Fencelines

[Dotch]

Why yes I did! I enjoyed most of the courses too. Dr. Horberg was an excellent prof. 

[Dotch]

Gonna ramble on, sing my song

The scurs discovered a sticky heater control cable on the Weather Eye and promptly doused it with lots of PB Blaster. Stinks in the Gremlin but the scurs will try anything to get some heat generated. Will they get the cable loosened up so we can plant corn soon? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs near 60 and lows in the upper 30’s. Partly sunny on Thursday with continued slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid-50’s and lows in the upper 30’s. Friday, mostly sunny and continued cool with highs in the mid-50’s and lows near 40. Mostly sunny Saturday with highs near 60 and lows in the mid-40’s. Sunday, mostly sunny with highs in the mid-60’s and lows in the upper 40’s. Mostly sunny on Monday with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid-60’s and lows near 50. Mostly cloudy Tuesday with an increasing chance of rain. Highs in the upper 60’s and lows in the low 50’s. The normal high for May 17th is 70 and the normal low is 49. Will the scurs be basking in the sun by the ceement pond next week? Stay tuned.

The Full Moon for the month occurs on Wednesday the 14th. It is generally known as the Full Flower Moon as May is famous for its flowers following the April showers. It also goes by Full Milk Moon and the Full Corn Planting Moon. (believe that one when we see it) The Ojibwe called this the Blossom Moon and the Sioux the Moon When Ponies Shed. It is definitely the Moon When Border Collies Shed at the ranch although that could be said about almost any month.

Progress was finally made again toward corn planting early last week although it was short-lived. Fields in many cases were marginally fit but the calendar date is taking its toll. As of May 12th corn that was planted April 26th had germinated with a coleoptile about 1 ¼” long and radicle roughly 1 ½” long. A few more warm days and it will emerge. Emergence for corn generally takes somewhere from 90 – 120 GDD’s. Some soybeans were also planted by those who had the manpower and fields ready to go. Soybeans are somewhat forgiving although extended periods of wet feet are never a good thing for soybeans. Some are starting to get antsy and nervous and one can’t blame them. Still reports on Monday of ice being found in tile lines. After the spring we had last year another year of late planting is getting on everyone’s nerves.

Trees were planted at the ranch on Thursday night hoping that would help slow the rains. Usually it stops raining immediately and we have two months of drought. Didn’t work as we had over 1.5” within 4 days of planting. Oh well, at least the bunnies chewed some of them up already. Past tree plantings continue to reward our efforts. The nannyberries now provide great cover for the orioles as they dart to and fro. The spruce and arborvitae are favorite nesting spots for the robins and chipping sparrows. While not fun to mow around the amount of snow they catch makes it well worth the time.

The lawn mowing season got underway at the ranch over the weekend. Whitey is still on the DL but Howard and Little Whitey both answered the bell. Surprisingly, they started without hesitation. Even though the oil needed changing on Little Whitey, they were both in midseason form. The lawn itself was uneven and patchy but it was good to go over it once to even it out. That way the next time parts won’t need baling. Once finished it certainly looked more well groomed.

It helps to have hobbies to keep one’s mind off the weather which you can’t do anything about anyway. That’s one of the reasons I like watching the birds. After a watershed week last year, I figured this week would be a letdown. Far from it. In addition to being able to watch last week’s newcomers there were new visitors. About an hour after press time on the 6th, our first oriole was at the jelly feeder. He must’ve told the goldfinches there was plenty to eat as they suddenly showed up in force. The first hummingbird was spotted here on the 8th. That night the toads could be heard adding their trilling to the loud music of the chorus frogs. Then it was like the bird flood gates were opened. On the 11th, we had an orchard oriole, a catbird, chipping sparrows, an indigo bunting and heard our first house wren singing from the plum thicket. A cardinal added his color and whistling spring song as well. Hard to remember a spring when the birds have arrived so close together or the yard being such a blur of color.

Speaking of memory, I don’t think Fudgie forgets much of anything. When an egg is cracked open in the kitchen she gets very fidgety as I’m sure she was the beneficiary of many baked goods over the 10 years Mom had her. Hearing the sound of eggs cracking was likely only the beginning of the process. Fudgie has that same reaction when I’m loading up to feed the birds. The noises she makes in anticipation of the trip outside are downright comical. Ruby is simply just ready to launch once a door is opened. She also uses her toenails like a sprinter. The little puncture marks Ruby leaves in the soil remind me of the track spikes worn in days of old. I keep telling myself I still have that kind of energy; just have to pace myself a little more.

See you next week…real good then.

[Fawkinnae]

School got interesting for me once I made my way over to the St. Paul Campus. I rented a basement apartment a block off campus from Warren Gore and his wife Kiki. Warren taught rhetoric and public speaking.

[Dotch]

What years were those Fawkinnae? St. Paul campus was its own little world relative to West Bank and the main campus. I was there on the 5 year plan from fall '76 - spring of '81. The idea was to return to the home farm someday. Still haven't made it. 

[Fawkinnae]

What years were those Fawkinnae? St. Paul campus was its own little world relative to West Bank and the main campus. I was there on the 5 year plan from fall '76 - spring of '81. The idea was to return to the home farm someday. Still haven't made it. 

Dotch I was there probably from 73 to 78. Degree in landscape architecture. One of my favorite classes was called (Animal care?) for pre vet and animal science majors. We had to groom and show a farm animal and they encouraged you to spend time with the animal so I would walk my cow around campus in the evenings. Now that's education!

[Dotch]

lol! They must've discontinued that one or I was too inebriated to notice! I worked for the Soils Dept. as a grunt as an undergrad establishing, sampling and maintaining soil fertility test plots all over MN. The work itself was pretty mundane. The experience though was life changing, working with about any crop MN was growing at the time with the exception of wild rice. We lived down on Brewster in an apartment building full of old ladies. When we'd give  them some of the leftover stuff from the test plots like potatoes, strawberries, blueberries and sweet corn, it generated an unreal amount of cookies and meals for us. They didn't even complain when the music got a tad loud. Probably didn't hurt that they were almost deaf anyway.

[Dotch]

I need to laugh and when the sun is out
I've got something I can laugh about

The scurs finally discovered the problem with the ’74 Gremlin Weather Eye: The wire on the windshield washer and air conditioning were crossed. Will their repair hold until we cross the corn planting finish line? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with highs in the lower 70’s and lows in the upper 40’s. Mostly sunny on Thursday with highs near 70 and lows in the lower 50’s. Mostly sunny conditions continuing for Friday and Saturday with highs in the mid to upper 70’s and lows in the mid to upper 50’s. A modest chance of showers and thunderstorms Saturday into Sunday. Partly cloudy Sunday with highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the mid-60’s. An increased chance of a shower or thunderstorm into Memorial Day Monday under partly cloudy skies. Highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the upper 50’s. Partly sunny again for Tuesday with a decent chance of showers or thunderstorms. Highs again in the upper 70’s and lows in the mid-50’s. The normal high for May 26th is 73 and the normal low is 52. We will see over 15 hours of daylight on the 23rd, the first time since July 19th of last year. Let’s hope the scurs remember which wires were crossed on the Weather Eye come August.

Farmers were definitely enjoying the sudden change in weather fortunes locally after struggling most of the spring to put crop in the ground. Saturday and Sunday marked the best conditions of the planting season thus far with the promise of more to come. Many kept working into the wee hours of Monday morning as the forecast threatened more rain. One can’t blame farmers for being wary after the wicked blow 2013 dealt them. Luckily we dodged a bullet for once and the precipitation was very limited across Greater Bugtussle. An approximate estimate of corn planting locally for May 19th would be roughly 65%. Soybean planting was probably closer to 20%. Corn planted April 26th had emerged to the point that it could be rowed in spots Monday a.m. All in all, a decent start considering the spring although there is a lot of growing season to go. To keep matters in perspective however, you can’t harvest what you can’t plant and we have to be thankful for that.

Around the ranch there are definite signs that it is indeed corn planting time. The leaves on the oaks were the size of a squirrel’s ear this past week and the wild plums were in full bloom. The fragrance they grace the yard with certainly says spring as few others can. The rhubarb has become huge and this weekend would be a great time to make some sauce and a pie if time allows. The garden continues to dry and by the time this reaches mailboxes and newsstands, we should actually have some of it planted. In the meantime it has been interesting to watch the perennial transplants we brought back from Mom’s come to life. Slowly but surely all of the peonies, numerous lily of the valley and a Jack in the Pulpit all made it through the brutal prairie winter unscathed. Best of all the lily of the valley are about to bloom adding to the plum thicket’s contribution.

New bird sightings slowed as expected this past week. It still is fun to watch them after the long winter is finally behind us or it better be! One of the area robins continues to use my official rain gauge as their personal toilet. They’ve been plugging the quarter-inch hole in the funnel so Mr. Cheviot needs to make sure it’s cleaned out ahead of a rain. My stint as a janitor in the dorm prepared me well for this task. Along those same lines we were visited much of last week by dozens of cedar waxwings. Neat little black-masked, brown crested birds and lots of them. Couldn’t figure out what was falling out of the tree on me one morning while filling the birdfeeders. I noticed red stain all over the horizontal surfaces as well as what appeared to be little disk shaped seeds. After doing a little investigating it was determined they were seeds, likely from the American cranberry bushes at neighbor David’s. The sun was shining and I had to laugh. The bushes were full of berries and so were the waxwings, at least until they passed through their digestive tract.

No better sign of spring at the ranch than weaning the lambs from the ewes. Our ewe numbers continue to decrease and that’s a good thing as our recovery time from the annual beating we take is increasing. We do try to utilize our brains more than our brawn however and it usually pays dividends. This time Mrs. Cheviot came up with the idea of loading the ewes into the trailer, then separating the groups once in the trailer. This kept the catching to a minimum and hence the injury potential. With only a bruised rib and slightly sprained wrist this time, I felt fortunate. Once we got them into their groups, we hauled one batch to the kindly neighbors’ and deposited the remainder at home upon our return. The noise was deafening at times the first two days. Ewes that had been busy beating on lambs competing with them at the feed trough and hay bunk suddenly wanted them back. Go figure.

Always a job well done though and time to move onto something more fun like finding the bluebirds at the kindly neighbors. They’ve been nesting in the corner house at the pasture every year for a decade, maybe more. This year was more like “Where’s Waldo”. With no bluebird eggs in the first three nesting boxes I was starting to worry. Had they forgotten or had something happened to them? As I pulled up to the fourth and final house on the hilltop, it contained the small bluish bluebird eggs I’d been looking for. To my delight they had returned after all and officially, so had spring.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

When it's springtime in Alaska, it's forty below

The scurs were happy to see their diligence with the Weather Eye paid off with warmer temperatures. Will we reap the benefits for another week? Starting with Wednesday, mostly sunny with highs in the low 80’s and lows around 60. Sunny for Thursday with highs once again in the low 80’s and lows in the low 60’s. Continued warm and sunny on Friday with highs in the low 80’s and lows in the mid-60’s. Partly sunny becoming mostly cloudy on Saturday with a good chance for and evening shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the low 80’s and lows in the mid-60’s. Mostly cloudy and slightly cooler on Sunday with a moderate chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the low 60’s. Partly sunny Monday and cooler with a modest chance of an evening shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the mid-70’s with lows near 60. Mostly cloudy Tuesday with a continued modest chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the low 70’s and lows in the mid-50’s. The normal high for June 1st is 75 and the normal low is 54. About time. This spring was starting to remind the scurs of Alaska. It appears the long johns can be filed away for future reference.

The weather this past week came just in the nick of time. There was potential for much snarling and gnashing of teeth if it hadn’t straightened out soon. As it was most are getting done planting or can at least see the light at the end of the tunnel. Some of the corn planted April 26th is pushing 2nd collar already thanks to the above normal temps over the past weekend. Corn planted May 6th and 7th has emerged and stands while not perfect appear to be adequate. Some of the soybeans planted in that timeframe have emerged as well. Rye seeded last fall as a forage crop began heading out and alfalfa has started to stretch, giving those short on forage a chance to exhale finally.

A large chunk of the garden at the ranch went in over the weekend. Saturday Kennebec, Pontiac and Gold Rush potatoes hit the ground first followed by 100+ hills of vine crops including squash, pumpkins, gourds and muskmelons. More garden went in following that including Indian corn, beets, carrots and cucumbers. Some sweet corn, tomatoes, and string beans plus whatever else we decide to mess with yet to go. We didn’t get done but we can see the end coming. Just like farming.

