Fencelines

[Dotch]

There ain't no way of telling where these seeds will rise or when

The scurs did not see the big chill coming, probably because they missed the boring movie of the same name! The Weather Eye does not have an air conditioning setting either so that didn’t help. Will the scurs Acme aftermarket AC arrive before next week or will it be a moot point? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with a high in the mid-50’s and a low in the low 40’s. Sunny on Thursday and warmer. Highs in the upper 60’s with lows in the mid-40’s. More sun on Friday and continued pleasant. Highs near 70 with lows near 50. Saturday, mostly cloudy with an increasing chance for showers and thunderstorms in the evening. Highs in the upper 60’s with lows in the mid-50’s. Cloudy on Sunday with a good chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 60’s with lows in the mid-50’s. Memorial Day, mostly cloudy with a moderate chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the mid-60’s with lows in the upper 50’s. Mostly cloudy on Tuesday with highs in near 70 and lows in the mid-50’s. We will experience 15 hours of daylight on the 23rd, the same as we saw last July 20th. The normal high for May 24th is 72 and the normal low is 51. With the recent windy weather, the scurs are wondering when seed companies will start handing out chinstraps with their free hats.

The spring 2015 weather roller coaster ride continues. We go from temps in the upper 70’s to near freezing in a two-day span. We also received precipitation that varied from over 2” west of Bugtussle to .35” over the weekend. The rainfall pattern has somewhat flip-flopped in May as compared to April. The trend in April was for rainfall to be heavier as one went east and south. More recently the systems such as the past weekend have tracked more west and north. At the ranch for instance, as of May 18th, measurable precipitation was recorded on 11 days in May. However, the total accumulation has only been 1.53” with the greatest single rainfall event in that timeframe being .51” on the 15th. It rains frequently but not much at a time.

Cold temperatures have been limiting crop progress and fortunately weed growth as well while waiting for enough rainfall to activate some of the pre-emerge chemicals. Fields look good from the road although several have expressed their disappointment that stands are not perfect given the nearly ideal soil conditions at planting. Not surprising however when one looks at the temperature data and the length of time it took the corn to emerge. Too many days with single-digit or zero GDU accumulation shortly after planting for many fields doth not a perfect stand make. Not that one shouldn't plant in mid-April but there can be tradeoffs.

The weather has continued to move things along at the ranch, particularly the lawn. Cool season grasses such as bluegrass and brome have really thrived with the recent conditions. This means lots of mowing or at least the intent anyway. Hit and miss showers over the weekend kept the lawn wet when mowing time was available. It also messed up any gardening plans in the near term although the seed in the flats at my little fat buddy’s greenhouse are still emerging as of last check. Still plenty of time especially given the potential for frost this past Tuesday morning. 34 degree low at the ranch for those keeping score at home.

Lots still to look at though. Checking the previously unoccupied wood duck house, it too is filling up with eggs. Common yellow-throated warblers were cranking up their little “ witchity-witchity-witchity” call on the 15th. I could hear a hummingbird in the trees that same night but couldn’t see the little bugger. The next morning he was at the nectar feeder though he didn't hang around long. The catbirds and orioles however have set up camp for good with all of them frequenting the jelly feeder throughout the day. They’re starting to consume a little more each day. Pete seems to keep a good supply of jelly on hand and I suspect he knows why it goes out of the grocery store as fast as it does.

The red osier dogwood, nannyberries and other viburnum such as the American cranberries are in bloom as are the lilacs. Smells heavenly especially when it warms up a little. The apple trees are about done blooming with quite few blossoms still on the trees through the past weekend. The ground is littered with the petals not unlike the confetti left over from a parade. The Honeycrisp tree finally decided to bloom so it should be interesting to see if it sets any apples. The Fireside, Haralson and SnowSweet all flowered well and appear to have set a fair amount of fruit. Whether they maintain it especially after a heavy apple like last year remains questionable.

