorms. High near 90 and low around 65. The normal high for August 7th is 83 and the normal low is 60. The scurs will be sniffing the southerly breezes for the smell of kabobs and Cajun food. Always good when washed down with a fresh squeezed lemonade at the Freeborn Co. Fair.

The Full Moon for the month will occur on August 5th. This is known as the Full Sturgeon Moon as the fishing tribes were able to catch sturgeon most easily in this month. It is also known as the Green Corn Moon and the Grain Moon. The Sioux called this the Moon When Geese Shed their Feathers. Indeed, one can see Canada geese on the move once again, having completed their molt and flying to some of those harvested small grain fields. The Ojibwe called this the Full Berry Moon. Can you imagine Homer Simpson as an Ojibwe? “Mmmmm…blueberries.”

Area gardens are yielding a bountiful harvest of vegetables such as beets, string beans, cucumbers and sweet corn. At the ranch it appears the last of the sugar snap peas are about done. Looking back, we’ve been picking them for a month already. The first ripe tomato was also claimed by a bird although I managed to get the damaged portion trimmed off fairly easily. Speaking of birds helping themselves, was at Mom’s over the weekend and she had been trying to get enough gooseberries to make my favorite pie. The birds got there before she was able to complete the task so I had to settle for gooseberry-cherry pie. It’s tart but absolutely delicious and with some ice cream, it doesn’t get any better than that.

There are plenty of fruit pickers here too. The serviceberries are long gone as are most of the wild plumbs. Something is pecking at the apples although there are so many they may be doing the poor trees a favor given the dry conditions. One of the all-time fruit pickers, a catbird was finally seen on Sunday morning. The orioles are still eating jelly and drinking sugar water like it’s going out of style. Hummingbirds are more numerous again this week as they may be starting to move out of some areas to the north. The last of the tree swallows has fledged here. One late nesting pair set up shop in the bluebird house near the garden. They put up quite a fuss sometimes when we’d be out there picking peas or weeding. The bluebirds at the kindly neighbors at last check were still in the nesting box but all feathered out as they were, it can’t be long and they’ll be on the wing.

In some of the CRP acres and area road ditches this past week, ran across a plant known as wild bergamot. This mint family plant has a lavender flower and the plant itself has a spicy aroma, smelling like something you could make a men’s cologne from or be used in an air freshener for a pickup, which I did by the way. It was used by the Indians for many remedies as well as by the early settlers. Cup plants are blooming in places also. The yellow flowered plant ranges from 4’ – 10’ in height and is so named because the leaves attach directly to the stem and collect water. This can be an important source of water to small birds and animals. On MN Hwy 13 north of Bugtussle, compass plants can be seen flowering near the Commercial Club sign. These tall, yellow flowered native prairie plants got their name because the lower leaves on the plant more often than not point north and south. They were used by early settlers for directions before there were gas stations or convenience stores. Wives did nag their husbands however to get off the wagon and look at the compass plants.

Border Collie Gus celebrates his birthday on Thursday the 6th along with his brother Jet and sister Fudgie. In honor of the special occasion have been brushing Gus profusely so he’ll look pretty. With all the hair scattered about, it looks like a dog exploded in the yard after we’re done. He’s been getting special treatment, going along to town and to visit his cousin Sophie at the kindly neighbors. Gus has his routine every day too and that’s all he really cares about. Getting outside in the morning, doing his business, then going down to the barn and trotting around in a well-worn circle by the sheep pens, making sure they don’t get too close to the edge of the pen. It’s a little like watching a little black and white train chugging around a track. Being fed afterwards, hearing some praise, and getting a little treat. That’s all any guy can ask for, no matter how hairy he is.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry...

The scurs managed to be “on” again last week, forecasting a little rain and a return of summer. Will it stay? At least through this upcoming forecast period, say the scurs. Starting Wednesday, mostly clear. High of 85 – 90 and low of 65. Staying clear Thursday and Friday, highs of 85 and lows of 60 – 65. Partly cloudy Saturday, with an increasing chance of showers and thunderstorms. High of 85 and low of 65. Chance of showers Sunday with skies mostly cloudy. Highs of 80 – 85 and lows of 60 – 65. Partly cloudy Monday and Tuesday, cooler, with highs of 80 and lows of 60. Normal August 14th high is 82 and the normal low is 59. On the 15th, we will be back down below 14 hours of daylight, roughly the same as we were on April 26th. The scurs will be dozing off to the sounds of field crickets chirping outside their open window.

Lack of heat and rainfall continue to be the main concerns on the minds of area farmers as we keep plodding towards harvest. Last week we were cumulatively behind on GDU’s at the SROC in Waseca 14% since May 1st. Rainfall reports through the month of July show a similar pattern. Rainfall for the May through July period there totaled 6.19”, the 4th lowest on record. At the ranch, we fared better with 9.06” for that time period. April through July rainfall at the SROC was the 3rd lowest on record with 8.58” reported. At the ranch, we showed 11.56”, nearly 3” more than they did. However, there is no great abundance of moisture in greater Bugtussle as shallow area wetlands are dry and lakes and streams are down dramatically. While the heat and rainfall of this past week were welcome, we will still need more of the same if this crop is to realize the potential there as of this writing.

The dry conditions seem to bring with them their own unique set of problems, particularly insects. Aphids are plentiful on many types of plants. Soybean aphids are relative newcomers and are fairly specific to soybeans, whereas aphids such as the bird cherry – oat aphids seem to like small grains and corn. There are aphids as well as two-spotted spider mites on the petunias at the Mall for Men. While it’s tempting to spray them, have opted more for cultural control methods, namely keeping the plants well watered and wetting the foliage to keep the humidity under the canopy. With the help of beneficial insects such as lady beetles, minute pirate bugs, lacewings and syrphid flies, hopefully conditions will allow the development of beneficial fungi to keep the aphids and mites in check. Sure, the petunias could be treated chemically, but that would also control insects such as the white-lined sphinx moth I found taking a nap in one of the planters. Between them and the hummingbirds, that’s the reason the petunias were planted in the first place.

Seems there are always dead plants of some kind floating around my office or in my truck lately. No wonder both places smell like silage some days. Most recently, someone brought in some oak leaves with some pretty, maroon and cream colored fuzzy “balls” on the underside of the leaf. These are “hedgehog galls” and are the result of tiny female cynipid wasps poking their ovipositor into the leaf and laying their eggs. Inside those fuzzy galls are the developing wasps. Also in the “unique” category seen this past week in the office are the “balls” or berries being found on potatoes. These are most likely the result of bees having pollinated the potato flowers although some varieties can be self fertile. The berry formation is also favored by long days and cool temperatures. The berries are toxic, containing the chemical solanin, the same toxin found in many other nightshade family plants. Inside the berries are seeds and properly propagated, they will grow. Through selection, this is one way new potato varieties are developed. Potato yields using seeds are generally much lower however so your best bet unless you have a lot of free time on your hands is to plant the potato sets like you’ve always done.

Despite the lack of early summer heat, the ranch has taken on the look of late summer anyway. Sunflowers are blooming and the eveningprimrose have taken the place of some of the plum sumac the county tractor cowboys tried to destroy in the spring. The barn swallows are weaving their way between the ewes grazing and kicking up insects on the sidehill in the morning as I watch from my throne, master of my domain. The tiger lilies have been spectacular, their bright orange in stark contrast to the dull greenish-brown tinge of the lawn. Oriole activity is slowing while robins and wrens have discontinued their morning song. The bluebirds at the kindly neighbors have fledged as have many of the chipping sparrows at the ranch. Goldfinches are nesting now and it’s not uncommon to find nests in the dogwood behind the dooryard.

As a result of a series of reconnaissance missions, was invited by a group of Swedes on one of their top secret excursions Saturday morning. They enlisted the assistance of a Dane to drive the getaway car and under the cover of darkness, we were off to parts unknown. Arriving at our destination and confirming our reservation, we dined on Swedish pancakes, a delicacy reserved until recently only for Swedes. With good coffee and company to go along with it, was well worth the wee hour morning journey. After arriving back at the office, watered the petunias and made my way home where of course, a nap ensued. As I was drifting off, was wondering if eating Swedish pancakes somehow conferred honorary Swede status upon me. Just so long as it wasn’t ornery Swede status.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Sing loud for the sunshine, pray hard for the rain...

The scurs forecasting has been as hot as Joe Mauer’s bat as of late. What’s on tap for the current forecast period? The scurs will tell all. Starting with Wednesday through Friday, partly cloudy becoming cloudy late Wednesday into Thursday and partly cloudy again by Friday. Increasing chance of showers Wednesday into Thursday with lingering showers possible Friday a.m. Highs of 75 and lows in the lower 60’s. Saturday and Sunday, warmer, highs around 80 and lows near 60. Monday and Tuesday, partly cloudy, highs near 85 and lows around 65. The normal high for August 21st is 81 and the normal low is 57. The scurs will be sampling the fare at the Steele Co. Fair to expand their stomachs for the Great Minnesota Get Together.

Crop progress moved forward last week as the corn and soybeans responded to the recent rains and warmer temperatures. Both crops have hung on surprisingly well as a result of the moderate temperatures and spoon feeding of rain. While it remains to be seen exactly what kind of yields we’ll see, one has to like what we have seen to this point. We still need a good soaking rain over much of the Greater Bugtussle viewing area and we definitely need the warm temperatures to continue well into September for a decent finish. The most recent release from the SROC in Waseca showed us about 12% behind on GDU’s. While we have probably made up for some lost time recently due to those warm temps and generally good solar radiation, we are still a good week to 10 days behind where we’d like to be for August. Most fields of soybeans have been treated for soybean aphids although some who were trying to get ahead of the curve by treating early long before thresholds were reached may have to spray them again.

The shorter days are starting to make some subtle changes already in the area. The walnut and some poplar trees are starting to show some telltale yellowing of leaves, an early warning that in a month, we may see the real deal. Vine crops in the garden have rolled their thick emerald blanket over their turf in the garden and are climbing into the areas beyond it. Sweet corn has been plentiful and extremely good eating, as evidenced by the road kill raccoons. A trip through the CREP acres with SWCD specialist EG found many of the prairie wildflowers in bloom including several types of coneflower, some mints, asters, cup plants as well as a compass plant. The aromatic nature of some of the mints was evident when we’d brush them with the 4-wheeler and was a preview of what’s in store for fall. There are some chickadees who have staked out the yard and the blue jays raucous call can be heard in place of the singing robins breaking up that last hour of blissful sleep.

For whatever reason, got to thinking about the year 1969 and what a year that was. As Americans, we successfully landed men on the moon and returned them safely home. It was also the year of Woodstock at Max Yaasgur’s farm in upstate NewYork, where a rock and roll get together that was expected to draw some 250,000 fans suddenly grew to double that. It came to be a defining moment for a generation. While I was 11 at the time, too young and far away, the event and some of those who performed there went on to influence my musical tastes for years to come. Conspicuously absent from Woodstock were groups like the Beatles who had stopped touring long before that and Led Zeppelin who was performing in the US at the same time on the east coast. 1969 was also the year that saw the release of Zeppelin’s first two albums, setting some standards from that point on by which rock and roll bands would be measured by. Times had changed and being used to Lawrence Welk, one could understand why some of the older population couldn’t understand what the racket was.

Sadly, last week we lost a legend in the person of Les Paul. For those not aware of this musical giant, Les Paul was one of the pioneers of the electric guitar as well as recording techniques that made it possible for bands such as the Beatles and Led Zeppelin to make more complex recordings than before possible. Some of the musicians who have played Les Paul guitars include Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Billy Gibbons, Pete Townshend and Jimmy Page.

Am touring the country at least the Corn Belt even as I write this on the Midwest Pro Farmer Crop Tour. Am serving as Tour Consultant for the 6th season on the eastern leg of the Tour. Odd, it seems like it’s been longer than that. It’s always interesting and fun to go snooping into other areas to see what their crops look like as well as seeing how their crop production practices differ from out own. There are also international folk on the tour so not only is the exchange of information rewarding, the communication can be challenging. How to do you say “don’t pee on the electric fence” in Japanese? Being back in MN on Thursday is always a good feeling as Dorothy said to Auntie Em, “There’s no place like home.”

See you next weeek...real good then

[Dotch]

Sometimes this old farm feels like a long-lost friend,
Yes ’n’ hey, it’s good to be back home again

The scurs made good on their rain forecast and now if they can deliver on some more sunshine, they’d be golden. What’s in store you ask? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny, high of 75 and low of 50 – 55. Thursday through Saturday, partly cloudy, highs 70 – 75 and lows 50 – 55. Sunday, partly cloudy with a chance of showers. High of 70 – 75 and low of 50 – 55. Monday, rain likely. High of 70 and low of 50. Cloudy Tuesday, high of 70 and low of 50. Normal high for August 28th is 79 and the normal low is 55. On the 27th, the sun will begin to set before 8 p.m. meaning September can’t be far off. The scurs have bought new PF Flyers in preparation.