All the time I was planting there were plenty of birds around to keep me company. A brown thrasher must be nesting in the garden area as it sang its heart out the whole time, with nary the same song twice. The goslings down on the pond must be getting close to hatching as the geese put up a ruckus from time to time. No sign of wood ducks yet but they should show up soon. The Baltimore oriole migration apparently is complete as the jelly and sugar water consumption has taken a dive. They haven’t taken advantage of the string left out for their nest building activity so not sure if they’re nesting nearby or not. The orchard orioles have set up camp and with the sudden explosion of leaves on the maple tree, won’t surprise me if they nest there again. The canopy is so dense that seeing them disappear in it is the only clue we have that they’re here. A baby killdeer was spotted on one of my trips to the garden. A fuzzball on legs and cute as a button. His mom was doing the broken wing routine but I wasn’t buying it.

A robin has again built on top of a nest in the barn started initially 4 or 5 years ago. After skipping last year, the woven mud nest is now about 8” tall. Interesting to look at and at last check there are babies in it. The parents may be the ones using the rain gauge as a toilet. Lately they haven’t had time to plug it up. As cold as it was and as late as the ground thawed, there are already robin babies scattered all over the yard. One never knows when you’ll bump into one it seems. There are also scores of grackle babies and a Cooper’s hawk has caught on to this fact. The barnyard was in an uproar as one flew off with dozens of grackles in hot pursuit. No shortage of grackles or house sparrows so the hawks are free to help themselves.

Ruby and Fudgie definitely have taken a shine to this weather. When we’re around they’re free to spend time outside at their leisure. Ruby usually heads to the barn after a while to keep an eye on the sheep and Fudgie crashes on the back side of the house somewhere. Not sure where as she comes when the door opens. She also comes whenever a gate is opened, something that’s become a force of habit whenever we need to go out in the feed lot. The ewes are wise to this now and the last thing they want is a red and white Border Collie nipping at their heels when there’s plenty of grass to devour on the far side of the pasture.

The flowering crabs this past week were absolutely gorgeous with many yards boasting several in full bloom. Oddly enough the wind didn’t cut the season short as it has some years. Apple trees at the ranch appear loaded with blooms again although the Honeycrisp again has no blooms. Not sure what the problem is as the tree looks healthy as a horse. There was more bad news on the fruit tree front: All appearances are that Betsy’s dad, the area’s largest peach grower has declared his grove to be deceased. This means we may have to consolidate our operations. The huge peach tree loss will likely have a ripple effect on the economy. We won’t need as many crates or trucks to haul the peaches nor workers to pick them.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

There you stood on the edge of your feather expecting to fly

The scurs were pleased to see the warm sun this past week as well as the weekend rains. Their reliance on the ’74 Gremlin Weather Eye continues to pay dividends. Will they be able to turn the water off temporarily and keep temperatures warm? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with a good chance for a leftover morning shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the low 70’s and lows in the mid-50’s. Mostly sunny on Thursday with highs in the low 70’s and lows in the mid-50’s. Friday, mostly sunny with highs remaining in the low 70’s and lows creeping upward in to the upper 50’s. Saturday, partly sunny becoming mostly cloudy with an increasing chance for a shower or thunderstorm by evening. Highs in the low 70’s and lows in the upper 50’s Mostly cloudy Sunday with a moderate chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the low 70’s and low in the mid-50’s. Mostly cloudy with highs in the mid-70’s and lows in the mid-50’s. Tuesday, mostly cloudy with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the low 70’s and lows in the upper 50’s. On June 7th, the normal high is 77 and the normal low is 56. We will only gain about 6 minutes more of daylight by the summer solstice on the 21st. The ice on the ceement pond being a distant memory, the scurs are mending their zubas.

What a week of weather for crop growth last week was! GDD or GDU accumulation was more typical of mid-June as we made progress towards erasing the deficit created earlier in the month. Much easier to catch up this time of year than later on, similar to a baseball player’s batting average. May was actually below normal precipitation-wise so starting June off with a soaking rain was welcome. Corn that was planted in the May 5 – 7th timeframe was showing 3 collars as of last week and stands remained impressive considering the less than perfect conditions in some cases the soil was in at planting time. Weed control is the next item on the agenda for most when soils dry enough to allow it. A cooler week forecast may slow some of those plans although it will also slow crop and weed development as well. Soybeans roared out of the ground, planted in many cases less than a week before. There again, emergence and stands appear to be decent as most of the soybean acreage was planted in nearly ideal conditions. Small grains should benefit from the slightly cooler weather and alfalfa development should slow enough to allow cutting at prime levels for maturity. Getting it dry may be the issue if trying to bale it.

The lawn at the ranch is growing faster than time has allowed to mow it. It gets mowed once a week and it looks like every 4 or 5 days would be better. Fudgie and Ruby would be all for that. Biting the tires and following the mowers back and forth is the highlight of their day. Eventually as Mrs. Cheviot finishes up her greenhouse stint and if we can keep two mowers running, it shouldn’t take so long. A mower for each dog: Bonus! The gardens and flowers are also on the agenda as some spot watering kept the vine crop transplants going until the weekend rains came to the rescue. The indigenous American corn came up as did the cucumbers planted less than a week earlier. And yes in response to a late evening call from a reader, we even planted our sweet corn. It was definitely warm enough. The fly in the ointment: The mosquitoes have shown up. They’re not nasty yet although given the recent rains, that will likely change.

When it’s wet and little can be done in the lawn and garden department, the birds provide a welcome diversion. The neighbors are already convinced I’m nuts so when they see me walking across the pasture in my waders that pretty well confirms it. Bear in mind we live on top of a hill. Checking the wetland/pond area, the wood ducklings had not hatched as of Sunday afternoon. One hen came off the nest when the wood duck house observation door was opened and the other was taking a break. Hope she enjoyed it as when those eggs hatch, she’ll be pretty busy. The Canada geese that were loud last week do indeed have gosling. They sailed out of the cattails to see who the intruder was, then silently slipped back into the rushes. Hummingbirds are becoming more frequent visitors and were particularly enamored by the salvia Mrs. Cheviot brought home. The baby robins in the barn have made their way out into the real world. They stood on the edge of the nest one morning and must’ve flown out. Remember kids, it’s all downhill once you leave the nest.

Others have noted this as well that our usual house wren guests have not appeared in great numbers this summer. The common yellow throat at the ranch tries to fill the void but they are no match for the house wrens in the song department. The oriole numbers have tailed off although it appears we’re left with the locals. The maple that has been an orchard oriole favorite really leafed out this past week making it more suitable for nesting no matter who wants to build there.

Am concerned that Auntie Mar Mar might’ve been swept up in the tornado south of Albert Lea last weekend. Could’ve had that loud country and western music turned up too loud on the boom box again I reckon. Been awfully quiet from that direction. Mar Mar’s been promising me blueberry bars so I wouldn’t want to miss out on those. Hopefully she’s been wearing her ruby slippers while staying away from old maids riding bikes with little dogs in baskets.

See you next week…real good then.

[Fawkinnae]

L o v e  that song!

[Dotch]

Tough to beat some good ol' Buffalo Springfield, ain't it? 

[Dotch]

It keeps you runnin', yeah, it keeps you runnin'

The scurs must’ve pushed the air conditioning lever too far the wrong direction on the Weather Eye. Nothing a little baling wire and a pair of pliers can’t solve, we hope. Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with a good chance of showers and thunderstorms in the overnight. Highs near 80 and lows in the upper 50’s. Partly sunny and cooler on Thursday with highs in the upper 60’s and lows around 50. Mostly sunny Friday with a slight chance of a shower late. Highs in the mid-70’s and lows in the upper 50’s. Saturday, partly sunny becoming mostly cloudy with a good chance of an evening shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the mid-70’s and lows in the lower 60’s. Partly sunny on Sunday with a good chance of a shower or thunderstorm in the forenoon. Highs in the mid-70’s with lows around 60. Monday, partly cloudy with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 70’s and lows again around 60. Partly sunny becoming mostly cloudy with a good chance for rain on Tuesday. Highs in the low 70’s and lows in the mid-50’s. The normal high for Flag Day June 14th is 79 and the normal low is 58. On the 14th we will only gain about one more minute of daylight until the summer solstice. The scurs will have their hammock ready for their afternoon naps.

The Full Moon for the month comes on the 12th and is known as the Full Strawberry Moon. This is the month when the berries are in their prime and those of us who enjoy that juicy red fruit are in 7th heaven. Few things are better with a bowl of ice cream. The Ojibwe and Sioux were both in agreement on the name for this moon as well. At the ranch it becomes the Mow Lawn in the Dark Moon.

Crops continued to make progress although the corn has slowed and is going through the ugly stage it frequently does this time of year. The plants are switching over from their seminal root system to the still developing nodal root system which will nurture the plant for the rest of the growing season. There frequently is a lag period that can be influenced by many factors including weather, hybrid and soil conditions at or before planting. Given some warm sunny weather, the plants outgrow it in a matter of a week or two. Soybeans are emerging and growing rapidly at this point with the recent rains coming to the aid of some fields where seedlings were struggling the break through a heavy crust after laying in dry soil. Alfalfa cuttings have been underway and yields appear to be decent. Last Saturday’s rainfall was extremely variable with some in Greater Bugtussle receiving nothing with others receiving up to 2 inches and everything in between. Fortunately our subsoil moisture is in pretty good shape so worrying about drought isn’t on the agenda just yet.

The garden at the ranch has experienced many of the same conditions that field crops have experienced. The vine crops, particularly the squash and pumpkins are born to run so we’ve left adequate space. They are poised and ready when the weather stays consistently warm. Not unexpected since they’ve already had the best of the rainfall and warm temperatures spring has had to offer since they were transplanted. Something to keep an eye on however are the striped cucumber beetles that appeared already on June 9th. They can decimate young vine crops if left unchecked for just a few days. There are also signs of cutworm activity, not surprising given the level captures in the pheromone trap monitored for the U of M’s black cutworm trapping network.

It has been a real struggle to keep up with the lawn mowing after the weekend rain. The windbreak gets neglected so it takes additional time to mow that when that gets away from us. We’re not alone. The drone of lawnmower engines can be heard across the landscape trying in vain to keep up. About the time we finish the last of the mowing the first mowed part needs mowing again. Fudgie and Ruby enjoy it. Walking behind the mower as it goes back and forth makes their white socks green. With that much grass stain, we should probably volunteer them for a laundry detergent ad campaign.

Auntie Mar Mar has been found! News of her demise was greatly exaggerated. And luckily for me it meant the blueberry bars I’d been craving suddenly appeared. I receive such neat things from readers. This includes goodies, prints, newspaper clippings, weeds, bugs, or even just the great conversations about common interests whether it's gardening, fruit trees, weather, dogs, etc. Nice to be appreciated and like all of us, it keeps us running.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Oh, Monday morning, you gave me no warning of what was to be

The slight chance of showers for Monday exceeded what the scurs predicted. For the scurs “slight” is a relative term. Will we see more rain or will Mother Nature back off? Starting Wednesday, partly cloudy becoming mostly cloudy with a good chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs on the upper 80’s and lows in the upper 60’s. Thursday, mostly cloudy with a continued good chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs near 80 and lows in the mid-60’s. Mostly cloudy Friday with a slight chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the low 60’s. For the first day of summer, partly sunny with a slight chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs near 80 and lows in the low 60’s. Sunday, partly cloudy with a modest chance for a daytime shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the upper 70’s and lows near 60. Monday, partly cloudy and pleasant. Highs in the mid-70’s and lows in the mid-60’s. Tuesday, more of the same but slightly warmer. Mostly sunny with highs near 80 and lows near 60. The normal high for June 21st is 81 and the normal low is 60. The scurs will be wearing their Coast Guard approved floatation device while napping in the hammock just in case.

Monday’s thunderstorm was a nasty one. It’s never a good sign when the solar lights come on at 5:30 in the afternoon. It pulled no punches, snarling and growling as it moved across the prairie. While strong straight line winds did substantial property and crop damage it could’ve been worse. Some large limbs were down as we gazed out the window while Ruby and Fudgie went to their Border Collie “safe places”. They do not like storms and waste no time hiding. We were just thankful nothing major was wrecked and all the beings in our care came through the storm alive. In fact sometime during the storm, another lamb was born and a ewe lamb at that. Stormy would seem an apt name for her.

Area corn crops had that Jekyll and Hyde appearance to them this past week. Fields that were worked a little too wet began to show signs that their roots weren’t reaching the nitrogen that was in higher concentrations below. Wheel tracks in the direction of those tillage passes were evident and were likely impeding the progress of those roots. A few cool days thrown into the mix probably didn’t help matters. Headlands in particular look ugly and unfortunately no amount of additional nutrients applications will change that. Additional nitrogen will suddenly be the hot topic however for the rest of the field in most cases. Soybeans were beginning to show some signs of iron deficiency chlorosis although the recent heavy rains will likely make that a short-lived phenomenon this year. So far at the ranch and in town at the Mall for Men we are closing in on 8” of rainfall for the month. Given the forecasts, it appears likely we will surpass that.