With both parents gone, Memorial Day gives one pause for reflection. Mentioned in a recent column were the plants we brought back from Mom’s place including Solomon’s Seal and a Jack in the Pulpit. In the past week or so, it became apparent that my work a couple fall’s ago transplanting Jack in the Pulpit seeds had suddenly paid off. There are several dozen new seedlings appearing, far more than I ever expected. To some it may not be a big deal. However, when one considers these plants originated from Jack in the Pulpits my Dad rescued in a soon to be nearby bulldozed woods back in 1967, it puts it in a different perspective. It also speaks to me of all the time my folks spent with us kids, taking us on trips to the area woods. and introducing us to plants such as bloodroot, Dutchman’s britches and bluebells. It certainly gave us an appreciation for the outdoors, one that we as a family continue to enjoy to this day.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Let me take you down, 'cause I'm going to Strawberry Fields

The scurs managed to install the Acme aftermarket AC in the Gremlin’s Weather Eye, bringing us warmer temperatures as well as some meaningful rainfall. Will they be able to maintain control or will the Weather Eye need more tweaking? Starting Wednesday, sunny with highs in the low 80’s and lows near 60. Thursday, partly sunny becoming cloudy with a good chance of an overnight shower or thunderstorm. Highs near 80 and lows in the mid-60’s. Mostly cloudy Friday with a good chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid-70’s with lows in the low 50’s. Saturday, partly sunny and cooler with a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the low 60’s with lows in the mid-40’s. Partly sunny Sunday with a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the mid-60’s with lows around 50. Monday and Tuesday, partly sunny with highs in the low 70’s and lows in the upper 50’s. The normal high for June 1st is 75 and the normal low is 54. We are still gaining daylight but at a slower clip, about a minute per day as we approach the summer solstice. Using government logic, the scurs are thinking we should set our clocks ahead another hour to increase that rate of gain.

The Full Moon for the month falls on June 2nd and is widely known as the Full Strawberry Moon. With good reason because June is the month to consume these wonderful delectable locally grown creations, especially when there’s ice cream in the freezer. The Sioux and Ojibwe both agreed that this moon was the Strawberry Moon although the Sioux also called it the Moon of Making Fat. At the ranch, it is also noted for that, especially as the ewes graze the abundant lush green grass. They are definitely fat and happy at both pastures. They recently decided the nettles needed to be eaten, leaving stems where the nettles used to be. Glad they’ve taken a shine to them. Whatever turns your crank I guess.

Crops made some good progress finally once the temperatures warmed up. After the cold temperatures early last week with the wind, there was much snarling and gnashing of teeth. Corn gave the appearance of being frozen although thermometers and weather observations would indicate otherwise. Some injury to soybeans from a combination of cold weather and pre-emerge herbicides was also noted although most fields were not affected significantly. We did dodge a bullet, no question about it but it’s time to move on to the next crisis in whatever form that may take. That may come in the form of the sudden abundance of rainfall. At the ranch, we garnered 1.08” over the weekend and right at an inch at the Mall for Men. Sprayers were parked Monday morning after getting a good start last week.

Gardening has been slow at the ranch with little daylight hours or workable soil conditions when Mr. Cheviot was available for slave labor. Still, there was a nice harvest of radishes from the March 31st planting with the promise of more to come. The peas are about to start flowering and there are few things better than eating them while picking them. The problem is not enough of them make it to the house. The Indian corn was planted though on Sunday right before the rain. Actually planting was finished during the rain. Conditions were getting sticky although planting with the stab-type planter allows one to get by with it. The vine crop transplants from my little fat buddy’s greenhouse look spectacular and they were procured Saturday with the hope that the rain would hold off long enough to get them planted. Alas, it did not. On the bright side, they can be put into moist soil so not to worry yet anyway. Much of the Indian corn and the vine crop will be used for fall decorating at church and for a fall wedding.

The rhubarb has been out of this planet. Since Saturday was a washout, after doing about as many clean up chores as I could stand it was time to make a pie and some rhubarb sauce. Luckily I’d harvested some the week prior so there was no need to go outside and get soaked. It had been a while though so I was out of practice on my pie making. However, it’s not that tough to figure out how to multi-task so the process gets done in an efficient manner. That way the clean-up isn’t a major pain. I did make one rookie mistake as I discovered shortly after putting it in the oven the first time that I’d forgotten the butter! As my little sawed-off Swedish carpenter buddy once told me it’s not how good you are it’s how well you can cover your mistakes. With some sleight of hand and the butter was slipped strategically through the slits in the crust so no one was the wiser. The rhubarb sauce? That’s like riding a bicycle.