Rain makes grain if it doesn’t freeze before it’s ripe anyway. Last week’s report from the SROC in Waseca had us 11% behind on GDU’s as of the 19th, roughly 10 days based on a starting date of May 1. Small grain harvest is nearing completion although there are scattered fields that farmers have been attempting to take straight still standing. Wheat and oat yields have been good as has quality. The only major problem has been grain moisture, with samples running well over 14%. A quick run through the dryer may be in order in those cases if the acreage is large enough. Corn and soybean progress was good last week but it needs to be. A September 15th frost could raise havoc as most of the corn is still denting and many of the beans are a long way from being out of danger.

Ah, those back to school days aren’t far off. Still remember the days when we’d go school shopping and get a few pairs of jeans, a couple shirts, a new pair of tennis shoes and some socks. Clothing wasn’t real exciting but it was always a treat to see what kind of supplies were needed. Remember getting those big boxes of Crayola’s with the sharpeners? Was a great mess maker that had to make the janitors just shudder when they saw them. Compasses were fun too. Could poke holes in things and draw circles all over the place. Probably my favorite though was the fountain pen which came into play about 4th grade. Talk about the ultimate mess maker. The ink came in those little plastic dealies that were punctured by the little tube that allowed the ink to flow into the quill. It was great fun to shake the pen hard enough so the ink would fly out, making big drops and staining floors, clothing, desks, or whatever surface they happened to contact. For some reason, ball point pens were frowned upon for much of my early grade school career. Given the weapons of mass destruction fountain pens were, can’t imagine why.

It’s great to be back home from the Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour. Dread this time of year because no sooner do I return, I usually wind up turning around and heading to the State Fair. That and I’m out of clean underwear. This year there’s a little time due to the late start to the Fair so Saturday morning was a good one to relax and gawk out the window at all the weeds and long grass as well as the birds helping themselves to the bounty in the yard. The hummingbirds are on their way through apparently. Most appear to be either female or young. At any rate they were making a circle around the house, tapping the nectar feeders, hitting the 4 o’clocks, then the impatiens, then back to the large planters containing a mix of flowers the names of which probably rhyme with female body parts. The chickadee stayed on too. Was afraid with the feeders going empty he’d leave but instead it appears he’s brought along some of his little friends. There are still signs of the orioles as well. Only partially filled the jelly feeder Friday night thinking they’d probably headed south but Saturday morning there was one of the faithful gobbling it down.

Speaking of gobbling things down, this has to be a Cheviot sheep’s favorite time of the year at the ranch. Not because some of them get to go to the State Fair but because of all the goodies for them to eat in late summer. The native prairie pasture helps sustain them through August but they live for the stuff that get tossed over the fence. Garden produce abounds and they’re the beneficiaries of our eating and all the overgrown misfits that result when no one is around to harvest for awhile. Big cucumbers, melon rinds, overripe string beans, ground fall apples, sweet corn cobs and husks and of course, some of the larger weeds that never seem to go away in spite of all the mowing, pulling and tilling. Can usually tell when the sheep are nearby just by listening for the munching sound. Best of all, there’ll be a lot more to come.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Now I've reached that age, I've tried to do all those things the best I can.

The scurs missed on the rain and Sunday’s cold overnight low. Other than that, the forecast was another horseshoe/hand grenade combo. For this forecast period, Wednesday starts off with partly cloudy skies and a slight chance of showers. High of 75 and low of 55. Increasing clouds and shower chances on Thursday with a high of 75 and a low of 55. Clear Friday, high near 75 and low around 55. Partly cloudy Saturday, high around 75 and low of 55 with a chance of showers overnight. Mostly cloudy Sunday with a chance of showers, high of 75 and low of 55. Monday, partly cloudy, high of 65 – 70 and low of 50. Warmer Tuesday under partly cloudy skies. High of 75 and low of 55. Normal high for September 4th is 77 and the normal low is 52. After the State Fair, the scurs will be offering discounts on forecasts on a stick.

Vista’s noted Swedish astronomer recently pointed out that Jupiter has been very visible in the early evening eastern sky. It is in fact other than perhaps the moon, the first heavenly body visible even before the sun has completely set. The Full Moon will occur this month on the 4th and is known as the Full Corn Moon as corn harvest generally begins in parts of the country about this time. Normally September’s Full Moon is the Full Harvest Moon but that Full Moon name is reserved for the Full Moon closest to the Autumnal equinox. The Ojibwe knew this as the Full Rice Moon and the Sioux called it the Moon of the Drying Grass. Surely the native prairie grasses covering the landscape they roamed would’ve been just that.

Crop progress has been slow with the cool temperatures experienced over the weekend. A 44 degree Monday morning low at the ranch makes for a long climb before we begin to accumulate much for GDU’s on a daily basis. Last week’s GDU report from the SROC in Waseca had us about 14% behind normal. Some soybean aphids have been noticed here and there although in general the numbers are not enough to cause much concern in R6 stage soybeans, especially with the moisture we received in August, nearly about 4.68” at the ranch. Disease pressure is showing up more commonly from the road. The main problems are SDS (sudden death syndrome) white mold, and BSR (brown stem rot). Corn is starting to dent finally but has about a month to go before we’re completely safe from frost.

Some have asked what all these little “sweat bees” are hovering and annoying the bejeepers out of them. Most likely they are syrphid flies, something we wrote about a few years back but it’s OK to refresh people’s memories once in awhile. They may look like bees but these insects are actually flies as opposed to bees, they have only two wings, compound eyes and stubby antennae. Bees have 4 wings, simple eyes, and long antennae. The alternating yellow and black bands on their abdomens are no doubt Mother Nature’s method of tricking predators into thinking they’re bees.

Syrphids also are commonly called “hover flies” or “flower flies” as they commonly hover in one spot, dart two and fro, and can be found feeding on nectar and pollen from flowering plants. They also serve as pollinators by doing so. More importantly, their larvae which are generally small, green maggots, are voracious aphid consumers. It’s estimated that they are capable of devouring up to an aphid a minute, which is even faster than a little fat buddy can scarf down a dozen warm cookies. Their annoying habit of landing on you is actually to collect moisture or sweat. While they can be a nuisance, syrphid flies are one of the “good guys” when it comes to pollinating flowers and keeping us from being elbow deep in aphids.

Garden produce continues to abound. Managed to get rid of several 5-gallon buckets of cucumbers the past week and am almost afraid to go out into the garden to see how many more there are. Hopefully the cool weather has slowed down the cucurbit prolificacy somewhat. Sweet corn has been good but the tomatoes have been beset with blossom end rot much of the summer. While some tend to believe this is a calcium issue, the alternating wet-dry in our case is a more likely culprit. We have ample calcium, just haven’t had very consistent rainfall until recently.

After another short stint away from home was glad to see the hummingbirds still pulling on their nectar feeders. The orioles appear to have flown the coop as their jelly dishes remain largely unchanged from early last week when I spied what was likely one of the last customers for the season. The goldfinches have wasted no time in bringing their young to the sunflower and thistle feeders. The young goldfinches are all over the yard right now and the rapid increase in the rate of seed consumption reflects that.

Another State Fair is in the books for us at the ranch. Well, for Mr. Cheviot anyway. Mrs. Cheviot will still be there until Thursday riding herd on the exhibitors as interim superintendent in the open class sheep department. We managed to get through another Cheviot show and were successful even though our yearling ram spent more time airborne in the ring than he did on the ground. As usual, was more excited that Emily Meyer won a grand championship in her final State Fair 4-H appearance than I was about our own performance. Always great to see someone who has worked hard go out on a high note. Also great to have professional show help the day of our show, have chores done and Gus looked after while we were gone and nice to have help unloading the trailer upon arriving home. Task completed, mission accomplished and a job well done by all.

See you next week...real good then.

[Dotch]

Oh, it's nobody's fault but mine…

Warmer and drier than the scurs expected but that’s OK. The crops needed every GDU they could grab. They’ll be lucky they had it too if this forecast period holds true. Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy, good chance of showers with a high of 75 and a low of 55. Thursday, chance of lingering showers in the morning, otherwise partly cloudy with a high of 75 and a low of 55 – 60. Partly cloudy Friday with a chance of showers. High of 70 – 75 and a low around 50. Chance of showers Saturday and Sunday with a cool down. Partly cloudy, high of 65 and low of 45 – 50. Partly cloudy Monday and Tuesday, highs of 65 – 70 and lows of 45 – 50. Septemberrrrrrr! After this summer, you’d think it was mid-July again or something! Normal low for September 11th is 74 and the normal low is 49, about the same as we normally experience May 24th. The scurs will be on the lookout for those large yellow livestock carriers, otherwise known as school buses.

Great stretch of weather this past week and it moved the crops closer to being safe from a frost. On some of the earlier maturing corn hybrids planted early we should be starting to see the milk line move down the kernel. Once the corn reaches about ½ milkline, it will still realize about 92% of its potential yield even if it does freeze. Soybeans are maturing although some of the 2.3 and above maturity level soybeans are still pretty green from the road. Diseases have in some cases hastened maturity but all in all, it looks like there will probably be some soybean combining in late September. Plenty of time for farmers to find something to fret about.

There are subtle signs that fall is on the way. The big and little bluestem as well as the yellow Indiangrass have assumed their fall colors in the pasture. The sumac around the yard is beginning to turn and the nannyberries are blushing, in some cases with ripe fruit already showing up in a few clusters. The apple trees are loaded and while the birds seem to be helping themselves to some here and there, both the Fireside and the Haralson should make for some great eating this September. After devouring a bucket of ground falls, the sheep don’t seem to mind. And there is plenty of road kill sweet corn on Hwy. 13. As rough as parts of it are, amazing there isn’t more.

Was premature on my pronouncement that the orioles had left the ranch. They were just being sneaky is all. After last week’s deadline almost like clockwork, two males showed up, one a first year male and the other in full color. They were scolding poor Gus as I made my way across the yard from shores one morning. As of Sunday, they were still there but as everyone knows, one of these days they’ll be gone. The migrating hummingbirds have been active again with a lot of activity around the feeders. They usually settle down and stake their claim on one of the 3 nectar feeders. As Stan Tekiela wrote in last week’s Outdoor News, hummingbirds migrate at night using the stars and landforms to navigate by. They feed during the day and while the sugar in nectar is a good source of quick energy, it’s not very nutrient dense. Hummingbirds pick up most of their nutritional needs from small insects they pick up on the wing or when they’re in and around flowers. As of a couple weeks ago, we still had some barn swallows that hadn’t left the nest. The last check had them flying the yard while Mr. Cheviot was lawn mowing. Migrating swallows of several types continue to line the wires across the road from the ranch. After putting all the wires underground at the ranch was wondering where they’d gather. Now I know.

Saw an interesting butterfly on Saturday, unlike any I’d ever seen before. It was a large swallowtail that was feasting on the flowers in the various planters surrounding the house. The upper wing surfaces were dark brown with and almost horizontal appearing yellow stripe on the forewings due to the angle the wings were being held while the butterfly was feeding. The wing surface underneath was yellow as was the body of the butterfly. Looked it up online and corroborated the I.D. with some books and discovered it was a giant swallowtail. At roughly 5” across it was large but no larger than some of the tiger swallowtails we’ve had in the yard but they are the largest swallowtail species in the US. Definitely larger than some of the smaller black swallowtails we use to raise in fruit jars on dill and carrot tops when we were kids. What do the caterpillars of the giant swallowtail eat? In this area probably prickly ash while in the south, they commonly feed on citrus and can occasionally be an economic problem. It was certainly fun to watch it leisurely flutter around the yard, light and sample a bloom then float lazily off to another one.

On Tuesday, Mrs. Cheviot and I celebrated 25 years of wedded bliss. Odd, it seems like it’s been longer than that. Oh sure, there’s been some rough sledding from time to time like when we first married and her car got left out, winding up under a snow bank the next morning. Or the time when I came home from work to see a huge pile of oats under the feed bin because someone hadn’t figured out how to close the slide. My secret to staying married? Three things: Guys, whether they are or they aren’t your fault, you’re going to get blamed anyway so you may as well keep your mouth shut, clean up the mess and laugh about it with your little fat buddies over a libation. Real or imagined hearing loss from activities such as driving tractor, shooting shotguns or listening to loud rock and roll also doesn’t hurt. Number one though as one of my little fat buddies aptly claims: Just keep reminding yourself (and her), she’s just darn lucky to have you! Know that going in and your life will be simple.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Mornin' glory is on the vine,

The scurs were like Denard Span last week; out in left field! It never cooled off but they were right about the typical July-like conditions. This time around they’re taking no chances. On the bright side if they keep predicting cool weather eventually they’re bound to be right. Starting with Wednesday and Thursday, mostly sunny skies, highs of 80 and lows of 55 both days. Friday through Sunday, mostly sunny, highs around 75 and lows near 50. Sunny on Monday with a high of 75 with cooler temperatures being ushered in overnight. Low around 45. Tuesday on the autumnal equinox, cooler with partly cloudy skies. High of 60 and low of ready for this? 35 – 40. Normal high for September 22nd is 71 and the normal low is 45. The sun will rise at 7 a.m. on the 22nd and we are losing daylight at the rate of about 3 minutes per day. With another equinox upon us, the scurs expect more fan mail and cranky chickens with eggs standing on end in their nests once again.