It was a good week to pay attention to the birds though. At the kindly neighbors’ pasture, the bluebirds were getting close to leaving the nest. Not sure if the parents were looking at another nesting box or if another pair had moved into the area. At the ranch on Monday morning a house wren was singing in the windbreak, the first one heard since the earlier in May. It just isn’t summer without a wren now is it? Checking the wood duck houses there was still no sign of them leaving the nest. One of the nests may be abandoned with a full clutch of eggs in it while the other still has a hen faithfully setting on it. While looking in the nest, the toads were extremely loud. I was curious to see for sure if that’s who they were and was able to snap several shots of one puffing his vocal sac while trilling for all he was worth. It’s still breeding season for American toads apparently and given the abundance of water, it should be ample for the females to lay up to 20,000 eggs apiece. For those viewing the photo, I apologize for the quality of the picture but when trying to avoid dropping the cell phone in the drink, that’s what happens sometimes.

One good thing about all the rain is the pastures have been lush thus far and the ewes are fat as a result. Fertilizing the pasture at home was a paying proposition too with the grass lasting longer into the season and helping to keep the hay bill under control. The hay we seeded has looked a little better with each rain, the underseeded alfalfa filling in the gaps with orchardgrass beginning to appear as well. It should be a better year for forages in general if we can just find enough time between rains to allow hay to dry.

Mrs. Cheviot has outdone herself on the flower beds and pots around the house. The bees, butterflies and of course the hummingbirds have all been grateful for her diligence. Even though the storms beat the foliage up the plants have maintained their integrity fairly well and will come back. It’s Mr. Cheviots job to prevent unwanted pests from ruining her hard work. And no matter how bad Mr. Cheviot beats on them, they also keep coming back.


See you next week…real good then.

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[Dotch]

In the summertime when all the trees and leaves are green…

The scurs predictions for showers and thunderstorms last week are making the scurs believe the Weather Eye from the ’74 Gremlin X they’re using for forecasting must be connected to the windshield washer. Will they find the wire that’s crossed this week? Starting Wednesday, partly sunny with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid-70’s and lows in the low 60’s. Thursday, mostly cloudy with a good chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the mid-60’s. Mostly cloudy Friday with a modest chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs near 80 and lows in the upper 60’s. Saturday, mostly cloudy with an increasing chance for showers and thunderstorms into the evening. Highs in the low 80’s and lows in the upper 60’s. Partly sunny Sunday with a moderate chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid-80’s and lows in the upper 60’s. Monday, mostly sunny with a modest chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in low 80’s and lows in the upper 60’s. Partly cloudy Tuesday and muggy with a high in the upper 80’s and lows in the mid-60’s. The normal high for June 30th is 82 and the normal low is 61. By June 30th we will already have lost 3 minutes of daylight from the summer solstice. The scurs advise enjoying it while you can. January isn’t that far off.

Massive rainfall issues plagued much of the Greater Bugtussle area. Unofficial claims of over 10 inches in areas were reported while others had to settle for lesser amounts. At the ranch, we tallied 7.33” from June 14th – 20th and at the Mall for Men, closer to 7.6”. For the month at the ranch we’re looking at 9.8” so far and about that in town as well. Crops have reacted to the excess rainfall negatively as nitrogen losses appear to be common in the corn in addition to the drowned out spots readily apparent from the windshield. Soybeans have taken the rains slightly better on their appearance although closer inspection is revealing some root diseases already showing up, namely phytophthora. Spring wheat has headed out and appears to be in good shape considering the later than desired planting date. Second cutting alfalfa has benefitted from the rains and should help make up for lost time to alleviate the local hay shortages.

The storm on the 16th brought down a large chunk of the silver maple in our yard. Mr. Cheviot managed to get it sawed up while throwing the leafy branches over the fence to the sheep. The sheep remove all the leaves and make the brush lots easier to pile up once they’re done with it. The loss of a main part of the trunk has changed the personality of the backyard however. Now when I toil at the confuser during daylight hours anyway, the sun shines directly in the window where before it was shaded. If it starts shining in the window at night I may start to believe global warming is real.

Someone asked me after the recent storm how my shingles were. I told him they weren’t damaged by the storm at all. He gave me a funny look as though I was pulling his leg and then it dawned on me, I had told him previously I’d been diagnosed with shingles! I then explained that luckily I went in early to get it checked out and sure enough that’s what the nasty rash starting on my stomach was. It had begun to spread and the prescribed anti-viral horse pills pretty much stopped it in its tracks. It still itches and causes some minor pain but it has been nothing like it could’ve been had I let it go.

My little fat buddy the mechanic and I decide to revive the Studebaker project while the fields were saturated for a few days last week. We got the thing to the point where we could put gas in it and see what it would do. What did it do? Unfortunately not much. Turns out 5 of the 6 exhaust valves in the flathead six were stuck in varying degrees of open so compression was not its strong suit. What’s next? You guessed it: Pull the engine and go through it, replacing seals, valves, rings, etc. While we’re at it we may as well do the clutch and throw out bearing. Nothing comes easy although pretty soon we’ll have gone through and repaired most of the major systems. Now if we could find someone to do that with the weather.

The recent warmer weather has brought about the stable flies. Theses nasty little biting muscids make life miserable for those who desire to wear shorts. Repellents are of marginal effectiveness it seems and only smacking them seems to make one feel better. And of course, if you thought the mosquitoes were getting worse, you haven’t seen anything yet. All the standing water resulting from these June storms can only mean one thing: Hordes of mosquitoes. One more reason I’m happy to allow as many barn swallows as I can in the out buildings.

Fudgie and Ruby continue to enjoy the moderate temperatures when it isn’t raining. They romp and fertilize the yard, keeping the lawnmower busy. Fudgie has also discovered the striped gophers are fun to pursue and as most dogs do, likes to dig the holes open enough so she can stick her beak in it and snort. Ruby stays trim with all her tearing around the yard and monitoring Stormy’s progress in the barn. The lamb shares an 8’ x 16’ pen with her mother so she has room to run, exciting Ruby to run back and forth in front of the pen. When Ruby gets back in the house, she plays with her ball. Her ball supply is shrinking however. She lost another one in the living room and after tearing the room chairs and all apart, we still can’t find it. This has happened several times now. No one ever said raising Border Collies would be boring.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Ooh, it really makes me wonder…

The scurs were thinking they’d found the wire crossed between the windshield washer and the Weather Eye on the ’74 Gremlin X. They must’ve inadvertently crossed them again as some got a good dousing again Saturday night. Will they be more careful this week? Starting Wednesday, partly sunny with highs in the upper 60’s and lows in the lower 50’s. Temps rebound a tad on Thursday under mostly sunny skies with highs in the mid-70’s and lows in the upper 50’s. Mostly sunny during the day on Independence Day becoming mostly cloudy by evening with a good chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the mid-70’s and lows in the md-60’s. Partly sunny and again mostly cloudy by evening with a modest chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the mid-60’s. Mostly sunny on Sunday with a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the mid-60’s. Warmer and mostly sunny for Monday with a chance for developing showers and thunderstorms overnight. Highs in the low 80’s with lows in the mid-60’s. Clearing for Tuesday with highs again in the low 80’s and lows in the mid-60’s. The normal high for the 4th of July is 83 and the normal low is 62. Hopefully the scurs will evade the Fireworks Police and not be writing from the Crowbar Hotel next week.

More progress was made in the fields this past week towards getting spraying done although numerous operators were stuck making an attempt due to saturated soils. Corn is getting to the point where height restrictions are coming into play as it will be more than knee high by the 4th. Soybean weed control has also been underway as well it should be. The earliest planted soybeans were beginning to bloom as of last week so the meter is also running on that crop. Some of those plants were up to a foot tall in places. Replanting soybeans in the drown out spots is occurring as well and will likely continue until about July 10th. After that date the likelihood of harvesting mature soybeans diminishes greatly. It does however provide cover for weed control and helps prevent fallow syndrome in next year’s corn crop. First cutting hay has been largely completed and again, some tractors and balers were stuck in the process. The fun never stops.

Rainfall in the month of June at the SROC in Waseca broke not only the record for June itself but the all-time record for monthly precipitation. The previous record was set in September of 2010 at 12.66”. The new record set in June stands at 12.94”. At the ranch we aren’t exactly shooing the camels off the yard with 11.28” recorded and in town at the Mall for Men rainfall totaled 10.95”. I do have to laugh at how some are convinced those figures can’t possibly be right and that we must’ve had more than that. After reading three gauges daily, one would think I’d start to catch on. Also, something tells me after comparing recorded data from location to location, rainfall really does vary considerably, sometimes within less than a half mile. Nice and dry on one end of the field with a 4-wheeler and lucky to get out with your life on the other due to mud provides a clue.

It has also been a bearcat to keep up with lawn mowing with all this rain. We won’t even go there about the mosquito population. Saturday was particularly annoying as several little showers cropped up while I was making an attempt to mow the windbreak. It was desperately in need as it had become long and out of control. After getting soaked I vowed to finish come hell or high water. By the time I finished I was starting to dry off again although the sky was beginning to look more ominous. I suspected it was probably time to punt on mowing the last part of the lawn south of the house. The radar on the cell phone confirmed my suspicions so Fudgie, Ruby and I shifted gears to plant the last of the begonias Mrs. Cheviot had left us. Doing so allowed a clear view of the approaching storm while we weeded the bed after finishing planting. Weeding was completed about the time the first large drops splatted off my melon so we dashed to the house as the skies opened up. Timing is everything when you’re gardening.

The ranch continues to serve as a nursery for many species of birds. Many of the evergreens have hosted robin and grackle nests as well as chipping sparrows. The bottoms of their tiny nests here are frequently lined with dog fur and wool. Gee, wonder where that came from? A recent addition came in the form of a nesting pair of bluebirds. I’d seen them from the oval office and wondered which of the nesting boxes they might be using. They’d used the box attached to the lever on the plow in the past. That box had contained a partially built nest when checked earlier. Checking again recently the nest had not progressed making me wonder if we would have any bluebirds at the ranch this year. They seemed to frequently be showing up closer to the house making me wonder if one of the birdhouses in the dooryard had been chosen instead. Sure enough when I looked behind the granary a blue egg was already in place in the nest of neatly woven grass.

As I wrote last week, I was lucky to have gone to the doctor when I did to avoid the shingles making my life miserable. It’s nice to be able to stick with a somewhat normal routine and not have your life totally disrupted. Several have asked how I’m doing and I really do appreciate that. After all, seeing some of the pictures and hearing the horror stories, I feared I might become Bugtussle’s very own Bubble Boy. Moops!

See you next week...real good then.

[Dotch]

I can feel it in the air tonight…

The scurs were cautious this last week when playing under the dash on the ’74 Gremlin X, finding the heat control while they were at it. Will they be so fortunate this week? Starting Wednesday, sunny with highs in the mid-70’s and lows in the mid-50’s. Thursday mostly sunny becoming mostly cloudy by evening with a good chance of showers and thunderstorms in the overnight. Highs in the mid-70’s and lows in the mid-60’s. Mostly cloudy Friday with a good chance of forenoon showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the mid-60’s. Saturday mostly cloudy with a modest chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the low 60’s. Mostly sunny for Sunday with a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs near 80 with lows in the low 60’s. Monday, sunny skies and slightly cooler with highs near 75 and lows in the upper 50’s. Partly cloudy on Tuesday with another chance for showers and thunderstorms developing. Highs in the low 70’s and lows in the lower 50’s. The normal highs for July 12th is 83 and the normal low is 62. We will see 15 hours and 13 minutes of daylight in greater Bugtussle, having lost 15 minutes of daylight since the summer solstice. The scurs will be making up for lost time at Farm and City Days.

The crops were certainly trying this past week to make up for a June that frequently provided a soggy and hostile environment for growing corn and soybeans. Corn that had been pale in many places began to reach nitrogen and turn that dark green color we expect corn to have at this point. Soybeans were also on the move with most fields in full bloom. The silver lining to the wet June has been the regrowth on 2nd cutting hay. Most of it has really stretched and should make some wonderful hay if the weather allows it to dry.

The Full Moon for the month occurs on Saturday the 12th and goes by several names including the Full Buck Moon, Full Thunder Moon and Full Hay Moon. The Ojibwe knew this as the Full Raspberry Moon for the wild raspberry crop that is ripening. The Sioux were also into fruit denoting this as the Moon When Wild Cherries are Ripe. At the ranch we like our fruit as well although it the pickings will be slim for a while yet. Probably best known as the Pick the Handful of Wild Raspberries Quick Moon.

