We're just ordinary average guys…
The scurs stubbed their toe last week about like the Gophers did against Xavier. A little snow on Friday but otherwise the weekend was a pleasant surprise. This week? We start off with a couple gems. Wednesday and Thursday, partly cloudy skies with highs of 45 – 50 and lows around 25. Friday, about the same but clouding up towards evening with a chance of freezing rain. High of 45 – 50 and low of 30. Saturday, cloudy with snow turning to rain in the morning then a good chance of snow overnight. High of 40 – 45 with a low near 30. Partly cloudy and cooler Sunday, slight chance of snow in the morning and afternoon. High of 40 and low of 25 – 30. Cloudy on Monday, a chance of a shower in the forenoon. High of 40 – 45 and low of 20. Partly cloudy Tuesday, becoming cloudy towards evening with a slight chance of a shower overnight. High of 45 and low of 25 – 30 . The normal high for March 26th is 46 and the normal low is 26. We get back to sunrise before 7 a.m. on March 30th , the same as it was back on February 24th. We continue gaining approximately 3 minutes of daylight per day. The scurs can get their NCAA tournament brackets in order before the twilight hours.
March 29th ushers in the next Full Moon, known commonly as the Full Worm Moon. When temperatures warm and the ground thaws, earthworms make their way to the soil surface leaving their castings behind. It is also known as the Full Crow Moon and the Full Sap Moon as according to the local sappers, the maple sap is running. The Full Lenten Moon is another name as this moon signaled the last Full Moon of winter. The Ojibwe knew this as the Full Crust Moon because the snow became crusted on the surface due to the freezing and thawing. The Sioux called this moon The Moon When Buffalo Drop Their Calves. Sounds like there will be several area beef operations calving as well so it still fits.
Lambing is winding down at the ranch but as the saying goes, it ain’t over till it’s over. Still a few stragglers. The lambs are doing well in spite of the damp weather we had mid-month. The ewes without lambs are getting a little antsy now they can get out to the pasture. Several of them made the trip down the hillside to see if there were any green shoots of grass to devour yet. One of these days. So far they’re content to return and munch on their hay. Gus got his shots over the weekend. He’s always been well behaved at the vet’s office and seems to know it’s a necessary evil. They’re always really nice to him and since he thrives on attention, for Gus it’s just another adventure riding in “his” truck.
It was incredible how fast the snow left us. Sure there are still some vestigial drifts here and there in fencelines and road ditches but by and large, the fields are bare. 3 weeks ago one wouldn’t have believed we’d be looking at bare ground and be able to walk around firm yards. Still have yet to see a robin pull a worm out of the ground but thanks to one of the two guys who always have gas at the Mall for Men, it was pointed out that pocket gophers were digging here and there. There was still a large pond on the east side of the river at the golf course although on Monday a.m. they were pumping it back into the river. Last Thursday the temporary water hazard was occupied by a couple mallards and on Sunday there were buffleheads swimming in it. At the ranch, the pond has seen a few Canada geese and following Thursday the 18th’s 60º warmth, there were the distinct sounds of the western chorus frogs croaking away. We were due after hearing the Twin City blow combs crowing about the warm sun and 60’s when we had to put up with 40-something, dank and cloudy.
Meadow voles apparently are near the peak of one of their 2 – 5 year cycles as we’ve had lots of discussion around the training table about them. These are small rodents, dark brownish-gray above with a lighter colored belly. Their bodies are usually about 4” – 5” long with a short tail, roughly 1” – 1.5” in length. Typically the damage we see is tunneling and surface runways under the snow in the lawns, hayfields and road ditches. Sometimes they also girdle small trees and shrubs beneath the snow surface. Their nests are usually spherical in a clump of grass containing dry stems and leaves with a lining of shredded plant material. These rodents, also commonly referred to as field mice, commonly feed on green vegetation and tubers. They are capable of consuming their own weight in food daily and the females are promiscuous breeders, mating with any male attracted to them. They reproduce year round and can produce up to a dozen litters per year, at 4 – 7 young per litter. Fortunately, they don’t live long and the typical female only survives long enough to reproduce a couple times. This is probably partially due to the fact that these mice are a favorite prey of animals such as snakes, fox, cats, coyotes, owls and hawks. It wasn’t uncommon when I was a lad baling hay to see a red-tailed hawk circling high above the field on a hot summer afternoon. They were waiting to pounce on any voles as they scurried out from under the windrows before the #46 International baler gobbled them up. That happened sometimes too. A little extra protein in the ration we always maintained.
Speaking of rations, at the Mall we continue to worry about our figures, but not very much. We’re just ordinary average guys. We’ve been trying to get one of the little fat buddies on the scale to see if he’s as svelte as he claims he is but it’s proving to be a challenge. We’ve considered bringing in a cattle prod, some panels and borrowing a headgate. The yellow lab puppy named Turk that graces our presence is now officially a little fat buddy, able to eat cookies just like everyone else, without chocolate in them of course. We have determined that cookies, bars and cake can be part of a successful diet plan. As Betsy’s dad points out, they won’t make you any skinnier but if you plan on feeding them to everyone else, they get fatter so you don’t feel so bad.
See you next week…real good then.
Check Out Our Forum Tab!
Topic: Fencelines (Read 259430 times)