A warm dry finish to the growing season was just what the doctor ordered and it appears that’s indeed what we’re getting. No rain, zero, zip, nada, has been recorded at the ranch thus far in the month of September. We’ve watched it go around us just like we did most of the summer so why should fall be any different? It seems to rain every other month whether we need it or not. Reports from those plowing sweet corn ground are that they’re burning lays off rapidly with the dry soil conditions. Soybeans continue to ripen at a breakneck pace although some fields are getting some help from the plethora of soybean diseases present in them. The milkline on the corn is moving down rapidly also and there are some fields that should be harvested for silage this next week. Speaking of silage, my office and pickup continue to smell like a silage wagon, given all the dead or dying vegetation in them. There are always the aforementioned soybean diseases and there have been a half dozen or so oak leaves with those pretty hedgehog galls on them left on my desk.

Are the orioles finally gone? Not sure just yet. The jelly is still disappearing but I did notice earlier in the summer that the house finches had been consuming some of it from time to time. Mom still had an oriole at her oriole feeder as of 9/12. The humming birds are certainly keeping things lively here. They continue to be all over the planters, the flower beds and into the nectar feeders. Their favorite seems to be the 4 o’clocks but they’ve also been after the morning-glories as the vines continue to wind their way up the trellis’s and light pole in the yard.

There are days when the consumption of seed by the goldfinches makes a major slowdown. Sunday when watering the pots and planters I discovered one reason why. A sharp-shinned hawk made an appearance and the goldfinches were hanging pretty tight in the brushy cover around the yard. Saw the juvenile hawk make an unsuccessful attempt at catching one of the goldfinches but their roller-coaster flight made the hawk miss several times before he probably decided the house sparrows at the neighbors might be easier pickin’s. The hawks would be more than welcome to stick around and hammer the large flocks of starlings that have been ruining many of our apples and consuming most of the crabapples, leaving few for the migrating birds who could really use them.

The garden is continuing to be plentiful. Some of the vine crops are beginning to lose their canopy and reveal the squash, pumpkins and gourds below. The melons have been somewhat disappointing although there are some of the earlier varieties that should be ready soon. The blossom end rot on the tomatoes appears to be subsiding with regular watering through the soaker hose. Even the zucchini in the vicinity has taken advantage of the water and has been setting more zukes. The Pontiac potatoes have been a pleasant surprise. Seems like they were just planted not all that long ago but now the vines are dying down, it’s time to dig them. Dug a hill last week just to see what was under them and it was a nice assortment of sizes. 4 or 5 softball sized tubers, 4 or 5 fist sized spuds and several baby red size, perfect for putting in with a roast. Took them to Mom over Labor Day and she fried up one of the large ones. Still tough to beat the flavor of freshly dug new red potatoes fried in a cast iron skillet. As Mom called them, “comfort food”.

Mrs. Cheviot and I got the opportunity thanks to one of my little fat buddies to attend the grand opening game at the new TCF Stadium at my alma mater. My days at the U included several fall afternoon football games at old Memorial Stadium. This game was unique as it was a 6 o’clock start and finished under the lights. I must say, they did it up right including a flyover from Air Force F-16’s, the marching band in prime form, fireworks and the whole shooting match. The atmosphere was almost electric when the game started and continued throughout the duration. The new stadium is beautiful and with the archways, has some of the same architectural charm that Memorial Stadium once had. Lots of selection for food and beverages, some of it almost healthy and the bathrooms were relatively adequate.

About 11 rows up from the field and behind the Gophers bench on the 35 yard line, the seats were fantastic. The student section was full and loud too, something that some liked to complain about when football was being played in the sterile, off-campus environment of the Dome. Will it continue to be a popular destination for Gopher fans on a Saturday afternoon or evening? My guess is for real fans it will as long as they put a competitive product on the field and promote it properly. Oh sure, one can already hear the naysayers complaining about the open-air stadium and the cold temperatures sure to come in November. Hey, this is MN and while it isn’t always warm, figure it’d be a lot more fun sitting in the stadium on a Saturday afternoon watching football than sitting on an open-air tractor while spreading manure, as is my wont come November.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

You are only coming through in waves...

The scurs tale of foreboding weather woe turned out to be premature once again but as usual, no one is going to complain about the temperatures we’ve been experiencing. Is the other shoe about to drop? Unlikely say the scurs. Starting with Wednesday and Thursday, look for partly cloudy skies with highs both days in the 75 – 80 range with lows of 50 – 55. Partly cloudy Friday and Saturday with slight chances of rain. Highs of 70 – 75 and lows near 50. Cooer Sunday under mostly sunny skies, high of 65 and low of 50. Mostly sunny and warmer Monday, high of 70 – 75 and low of 50 – 55. Mostly cloudy Tuesday with a good chance of a shower or thunderstorm. High of 75 and low of 45. The normal high for September 25th is 70 and the normal low is 44, the same as it is around May 10th. One huge difference however, we experience over 2 ½ fewer hours of daylight on September 25th. On September 25th, our hours of daylight and darkness here in greater Bugtussle will be of equal length. On the 28th, the sun sets at 7 p.m. Knowing that by November 10th, the normal high will be 44, the scurs have split their wood and laid in a supply of kerosene as yet another stretch of long winter nights approaches.

What doncha like about the weather we’ve had in September so far? It has moved us along in crop maturity to the point where most likely we will be out of the woods for the most part on both corn and soybeans before a killing frost. Given a favorable weather scenario this week we should see some soybeans harvested as well. The rain gauge at the ranch still as of this writing has yet to record any measurable precipitation yet this month. These things do tend to even out however so wouldn’t be surprised if its stint as the Maytag repairman come October. The pattern seems to be that we get rain every other month and temperatures that belong to either the month prior or following. Given a continuation of that trend, a cold, wet October followed by a dry November with October-like temperatures would surprise no one.

Ah, but aside from the pastures being dry, it has been a fun September to watch and listen to some of the insects and birds. The white-lined sphinx moths have been after many of the flowers at the ranch in the early evening hours and the mosquitoes have been after many of the warm-blooded inhabitants at the ranch. During daylight hours there have been an amazing number of bumblebees working feverishly to lay in a supply of nectar and pollen to overwinter. The cicadas are still providing their buzzing electricity imitation to the countryside, making up for the lack of noise they provided for much of July. The orioles appear to officially be done and unfortunately, the hummingbirds probably won’t be here too much longer. It’s hard to say if those seen now are the same ones we saw a week ago or if they’re only coming through in waves.

Completed the potato harvest before chores on Sunday and then dug the onions afterwards. Did manage to poke a few potatoes with the fork so we can taste test the stabbing victims right away. Always a good feeling to have them out of the ground though ahead of a potential rain event. It’s not that much fun digging them when it’s dry and even less fun when it’s muddy. While one can go to the store or a farmer’s market and buy them, hard to beat the taste of something you’ve raised by the sweat of your own brow with the dirt under your fingernails to prove it. The W’s were Johnny on the spot and got enough hay laid in here too so the Cheviots should have plenty to gnaw on for awhile. The smell of that freshly baled forage in the barn is enough to make one want to stay there and inhale that intoxicating aroma.

Last week was a rough one for us at the ranch given some of the events that unfolded back in the area we grew up in. Mrs. Cheviot lost both of her parents within two days and it has left me in disbelief. While she was busy tending to matters there, I likened myself to Al Haig after Reagan was shot, in control here at the White House but in word only. Sure, I got the chores done, kept some of the necessary issues handled at work, and passed along word of what was transpiring to our east but really, my mind was somewhere else and it was all beyond my control. I was just reacting and trying to maintain my sanity. I want to write about my father in law and mother in law but I can’t; just not ready yet. Will save that for next week after we get some closure following Monday and Tuesday’s services. In the meantime, thanks to all who have kept us in their thoughts and prayers.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

The winter's comin' on, Summer's almost gone.

The scurs get the nearby right but can’t seem to get untracked as the systems are marching to the beat of their own drummer. This time around, starting with Wednesday, look for mostly sunny skies with a high of 65 – 70, a low of 50 and a good chance of evening rain. Thursday, cloudy with showers likely. High of 65 – 70 and a low near 50. A chance of lingering showers Friday and Saturday. Cloudy Friday becoming partly cloudy on Saturday with highs both days around 60 and lows near 40. Sunday through Tuesday, partly cloudy, highs near 60 and lows around 40. Normal high for October 2nd is 67 and the normal low is 42. The scurs will be watching out for the first signs of Jack Frost on the Harvest Moon.

The Full Moon for this month will occur on the 4th and is know as the Full Harvest Moon as it is the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox. 2 out of 3 years the Harvest Moon occurs in September. It is aptly named as the harvest is beginning and many vegetable crops we grow that were developed by the Indians, namely things like squash, pumpkins, and beans are now ready to harvest. Both the Ojibwe and the Sioux knew this as the Moon of falling leaves. Fortunately the Indians did not worry about raking leaves and spent the time they saved on surviving.

Despite last week’s rain, soybean harvest is underway and so far it is about what was expected, yields running generally in the upper 40’s and low to mid 50’s. Some strips and plots are yielding more than that but when loads are tallied up, that’s about where they’re averaging. Corn appears to be past the frost danger by and large with areas of stalk rot having expressed itself when one gazes from the road. Upon further investigation, doing the “lean test” and seeing the stalks kink over easily, it’ll be a good idea to see how the areas reacted to all the windy weather early in the week.

Black walnut harvest is also underway with the 4-legged harvesters jockeying for position with the 2-legged harvesters for the best spots. The only difference noticed between the two is the two-legged type normally don’t bury the transported nuts and the 4-legged type generally don’t dance on Bandwagon or go fishing with Elmer. Will have to keep an eye out to make sure neither type gets in the habit of storing walnuts in my pickup as has been their habit.

This week may be the last hurrah from the hummingbirds. Saturday, there were lots of them yet having a blast zipping around the yard. Mixed up a partial batch of nectar but am questioning whether or not it will get used up. Still, there was one lone hummer on Monday morning. After the frenetic pace they were moving and pulling down on the feeders on Saturday am afraid this could be the last one until spring. Several flickers moving through right now along with large groups of robins. Both have worked the nannyberries over so it’s a good thing I taste tested them when I did. The white-breasted nuthatches have become regular customers and the goldfinches sans their bright summer plumage, have been spending more time consuming composite seeds down in the CRP acreage. That’s alright as their numbers and seed consumption were starting to remind me of the irruption of siskins and redpolls last winter.

Now the two weeks from hell over with, perhaps I can look back and share a little about two wonderful people that were taken from us recently. My mother-in-law Judy was a full-blooded Norwegian, which I’m convinced helped prepare me some for the Scandinavians in the area where we live now. She had all kinds of little “Norwegian-isms” including the time my nose itched and she said someone was talking about me. She was also an expert lefse maker as well as some of the other Norwegian pastry items she’d have during the holidays at their house. She also made lutefisk that was actually edible even without the butter and of course with the butter, it was pretty good. The oyster stew we had for every Christmas was a treat too, with the oysters having been nicknamed “bugs” by the family somewhere along the line. The first time she asked how many bugs I wanted in my soup I wondered what kind of outfit I’d married into?

And as all good little Norwegian ladies would do, within an hour of cleaning everything up, it was always time for “a little lunch”. More stuff to eat to make after your nap to make you even more miserable than you already were. She was always one to please. One of my favorite memories occurred when my niece was very young and she had come over to Barney and Judy’s at Christmas time to see the cows. My brother and his wife brought Becky in the house to warm up afterwards and she announced to Judy that she would like some bologna and snacks! My sister-in-law wanted to crawl under the carpet I think but Judy just laughed. I can’t remember what she rustled up for Becky to eat but she always chuckled about that unusual request.

I was very fortunate to have achieved favored son-in-law status with Barney early on. We had a lot in common as we were both weather nuts, enjoyed feeding the birds, worked with crops and/or animals and were professional nappers. I can still envision him in the barn, ear lappers on his cap folded up, barn lime on his overshoes and Red Man trickling out of the corner of his mouth. That was where he appeared to be the most at home, especially when that time of day rolled around. He made it over to our place just a few times over the years and every time he did, by about 2 in the afternoon, he’d start to get antsy because chore time was looming on the horizon. Can’t say as I blamed him. He was taught that since they’re your animals, they’re your responsibility. You’re supposed to be there to take care of them, not stick someone else with their care or as one sees all too frequently on the news, neglect them. That was never an issue. Barney’s cows were always well cared for, perhaps a little too well cared for but they were never lacking for care.