The garden has made tremendous progress however and some additional string beans were planted on July 5th. Obviously the first bean planting didn’t appreciate the 11.25” of rain in June. Garden insect pests have been on the attack so for those who don’t routinely scout for them this could serve as a heads up. Striped cucumber beetles have been a menace to the cucurbit crop, consuming the blossoms before the bees and other pollinators have had a chance to do their work. Squash vine borers have been spotted as well making a pesticide application necessary. To make matters worse, cabbage butterflies are locating the decorative kale and cabbage. When the pinholes from the larvae begin to appear, they will be afforded the same treatment.

Insect pests attacking humans and animals are also reaching intolerable levels. Poor Fudgie’s ears have been getting chewed by stable flies. While Ruby doesn’t sit still long enough for the flies to catch her, the mosquitoes still find her nose. Luckily we’ve had some breezy days which help to keep the bugs from getting totally out of control. Slathered with repellent and mowing the lawn Sunday night however it was still. I could see against the low sun the sheer number of flying and likely biting insects. It was as if one could see the air moving. Stable flies, deer flies, gnats and mosquitoes have all taken their toll and show no signs of abating soon. There is some positive insect news however: The fireflies appeared in force at the ranch for the first time on July 7th following the evening showers. It’s officially July.

Our yard continues to be host to numerous fledgling birds. The young orioles have found their way to the feeders. Their bumbling antics and mournful calls make one smile. They are consuming a lot of jelly too that makes the grocer smile. Young barn swallows are all over the dooryard right now. Look up and there’s one perched somewhere staring you in the face. I’m counting on them to grow up big and strong with as many bugs as they have to eat. When my brother visited last week, we also checked on the wetland to see what might’ve become of the wood ducks. One of the houses was abandoned yet full of eggs. How many? Try 17. Maybe the hen took one look at that clutch and flew the coop. The other house apparently was more productive. There were still four nonviable eggs in it but it appeared that at least eight or so had made it out. Hopefully the ducklings were swimming around in the pond. There are so many places for them to hide that they would’ve been nearly impossible to find. And that’s a good thing.

Attended a gathering over the 4th and happened to run into a reader who reminisced about some of his Studebaker experiences. Being a mechanic, he recalled that Studebakers were delivered to the dealerships with boxes of accessories. Items such as radios, antennas, hood ornaments and side view mirrors were all common add-ons not installed at the factory. The Studebaker dealership in Albert Lea contracted with the shop where he worked to install the equipment. After only reading about this phenomenon in books I now have living proof. Thanks Bob!

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Telephone line, give me some time, I'm living in twilight

The scurs found the air conditioning on the ’74 Gremlin X Weather Eye. Too bad it took them a couple days to figure it out. Will they see the error of their ways? Starting Wednesday, sunny with a high in the mid-70’s and lows in the mid-50’s. Mostly sunny Thursday with a gradual start to a warming trend. Highs near 75 and lows in the upper 50’s. Friday, mostly sunny with highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the low 60’s. Saturday, mostly sunny becoming mostly cloudy by evening with a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the upper 70’s with lows near 65. Partly sunny Sunday with a modest chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs near 80 with lows in the low 60’s. Monday, sunny and humid with highs in the mid-80’s and lows in the low 70’s. Warmer Tuesday and muggy. Highs in the upper 80’s and lows in the upper 60’s. The normal high for July 21st is 82 and the normal low is 62. One month after the summer solstice we will have lost 30 minutes of daylight. Given that news the scurs are wondering if they should order another transport of insect repellent.

Summer certainly has been slipping by in a hurry. Scattered tassels are appearing in some corn fields and some of the early planted soybeans have reached R3, pod set. It will soon be time to conclude the last application of glyphosate on many fields. Earlier planted small grain fields are starting to turn and within a few weeks we’ll know what kind of yields to expect. Some of it actually looks decent thanks in large part to the moderate temperatures thus far. Oddly enough as of the middle of last week, we were only about 4% behind on GDU’s as calculated at the SROC in Waseca. Their report comes out midweek so would expect the slide to continue. Monday July 14th’s high of 63corresponds to the normal high on April 27 & 28th or October 9th and 10th. Not exactly good corn and soybean growing temperatures.

There are still positives though in the garden at the ranch. The string beans planted on July 5th were nearly all emerged on July 14th. Emergence on this planting was excellent and if the rabbits leave it alone, it should make for some nice green beans. Tomatoes are setting nicely and there is one yellow pear type that is turning already. My favorite lunchbox snack. The muskmelon crop continues to be the crown jewel however. All 18 hills are lush green and flowering like mad. Moisture conditions are tremendous as these clay loam soils seemingly hang onto water forever, especially when the temperatures are moderate as they have been. It will soon be time to address the weed issue once again, a seemingly never ending task. About one more time through though and most of the vine crops will deter most of them for the season.

It has been one of those great weeks again to watch the birds. A male rose-breasted grosbeak has appeared again and enjoys moving in on the jelly feeder. The orioles are blowing through jelly and sugar water like candy as well. The adults have been feeding their young jelly when they sit in the tree and wait for it to be delivered to them. It’s not exactly finger, er, beak food so frequently it winds up somewhere other than in the immature orioles tummy. Goldfinch numbers continue to grow as the thistle seed disappears at a more rapid pace. Two nesting boxes near the house at the ranch have been occupied. One has tree swallows in it and the other contains the bluebird we wrote about a few weeks ago. There are now three blue eggs in that birdhouse. To my delight while checking the rain gauge at the kindly neighbors’ pasture, the bluebird house nearest the barn also has a bluebird in it. When checking the fence on the far side of the pasture, the nesting box that produced a brood earlier now also contains three blue eggs. Apparently my diligence in cleaning the nest out after they were through with it paid off.

The nasty infestation of insects continues to ruin the potential for many outdoor events unless the wind is blowing. Luckily we’ve had some breezy days so that mowing the lawn could be done without the usual bath in insect repellent. The breeze also allowed for yet another brushing for Fudgie on Sunday. I seriously don’t understand where all the fur comes from on that dog. There were clouds of it as I ran the rake-type comb over her first to loosen her stubborn undercoat. Following up with another brush resembling a wool card, wads of fur blew across the lawn. Later when hitting them with the mower, it was like a dog fur storm.

Looks as though it’s our turn in the barrel on the north end of Bugtussle to put up with road destruction. As of the 14th, crews began grinding the road surface off and making the road mostly impassable. It will be interesting to see what each day brings. There will likely be days we’ll have to negotiate to get into the Mall for Men. I should be used to it. When the People’s Republic of Steele Co. resurfaced the road by the ranch last September, seems the outfit replacing the culvert below the hill caught our telephone line so we had no service. All well and good you say. The phone company fixed the line, right? Well, sort of. After being promised that our phone line would be buried in October, it remains on top of the ground. I move it every time I mow so it doesn’t get chopped to bits. Rodents and bunnies have already chewed the casing so one can see the wires inside but somehow it still works. When I have called the phone company to request service and information, I’ve received excuses about subcontractors, wet weather and improperly submitted work orders. Doesn’t help me. I guess they never did say which October. The way it’s going, I’m just amazed we don’t have to climb a pole to talk on the phone or use the confuser. Hey, there might be a reality show in this!

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

When I need the sun’s heat…

The scurs got the temps to warm up finally after discovering the cable for the heater was unhooked on the Weather Eye. Will their efforts continue to yield results? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny and pleasant with highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the upper 50’s. Mostly sunny Thursday with a good chance of an evening shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the mid-70’s and lows in the low 60’s. Friday, partly sunny becoming mostly cloudy with a moderate chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs again in the mid-70’s and lows in the mid-60’s. Mostly sunny and warmer for Saturday with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs near 80 and lows in the low 60’s. Sunday, mostly cloudy and cooler with a modest chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the upper 70’s with lows near 60. Partly sunny on Monday with a slight chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the low 70’s and lows in the mid-50’s. Tuesday, mostly sunny with highs in the mid-70’s and lows in the mid-50’s. The normal high for July 25th is 82 and the normal low is 62. The scurs are camping near the ceement pond in hopes that warmer temperatures will continue.

Warmer temps over the weekend were just what the doctor ordered. However, there are areas believe it or not that could use some rainfall. July appears to be pulling the same stunt now for the third year in a row with well below normal precipitation. Normal precip for July at the SROC in Waseca is 4.42”. So far at the ranch we have recorded .56”, at the SROC .73” and at the Mall for Men a paltry .3”. August has also presented us with lower than normal rainfall amounts for three years prior and most forecasts are not indicating any inkling of increased precipitation. Lack of August rainfall has taken the top end out of the crop locally and with all the problem areas this year, we could use a break just this once.

Corn has been tasseling this past week although the sins of the spring fieldwork have caused it to tassel unevenly in many cases. Some has been able to gut down and grab some of the nitrogen many assumed was lost and in other cases not so much. Soybeans are rolling along although complaints of short plants abound. July frequently disappoints as August is the month that makes the soybean crop. See comments about August rainfall above. Soybean aphids were spotted locally last week so it remains to be seen just what they may do. The pea crop has been about as expected: poor. Late planting followed by heavy rains doomed this crop right out of the chute. Alfalfa could use some of the aforementioned rains in order to make for a better third cutting and in some instances the potential for a fourth.

The garden at the ranch has begun to bear some fruit! The first two yellow pear tomatoes were plucked recently with the promise of more to come. The mosquitoes have prevented me from foraging through the cucumber vines to see what might be hiding there. The muskmelons are setting lots of fruit as are the pumpkins and gourds. The first planted string beans are flowering profusely and even though the stand was thinned due to the wet conditions, they may compensate somewhat for that. The late planting was being attacked by rabbits so a bunny fence was constructed. The mosquitoes were almost unbearable but the fence was built and has effectively kept the varmints out so far. The fall garden area was worked down for planting in another week or so. The snap peas and more winter radish seed was ordered so it’s ready whenever we are.

The Haralson and Fireside apple trees are heavy laden with fruit as are the crabapples. The Snowsweet has a dozen or so on it, not bad considering it’s only been there a few years now. They quickly became a favorite eating apple for us so we can’t wait to see what the little tree can do over the next few years. Most of the fruiting trees and shrubs are loaded this year at the ranch including the nannyberries, chokeberries, honeysuckle and American cranberries. The serviceberries were too until they ripened and the robins made short work of them.

We’ve been attracting orioles now for a long time although I don’t recall ever seeing as many as this summer. The orchard orioles must’ve had a banner hatch as there are frequently a half dozen or more showing up to gobble down the grape jelly. The Baltimore orioles usually move them out when they arrive but the orchards are persistent. The hummingbirds have also been more numerous than some years. Mrs. Cheviot’s pots with several different types of salvia in them keep them flying in circles around the house then back to the nectar feeder. Frequently when gazing out the window one can see a hummer working over the flowers. I never tire of watching them and am still awed by their flying capabilities.

Ruby and Fudgie have had the life of Reilly this summer when one thinks about it. Not only when the weather has been cool but even when it has been on one of its infrequent warm spells. Take the other day for example. Working in the garden and getting more dog help than a person should be allowed to have, I made a beeline for the garden hose for a drink. Ruby immediately takes this as a sign it’s time to play. Her pirouettes chasing the water coming out of the hose probably belong on a You Tube video. Fudgie would rather watch Ruby and go inside to enjoy the AC. On the first day I started it up, she could feel the cool air and plopped on the floor in front of the register. Definitely the dog days of summer.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

It is the summer of my smiles

The scurs got moderate temperatures to prevail but didn’t manage to scare up much rain. Perhaps they need to revisit the windshield washer on the Weather Eye. Starting Wednesday, sunny with highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the upper 50’s. Thursday, mostly sunny with a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the upper 70’s with lows near 60. Mostly sunny again for Friday with a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the upper 50’s. Mostly sunny for Saturday with highs in the upper 70’s and lows near 60. Sunday, mostly sunny with a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs near 80 and lows in the upper 50’s. Partly cloudy Monday with a moderate chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the low 60’s. Tuesday, mostly cloudy with showers and thunderstorms possible. Highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the upper 50’s. The normal high for August 1st is 82 and the normal low is 61. On July 31st the sun will rise after 6 a.m. for the first time since May 4th. The scurs are rummaging through their candy wrappers to see if there are any May basket leftovers. It’s a long time yet until Halloween.

We may need until Halloween to get some of this crop ripe the rate it’s going. Based on a May 1st planting date we are not that far behind on GDU’s. However, much of this corn crop wasn’t planted until around mid-May which puts it in jeopardy of an early frost. Many of the soybeans weren’t planted until late May so they’re in the same boat. Even though they are photoperiod sensitive a late maturing soybean planted late is unlikely to make it under the wire for a mid-September frost. Crop development is however moving along and some timely rains with warmer temps would help advance that cause. Corn is pollinating this week and there should be plenty of stored soil moisture to get us through that. At the SROC as of July 15th they showed 7” available in the top 5’ of soil with 5.5” of that being below the 2’ depth. The good news is at least the corn is tall enough now to hide a lot of the bad spots from the road. Soybeans are reaching the R4 stage, meaning they have a pod ¾” or more long at one of the uppermost 4 nodes. Small grain yields are starting to come in and they have been decent. Our cooler than normal July has helped immensely.