Christmas was always one of his favorite times. He’d grin from ear to ear as all the sons and daughters, their spouses and children would gather at their house for the festivities. When their driveway became icy as was often the case, he’d remind Jo not to fall and crack his ice. Barney loved to crank up the thermostat for that occasion using the excuse that the little kids would get cold. More likely it was because Barney was cold after chores and who could blame him? We’d always check to see how close to “broil” he’d set it though. Learning the hard way after the sweat was pouring off of us, by dressing in layers, it was much more bearable.

When the winter weather arrived, he loved to call and ask how cold it was. Was so glad he and Judy had been able to make it over to our place for a Christmas gathering after we’d remodeled. It was a bitterly cold day and the weather was deteriorating as they arrived. They were able to be driven right inside the heated garage and unloaded with ease. And even though the weather caused them to leave prematurely, the vehicle was warm. Sad that their shortened stay was to be the last time Barney and Judy would visit but as in life, we were all fortunate to have them for the time we did.

See you next week…real good then

[Dotch]

Been dazed and confused for so long, it's not true...

The scurs were tracking right until Monday’s rain arrived. Oh well, can’t win ‘em all. Starting with Wednesday, we see partly cloudy skies with a high of 60 and a low of 40. Thursday, partly cloudy, high of 55 and low between 35 and 40. Partly cloudy Friday, high of 55 and low of 35 with a chance of showers overnight. Saturday, partly cloudy with a chance of that naughty word no one wants to hear, snow in the morning. High of 50 and low of 30. Mostly sunny on Sunday, high of 50 and low between 25 and 30. This will likely mean a killing frost so the according to Swede lore, we can then officially have Indian Summer. Monday and Tuesday, partly cloudy, highs of 50 both days with lows of 30 – 35.Normal high for October 9th is 64 and the normal low is 39. Temperatures are more like late October and early November. The scurs remain dazed and confused as the calendar says it’s closer to Columbus Day than Halloween.

Not much progress in the fields given the moisture that fell the first 4 days of the month. While temperatures have been cool, the moisture has been beneficial for the pastures and hay crops. It’s also starting to build some of our much depleted reserves back although it still has a long way to go before we get back to a full soil profile in the top 5’. Prior to the last several rains, we were below the levels experienced following the summer of ’88 according to the SROC in Waseca. Never hurts to have some fuel in the tank going into spring in this country.

Around the yards and gardens, the wind beat a lot of the vegetation pretty severely. It went so far on some plants to make them appear as though they’d been frozen. A lot of ground fall apples of course that the sheep were only too glad to see tossed over the fence. Looks official, the hummingbirds have left the area, leaving behind the monster flocks of grackles (blackbirds) that appear out of nowhere and occupy the yard. Plenty of other feathered friends too including nuthatches, goldfinches, red-bellied woodpeckers, blue jays, and the ever present mourning doves. Lots of robins moving through and any ripe berries are fair game for them. Suspect if it snows, we’ll start to see some juncos. Does 3 snows on the robin’s tail count in October?

Gus was tuckered after chasing the 4 wheeler much of Sunday as the vine crops were harvested. Tried to get him to ride in the garden cart but as is a Border Collie’s habit, it’s more fun to herd small implements than it is to ride on them. Pickups are a different story of course. The harvest was bountiful with lots of our favorite squash, gourds and pumpkins. Lined up along the sidewalk in front of the house, they make a wonderful display of fall color. Next up: Indian corn. With the husks drying down, it’s time.

The kindly neighbors requested I let their Collie Sophie out as they were on a brief getaway. She was glad to see me, bounding and playing after the door was opened. Checked the pasture, the waterer, counted the ears on the sheep and divided by two, then went back toward the house where Sophie was. I played with her, petted her and told her I had to go. Was a little concerned that she might try to follow me but my concerns were quickly overcome. She was busily chasing her favorite Siamese cat into a hunk of plastic tile. Nope, not gonna follow me home when there’s a cat to be tormented.

Ever have one of those days when things haven’t gone exactly as wanted then someone happens by and things change after that? Happened on Sunday. After picking up the gourds went in the house for a bite to eat. All the sudden I heard a car rumble in and Gus was barking like mad. The doorbell rang and as I went answer it I saw a familiar face. I’m horrible with names at first; I knew the guy and couldn’t remember his name. An avid reader of this column, he’d stopped before and we’d had a great conversation on wide ranging topics from nicknames on the school bus (mine was “Barnyard”) to some of the experiences we had in common growing up back in the “good old days.”

What he wanted to show me though was the ’67 Plymouth Fury VIP, which of course caught my eye immediately when I’d peered out the kitchen window. Equipped with the 383 and dual exhaust, it was no wonder it rattled the windows in the house! I came out, looked it over and gave it my seal of approval. They don’t make cars like that anymore and it’s always great to see a classic Arizona car with no rust, most of it still original, including the paint. Just as neat to hear the signature whine of the step-down starter on an older Mopar before it commences. Enough to warm the cockles of the heart for any gear head wannabe who grew up in that era! Thanks for stopping RD and for being a faithful reader. Your check is in the mail.

See you next week…real good then

[Dotch]

It said, that everything you grow in your garden would taste pretty fine

The scurs and the Twins appear to have a common affliction: Can’t get past those late inning blues. Maybe they need to borrow some of A Rod’s performance enhancing drugs! Starting with Wednesday, cloudy, high of 45 and low of 35 with a chance of rain turning to snow in the overnight hours. Same song, 2nd verse for Thursday and on Friday, temps remain the same under partly cloudy skies with a slight chance of showers during daylight hours. Saturday, we get to see the sun again. Clear with a balmy 50 degree high and a low of 35. Warmer Sunday under sunny skies, high of 55 – 60 with a low of 45. Cloudy Monday with the possibility of rain showers once again. High of 60 – 65 and low of 35. Rain again Tuesday afternoon, high of 50 - 55 and a low of 30 - 35, with a possibility of freezing rain late. The normal high for October 16th is 61 and the normal low is 36. The normal high for November 16th is 41 and the normal low is 23. Sound familiar? We also slip below 11 hours of daylight on the 16th and to make matters worse, the sun rises after 7:30 a.m. on the 18th. With all that good news, the scurs are ready to brush up on their long winter napping skills.

Field progress was slow until late week, waiting for the sun to shine so combines could once again roll. Precip has been detected on 10 of the first 12 days in October at the ranch so it doesn’t take a genius to figure out we’ve been spoiled the past several years. Soybean moistures following the rains (and snow) were generally running in the upper 14 to 15%. Some dockage if hauling to town but perhaps better than being buried under a foot of snow. Some corn is being harvested and here again, moisture is high. With the cool temperatures, very little field drying is occurring. Tillage on the other hand where harvest has taken place has gone well. Dry subsoils below have lead to moisture percolating down in the profile easily, keeping the tillage zone in good working condition. It is still too early to put anhydrous ammonia on yet unless you’re living a long way north of here.

Ahead of the Monday snow event, one could detect a sense of urgency among the bird population in the yard. Goldfinches in particular were clinging to the feeders in large numbers again. They beat it for the trees briefly when a red-tailed hawk appeared on top of the light pole in the middle of the yard. His stay was short-lived however and it didn’t take long for them to reappear once he left, almost like the Munchkins in The Wizard of Oz once they realized the wicked witch was gone. The nectar feeders were taken down full of sugar water slush on Saturday morning and replaced with the suet feeders in anticipation of colder temperatures. Not much activity yet as it usually takes the downies, hairies, red-bellies and other assorted suet eaters awhile to find the high energy food.

Mother Nature was busy firing warning shots and it was a good weekend to get things ready for the inevitable. One can almost sense it in their bones. Got the apples picked on Saturday and moved all the vine crops inside where Jack Frost couldn’t kiss them again. Managed to pick the remaining tomatoes that were blushing ahead of the frost and must’ve forgotten one as I fished it out of my sweatshirt pocket at work Monday morning. Am dreading the day that the last one is consumed though. Afraid it’s back to draining garden hoses and covering tender vegetation on the slim hope that the weather could turn.

Could the weather still turn? Of course it could and it usually does. Can still recall the fall of ’81, my first year out of college living in a little basement house in Rugby ND. Was pulling 2’ nitrate tests on October 9th, a Friday afternoon near Rolla and finished near dark. Drove the Jeep CJ-7 home after sundown and it snowed so hard the last 20 miles on highway 3 it was difficult to see. It ended up snowing about 8” there but it got so cold the ground froze solid where it didn’t. We were fairly certain the season was over and there would be no more soil sampling, tillage or ammonia application after that. Were we wrong! The weather straightened out, the fieldwork got done, and it was nice until just before Thanksgiving.

That was a Thanksgiving to remember too. My folks made the trip to the Geographical Center of North America where we dined on snow geese that I had shot and Mom added a special touch to her much sought after dressing recipe with the pleurotus (oyster) mushrooms found growing in a clump on the cottonwood stump in my yard. Outside it was gray and cold but inside, the little house was warm and smelled heavenly!

Mom and I reminisced about that on the phone this past Sunday afternoon while getting some pointers from her on cooking the pot roast I’d started. After misplacing the crock pot instructions needed to consult my sources for advice. With all the stuff outside that needed to be put away yet ahead of the snow, was lamenting that I was running out of time to make an apple pie. She suggested maybe making apple crisp from a few of the just picked Haralson apples as it would be quicker than making a pie. Just happened to have her recipe so she didn’t have to tell me twice. Anything made with a whole stick of butter has to taste good. The aroma of the apples and cinnamon combined with the beef roast simmering in the crock pot filled the house, making it warm and inviting, distant from the near freezing temperatures outside. Not so different from that special Thanksgiving all those years ago.

See you next week…real good then.

[Bobby Bass]

Butter is good... and of course pie!

[Dotch]

(Doing best Homer Simpson impression...) "Mmmmmmmmm...pie. Is there anything they can't do?"

[Dotch]

Waiting for the sun...

After the scurs watched the Vikings escape with a victory, the scurs are setting out to do exactly the same thing. Starting with Wednesday, mostly cloudy with a good chance of rain. High of 55 and low of 40 – 45. Thursday, cloudy with more rain likely, high of 50 and a low of 35 – 40. Cloudy and cooler with a chance of lingering rain and snow showers on Friday. High near 45 and low around 30. Saturday we should see the sun again after a long wait. Partly cloudy, high of 45 – 50 and low near 30. Slight chance of showers Sunday, partly cloudy with a high close to 50 and low of 35. Partly cloudy Monday and Tuesday with highs of 50 – 55 and lows of 35. A chance of showers creeping in again Tuesday evening. The normal high for October 23rd is 57 and the normal low is 33. We continue to lose about 3 minutes of daylight per day. The scurs are wondering if Indian Summer is lurking just around the corner or if it’s a bus we’re about to be thrown under?

One would’ve had to set stakes to measure harvest progress last week. Rainy, cold, cloudy and dreary made soybean combining impossible and did little to help dry corn down in the fields. Even though it warmed up this past Sunday, soybeans remained too wet and some have resorted to drying them in order to at least make some headway. Dockage has been pretty nasty especially for those over 15%. There are simply very few dry beans with which the wet beans can be blended off. This month has been tough with precipitation of one sort or another being recorded at the ranch on 15 of the first 17 days in October. Not sure if that’s any kind of a record but it is at the ranch since we’ve only been recording data for a little over a year. The dry summer has bought us some time once again however as of this writing, we really haven’t had enough rain to completely recharge the subsoils in most areas. We just need the sun to shine and the breezes to dry the soybeans out sufficiently.

Some corn has been picked and while the yields have generally been extremely good, the test weight has not always been great, to the point that some are considering screening once again. As wet as the corn is, it’s tending to break up more, resulting in more fines making it more difficult to force air through the grain. This of course brought back memories for the little fat buddies around the training table of picking corn on the ear and musings about how long the cribs would need to be for the kind of yields we get nowadays. It was unanimous: Very long.

The cold temperatures earlier in the month sure have taken a toll on our leaf watching, haven’t they? Colors have been extremely subdued and some of the trees such as the ash in our yard have been completely denuded already due to the hard freeze. There are still scattered pockets of color here and there especially in the river valleys and lake areas. Am hopeful the red oaks in the yard will add some pizzazz to what has become a ho-hum autumn after expecting a colorful finish to the cool growing season.

Even though the summer was cool, one still has to marvel at the bounty of this land. Auntie Mar Mar dropped off her niece’s ewe to meet up with a date then laughed when she gazed at our garage full of squash. We’ve given away a lot already and it doesn’t look like we’ve made a dent in it. We’ve taste tested several kinds and so far the Mooregold has been my favorite, even though it takes a chainsaw to open them. The rind this year seems to be extra thick so it’s no wonder this variety seems to keep so well. Maybe have to look into a log splitter.

The weekend did bring lots of migrating birds through the area including a plethora of warblers and more hawks. A large group of cedar waxwings enjoyed the crabapples then disappeared as quickly as they had appeared. Bluebirds with their rather demure calls were at the kindly neighbors on Saturday then on Sunday morning they were at the ranch itself, first eating some of the remaining nannyberries. They then inspected the nearby nesting boxes while flitting about playfully. One can only hope they remember and return next spring to set up shop. The houses will be clean and ready for them when they get back.

Several young fox squirrels around the ranch, one or two of which have taken a shine to chewing on the bird feeders. Haven’t had a problem for years but it’s annoying to look out the window only to see the rodents literally hanging by their toenails with their heads buried in the feeder. Dusted off the plexiglass squirrel guard, put it back out on the feeder, so let the games begin. Their next move was to take down the thistle seed tube and gnaw on that, judging by the half-moon munch taken out of the tube under the cap. They’d best be careful though. I have a hunting license and my trigger finger is getting itchy. It’s been awhile since I’ve had nice, fresh young squirrel barbecued on the grill. A well placed shot from the grassy knoll can never be ruled out.

See you next week…real good then.

[HD]

Good read Dotch!

Corn is still a little wet here too.......maybe a couple more weeks.....maybe

(are there any Kennedys left?)


Hunter

[Dotch]

Leaves are falling all around...

Between A Rod’s performance enhancing drugs and the old Brett Favre doll they used to stick pins in, the scurs were on the money for the last forecast period. Double or nothing this week? We shall see. Starting with Wednesday, high of 50 – 55 and low of 40 – 45 with a slight chance of rain. Continued cloudy on Thursday, warmer, high of 55 – 60 and low of 40 – 45. Slight chance of rain with a better chance of a showers and thunderstorms overnight. Cloudy Friday, high of 60 and low of 35 with a good chance of continuing thunderstorms. Saturday, the sun returns just in time for the ghosts and goblins. High of 45 and low of 30 with a slight chance of showers during daylight hours. Partly cloudy again on Sunday, a little cooler with a high of 45 and lows near 20. Cloudy Monday, cooler, high of 35 and low of 20. Partly cloudy Tuesday, high of 35 - 40 and low of 25 - 30 with a slight chance of evening snow showers. Normal Halloween high is 51 and the normal low is 30. The scurs will be enjoying their hard fought extra hour of sleep after a tough night of trick or treating.

Yes, that time has come once again. Set your clocks back an hour on Saturday night. The nightmare is over for another year or at least until the dummies tell us to set our clocks ahead again in March. The good news for now is the sun will rise before 7 a.m. once again. The bad news: The sun will set shortly after 5 p.m. in the afternoon. Can’t win for losing.

November 2nd ushers in the Full Moon for the month, typically known as the Full Beaver Moon. It was named as such as this was the time of year that trapping of beaver was done to supply warm pelts. It is also sometimes referred to as the Full Frosty Moon. The Ojibwe knew this as the Full Freezing Moon and the Sioux as The Moon of the Falling Leaves. After observing the trees at the ranch this past weekend, that one is right on the money. At least the sheep are doing their part on the other side of the fence, gobbling down the silver maple leaves as fast as they can.

We had very little weather appropriate for fieldwork this past week and it appears that at least half or more of the soybean crop in the area is still in the field. Luckily we had part of Sunday, Monday and part of Tuesday last week to get some soybeans harvested. Combining soybeans this week doesn’t look real promising and some have opted to pick corn instead. Corn is wet of course but as we mentioned here a few weeks back, stalk integrity is decreasing and each windy day could make matters worse. Corn did come down a couple points in the few drying days we had. However, the hours of daylight and average daily temps are heading the wrong direction this time of year.

The rain for the month has made the tile lines run again and some of the shallow area wetlands such as ours are again holding water. We’ve tallied just a shade over 5” of precip at the ranch as of this writing with more likely before the end of the week. The first juncos we’ve seen arrived at the ranch on Saturday. Always hate to see them come but they’re pretty good little guests, cleaning up under the feeders after having spent most of their summers far to the north. The downies, hairies and red-bellies have found the suet and the female red-bellied woodpecker likes to take one kernel of corn at a time back to wherever, and return in a few minutes for another one. The blue jays take 5 or 6 at time in their “gular pouch” likely stashing them somewhere for safe keeping.

After some temps in the lower 20’s earlier in the month, was hoping perhaps the ladybug invasion may have been averted. The warm days last week brought them out with a vengeance. Driving by many farmsteads, the sound of dozens of bugs hitting the windshield was common. Still some glimpses of fall color here and there but this is one of those leaf watching years that wasn’t. The red oak trees in the yard have turned more of an orange color this year rather than the deep red we’ve become accustomed to. Variety is the spice of life.

At the Mall for Men, we’ve been feasting on the bountiful harvest thus far at the training table. Pie and donuts last week quickly became endangered species though. One of my little fat buddies claims I’ve got this gardening thing figured out. Give people apples and cucumbers and I get pies and pickles in return. After freezing squash on Saturday am scheming to somehow make the squash “value added” too. Oh well, it was still more entertaining than observing another ignominious defeat as the Gophers were squashed once again by The Ohio State University.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees…

The scurs got last Monday and Tuesday’s highs mixed up with the points scored by the Gophers and Vikings over the weekend. They promise to do better, the scurs that is. Starting Wednesday and Thursday, cooling down from Monday and Tuesday with highs both days of 45 and lows of 30. Thursday should mark the start of another warming trend however, this one lasting until mid-month hopefully. Mostly clear Thursday and Friday, turning partly sunny on Sunday. Highs around 50 – 55 and lows of 30 – 35. Partly cloudy Monday, warmer temps continuing but with a chance of rain later in the day. High of 50 – 55 and low of 35 – 40. Rain continuing Tuesday, high near 50 and low of 30 – 35. Normal high for November 7th is 46 and the normal low is 27. On November 5th, the sun begins to set before 5 p.m. and on November 7th, we slip below 10 hours of daylight, and won’t see that many hours again until early February. The scurs will be enjoying the sun while we have it after the gloomy month that was October.

October set many records for precipitation across the state and was in the running locally to be one of the wettest depending on where you live. At the SROC in Waseca where no one lives, they set a new 95 year precipitation record. They were also looking at the 3rd coldest October as of the 26th with record low highs being established for October 13th and 16th. Using their data for precipitation and temperatures to calculate a “misery index”, October 2009 was the clear “winner”. Here at the ranch for October, we tallied 5.81” of precip between melted snow and rain. There was precipitation of one form or another noted on 24 of the 31 days. Precipitation means clouds and clouds mean grumpy attitudes. Ugly!

On the bright side, weather tends to average out and in the past few days both the sun and moon have reappeared as have better attitudes. Along with that, one can actually see the heavens again at night. Some of the planets of note include Jupiter which is still shining brightly over the southern horizon. Venus is continuing to trek eastward across the sky and has been the “morning star”. By the end of the month however it will be too close to the sun for viewing. Saturn rises about 2 hours after midnight and is visible in the SE sky at sunrise. According to Mike Lynch (Lunch! As Cannon used to say) on November 9th in the pre-twilight hours of Monday morning, Mars and the moon will be in conjunction high in the Southern sky. The Big Dipper continues to sink in the NW sky, barely above the horizon to the north, a reminder that colder days lie ahead.

Some limited progress was made over the weekend as the soybeans continue to be stubborn about drying out. Corn was harvested in areas instead and the moisture is stubborn there as well. At least one can get something accomplished. Test weights and moisture are variable and there are indications that primary tillage and sulfur applications may have had some impact on both. Across the landscape one can hear the collective howl of the fans as the dryers slowly work their way through the wet corn. The steam clouds rising on the still mornings from the bin sites appear almost like smoke wafting through the trees. One can only hope it’s not smoke anyway.

Around the area road ditches, the vibrant yellow of switchgrass and cordgrass are fading to a more subdued spaghetti color. Most leaves out here in the country waved bye-bye with Friday’s wind although places like Bugtussle and Mayberry still have some scattered bright yellow hard maples. The one here at the ranch might’ve been pretty for about 5 minutes one night in the dark, I think. The leaves on the ground were pretty anyway. The red oaks that showed promise in the color department suddenly went from a dull orange to brown and the wind stripped most of the leaves off the smaller model. Now the trees are bare, there are ample squirrels’ nests both at the ranch and across the entire greater Bugtussle area. The squirrels in the yard have apparently declared a truce, leaving the bird feeders alone. They’re satisfied to eat the germ out the corn kernels and leave the rest under the tree for the pheasants.

With all the leaves on the ground, Sunday offered a great opportunity to process them with the lawnmower. Ash and soft maple leaves once they fall get crispy pretty fast so the mower readily ground them up into confetti. Gus followed the mower around most of the day, something he normally isn’t in the habit of. Apparently he was convinced this stretch of sunshine was something to take advantage of while we have it. Perhaps he was thinking it may be many moons before he gets to bite the lawnmower tires again, one of his favorite pastimes. Sometimes Gus is smarter than he lets on.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Running over the same old ground. What have we found?

Playing a little close to the vest on the weekend highs, the scurs heard no complaints on their ineptitude after the gorgeous days we had. Will it continue? After the upcoming weekend all bets are off, on the weather that is. Starting with Wednesday and Thursday, partly cloudy, highs around 55 and lows of 35 – 40. Friday, partly cloudy with a slight chance of showers developing. High of 55 and low of 35. Cloudy Saturday, with a moderate chance of showers. High of 50 and low near 30. Cooler Sunday, partly cloudy, high around 45 and low of 25 with a slight chance of overnight showers. Cloudy on Monday, chance of rain/snow mix, high of 40 and low around 25. Partly cloudy and back to reality on Tuesday, high of 35 – 40 and low of 30. Normal high for November 15th is 41 and the normal low is 23. Warm November temps have the scurs pricing new lawn furniture.

We were due and the sun finally shone its face upon us. The Friday through Sunday period marked one of the first stretches of more than a couple days where fieldwork could be accomplished. Soybeans finally got dried down below 13% on a consistent basis and detectable drops in moisture in the corn was apparent. Fall tillage has been moving as fast as crop is coming off and anhydrous started to seal well on most fields. One knows they live in rural America when the sound of machinery can be heard outside the church on Sunday morning and everyone just smiles knowingly. Given the awful October we had, no one can blame them for harvesting on a Sunday. It’s time to get this crop put to bed.

At church, H.A. noted when he’d gone by the ranch and looked at the sheep grazing on the sidehill, the sheep appeared to have grown quite a fleece already. Had made the same observation that morning from the sliding glass window. The dry late summer weather probably has something to do with that as it makes the wool fluffier. It doesn’t seem to correlate to a cold winter or anything. They’ve been eating well which certainly makes them look larger. The sheep have been the beneficiaries of all the squash freezing and pie baking taking place as of late. All one needs do is approach the fence from the house and they come on a dead run to see what might land on their side from that little white bucket.

While getting ready for church, had an unexpected sight on the tree Sunday morning when I was looking out. The first pileated woodpecker we’ve ever seen here at the ranch appeared and was checking the ash trees over for insects. At first, I was in disbelief. Even though we’ve planted a lot of trees since the ’96 storm hit our place, it’s not exactly a national forest. Was almost giddy as I called my Mom and informed her of the sighting. When the bird decided to eat some suet at one of the suet cake feeders and a large blue jay showed up, was amazed at how huge the woodpecker was, dwarfing the fat jay. The woodpecker looked absolutely ridiculous hanging upside down from the suet cake feeder but managed to knock some pretty big chunks loose before going to the tree trunk to clean his beak.

Other surprising creatures around the ranch this past week included a green frog found hopping around by the barn last Thursday night. This particular type of frog usually spends its time around water and while there’s water in the road ditch and culvert again, there’s not much by the barn. Of course, not so surprising like everywhere else, there have been lots of boxelder bugs and ladybugs sunning themselves on south facing exposures. Fortunately they haven’t been numerous in the house, yet.

The Orange Army was out in force over the weekend but the deer were likely hanging pretty tight with all the unharvested crop to hide in. There are lots of deer around these parts if the number hit on the road this past summer was any indication. Still, there was deer hanging in the kindly neighbors yard when we stopped to do chores on Sunday so some apparently had success.

Speaking of the kindly neighbor’s was at the pasture on Friday night and noticed the fencer was grounded out. Could hear the feeble tick! tick! tick! of the charger when it’s not charging full bore and the gauge on the older model Parmak fencer confirmed that. Too dark to check it Friday night so back over there on Saturday afternoon after shoveling up the screenings to see where it was grounded. Of course, when one goes looking for those things, it’s an unwritten rule that you’ll always start on the wrong end of the fence. Not that I didn’t need the exercise but it was getting towards dark. The thought of being on the road with an older tractor and wagon after dark wasn’t something I relished. Wish I had a dollar for every time some clown has passed me in an intersection as I’ve been slowing down to make a left turn but I digress…

I located the spot after walking about halfway around the pasture which wasn’t all bad. Judging by the hair caught in one of the barbs, a deer had crawled between the barbed wire and the electric wire and popped one of the insulators off a T-post. Figured it had to be the spot so walked back and plugged in the fencer and sure enough, the feeble tick! tick! tick! again. Now what? Went back around the other way and found nothing wrong. Of course checking back where I’d been before closer to the barn, the electric wire had become tangled with the barbed wire. After unsnarling it and plugging the fencer back in, breathed a sigh of relief to hear the loud, almost mechanical clack! clack! clack! of the unit performing properly. Better yet, after saddling up, no one ran over me on the journey home.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

I was a willow last night in my dream...