Gardens are starting to roll as well. At the ranch we picked a couple dozen cukes after noticing a few were getting close. Then of course you always miss one that gets seeded out inside. Those tend to make it over the fence to the sheep who love ‘em almost as much as we humans do. Tomato vines are healthy as a horse and slowly starting to bear a few more yellow pear and cherries. The first planting of string beans has just started to come online with the thin stand flowering profusely. There have been a few for snacking and they have been tasty. The snap pea seed arrived recently so we should be ready to commence our fall vegetable gardening over the weekend. Something about late summer planted greens, radishes and snap peas that isn’t the same in the spring. Smiling!

Flowers have also been taking shape not only in the flower beds but in the CRP as well. Some of the notables include milkweed which provides the monarch butterfly with nectar as an adult and leaves that the larvae feed on. There has been a noticeable uptick in monarch activity locally and that’s a good sign. In the garden the volunteer 4 o’clocks have just started to flower so the hummingbirds and sphinx moths will have something more to occupy their time. As Preacher noted a few weeks ago in a text to me, the sweetclover has been phenomenal this year. The sweet aroma fills the ditches and waste areas where both the yellow and white type grow. Both are favorites for honeybees and many a beekeeper would set up near large patches of the biennial legume when it was used as a green manure crop back in the set aside days. When out driving one could always tell where those patches were as the bees would splat off the windshield as you got closer.

In the yard I can’t say I was happy to spot our most recent visitor, a red squirrel. My encounters with them over the years on excursions up north have been less than positive. As long as they stay outside they’re fine. Once they get inside a cabin however things get chewed up and wrecked in a hurry. Fortunately I only saw him the one time. Plus, the birds seemed to dislike him even more than the fox squirrels that they’ve come to semi-tolerate.

The orioles continue to frequent the jelly feeders although they may be showing signs of slowing down somewhat, unlike the mosquitoes. The mosquitoes consume a quart of blood every night while the orioles consume about a quart of grape jelly every 4 – 5 days as well as a cup of sugar from the nectar feeder. No wonder they don’t have any teeth!

Fair time has been upon us already for several weeks now. The Waseca Co. Fair is in the books and the Freeborn Co. Fair is getting rolling this week. That means I am the beneficiary of some of Auntie Mar Mar’s most excellent baked goods leftover from her entries for competition. Uncle Gregory stopped up Saturday to give me pointers on breaking down my most recent weapon of mass destruction and to drop off a large box of assorted goodies. I was most impressed by the variety and in particular by the muffins. I’m just glad I got whole muffins, not just the stumps.

See you next week…real good then

[Dotch]

I guess you're just what I needed

The scurs continued to dredge up dry weather until the surprise thunder showers rolled through on Monday bringing some welcome relief to thirsty crops. Will they remember which wire to cross on the Weather Eye this week? Starting Wednesday, partly sunny with a modest chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs near 75 and lows in the upper 50’s. Thursday, partly sunny with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs again near 75 and lows in the low 60’s. Partly sunny Friday with highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the low 60’s. Saturday, partly sunny with a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the low 60’s. Partly sunny again for Sunday with a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs near 80 and lows in the low 60’s. Mostly sunny Monday with a chance for an afternoon or evening shower or thunderstorm. Highs around 80 and lows in the mid-50’s. Tuesday, mostly sunny and cooler. Highs in the mid-70’s and lows in the upper 50’s. The Full Moon for the month occurs on the 10th. The normal high for August 10th is 81 and the normal low is 60. The scurs are hoping the predicted moderate temperatures will allow continued good sleeping with the windows open.

The Full Moon for the month goes by several names, most commonly the Full Sturgeon Moon as this was the month in which the Indian tribes found the sturgeon easiest to catch. It also goes by the Full Green Corn Moon and the Full Grain Moon. The Ojibwe knew this as the Berry Moon no doubt for the bountiful crop of blueberries they competed with the bears for. The Sioux were keeping an eye on the chokecherries denoting this as the Moon When the Cherries Turn Black. At the ranch, the Moon When Vegetables Overwhelm. The Perseid Meteor Shower should be underway next week although the brightness of the moon on August 12th and on the 13th during their peak may wash some of the lesser meteors out, making them difficult to see. Fear not, many of them are bright enough to see anyway points out Deane Morrison from the U of M’s MN Institute for Astrophysics. Look off to the northeast in the evening and pre-dawn hours for the best chances of catching a falling star and putting it in your pocket.

Crops continue to make substantial progress and those who were lucky enough to receive rain on Monday had to breathe a little sigh of relief. Rainfall amounts were extremely variable with .61” recorded at the ranch. .75” in Bugtussle proper and reports of up to 1.5” both north and south of town. Just what we needed. Not all that far to the north nothing was recorded so the pattern of hit and miss precip in August established over the past four years continues. Corn is primarily in the blister stage and by most rules of thumb will need about 60 days to make it to maturity. Soybeans continue to be in the R4 stage primarily with some of the replants showing a third and fourth trifoliate. Some later seeded wheat continues to plod towards the finish line and the late planted peas are largely harvested. All in all, a terrible year for pea yields locally. 12” of rain will do that.

Many signs that it is indeed August. The first cicada of the summer was heard at the ranch on August 1st although several days prior, one had been spotted being carried by a cicada killer wasp back to their lair. The tiger lilies are in bloom and the big bluestem has headed out in the pasture at over 6’ tall. Field crickets are more vocal as grasshoppers add their background music to the evenings.

The orioles at the ranch are backing off on their jelly consumption although the gray catbirds seem to be picking up the slack. This has apparently been a banner year for them as I tend to draw “cat calls” whenever I’m inspecting the garden. The catbirds are seldom seen however. The red osier dogwood makes an excellent place for them to nest and hang out in addition to supplying them with an abundant supply of gawd awful bitter tasting white berries. Yes, I’ll try anything once.

Little by little the garden continues to come online. Picked a half gallon of string beans on Sunday as well as another dozen or so cukes. The nice thing about cukes is once you figure out who likes them, it becomes relatively easy to keep up with them. Now zucchinis on the other hand I have yet to figure out. No one will admit they really like them although they do wind up in things such as zucchini bread and on things such as shish kabobs at the ranch. And when they get excessively large the sheep become the beneficiaries. Planted some of the fall veggie crop on Sunday. The snap peas that arrived last week made it into the ground as did some of the red meat winter radishes. Last year’s crop kept phenomenally well and there are a few yet in the fridge from last fall that are still edible. Probably some carrots too. If not see aforementioned comments about the sheep.

Road destruction in front of the Mall for Men has entered its third straight week now. It’s had its ups and downs although since the rain has been scarce good progress has been made. The water being shut off one forenoon wasn’t a big deal especially since there are tall weeds out back. Luckily the brain trust that was responsible for the Lake Road construction is no longer a factor. That road has rapidly become a topic of disgust and derision for those travelling it on a daily basis. You know it’s a bad sign when people will take a gravel road to avoid driving on the roughest stretch. Driving in the pasture among the gopher mounds is smoother.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Where I come from...

The scurs thought they’d found the right colored wire on the Weather Eye last week but alas, it was a dangling wire leftover from a cassette. Will they dampen the spirits of fairgoers for the Steele Co. Fair? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with a high near 80 and a low around 60. Mostly sunny on Thursday with a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the low 60’s. Friday, partly sunny with a slight chance of an evening shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the mid-70’s and lows in the mid-60’s. Saturday, partly sunny becoming mostly cloudy with a slight chance of showers and or a thunderstorm. Highs in the low 80’s and lows in the mid-60’s. Mostly cloudy Sunday with a modest chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the low 80’s and lows in the mid-60’s. Monday, mostly sunny with a high in the mid-80’s and a low in the mid-50’s. Mostly cloudy and cooler Tuesday with a high near 70 and a low in the upper 50’s. The normal highs for August 15th is 81 and the normal low is 60. We dip back to 14 hours of daylight on the 15th, about the same as we saw back on April 27th. The scurs will continue napping in the hammock for at least another few weeks.

Hit and miss (mostly miss) showers continued this past week and concerns about soil moisture are mounting. Cooler temperatures are definitely helping us to make the most of what there is but eventually it needs to rain and warm up to finish this crop. Corn is to the R3 stage in places and soybeans are still setting pods yet in the R4 stage. For their height, the soybeans tend to have a lot of pods on them. Size doesn’t necessarily matter when it comes to plant height. Soybean aphid numbers increased last week although the populations have not exploded. This is somewhat puzzling given the crop growth stage, favorable temperatures, lack of moisture and relatively low presence of beneficial insects. Disease pressure is also very low in both corn and soybeans. Dry weather appears to have taken its toll on 3rd cutting hay. Regrowth is short and the crop will likely follow suit. Leafhopper numbers have been low. Considering we’ve had little southerly flow much of the summer, that’s not totally surprising.

At least the garden has been a bright spot. The cukes, zukes, string beans and the occasional tomato have graced our table. Powdery mildew has been increasing in the vine crops so the yield on those is likely to be negatively affected. Probably time to move the garden as the trees are shading the area too much. It is amazing what a little rain can do though. After planting winter radishes and snap peas on the 3rd then receiving .61” of rain on the 4th, the winter radishes were emerging on the 7th. The snap peas tend to take more time although they were starting to poke through on Monday. More planting was accomplished on the 9th with mixed greens, lettuce, collard greens, kohlrabi planted along with four varieties of radishes. .3” of rain the next day certainly won’t hurt their cause.

Bird numbers continue to slow at the feeders. Goldfinches are faithful even though they are seen frequently feeding on their favorite thistles that are shedding their plumes. Not unlikely that the goldfinches are using some of that thistle down in their nests right now. The last three bluebirds at the kindly neighbors’ are getting close to fledging. The parents have been scolding me the past couple weeks when I venture over to the rain gauge that’s attached to the same post as their house. Bluebirds are among my favorite summer guests. Perhaps it’s because they were so rare when I was a kid. It’s just gratifying to see them making a comeback and knowing the habitat we’ve provided is to their liking.

Speaking of summer guests, I was privileged to have a couple Brazilians visit last week. They’ve been coming through this area the past several years doing a crop survey somewhat along the lines of the Pro Farmer Crop Tour for a company in Brazil. A few weeks earlier I’d invited them to have supper at the ranch when we concluded taping a television interview Friday evening. I was delighted they’d accepted my offer even though I had to fly solo with Mrs. Cheviot gone to the IA State Fair.

Of course I wanted make a good impression, representing our area accurately yet in the best light possible. For a couple small gift items, I picked up a couple current copies of the Star Eagle and with the gracious help of Matt at the bank, was able to track down a couple copies of the little book calling New Richland (Bugtussle) home. Both Heitor and Daniele pored over the printed material as I fired up the grill, chatting in their native Portuguese about items they’d point out to each other. Not a clue what they were talking about but I’ll bet it was interesting. I gave them the dollar tour as the coals were getting ready. Ruby entertained as Fudgie kept her distance while we showed them the sheep as well as the large garden. When we finished with that the coals were ready for the shish kebob assembled earlier that afternoon.

The meal definitely put the area and Minnesota in general front and center. Fresh sweet corn from my neighborhood sheep shearer, with string beans, cucumbers and zucchini from the garden. Onions and peppers from the local area, Hope butter, and of course our homegrown lamb. As we dined we visited in English of course about a wide range of topics. Apparently the food was to their liking as they jokingly asked if they could come back the next day. When I offered them some Schwan’s frozen yogurt for dessert, they were stuffed. We visited a while longer and after showing Heitor the grill (he also loves to cook), it was time for them to head back to the hotel for the evening. It had been a long day for them trekking through IA before making their last stop here in South Central MN. Was just glad we were all able to exhale for a bit. In an environment that pressures us to focus on working long hours, we frequently don’t get enough time to let out hair down and be ourselves, let alone with international friends from Brazil.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Take me on a trip upon your magic swirlin' ship

The scurs are positive this week they’ll get it right. They even got out the owner’s manual for the ’74 Gremlin to make sure the Weather Eye delivers on temperature and precip for the upcoming week. Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with a moderate chance for an evening shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the low 80’s and a low around 65. Partly sunny on Thursday with a decreasing chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the mid-80’s and lows in the upper 60’s. Friday, mostly sunny with a decent chance of an evening shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the upper 80’s and lows in the upper 60’s. Saturday, mostly sunny with a good chance of showers and/or a thunderstorm developing. Highs in the low 80’s and lows in the low 60’s. Mostly cloudy Sunday with a modest chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the low 70’s and lows in the mid-50’s. Monday, mostly sunny with a high in the mid-70’s and a low in the mid-50’s. Mostly sunny Tuesday with a slight chance of rain. highs near 75 with a low in the upper 50’s. The normal highs for August 25th is 79 and the normal low is 58. The scurs may need a tarp if they plan on napping in the hammock for at least another few weeks.