Temperatures continued to hold through early week, making the scurs forecast less accurate than usual. What in store for the week before Thanksgiving? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy, with a slight chance of showers. High of 40 - 45 and a low around 35. Thursday, more clouds with a slight chance of showers, High of 45 and low of 30 – 35. The sun comes back on Friday and Saturday under partly cloudy skies. Highs of 45 – 50 and lows of 30 – 35 with a slight chance of showers on Saturday. Sunday, cloudy, slight chance of rain and/or snow showers. High of 40 – 45 and low of 20. Partly cloudy on Monday, high of 45 and low of 20. Mostly cloudy Tuesday, high of 35 and low of 15 - 20. The normal high for November 20th is 38 and the normal low is 21. Having rationed the last of their Halloween candy, the scurs will need to restock the larder for the feasting season ahead.

Tremendous progress was made in the fields in the last week. Corn moistures have dropped with the warm, dry conditions, something we wouldn’t have guessed coming off of the cold wet month that was October. Some have reported corn moisture as low as the mid-teens and no, that’s not a yield monitor moisture reading. Soybean harvest is all but completed and we’re well past the halfway point on corn. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Fields are working up fairly well although it’s not a good idea to see how deep one can till with the ample moisture we have. Anhydrous ammonia and manure applications are working well and the soil temperatures have remained cool enough to allow very little conversion of ammonium to the nitrate form. And, one can always tell it’s really fall when the ten-man dryer across the street from the Mall for Men is running 24/7.

Bird activity has settled into the typical fall pattern at the feeders. Lots of olive drab-colored goldfinches with a few house finches happening by. Big blue jays, the occasional red-bellied woodpecker, several downies and hairies, a few mourning doves and of course, those gravity defying white-breasted nuthatches. Was hoping for a reappearance of the chickadees but that hasn’t materialized. Neither has the male cardinal who visited last spring. Oh well, it’ll likely be a long winter and there usually are some welcome surprise guests.

Speaking of surprises, sure enough there are still a few signs of fall color. Those who are fortunate enough to have weeping willows this time of year are seeing their bright yellow in stark contrast to the gray and brown most of us are looking at. The apple trees lost their leaves in the wind last week and the last of the leaves that were tempting me to make one more pass with the lawnmower vanished without a trace. Suspect some of them wound up in the pasture where they were devoured by the sheep. The corn bundles that were stockpiled made it over the fence as did several squash and apples that were going out of condition. The Cheviots rarely lack for variety in their diet at the ranch.

Outdoors, it’s been a good month to clean up things around the yard and if the weather holds, will be a good time to torch some brush piles that have been accumulating. The bunny habitat they provide is a little too enticing and it’s time to thin the herd a little, with perhaps a little help from the hawks and owls. The recent tree plantings need all the help they can get. That and putting all those tree guards on each year is really starting to get old.

Indoors while Mrs. Cheviot was away on business, Gus and I decided it was a good time for an old fashioned refrigerator clean out. For some reason, something always gets shoved back behind everything else only to be found later with fur growing on it. Gus sometimes gets the benefit of out of code items that haven’t yet become science projects or begun to reek. Took awhile this past weekend to discover the source of the odor but after trial and error, delving deep into the bowels of the icebox the offender was determined and banished to the garage. The odor problem in the fridge immediately ceased. Was satisfied we’d properly identified the suspect after going out in the garage and realizing it suddenly smelled just like the refrigerator did. Few things worse than having stink-flavored ice cream on fresh baked, warm apple crisp.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Can't stop this feeling...

The Twin Cities weather forecasters, or as Cannon fondly called them “blow combs”, did their best to warn us of a return to the Ice Age for Thanksgiving. The scurs thought otherwise, keeping their powder dry, knowing the dire predictions of saber tooth tigers and woolly mammoths once again roaming the land were perhaps a tad premature. It’s late November; it’s supposed to be cold! Starting Wednesday, cloudy with a chance of rain and snow. High of 40 and a low of 25 – 30. Thanksgiving Day, cloudy, slight chance of flurries, then becoming partly cloudy by late forenoon. High of 35 and low of 20 – 25. Clear and warmer on Friday, high of 40 and low of 25. The crown jewel of the week should be Saturday, partly cloudy with a high of 45 and a low of 25 – 30. Chance of overnight drizzle however. Partly cloudy on Sunday, high around 40 and low of 20 - 25 with a chance of overnight snow. Monday, mostly cloudy, high of 35 and low of 15 – 20. Partly cloudy Tuesday December 1st with November clouds. High of 30 – 35 and low 15 - 20. Normal high for November 27th is 35 and the normal low is 17. The scurs will be sleeping in on Black Friday, sure in the knowledge that there’s lots of shopping time on December 24th.

What a week in terms of weather! November turned out as well as could be expected. Warmer than normal, with the mercury topping out this past Sunday at 60 degrees on the official ranch thermometer, the warmest since November 8th when the temp reached 65. It has allowed a lot of fieldwork to be completed in a short time and corn moisture has come down far below what anyone would’ve guessed back in October. Corn harvest progress varies by area but across most of Greater Bugtussle, it’s 75% complete or better. Evidence of some of the corn quality issues can be seen on area bin roofs that are covered in dust. The amount of beeswings around area drying setups seems to be at record levels. Anhydrous ammonia continues to go on well with soil conditions nearly ideal with the dry month we’ve had. Thus far at the ranch rain gauge, we’ve managed only .17” of precip for the month. As Mark Seeley is fond of saying, this is a good time of year for a drought when it comes to farm related operations.

Bird watching this past week included an unfortunate sighting. The fencer was grounded out at the kindly neighbors place again so walked the fence to see where the problem was. Got an assist from Sophie, the collie as she walked the outside. All the sudden a hen pheasant shot out of the grass and flew on a rising trajectory away from us. Didn’t think much of it until I happened to glance up only to see the bird drop like a rock from the sky. There was no report from a firearm which puzzled me briefly until I noticed the power line dancing above where the pheasant had fallen. Sad to see and since it was a hen, it wasn’t worth the risk of picking it up to salvage the meat. On a happier note, talked to the better half of the kindly neighbors and she claimed to have seen the pileated woodpecker on the same day I had a few weeks ago. There simply aren’t that many of them flying around so chances are good it might’ve been the same one.

Had made a trip to the women’s store across the road from the store where you go to the bathroom in the orange roofed silo. Being a house wares type thought perhaps they would have an apple corer, one of the serrated kind that takes just the core so you can make baked apples. Took the minivan so made sure my blonde soccer mom wig was handy. Made Gus wear the redhead one too although his ear always sticks up through it on one side. Got in the store and no apple corers to be found. Asked the department person and she scanned her handheld confuser. Wouldn’t ya know, they were out and unless I wanted to travel to Northfield, Rochester or the Cities, given the late date, they weren’t getting any more in. Down on my luck I went home, cleaned up and epoxyed the head back on the sledge hammer handle purchased earlier. Last week, since I was in town, thought I’d check on apple corers at Edna’s. Sure enough, exactly what I was looking for as well as another type. As she said when she rang it up “Should’ve shopped here first.” As usual, Edna was right.

With deer season over and the weather cooperating, it was time for barn cleaning once again. Could even wear my Carhartts with the white hanky sticking out of the back pocket. Turns out, one didn’t need them. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and everything held together. Despite the little fat buddy claim that the equipment came from the factory greased, maintenance apparently pays off. The heat houser was still on the tractor yet as there were times even in July this past summer it felt kinda good. It was almost too warm especially on Sunday however. It was one of the few times hauling loads without a jacket in late November. The aroma from the fresh spread manure should’ve been kept to a minimum too as the warm breezes were dried it rapidly. Am getting old though because it tuckers me out bouncing across ripped ground and my joints remind me the next day. Gus did his part, waking from his between load naps and trotting out to greet me when we’d pull into the driveway. Few better feelings as the fall winds down to know the barns are cleaned and the animals can snuggle down into the clean fresh bedding. Almost as good as the long sought after Thanksgiving nap.

See you nest week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Then I'm laying out my winter clothes...

The scurs survived Turkey Day and the warmer than predicted weekend, setting their sights on seeing if we’ll have more of the same. Highly unlikely sayeth the scurs. Starting with Wednesday, partly cloudy with a high around 30 and a low of 15 with a slight chance of some flurries. Thursday, partly cloudy, slightly cooler with a high of 25 – 30 and a low near 10. Partly cloudy Friday and Saturday, highs of 25 – 30 and lows of 15 – 20. Clear skies on Sunday becoming partly cloudy, high of 30 and low of 10 – 15. Cloudy Monday and Tuesday with a chance of light snow developing Monday evening extending into Tuesday. High of 25 - 30 and low of 10 - 15. Normal December 4th high is 31 and the normal low is 14. On December 2nd the sun will rise at 7:30 a.m. and on the 8th, we’ll be down to 9 hours of daylight. After laying out their winter clothes, the scurs will begin dipping into their kerosene lantern reserves.

December 2nd marks the first of two Full Moons for the month. Yes indeed, December will also have a Blue Moon occurring on December 31st. More on that at a later date. The Full Moon on December 2nd is known as the Full Cold Moon and sometimes as the Moon Before Yule. The Ojibwe knew this as the Small Spirits Moon and the Sioux called this the Moon of the Popping Trees and also the Moon When Deer Shed Their Horns. So far so good on the popping trees.

Harvest continues to roll towards the finish line. Hopefully this week will allow most to get done. Corn has continued to dry some, test weight is better and it’s picking a lot cleaner than it did a month ago. Not as many screenings either. Of course after saying we’d garnered only .17” of precip as of Monday last week, area fields received anywhere from .5” – 1.0” after that, making it a little greasy on top, particularly where they’d been worked.

Birds around the yard last week included a robin on Wednesday morning, something we hadn’t seen or heard from for a few weeks now. On Saturday, there were 7 hen pheasants that flew out of the brushy area that the People’s Republic of Steele Co. had tried to destroy. Must’ve been picking up after the squirrels and made their way back to the shelter on the road cut. And last but not least, the pileated woodpecker was back on Monday morning as I was about to leave for the office. Wondered if he might’ve still been around as there’s bark missing on some of the trees. Can that thing ever take hunks out of a tree in a hurry.

Actually spent a little time on Thanksgiving in the garden. There are still some bunny fences to take down yet as well as pea trellises but was mainly after the remaining beets. They popped right out of the slightly frozen ground and were none the worse for wear. Cooked some of them up on Friday and were they ever sweet. Hadn’t grown beets for many years and will make sure they’re included for next year’s planting.

This time of year I guard my Saturdays and Sundays fairly jealously. Saturday was a good day to bring the sheep home from the kindly neighbors pasture. The night before I had used some trickery to lure them inside (a white bucket full of screenings works wonders) and slide a panel in place before they had a chance to escape. The next morning the ground was froze so as not to track up the yards pulling the trailer around. They loaded easily but this time was bittersweet.

I spread Lucy’s ashes along the path of what was her usual course bringing the ewes up from the other end of the pasture. Along the east side then up over the hill, down by the apple tree and back around to the west, the Cheviots would come on a dead run trying to get away, seeking cover in the barn where Lucy would hold them until I could slide the door shut. The good news is we’ve made contact with Lucy’s breeder and there will be another puppy, hopefully sometime this spring. While it won’t be another Lucy, it’s not supposed to be. It will still be a red and white smooth coat, bringing with it the personality and little quirks that Border Collies possess.

Manure hauling is finished for the season too. The lambing barn is always a tougher job, tight to get into and not the easiest to get the pack broken loose. This year was no exception, giving credence to the aptly named “sheep-foot packer” implement used in road building. The surface of the pack was just like a road. It takes some manual pitching at first so one can maneuver the skid loader around making it more time consuming per load than moving a few gates and panels like we do in the main barn. 4 loads later however, the task was completed in time for the Vikings tilt with Da Bears so was glad for that. The pack wasn’t frozen solid either, something that isn’t always the case. If the weather holds, may have time to wax the spreader yet before putting it away for winter.

After tossing the pumpkins over the fence to the sheep, we celebrated Saturday in style with the obligatory turkey on the Weber complete with all the trimmings. The apple wood saved from the spring’s pruning gave the bird a wonderful wood-smoked flavor. Auntie Mar Mar came up to join in the festivities. It was good thing she brought along a lot of good food because after she told us she’d been voting for Donny Osmond to win Dancing With the Stars, I almost sent her home. The scantily clad Edyta, Joanna and Mya were more my speed. Can foresee many useful yet appropriate gifts coming Mar Mar’s direction for Christmas. If anyone knows where I can get my hands on a Donny Osmond lunchbox, let me know.

See you next week…real good then.

[Randy Kaar]

Fencelines made the top 10 for most views.
Congrats Dotch! I look forward to the next one.

randy

[Dotch]

Kewl! We'll keep writing them, there then...

[Dotch]

'Cause I've got you in the sights of my .........gun!

The scurs were wise to get those winter clothes out after the 6 degree low recorded at the ranch on Friday morning. They’re reminding themselves that November is over and along with it the unbridled weather optimism. Given the colder than normal forecast, you’ll see why. Starting with Wednesday mostly cloudy, snow likely, blustery winds with blowing and drifting snow. High of 10 - 15 and low of 0. Thursday, partly cloudy, high of 10 and low of 0. Slightly warmer for Friday and Saturday, high of 15 and low of 5 above. Clouding up on Sunday with highs remaining near 20 and lows of 0 – 5 above. Partly to mostly cloudy Monday, warmer high of 25 - 30 and low of 5 – 10. Mostly cloudy Tuesday with a chance of passing flurries. High of 30 and low of 20. The normal high for December 11 is 28 and the normal low is 10. The scurs are burning Christmas ads in their stove, knowing that real bargain hunters don’t shop until December 24th.

Harvest is still winding down in areas and everyone will be glad to put this cropping season to bed. As nice as November was, December has reverted to the every other month formula that has typified the weather much of this year. After a near 50 degree day on the 1st, things have tanked pretty fast. As of this writing the ground hasn’t completely frozen where there’s residue on the surface but given the forecast, it won’t be long and the possibility of any more fall tillage will be over for the season. Just glad that the dawdling bug didn’t bite me the past couple weeks for barn cleaning. It would’ve been much chillier. As it is now the ground is frozen on the surface reducing the likelihood of re-landscaping the yard when it comes time to move snow.

Was a good weekend to get things buttoned up and put my toys away ahead of Old Man Winter. Not much fun to smack something with the loader or worse if the weather dictates it, have someone else run that same something through their snow blower. Getting that time of year that anything can and usually does happen on the weather front so best be ready and take it in stride. Well, as much as possible anyway. It still bites to smash ice out of frozen buckets and drain hoses every time one does chores but it just makes you appreciate the times it warms up and doesn’t freeze that much more.

Unloaded more squash on the sheep too in order to get the last bay cleaned out of the garage so it would hold the soccer mom van, affectionately known as the “Gus Bus”. As Mrs. Cheviot pointed out, the sheep were like kids pouncing on candy under a piñata. In the meantime, Gus survived another Lions pancake feed. That pancake feed smell permeates everything it seems and when the truck pulled into the garage, he had his front feet on the running boards, knowing there were pancakes on board as the truck door opened. I pulled one out of the bag and he clamped onto it, then went back to his pillow in the corner to gulp it down. RL knows the craft of pancake flipping well and Gus was impressed by his expertise.

Took a walk around the fence at home as it was grounded out. Of course the rabbits had already been busy gnawing on some of the little trees along the way so made a note to wrap the vulnerable vegetation. If I get them in the sights of my .22, some cottontail on the grill will need to happen. Plodding along, there were several spots where something had blasted through the fence, knocking posts down and grounding it out. Managed to get it back in place then upon arrival back in the yard, there was a white pickup with a couple former sheep farmers in it wanting to hunt deer with black powder in the CREP acreage. They’ve asked before and I’ve always granted them permission, hoping that they would be successful. Felt badly that I’d just made a swing by the wetland, probably reducing their chances given the wind direction, but told them they were most welcome to hunt there in spite of that. They decided there might not be much point in it and backed slowly out of the driveway. Seconds later they were back, having changed their minds. Win, lose or draw, was happy they’d decided to walk it anyway. That was one of the reasons we put it in the program in the first place, so those we know can enjoy it.

It’s official: The new bakery in Bugtussle has earned the little fat buddy seal of approval. Several days last week there were treats on the training table and oddly enough, they didn’t make it through the day. The quantity of choices has been great as has the quality. The help is friendly and the renovations have made the place as warm and inviting as when Elmer and Marilyn owned it. And it always smells great when you walk in as small town bakeries do. The product lineup appears to be expanding too so it’s going to keep the little fat buddies hopping keeping tabs on the changes.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

The snow drives back the foot that's slow…

Last week’s weather was everything the scurs advertised it to be and more. This week promises to be a little more seasonal without a major storm. Starting Wednesday, look for partly cloudy skies with a high of 15 and a low of 10 Warmer on Thursday, partly cloudy again with a high around 25 and a low of 10. Partly cloudy both Friday and Saturday with a slight chance of snow. Highs of 25 and lows of 10 – 15. Cooler on Sunday, high of 15 and low of 0 – 5 above. Cloudy on Monday and Tuesday, chance of snow. Highs around 20 and lows of 0 – 5 above. The first day of winter and the shortest day of the year in terms of daylight is generally considered the 21st at 8 hours and 54 minutes even though the sun already began setting a little later on the 14th. The normal high for December 21st is 25 and the normal low is 6. The scurs will be settling in for a long winters nap after last weeks snow shoveling.

It was a storm that actually turned out as was forecast early last week. Temperatures plummeted with a low dropping to nearly 10 below at the ranch on Thursday morning. Schools were closed and the wind whipped the snow into drifts nearly filling many road ditches so the next storm could make life interesting. With the gulf moisture that fed the storm there was a surprising amount of water in it. It moved pretty well with a blower or a bucket though primarily because it was so cold. At the ranch where measuring snowfall is more of an art than a science, we accumulated what was probably around 10”. Melting down the contents of the gauge, the liquid equivalent was about .36” of precipitation.

It is always interesting to see how the local fauna adapt to this winter weather. The squirrels (we have 3 or 4 depending on the day) usually hole up in their nests until the weather breaks, then they’re back to business again cleaning up under the bird feeders and chowing down on ear corn. A vole skittered along on top of the snow banks making its way to the cover of the plum and sumac thicket. Cottontails seem to be unfazed but do wait until after the major blow is by before coming out to chew things off. The pheasants were in the yard a few days after things settled down and it looks like Little Jerry may be alive after all. One beautiful big rooster was eyeing the ear corn feeder. There was a misplaced grackle under the feeders on Sunday morning. The pileated woodpecker has become a regular at the suet. Will need to start buying suet cakes by the pallet the way things are going. The large woodpecker usually pokes a big hole through the middle of the cake making it look like a large suet donut. Mmmmmm…donuts.

Luckily, I managed to escape the wrath of this storm, hunkered down at some meetings while staying at a shelter in Minneapolis. Ate at some soup kitchens to maintain my strength. While I was struggling to survive in the Twin Cities, had left everything pretty well set up so the chores could be done with a minimum of consternation. Surprisingly enough, heard little complaining from Mrs. Cheviot upon my return. Might have to leave more often before snowstorms!

Of particular note at the meetings: Many of us guys in the 50+ age bracket must all be going to barbers who went to the same school. Seem to be taking a little too much off the top when gazing across the crowd and noticing the light from the power point presentations reflecting off the pates. My barber has resorted to trickery methinks. When he’s finished he uses the back side of the black hand-held mirror to convince me there’s still hair on top of my melon. I think it’s really to cover his mistakes.

While Matt Dubya was kind enough to clear a path so Mrs. Cheviot could go to work, there was quite a mess in the yard upon my return. With a guy coming on Friday from WI to buy a ram, it was necessary to clean things out before he got there. It was a good thing too. His small Ford Ranger with 2 wheel drive would’ve never made it within 40 yards of the barn. Saturday was a good day to clean out the lots despite the breezy conditions. The sheep could get back outside to wander more freely although the windbreak is stops a little more snow each year on the west. Walking through it over the weekend and noting the wildlife tracks and seeing what a mess it could’ve otherwise been sold me. By the time we’re ready to get out of the sheep business, there probably won’t be much snow for me to move. Bummer!

At the Mall for Men, morning training sessions have become routine once again now that field work has come to a screeching halt. The commerce of news, exchange of crucial information, and a veritable daily Vulcan mind meld continues. It’s a little known fact that lefse is actually the Norwegian version of a tortilla, one can be bribed to eat lutefisk if the price is right and there was a local adult film star by the name of Bubbles Lafayette. Who knew? With versatile wisdom and knowledge such as this, will need to consult their expertise before shopping for the gang at the Star Eagle next week.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

So, I looked 'round for a hitch from a reindeer

The scurs were close although depending on what part of great Bugtussle one hails from, the Sunday snowfall totals were somewhat unexpected. The scurs will go out on a limb here and predict a white Christmas. Starting Wednesday, cloudy, with an increasing chance of snow as the day wears on. High of 25 and low of 20. Thursday, cloudy with snow likely. High of 25 and low of 10 – 15. Christmas Day, cloudy and breezy with lingering snow likely. High of 20 and low of 5. Saturday and Sunday, partly cloudy. Highs around 15 and lows near 5. Partly cloudy Monday, colder with a high of 5 - 10 and a low of 0 to -5. Partly cloudy on Tuesday, continued cold, high of 10 and low of 0 to -5. Normal high for Christmas Day is 24 and the normal low is 5. After finishing up shopping at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday night, the scurs will soon be snug in their beds, listening for Santa’s reindeer while drifting off.

It looks as though we’ll see a major snowfall event heading our way over Christmas once again and after looking back at last year, we had one close to Christmas as well. Not too many tales of woe yet on the snow blower front. Crankshaft might’ve run a 220 cord or two through his blower but looking on the bright side, one sharp eyed observer told him it just makes for lots of new electric motor leads for those augers.

We celebrated and survived the Bernard family Christmas last weekend already. A trip through North Central Iowa revealed that they indeed received more snow than we did in the last major storm. There were several areas where it appeared blowers were used to beat back the snow as the ditches were over full. West of Ackley we spotted an unpicked corn field and it didn’t appear there was any effort being made to harvest it. Probably with good reason if the field was as full of snow as some of the road ditches.

When the weather threw the switch from fall to winter this year it sure didn’t waste any time, did it? Back on December 2nd, we recorded a high near 50 at the ranch. It’s been all downhill since that time, remaining below freezing. It came as close as it’s been since the 13th at 29 this past Sunday but no cigar. Still, this is pretty mild compared to December of 1983 when temperatures stayed below zero for a record setting period in many areas of the country. Where I was living at that time in the Little House on the Prairie about 6 miles from the Canadian border in north central ND, it dipped to -40 every night for about a week. Actually it was pretty cool (pun intended) as the northern lights were running wild, providing some of the most spectacular viewing in scope and color I’ve ever seen. Why I went outside and look at them is beyond me. Some have wondered why most rural houses in that area have electric stoves and heat with fuel oil. The cold temperature is one of the primary reasons. As many a hardcore ice fisherman can attest, LP doesn’t flow out of the tank very well at -40.

At the ranch, everything has settled in as has the winter. The sheep are content to eat hay and grain while wandering as far as the cleared lot and snow banks will allow. Gus is keeping the rabbits and squirrels well exercised. The birds are consuming seed at a somewhat more leisurely pace than last year when we saw the irruption of pine siskins and redpolls. This past week there were lots of goldfinches, blue jays, juncos, hairies, downies, a female red belly, an occasional house finch, the lone grackle and the pileated woodpecker continues to come faithfully. We don’t always see it but with the consumption of suet and noting new hunks of bark knocked off the trees, the calling card is clear. The sound of pheasants taking wing in the early morning hours is a regular occurrence during choretime as they glide from their overnight cover to that of the restored wetland area. The same sequence in repeated as we near dusk.

The little fat buddies continue to saw through the vast Christmas trove of baked goodies with gusto. The supply of assorted homemade bars, cookies and other confections seems endless but we all know once the holidays are over, someone will have to begin making those daunting, treacherous, daily trips to the bakery.

Well, it’s time once again for that time honored tradition of gift giving for the crack management staff at the Star Eagle. It’s been a rougher time this year as I’ve already given such a splendid array of gifts in the past. For Jim, I’m giving him one of my new super duper pens with the new and improved larger ink supply so he can add more zeros on to my rapidly burgeoning Star Eagle paycheck. For Jody, nothing else would suffice except a gooseberry pie. If you promise to share, I’ll bring some Schwan’s ice cream. For Betts, I’m loaning her the soccer Mom van (aka the “Gus Bus”) free for a weekend shopping trip. Betts needs a little more excitement in her life. Can guarantee her one thing, it won’t be boring as one can never be exactly sure what the van will do next. It does hold a lot of stuff though, including copious amounts of Gus hair. For Dick, pickled herring. It’s the gift that keeps on giving when one has a few carbonated beverages while consuming it especially during an ice fishing excursion. Everyone else in the house can enjoy it that way too. For Cathy, a Blackberry so she can save time by typing some of that column as she’s driving down the road. Scratch that, always pull over to the side. For Al, my Mom’s Fli-Back paddle. The ball and rubber band will need to be reattached as she used it primarily for attitude adjustment on our behinds. As a result, we went so far as to put a couple red crayon marks on it to convince her she’d paddled us so hard, she’d broken the skin. After reading his columns and hearing stories about some of the stunts he pulled lo these many years years, somehow I think Al might be able to relate.