Area crops were on the move and progress was made toward the finish line although there is a long way to go yet. Corn was largely R3 (milk stage) as of last week with some starting to show some dough in places. Soybeans were generally a full-blown R5 beginning seed with the exception of replants and fields planted after peas. We will need all of September at this rate and will take more frost-days into October if we can get them to allow those replant soybeans to fully mature. Soybean aphid control measures have been taken on many fields although there are some remaining with levels well below threshold as well. The threshold is 250 per plant on 80% of the plants with levels increasing.

Am writing this week’s edition from the road on the Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour. This is the 11th tour of duty I’ve been on although it seems like it’s been more than that. At least packing went better this time around than last year. I didn’t find any dirty socks and underwear left over from last year in my luggage this time! The windshield survey on the drive to Ohio went about as advertised by others who had made the same journey over the course of the summer.

Iowa looked about as expected with areas directly south of us appearing eerily similar and looking much better the farther south we went. Crossing into Illinois the crop looked like a vast ocean of uniform corn and soybeans. Taking a peek in some fields it appeared as good as it did from the road. Indiana looked about the same on I-70 although there were some signs that too much water had visited the area somewhere along the line. Ohio showed more of the variability in height and more nitrogen deficiency on the corn. Pulling a quick sample the corn also was behind what we had found in both Iowa and Illinois. In the observation pulled from an Ohio field for the evening meeting of crop scouts, the soybeans were well filled and had completed flowering. These observations are very preliminary however and points up why we pull over 1300 samples of both corn and soybeans across the Corn Belt: You don’t know until you take a good hard look and generate some actual data. The numbers will come out on Friday following our wrap up in Rochester at the International Events Center on Thursday night. Be sure to keep an eye on AgWeb, Twitter at #pftour14 and any number of other media outlets for information in the meantime as the week progresses. As always it promises to be interesting.

It’s always bittersweet to leave home for a while this time of year. It takes a while to take stock of things before we head out the driveway. The little ewe lamb Stormy born during our last major rainfall event in June isn’t so little anymore. When I return it will be time to wean her. It also involves making sure the birdfeeders are stocked and taking a quick peek to see how garden produce might be progressing. It’s nice to have someone pick the stuff so it doesn’t go to waste. It was great to see the plantings made the week before were coming up thanks in part to the fact the garden hose had been employed to make sure. Moisture has still been scarce even though we’ve had more than some. Ruby doesn’t seem to mind. Watering plants with the hose gives her an excuse to play with the water, swirling around like she’s 4 months and not 4 years old. Youth is wasted on the young.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Strange how the night moves with autumn closing in

The scurs were betting on the ’74 Gremlin X Weather Eye to finally deliver on rain in a forecast and deliver it did. Now the burning question: Were there any leftover Kelvinator freezer parts used in its manufacture? Let’s hope not. Starting Wednesday, partly sunny becoming mostly cloudy by evening with an increasing chance for rain into the overnight hours. Highs in the mid-70’s and lows in the low 60’s. Thursday, mostly cloudy with a good chance for showers and thunderstorms. The beginning of a warming trend with highs in the low 70’s and lows near 60. Mostly cloudy Friday with a modest chance for rain showers. Highs in the mid-70’s and lows once again around 60. Saturday, mostly sunny becoming partly cloudy by evening with a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the low 60’s. Mostly sunny Sunday becoming partly cloudy by evening with a slight chance for an evening shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the low 60’s. Labor Day Monday, mostly sunny with a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the upper 50’s. Mostly sunny on Tuesday with highs in the upper 70’s and lows dropping into the mid-50’s. The sun will set before 8 p.m. on August 27th, the first time since April 16th.The normal high for September 1st is 78 and the normal low is 56. The scurs are readying for the onslaught of those yellow livestock hauling contraptions. Yes kiddies, it’s time to go back to school.

What a wonderful week last week turned out to be in terms of rainfall for most in the greater Bugtussle area! A more scattered rain fell on the 19th with more even coverage on the 22nd. More rain fell over the weekend bringing most totals for the week to well over an inch. These were welcome rains to help maintain the ear tips on the corn as well as help fill some of the flat and small pods in the soybeans. Some of the more mature corn has reached the dent stage (R5) and the most mature soybeans are also beginning to push R6 in places, typically where earlier varieties were planted on the earlier side. Some SDS (Sudden Death Syndrome) and white mold has cropped up in the soybeans since the rain. Soybean aphids have been largely controlled although some who sprayed early might be wise to continue monitoring those fields for possible re-infestation. Potential weed control issues are readily apparent in many fields with waterhemp and giant ragweed being the main problems.

Another Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour is in the books. It came up so fast and was gone just as fast. ON the eastern leg of the Tour, it went about as one might’ve guessed although some of the rumors about 300 bu./acre yields being commonplace in IL were dispelled. Also the myth about all the double ears while we were at it. As Chip Flory pointed out in our wrap up in Rochester, if you’ve got double ears you didn’t push plant population enough. All in all it was probably the most complete corn and soybean crop in the states of OH, IN and IL I’ve seen in the 11 years I’ve been going on the Tour. Sure there were some spots in some of those states that were better than others but there always are. When you looked at the big picture they were minimal. That’s what it takes to make the kind of yields being forecast nationally.

It’s still great to be home with autumn looming ever closer on the horizon. Ready or not there are subtle hints that it’s on the way. Orioles appear to be making their last hurrah with many brightly colored males gracing the feeders. I was wondering when I purchased that last jar of grape jelly if I’d really need it. Apparently and another batch of sugar water to boot. Labor Day is typically about the last we see of them at the ranch so we’ll see how much longer they hang around. The hummingbirds are in full force as their migration from the north is likely underway. Coming around the corner of the house Monday morning I almost had a collision with one, narrowly missing me as it zipped by my chin. There are more hummingbirds than ever at the ranch this year as they’ve enjoyed diving into a smorgasbord of numerous salvia varieties, impatiens, four o’clocks and morning glories. They largely have Mrs. Cheviot to thank for that.

Desperately trying to catch up on a suddenly overgrown lawn, I noticed the bur oak acorns had all fallen while I’d been gone. The garden too had changed after the rainfall, exploding with string beans, sweetcorn, more cukes and tomatoes. One of the nicest things was the mosquitoes were conspicuously absent for what seemed to be the first time all summer. And it’s always great to be able to sleep in your own bed once again even though my internal clock seems to want to stay on Eastern Time. I don’t usually sleep all that well the first few nights as it’s a strange bed and there’s too much unfamiliar noise. Someone I was visiting with on the Crop Tour said they preferred the “white noise” of the city to sleep. Not me. It is so comforting sleeping with the windows open, knowing you’re in your own bed, hearing crickets and grasshoppers chirping, Ruby snoring on the floor as well as a great horned owl hooting outside. All is right with the world.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Some may say I’m wishing my days away…

The scurs were on the money last week with their rainy forecast. Unfortunately the windshield washer was a little sticky on the Weather Eye so some places received excess precipitation. Will the new heater knob the scurs ordered from Budach’s arrive in time for a happy ending to the school week? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with a slight to moderate chance of showers as the day wears on. Highs in the low 80’s and lows in the upper 60’s. Mostly sunny and warmer for Thursday becoming mostly cloudy by evening with a moderate chance for a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the mid-80’s and lows in the upper 50’s. Partly sunny, dry and cooler on Friday with highs in the upper 60’s and lows in the low 50’s. Saturday, mostly sunny with highs in the upper 60’s and lows near 50. Mostly sunny on Sunday and continued dry with highs in the low 70’s and lows in the low 50’s. Monday, partly cloudy with a slight chance of rain. Highs near 70 and lows in the low 50’s. Tuesday, mostly sunny with highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the mid-50’s. The normal high for September 8th is 76 and the normal low is 53. We slip back below 13 hours of daylight on September 6th, the first time since April 5th. The scurs have no doubt that the Vikings will be undefeated yet on Saturday. It’s Sunday they’re worried about.

The Full Moon for the month lands on the 8th and is known as the Full Harvest Moon. The brightness of the moon allowed farmers to work long into the night before they put headlights on the horses of course. It was under this moon that many of the staples common to the native tribes were harvested. The Ojibwe called this Full Rice Moon and the Sioux called it The Moon When the Plums are Scarlet. Indeed, the wild plums at the ranch are scarlet, those that have remained hidden from the birds. We generally refer to it as the BLT Moon however.

Abundant precip fell this past week over much of the area putting farmers’ worries about having enough moisture to finish the crop to an end. The month of August at the ranch we tallied 5.6” with another .41” falling on Sunday and actually recorded for September 1st. In town the rainfall for the same period was 6.95”. The pattern of an extremely dry August the past several years has been broken. Now the biggest concern becomes having enough heat to finish although we have made some positive strides in that direction. Worrying about it won’t change it however. Most corn remains in the R5 dent stage and R6 soybeans are becoming more common with the exception of the replants of course. The rains should help keep the potential yield in play on both crops as we get closer to the finish line.

There were some large flights of dragonflies noted the last couple weeks of August then again over the past weekend. Many of those spotted at the ranch appeared to be green darners. This is interesting because this species actually migrates south to the Gulf states. Dragonflies are an important link in controlling winged insects although they may get more credit than they deserve for controlling mosquitoes as adults anyway. As Jeff Hahn at the U points out, most mosquitoes generally show up at dusk and afterwards. This doesn’t mean however that they won’t grab one should the chance arise during the day.

The white-lined sphinx moths arrived at the ranch over the weekend too. A few weeks ago one of the large green hornworms was seen feeding on some prostrate knotweed and purslane outside the Mall for Men. Was wondering when the moths would appear and first saw one working over some of the bouncing bet (an escaped ornamental) in the road ditch as I gathered the mail. The next night several were flitting between the salvia and four o’clocks in the small garden. Meteorological fall has arrived.

The orioles hung around through Labor Day so we’re holding our breath hoping they’ll stay a while longer. There were more Baltimore types than we’d seen since back in May. With their frenzied activity it’s no wonder they eat so much jelly. The hummingbirds too have been numerous and hungry. When they’re not at the feeders they’re after the plants and vice versa. Lots of squeaking as they chase after one another, rest a few seconds then do it all over again.

The lawn has taken off making it necessary to do some routine maintenance on the mowers. Both Howard and Whitey were up to an oil change so I obliged them. This is akin to cruel and unusual punishment for a Border Collie however. I left Ruby and Fudgie inside as I didn't want waste oil spilled all over the place. Unable to bite the tires as the machines were started to warm them up, I could hear much snarling and gnashing of teeth coming from the house. I could also see through the window a lot of commotion as Ruby ran frantically from the couch to the door and back. Now if only we could channel that energy into operating the mowers as opposed to just herding them then maybe we’d have something. Wishful thinking I’m afraid.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

There's a feeling I get when I look to the west

The parts the scurs ordered for the Weather Eye arrived and not moment too soon. Weather over the weekend was an absolute 10. Will our luck continue or will we see Jack Frost soon? Starting Wednesday, cloudy with a good chance of rain. Highs in the low 60’s and lows in the mid-40’s. Mostly cloudy and cooler with slight chance of a shower. Highs in the mid-50’s and lows in the low 40’s. Mostly sunny on Friday with continued cooler than normal temps. Highs in the mid-50’s and lows in the mid to upper 30’s. There exists the chance for patchy frost especially in low lying areas. Sunny again for Saturday with slightly warmer temperatures. Highs in the low 60’s and lows in the mid-40’s. Continued slightly warmer on Sunday under partly sunny skies. Highs in the mid-60’s and lows in the mid-40’s. Monday, rain likely under cloudy skies. Highs near 60 and lows near 40’s. Mostly sunny for Tuesday with continued below normal temperatures. Highs around 60 and lows in the mid-40’s. The sun will set before 7:30 p.m. on the 13th. The normal high for September 15th is 73 and the normal low is 50. The scurs have their blankets and tarps at the ready for Friday night just in case.

Crops are making their move toward the finish line. Corn is still R5 although the milk line is making its presence known. Some of the corn planted in the May 6-7 range has a milk line about halfway down the kernel. Silage harvest is underway in places. Soybeans continue to progress as well with some fields turning rapidly as they approach R7. Most are still in the R6 stage however. How much would a frost hurt either crop? It depends somewhat on the planting date. Some of those fields of corn with the milk line halfway down last week wouldn’t be hurt more than a few percent with a frost on Friday. Soybeans however would be a different story. Freezing them at mid R6 would probably mean a yield hit in the neighborhood of 15 – 20%. A couple websites gauging potential yield losses from an early frost:

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/efans/cropnews/2011/09/yield-and-harvest-consideratio.html

http://thesoyreport.blogspot.com/2013/09/odds-my-soybean-crop-will-mature-before.html

Let’s hope we don’t have to deal with frost just yet.