Happy Festivus! See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Blue moon, you saw me standing alone…

The scurs had it pegged pretty close as there was snow and a pretty messy end to last week with a storm system that seemed to make up the rules as it went along. For the upcoming week? No great chances for snow or rain for that matter, more sunshine but at least it will be cold. Starting Wednesday, cloudy, a slight chance of snow, look a high of 20 – 25 and a low in the neighborhood of 5 – 10. Colder New Year’s Eve, partly cloudy, high of 15 and a low of – 5 to zero. New Year’s Day, more fresh air. Partly cloudy Saturday, clear skies, a high of 5 – 10 and a low of – 5. Warmer Sunday, high of 15 and low of 5 under partly cloudy skies. Clouding up Monday, warmer and with warmer temps comes the increased chance of snow. High of 25 and 15 for a low. Cloudy and warmer on Tuesday, high of 30 and low of 15 with more snow. Normal high for New Year’s Day is 23 and the normal low is 3. Days are getting longer though and we’ll be back to 9 hours of daylight on January 2nd. In the meantime, the scurs will be celebrating in style New Year’s Eve with reckless abandon under the Blue Moon.

While some astronomers poo-poo the notion that this really doesn’t qualify as a Blue Moon by modern definition it does, being the second full moon in a month. The rules changed due to a mistake back in 1946 in Sky and Telescope magazine. The previous definition of Blue Moon was the third full moon in an astronomical season having four full moons. Not sure why they get all bent out of shape about it. Perhaps it’s a fear that people will grow hair on their palms. Wait a minute, some people do that whether there’s a full moon or not on New Year’s Eve. At any rate, go out and enjoy yourself and if you drink, don’t drive. We need all the readers we can get.

Let’s review some data last week’s storm recorded at the ranch: This was a huge comma shaped storm, pulling massive amounts of Gulf moisture northward resulting in record snowfall in many areas of the Midwest. We saw roughly 8” – 10” of wet snow total combined with periods of rain and sleet which melted down resulted in .84” of liquid equivalent. Probably worse from a snow removal standpoint was the snow recorded on the 21st and 22nd filling in the yard ahead of the storm. Temperatures were above freezing on the 24th for the first time since December 2nd. Clouds and precip were so intense that our viewing of Christmas Vacation was disrupted on the satellite was disrupted for nearly an hour on Christmas Day morning. Fortunately the show was repeated all day so we didn’t miss a minute. The barometer dropped as low as I remember seeing it since the Halloween blizzard of 1991, registering at 28.58 in of mercury.

After the snow was over and temperatures dropped, the snow was crusted 1” – 2” on top as a result of the rain. That it made it easy to break through and get stuck in with a vehicle, even though it wasn’t deep in places. 6” was deep enough if you had to stop or needed to turn around. There were numerous cars stuck in driveways. While this storm had a tough time deciding what it wanted to, the sun shining off the hoar frost on the trees Sunday morning was a welcome sight. The single digit temps responsible for the beautiful display? Well, we’re used to that.

The birds were glad to see their feeders were kept full during and following the major weather event. All the regulars were present including the pileated woodpecker. The squirrels kept themselves busy too chowing down 2 ears of corn ahead of the storm. A trip to Mom’s on Saturday found the squirrel population eating the Indian corn left out on the deck for them. They wasted no time finding the regular dent corn that happened to come along for the ride. At home the pheasants had paraded by the sliding glass window earlier in the day after picking at their ear corn feeder. On Sunday, they entertained our guests, trooping back and forth across the fields for all to see. All the pheasants appear to be in great shape at this point. Their size and condition were particularly impressive to the visitors.

In order to get family gathering people in and out of the driveway Sunday, it was a necessary evil to put the chains on the tractor. A hard crust on top and ice underneath made moving snow an unworkable situation without them. After clearing the yard, I was cold and famished. Luckily the house was nice and warm and there was a great plenty to eat. Wouldn’t you know within an hour of eating, a short nap had set in. Monday morning at the Mall for Men, am pretty sure there were enough cookies, bars, cake, and cinnamon rolls to trigger another round of napping although one can seldom get the little fat buddies to admit to a morning nap. Have to take ‘em when you can get ‘em.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Me and my good partners, we were riding back to our camp…

Brrrr! The scurs needed some of those extra lumps of coal from their Christmas stockings in order to stay warm this past week. Will we climb out of the temperature cellar? The scurs tell all regarding our recent winter weather woes. Starting with Wednesday, partly cloudy becoming cloudy with an increasing chance of snow. High of 10 and low of 0 to – 5. Mostly cloudy Thursday, possible lingering flurries in the morning. High of 5 and low of – 10. Clear and clod Friday, high of zero and low of – 5 to zero. Mostly sunny and warmer on Saturday with highs reaching 10 – 15 and lows of 0 to 5 above. Sunday, partly cloudy, high of 20 – 25 and low of 10 – 15 with a chance of snow overnight. Mostly cloudy Monday with a chance of snow. High of 10 – 15 and low of 0 to 5 above. Tuesday, mostly cloudy and warmer, high of 15 – 20 and low of 0 to 5 above. Normal high for January 8th is 22 and the normal low is 2. We will start to see the sun a little earlier in the morning starting on the 9th, while we have already been picking up about a minute per day of daylight in the afternoon.  The scurs will be readying their beach umbrella to celebrate more global warming.

Biting cold over the weekend and not much for outdoor activity other than doing the chores and filling the bird feeders. Fortunately it was holiday season anyway so catching up on naps is always in order. It’s hard to remember a stretch where the cold has set in on us more quickly or as consistently as this, probably because we’d just as soon forget. On Christmas Day we went from a high of 36 to a low of  – 26 on January 2nd. Was a little perturbed that my expensive high tech digital indoor outdoor thermometer decided to quit working properly when we started to get into the big chill. Followed the instructions to replace the batteries that read like someone made them up to cover their behind when the thermometer doesn’t work. Funny, it reads about 5 – 10 degrees too high now. See? They were right. Another sign of the automation addiction running rampant in our society but I digress. Oddly enough, looking out the window at the large ten dollar dial thermometer I got from Edna, it seems to be working just fine. Whether it’s right or wrong at least I know it’s damn cold out.

The local fauna seems to be doing just fine despite all the cold and snow although there is some concern about the crusted snow making it difficult for pheasants to dig down to their food supply. We are seeing increased activity at our ear corn feeder in the brush by the yard and the 4 roosters keep us entertained. There are other areas where they may not be so fortunate. In addition to the pheasants we’ve added a male cardinal to our bird resume. He’s content to hang with the juncos and pick up around the feeders as well as eating the leftover corn pieces after the squirrels have eaten the germ out of the kernels. It’s been fun to see him amongst the numerous birds we have though, adding that bright red color to the mix. Hopefully some safflower added to our seed offerings will help keep him around.

Something that that probably will keep the cardinal and other bird species around and increasing in number and species both is the growth of the tree and shrub plantings in the yard. Recently looked at a photo from about 5 years ago and was amazed to see how much the woody vegetation in the yard has grown. It appeared most have grown about 5 feet in that time. And, that was just in the direction that the pictures were taken. Some of the shrubby trees hadn’t even been planted at that time. For those of you who live in the country, your local SWCD should be gearing up for another year of tree ordering for conservation plantings. Look for notices in your mailbox soon. The best time to plant a tree was 10 years ago. The next best time is now.

On Tuesday, Crankshaft and I went to pick up my new car. Well sort of. The 1960 Studebaker Lark that had been stored at our other farm needed to be moved so we met up with brother Stu to pick it up. After sitting for 26 years, it of course wasn’t in running condition so we were lucky enough to use Stu’s tilt bed trailer and winch to load it up. It made it up to almost 10 above that day which was cold enough but we managed to get it loaded in record time and on our way back home. Of course we had to stop in Hayfield to check the load binders as well as to catch a bite to eat at the A&W. Not like stopping at the Spring Valley A&W when I was in high school actually driving the Studebaker and checking out the carhops. Likely the carhops would’ve been all bundled up and that A&W would’ve been closed by December anyway.
 
The root beer and food hit the spot though and after Crankshaft had tightened one binder one more link, we were underway again. We managed to park the trailer out of the way and once it warms up a little we have some preliminary work to see where we’re at. Some of the neighbors have taken note of my prize possession. They could be jealous although I doubt it because they weren’t real sure exactly what kind of car it even was. Not surprising as Studebaker stopped making cars back in 1966 long before these neighbors were born. Suddenly I’m starting to feel very old. I’m not going to tell them that Studebaker manufactured a lot of the wagons that the pioneers used to head west. They’ll start to think I was in some cowboy movie, maybe knew Ben Cartwright.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign…

Slowly but surely the scurs have seen the mercury begin to rise after another cold week. This week should offer a welcome respite from the temperature crevasse we’ve been stuck in. Starting with Wednesday, we should see a bit of a January thaw. Mostly clear. High of 30 – 35 and low of 15. Mostly sunny on Thursday, high of 30 and low of 15. Slightly cooler on Friday, partly cloudy with a high of 25 and a low of 10. Mostly clear on Saturday, high of 25 and low of 10. Mostly sunny again on Sunday, high reaching 30 and low of 15. Partly sunny both Monday and Tuesday, high of 30 – 35 and low of 15 with a slight chance of some freezing rain on Tuesday evening. Normal high for January 15th is 22 and the normal low is 2. The scurs will be watching Jupiter low in the southwestern sky an hour and a half after sundown while enjoying the warm up with margaritas on their front porch swing. (thanks for the calendar RD!)

More cold last week that seemed it would never end. It made going outside for anything unnecessary tougher to do. The 3” – 4” snowfall on Wednesday wasn’t a major event but it was enough to close schools and make one wonder what it was going to do next. That snow was however relatively dry allowing it to blow around easily, clogging driveways and keeping plow operators busy. So far this winter, Steele Co. has taken top honors in the CRC (Crummy Road Condition) category. After waiting until the day following Christmas to blade them off, the county roads in the southern end of the county have been icy and rutted ever since. Go across the line into Waseca Co. and the roads are bare and dry. Not a good sign to go on a road trip to come back home and find the only place the roads are bad is right in your own back yard.

Snow removal has continued to be a challenge at the ranch. The last go round wasn’t hard to move it was just cold doing it. One can push things back just enough to get by with for awhile but without a blower, the job needs to be finished or the next time it’ll mean calling a neighbor with a blower. One good thing about the positioning of the snow piles: It should make pruning the apple trees much easier. No ladder needed!

Even with the cold conditions, bird and animal activity continues at a fever pitch. The pileated woodpecker appeared to take a nap on the south side of a tree on Saturday, that dark body soaking up the bright sun. The male cardinal has enjoyed the safflower addition to the sunflower feeder and a mourning dove suddenly reappeared on one of the coldest days last week. We finally got to see some chickadees although they haven’t been interested in the feeders. Watching them in the trees, it initially appeared they were picking at the rime frost on the buds on the maple tree. A little closer examination of the tree showed there was some kind of insect or spider enclosure they were picking at. After seeing primarily rooster pheasants since Christmas at the ear corn feeder, Sunday brought out a group of 3 hens that rotated between roosting in the plum trees and feeding on the corn. So far no redpolls or siskins among the goldfinches here but have been on the lookout for them. The fox squirrels have been exhibiting some mating behavior but generally are exhibiting a lot of eating behavior. The one big pig thwarted the most recent baffle purchase leaving me baffled.

Was awakened from my Vikings game slumber weekend before last by a couple loud snowmobiles barking down the road from the house. Thinking little of it I nodded off again until I heard Mrs. Cheviot muttering something about seeing only one come back out. “Back out of where?” I asked to which she replied “The pasture.” Sure enough, someone had made a run across the bottom of the pasture, something we’ve never had any trouble with in the 25 years we’ve lived here. I donned my snowshoes and shuffled off towards the CRP on the west side of the pasture where the tracks led. She was right, one of them had turned around and come back out while the other had blasted ahead and made it to the quarter line connecting to the road on the west. No problem, right? Yes problem, and no, it’s not right.

In the areas where they crossed the 3-strand electric fence, their skis caught the top wires, snapping, snarling and strewing them all over. Insulators popped in the cold, spring-loaded gate handles shattered and fiberglass posts were splintered, making a mess to repair before we can run animals back out there in the spring. The property damage was not large from a dollar standpoint but it’s the principle of the thing. What took a few seconds for a couple bad eggs to destroy will take a few hours to fix.

In the past I have been supportive of snowmobilers and their sport. They’ve generally done a very good job of policing themselves in this area. However, this incident left a really bad taste in my mouth. I felt my trust had been betrayed. Seems putting up NO TRESPASSING signs only serves to keep the honest people out. That takes time too, time that could be better spent napping on a cold winter afternoon.

See you next week…real good then.