One can definitely see the change in the seasons is upon us. Looking to the northwest around 10ish when letting the dogs out or even if you don’t, one can see the Big Dipper prominently on display. Some of the trees in the yard are starting to show some color already which may have something to do with the stress they seemed to be under coming out of the winter in some cases. Speaking of fall colors, looking to the west the sun shining off the russet colored Indiangrass against the azure sky Saturday evening almost took my breath away.

This was also a good weekend to notice the number of insect species that were active. We have had a very busy crew of bumblebees working over not only the potted flowers but any remaining vine crop flowers. The striped and spotted cucumber beetles have been working over any soft tissue they can, leaving divots in some of the string bean pods. Some of their cousins, the northern corn rootworms have also joined them. Monarch butterflies sailed lazily past the windows much of the weekend and other species such as the yellow swallowtails were occasional visitors.

We were still seeing the odd Baltimore oriole as of Monday although the jelly consumption has tailed off substantially. It won’t surprise me if that was their last day with cooler conditions coming soon to the area. In the meantime the hummingbirds continue to keep us entertained. They emptied one feeder and were working on whatever the orioles decided to leave them in their feeder. Goldfinches have returned in numbers once again and the chickadees have recently discovered there are sunflower seeds here for the taking.

The garden continues to be a beast. While there have been more tomatoes than we know what to with, we’ve been fortunate to find good homes for large amounts of them. Others haven’t been so fortunate. The vines are huge. Apparently they liked the large amount of potassium applied this spring. There are plants of one variety of grape tomatoes that are ten feet wide! Once it started raining the end of August, they covered the peppers and string beans on either side and touch the snap peas and other row of tomatoes on the other. A reader asked about how we find the energy to do the fall gardening thing. It’s probably because we really had very little early spring garden at the ranch this year. There were still snow banks on the garden in April and parts of it were covered with standing water shortly afterwards. There are some radishes that are ready to harvest and the lettuce isn’t far behind. Some of the kohlrabi is slow but there is hopefully a lot of time left before the ground freezes.

In the meantime the sheep continue to enjoy the spoils (literally) from the garden. Too often the bunnies or the picnic beetles seem to locate the ripe muskmelons before we do. While that’s unfortunate it’s nice to know that nothing goes to waste. Even the cobs from the sweetcorn are devoured completely. How they perform that feat is entertaining to say the least. They somehow manage to put the entire cob in their mouth then start grinding away. Within a matter of a few seconds it’s gone and they’re looking for another one. It isn’t so amazing however after one has tried slipping a bolus down their throat. A sheep’s molars are razor sharp and your thumb making contact with them will result in it looking like a piece of hamburger. Bloody, rare hamburger.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Yeah, I know nobody knows where it comes and where it goes

The scurs got the new part installed then erred when hooking the control cables on the Weather Eye back up. Who knew the instructions for a ’74 Gremlin would be written in Chinese? Will they find a translator in time for the kindly neighbors’ 50th wedding anniversary? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with highs in the upper 60’s and lows near 50. Thursday, mostly sunny with a slight chance of an evening shower or thunderstorm. Highs again in the upper 60’s with lows in the mid-50’s. Becoming more interesting on Friday as humidity returns under cloudy skies and with it a good chance of a shower or thunderstorm as the say wears on. Highs near 70 and lows in the upper 50’s. Cloudy becoming partly sunny on Saturday with a good chance of a lingering shower or thunderstorm in the forenoon. Highs in the low 70’s and highs in the mid-50’s. Sunday, absolutely gorgeous under mostly sunny skies with highs around 70 and lows in the low 50’s. Partly cloudy on Monday with highs in the low 70’s and lows near 50. Continued sunshine for Tuesday with highs again in the low 70’s and lows around 50. The sun will rise after 7 a.m. on the 22nd. For September 23rd, the first day of autumn this year, the normal high is 70 and the normal low is 46. The scurs could get the leaf blower tuned up although it’s much easier to let the wind and lawnmower solve the problem.

The frost on the 13th was likely not technically a killing frost but it certainly caused a lot of panic once the widespread nature was discovered. While frost was noticeable as far south as Kansas and Nebraska the markets shrugged it off Monday morning as a minor event. How bad was the damage? Good question and one that won’t be answered unfortunately until combines roll. The frost injury varied so much across the landscape with elevation as well as with variety or hybrid that trying to figure it out could just about drive one batty. Much of the corn was already ½ milk line or approaching maturity on the early planting so the damage should be minimal on that. Probably the most disappointing thing about it was many of the upper pods we had great hope for on the soybeans were suddenly nipped, taking much of the top end out of the soybean crop locally. Along with that no rhyme nor reason to it. Areas of replants in the low spots were hardly touched while some soybeans in upland areas froze hard. It’s a mystery sometimes and frequently not one worth spending time on as knowing that really doesn’t matter.

The frost pattern at the ranch followed suit with what was seen in the fields. Areas and plants that should’ve been killed were spared. Impatiens in a pot in the road ditch where the frost stayed on several hours were untouched. The garden itself where it was on the west side of the trees and the frost stays on typically escaped relatively unscathed. This is also where the tomatoes reside and we covered nothing. About the only thing getting dinged by the frost was the coleus in some of the pots up by the house. The odd thing there was the lack of any frost in the grass by the house.

The orioles must’ve seen the frost coming as the last one was spotted on the 8th. There is still some jelly left in the feeder but the nuthatches and red-bellied woodpeckers seem to be cleaning it up. Won’t be long and we’ll put the suet feeder back out for them. The hummingbirds continue to be guests although their numbers may be starting to tail off after the frost. Last year we had them until the last few days in September so will keep the nectar feeders cleaned and filled for a while yet. Goldfinches are numerous both in the yard and in the CRP around the pond. There are lots of composites down there with plenty of seeds for their dining pleasure. Took a quick peek at the pond area only to find it void of ducks that a few weeks ago had been raising a ruckus. Canada geese however have zoned in on the wheat field harvested across the road at the Dubya’s so morning and evening we are treated to goose music.

The fall garden produce has started to take shape. The first of the radishes hit the table Monday night so Mrs. Cheviot insisted on a radish sandwich. The radishes have some power although they are sweeter than usual. Alas it appears the fall veggie experiment will not yield the fruit it did last season. The snap peas have yet to flower although the warmer temps may help that along. Even the winter radishes are taking their sweet time about getting rolling. Oh well, there are plenty of things to eat still to come. The carrots haven’t been touched yet and the greens are getting closer to eating size.

The show sheep came back off the circuit on Sunday as the folks who’d been showing them brought them home to us. In the meantime we had to take a few more head over to the kindly neighbors’ pasture. This has been a great summer for pasture as the ewes are generally fat and look like we’ve been feeding them shell corn. They do get some vegetable leftovers at home and at the other pasture dine on bur oak acorns. It was later afternoon when the show sheep arrived and after being champions in three different states, they were in good rig. Not much different at feeding time than the lambs that had been on full feed actually as they dove into the grain trough just like they’d never left the ranch.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

She's my sweet little thing, she's my pride and joy

The wily scurs and their Weather Eye were hitting on all cylinders once again. Will the warm temps continue to head our way or is the other shoe about to drop? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with a modest chance for showers. Highs in the low 70’s and lows in the mid-50’s. Mostly sunny on Thursday and warmer with highs in the mid-70’s and lows in the upper 50’s. Friday and Saturday, mostly sunny and warmer with highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the mid to upper 50’s. Sunny and slightly cooler Sunday and Monday with highs in the mid-70’s and lows in the mid-50’s. Tuesday sunny and a little cooler with highs in the mid-70’s and lows in the low 50’s. On September 25th we will experience our first day of less than 12 hours of daylight since March 16th. To add insult to injury the sun will also set before 7 p.m. on September 29th. Our normal high for the last day of September is 67 and the normal low is 43. The scurs are trimming the wicks on their kerosene lanterns so they can read fan mail into the wee hours of the morning.

After rains fell on the 15th it looked like it might be smooth sailing for the rest of the week as forecasters pulled their horns in until the last minute and voila! We got rain on Friday and Saturday night. Fortunately most of greater Bugtussle escaped with minor damage while crops to the north suffered severe injury from hail. In Waseca the hail actually made the Twin Cities news which is odd as usually anything south of Mankato is considered a foreign country. More corn in the area continued to reach black layer and soybeans were largely R7 where at least one pod on the main stem has reached its mature color. Sweet corn yields have been running very well with many reports of 8 – 9 ton. This usually bodes well for field corn yields.

At the ranch we saw .29” of rain both Friday and Saturday night bringing our September total to 1.76”. Last year we had 1.69” for the entire month. Our soil profile remains relatively full with some water seen standing on the edges of neighboring fields. The lawns have really taken off and given some warm weather, they will make up for lost time. As it is we’re back to mowing once a week with no letup in sight. After the frost scare the tomatoes continue to overrun everything and picking them takes until dark after the chores are done. I’ve given up on the green beans finally. After seeing the first planting is still bearing there is just a limit. They were great but enough is too much sometimes. More radishes are ready although the location this fall hasn’t agreed with them. Getting enough sunlight in areas of the garden is becoming a challenge and where to move parts of it becomes a question.

With the orioles a distant memory, under the cover of darkness, the barn swallows must’ve snuck off last week. It isn’t like there aren’t any flying insects to eat but their numbers are starting to tail off. Hummingbirds appear to be the next go with some still around on the 23rd yet. Last year the last hummingbirds at the ranch were seen on September 30th and in 2012 it was the 21st. One good thing about having all these old columns to reference, one can see when some of these phenological events took place. There are other birds moving through too. There are lots of flycatchers and a juvenile yellow-bellied sapsucker was spotted on the 19th.

Getting into the office since mid-July has become more interesting every day. Some days it’s like George Costanza trying to outwit his employer after he’s been told not to show up for work. You still find a way into the office even if they’ve rerouted the streets since the last time you were in town. Probably the biggest issue has been the lack of communication to let us know where they’ll be working next so we can plan ahead to take an alternate route. Oh well, that’s the name of the game anymore. We have all these wonderful ways and means for communicating and by golly, we’re simply horrible at using any of them unless of course it suits our purpose.

There are plenty of mosquitoes around yet so am not going to take any chances on either of our pride and joy contracting heartworm. Last Friday afternoon was heartworm shot update day so off Fudgie, Ruby and I hopped in the soccer mom van for a trip to the vet’s office. Oddly enough there was no one ahead of us so we were able to get right in. Dr. Dennis was on duty and while he towers over them, it’s easy to see our Border Collies love and respect him. Ruby was first and after a few minutes Dr. Dennis came in, cooing to her on the end of her leash. She looked up at him submissively with just the tip of her tail wagging. Within a few seconds, he calmly leaned down and slipped her the injection. She winced briefly but the tail kept wagging resulting in more praise. Fudgie was next after returning Ruby to the van. Fudgie can be cantankerous around strangers but she walked right over to him as he spoke softly to her. Without me holding her she too allowed him to give her the update sans growling or snapping. She even got a treat for her behavior. One doesn’t have to say the word “treat” twice to let them know they’re being rewarded for being good. I think I know how Mom felt sometimes when she took us to the dentist then afterwards to Berg’s Drug in Stewartville for a soda. She knew it wouldn’t last so she had to savor the moment.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

I've done no harm, I keep to myself
There's nothing wrong with my state of mental health

The scurs are keeping their options open this week hoping their good weather fortunes continue although they can’t remember which thermostat is in the Gremlin controlling the Weather Eye. What does the first week in October portend? Starting Wednesday mostly cloudy with a good chance of rain in the forenoon with decreasing chances into the afternoon. Highs in the upper 60’s and lows in the mid-50’s. Mostly cloudy Thursday with a good chance of a shower or even a thunderstorm. Highs in the upper 60’s and lows in the mid-40’s. Friday, much cooler and mostly sunny with a slight chance for showers. Highs in the mid-50’s and lows in the upper 30’s. Continued cool under sunny skies on Saturday with highs again in the mid-70’s and lows in the mid-40’s. Sunday, mostly sunny and warmer with highs in the mid-60’s and lows in the mid-40’s. Mostly sunny for Monday and Tuesday with highs in the low to mid 60’s and lows in the mid-40’s. The normal high for October 5th is 65 and the normal low is 41.The scurs will be awaiting the total lunar eclipse at 5:25 a.m. on the 8th.

Some harvest activity this past week and results so far have been encouraging. Warm temps pushed crops to maturity rapidly. Soybeans that looked like they may have been underachievers from a cool and in some cases a frosty finish to the season came through with early returns of 40 – 50+ bu./acre yields. And this from early maturing beans with in some cases hail damage on them. Corn hasn’t been touched in general yet but there will be some early contracts to be filled so we should know soon. Odds are it too may be a positive surprise.

Wrote some of this from my little fat buddy’s most excellent camp near Atikokan Ontario. It was time again to get away and relax for a spell. It truly is a great place to let your hair down and forget about the hustle and bustle of greater Bugtussle. The leaves were coming on although they weren’t close to peak yet. The Sunday rain and wind took many of the leaves off in the coming prime areas. The birch trees had been a pretty yellow and some of the maples had been right on their heels. The tamarack had not yet turned although some were noticeably paler on our return home. The temperatures were very palatable and because fishing was slow, soaking up the sun was the order of the day Friday and Saturday. Lounging on a dock in shorts having late September refreshments in the Great White North is truly something to savor. We did travel around some too and observed a spectacular stair-step waterfall not unlike others common to the area. A few smallmouth were caught so we could say we were fishing. Food was superb with local produce from the ranch making up some of the fare. Of course some extremely cutthroat cribbage was played. The board got a workout even if we forgot which leg we were on. Oh well, that way the games last longer.

We also watched and listened to the birds. One knew it would be a good time when upon going outside for the last time in the evening, a barred owl was busy with its patented “who cooks for you?” call. In the daytime, some robins were moving through the area. A few gray jays or camp robbers as they're known locally were checking us out for any potential handouts. Chickadees were occasional visitors and the juncos were still around yet. Last year it wasn’t long after we were home and they showed up at the ranch so we’ll have to see if they repeat that behavior.

It’s always good to see home show up again though. Ruby will just about come unglued after one is gone for an extended length of time. Of course that happens when you’re gone from morning until noon sometimes. Fudgie is less animated but glad to see you nonetheless. It’s interesting to see if anything has changed while we were away. Typically the garden requires attention and the lawn needs another mowing. That much is a given. It’s always a question too when the hummingbirds are ready to depart. (There were still two at the ranch yet Tuesday the 30th) Some may question how one can take off this time of year for a few days when everything is starting to happen in the fields. Sometimes you just need a change of scenery if only for a brief stay. There was no TV or internet. Just breathtaking scenery, three guys telling stories (all true by the way), listening to old rock and roll while sharing a lot of laughs. It’s necessary to take a breather sometimes not to mention crucial for one’s state of mental health.

I may have to hold off on the one year anniversary card I’d planned on sending to the phone company. If you’ll recall, last year about this time the road construction crew contracted by the Peoples’ Republic of Steele Co. hit our phone line, interrupting our phone and internet service. The line was replaced by the phone company and left laying on top of the ground for a subcontractor to bury later or so we were told. In spite of our numerous requests and subsequent work orders over the past year for its burial, it has remained above ground. It sounds like this may be about to change. While I was gone, the phone service and internet service were disrupted again. After several attempts to get through the maze of button pressing options that corporate America likes to call “customer service”, Mrs. Cheviot was finally able to get someone from the phone company out to look at it. When he looked at the situation, he couldn’t believe that the matter hadn't been resolved. This time it turned out the neighbors must’ve accidentally hit the phone line when they were mowing hay by the road ditch. If I’d known that’s what it would take to get action, I would’ve run the cable through the lawnmower myself last fall!

See you next week...real good then.

[Dotch]

Don’t it make my brown eyes blue…

The scurs slipped up on the temperature control lever on the Weather Eye. Must’ve thought they’d slid it left and instead slid it right resulting in colder conditions over the weekend. Will the scurs memory be tested once again? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with a slight chance of an overnight shower. Highs in the mid-60’s and lows in the upper 30’s. Partly sunny on Thursday and Friday with highs in the mid-50’s and lows in the mid-30’s both days. Partly sunny and slightly warmer on Saturday with a slight chance of a shower by evening. Highs in the upper 50’s and lows in the low 40’s. Mostly cloudy on Sunday with an increasing chance for showers by evening. Highs in the upper 50’s and lows in the low 40’s. Mostly cloudy for Columbus Day and Tuesday with a good chance of showers Monday lingering into Tuesday a.m. Highs in the mid-50’s and lows in the mid-30’s. The normal low for October 13th is 61 and the normal low is 38. In their spare time, the scurs will be watching to see how many people grab the Post Office door Monday by mistake.

As mentioned last week, the total Lunar Eclipse will appear at 5:25 a.m., several hours ahead of the Star Eagle being in your mailbox so if you’re reading this now, you missed it. The 8th also brings us the Full Moon for the month. It goes by several names including the Full Hunter’s Moon and the Full Blood Moon. It was at this time the settlers and Native Americans were busy packing their larders with wild game for the long winter ahead. The Ojibwe knew this as the Falling Leaves Moon and the Sioux called it the Moon of Falling Leaves. At the ranch it is known primarily as the “Burn Electricity to do Chores Moon”.

Harvest was at a standstill for much of last week with rainfall dampening the opportunity for soybean combining. Cool, cloudy early November-like conditions following the precipitation slowed drying with soybean harvest very hit and miss late week through the weekend. Soybeans were still in many cases uneven and while the weekend frost helped some, there are still a lot of fields with green soybeans and leaves on in places as of this writing. Corn remains wet and again while some picking has been done, most are waiting to get their beans out first before running the dryer on corn that tests in the upper 20 and low 30 percent moisture range. The good news is the rainfall last week wasn’t a real game changer. The bad news is stalk rot rearing its ugly head in many fields and several forecasters are predicting a wetter second half to the month. Oh goody.

Luckily at the ranch we were able to harvest much of the remaining garden produce ahead of the frost both Sunday and Monday morning. It has been a harvest likely to mirror what will be found in the fields. There is plenty and enough that we could share the abundant portions such as the tomatoes with lots of people. It was not without its disappointments however. For the number of hills of vine crops, one would’ve expected better production. In a cool summer though, it’s probably unrealistic to expect a bumper crop of squash and pumpkins. Ditto with the Indian corn. Planted late with standing water on it in June, it struggled to produce the number of big, showy ears we would’ve liked. That’s one of the reasons we maintain our diversity however. When something bombs, at least there are other vegetable crops that come through with flying colors. Sometimes that’s a lesson we tend to forget in this day and age.

Phenologically speaking this was a banner week. During the rainy weather this past week, salamanders were crossing the road. I found one by a water bucket in the barn and just for laughs decided to see how well they can swim. Very well I discovered. Monday after the frost there were still monarch butterflies floating past. Somehow it appears that word of their demise appears to be greatly exaggerated. Bluebirds are frequently passing through at the ranch as well as at the kindly neighbors’. The last hummingbird at the ranch was spotted on Saturday the 4th and that same day, there were still some barn swallows at Krause’s in Hope. On my way home from there, more were seen flying alongside the road. Robins are feasting on the nannyberries. I still enjoy snacking on the berries as well. The leathery black skins sometimes get stuck in your teeth so you can do a pretty good hockey player impression. Last but not least the juncos are back again. They’ve been seen under the four o’clocks and in several of the conifers in the yard. See? They did follow me back from Canada!

Alas, this past weekend found me battling an early season edition of the alien. The cool temps didn’t help matters as I decided it was time to find the flannel sheets and turn the floor heat on in order to stay warm. As mentioned, we had gathered most of the garden so Saturday was a good day to enjoy some of the college football upsets. I thought perhaps I was the only one who was ailing Sunday as we left for church having coughed and strained my vocal chords. When we started the first hymn, I realized my vocal range was suddenly more like Bill Medley’s rather than Bobby Hatfield’s. After we sat down, I couldn’t believe the amount of coughing from the rest of the congregation. I hadn’t witnessed that much barking since the last time Ruby and Fudgie heard the Schwan’s man pull into the driveway. After church it was quiet time. My voice was about shot and I’m sure that made Mrs. Cheviot’s day. Until I started a couple hours’ worth of snoring that is. Just my version of blue-eyed soul.

See you next week...real good then.

[Dotch]

Heavenly shades of night are falling, it's twilight time

With the scurs memory slipping, the Weather Eye from the ‘74 Gremlin continues to make them ponder: Would the heater control cable benefit from a shot of PB Blaster to help warm the temperatures up? Starting Wednesday, sunny with highs in the low 60’s and lows in the mid-40’s. Mostly sunny Thursday with highs in the mid-60’s and lows in the mid-40’s. Mostly sunny for Friday and slightly cooler with highs in the upper 50’s and lows in the upper 30’s. Saturday, slightly cooler and mostly sunny becoming partly cloudy towards evening. Highs in the low 50’s and lows in the mid-40’s. Partly cloudy Sunday with a slight chance of a passing shower. Highs in the low 50’s with lows around 35. Monday, sunny with highs near 55 and lows in the upper 30’s. Warmer for Tuesday under continued sunny skies. Highs in the low 60’s with lows in the low 40’s. The normal high for October 16th is 60 and the normal low is 37, much the same as we see around April 20th. With daylight disappearing at roughly 2 ½ minutes per day, twilight comes a little earlier each night. We dip below 11 hours of daylight on October 16th, something we haven’t experienced since February 24th. The scurs suspect they should be looking for their ice scraper soon.

Progress was made in the fields although it continues to be slow going. Some corn has been harvested but it will be a while especially with soybeans still in the field. While yields have generally been a pleasant surprise, continued heavy dews and frosty mornings made for several later than wanted starts to the day for soybean combining. Add to that the general unevenness and it has been a frustrating soybean harvest thus far for many. The hard frosts of the past week should help in that department but it still takes warmer temperatures to help that come to fruition. Unfortunately our calendar is heading the wrong direction. As Mark Seeley, Extension Climatologist from the U of M points out, we have a wider range of temperatures this time of year. Sure it warms up in the daytime but it takes a while to get there. With the longer nights, the landscape tends to cool down more. Also, our high temperature for the day tends to occur earlier on a relative basis. For instance, our maximum daytime temperature occurs from 5 – 6 p.m. in July. In October that happens from 4 – 5 p.m. and in December, it slides up to 3 – 4 p.m. Let’s not go there just yet.

The birds are certainly telling us at the ranch that winter will be here before we know it. The hummingbirds haven’t been back since the 4th although we’ve left some sugar water in one feeder for the benefit of any stragglers. While the frosts have done in much of the flora, there are still lots of salvia that escaped relatively unscathed. On the 10th, some of our migrating spring visitors, namely the white throated and Harris’s sparrows were heard and seen. One wonders if they’re the same individuals we saw in the spring but there is really no way for us to tell. The birds are transitioning from summer to fall as well. Lots of blue jays calling and flying from one feeder to the next. A red-bellied woodpecker appears daily on the ear corn and a white-breasted nuthatch frequents the sunflower feeder as I eat my cereal each morning. A handful of goldfinches still visits occasionally, the brilliant yellow summer color of the males already a distant memory. Large flocks of robins continue to make their way through, having picked the nannyberries nearly clean in just a few weeks’ time.

Gardening continues as we dug the potatoes under Ruby’s close supervision. She must think I’m going to unearth more play balls as she tenses up, ready to pounce should one of the tubers make a false move. Fudgie would rather do what most kids do this time of year and that’s roll in the leaves. The ash leaves are starting to accumulate in areas and while there are no real piles, they’re crispy and make lots of noise so it doesn’t seem to matter. Like many in the area, we’ve also picked lots of apples, mostly to give away and/or trade. The Haralson and Firesides are enormous this year and the Haralson tree in particular is loaded. Sunday we had some beekeeper customers from Eagle Bend who bought a ram and some ewes from us. Mrs. Cheviot wound up swapping some gourds, Indian corn, carrots, squash and apples for a copious amount of honey, both regular and the spun variety. Heavenly!

Sometimes a sense of nostalgia comes over me. 40 years ago I distinctly remember the fall of ’74 when it froze early. Dad decided it was a good idea to borrow the neighbor’s single row McCormick corn binder and shock a small field. Corn shocks add a pastoral view to the land but as anyone who has performed the task of shocking can tell you, it’s a lot of work. IH made its last corn binder in 1953 marking the end of an era. Few missed carrying the heavy bundles or were sad to see the corn binders gone. The neighbor’s model was a horse-drawn model that had been converted so it could be pulled by a tractor. It also had a bundle carrier. The bundle carrier was a nice feature allowing bundles to accumulate as one drove across the field. A rope was pulled engaging the conveyor on the carrier and dumping the bundles off in piles for more efficient shocking. Many of the binders of the day had made the next step to being PTO powered. Oddly enough, most farmers didn’t retro fit those models for horses. Apparently there was no place on the horse to attach the PTO shaft.

See you next week…real good then.