The dogs have liked being outdoors more as the weather has straightened out. Fudgie camps on the porch, not unlike she did at Mom’s place. It gives her a good view of the sheep in the pasture as well as watching neighbor David’s excavation project. Ruby just likes to tear around then wait for us to emerge from the house for chores. Her TV watching antics continue to amuse us when indoors though. Last week a cat in an ad ran across the screen which prompted her to have a barking fit. Not long afterwards, the elephant from that COPD ad was thoroughly growled at. Good thing there were no Clint Eastwood cowboy flicks on or she would’ve gone right through the TV.  Just like everyone else, even with all those channels there’s nothing on television Ruby likes.

 

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

The thrill is gone…

While the windshield washer setting on the Weather Eye became entangled with the heater controls, the scurs still made a valiant effort at last week’s forecast. Can they keep the warmer temps coming or be doomed to reconfigure their process once again? Starting Wednesday, partly sunny with a good chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the mid-60’s. Partly sunny on Thursday with a moderate chance for showers and thunderstorms increasing into the afternoon hours. Highs in the upper 70’s with lows in the mid-60’s. Friday, mostly cloudy with a modest chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 70’s with lows in the mid-50’s. Partly sunny on Saturday with a moderate chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the low 70’s and lows in the upper 50’s.Sunday, mostly cloudy with a moderate chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid-70’s with lows near 60. Partly sunny on Monday with highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the upper 50’s. Tuesday, sunny with highs in the upper 50’s and lows in the mid-50’s. The normal high for June 7th is 77 and the normal low is 56. The scurs are thinking napping in the hammock is looking more promising all the time.

Another good week for crop growth in spite of the more than generous rains. We saw frequent rainfall for the month of May with measurable precipitation being recorded on 17 of the 31 days at the ranch. Strangely enough not one of the rainfall events totaled over an inch with the greatest amount recorded being .76” that fell on the 29th. This has been a blessing as when the weather does straighten out. Rain for the most part has fallen gently and over an extended period of time. Coupled with low humidity following the passing of the rainfall events,  fields have dried fairly quickly and field operations can commence sooner than one might expect. Chemical weed control in corn has been foremost on the minds of most operators and when temperatures warmed sufficiently, fields were generally fit. Corn this past week was typically V3 – V4 and soybeans V2 with some early plantings at V3. Most of the pre-emerge chemicals have bought farmers some time. Hopefully the other shoe will not drop anytime soon.

Warmer temperatures meant getting the vine crop transplants in the ground last Thursday at the ranch between rains as expected. One good thing about the Friday rains: The transplants never knew they were transplanted! Putting them in with the lights from the Gator apparently was the thing to do. The Indian corn planted May 24th was beginning to emerge June 1st. A few watermelons, string beans and tomatoes then the main planting is done. Until the mid-July planting. Heck, that’s less than six weeks away!

Lawn mowing has seemed to be a perpetual task so far this spring and early summer. Finally on Sunday after spraying pasture fences, moving feeding equipment and weed eating around all the trees, I managed to get all the lawn mowed at relatively close to the same time. It was a struggle however. The white clover and dandelions in the windbreak were like mowing a wet sponge. The wet goop scraped out from under the mower deck about every half-round reminded me of the material we used to gather from the innards of a fistulated cow for forages class in college. At least the stuff under the mower deck hadn’t fermented yet so it didn’t smell that bad. Leave it under there for a week however and the results are remarkably similar. The dogs do seem to appreciate my efforts. Ruby and Fudgie love to roll in the grass, hopefully leaving lots of their hair behind. I’m just glad with all the rain their pee spots have blended into the rest of the lawn rather than sticking out like a sore thumb.

Another rite of spring has come and gone at the ranch. Operating one of the black cutworm pheromone traps kept me off the streets every morning after chores. The traps have a sticky bottom and are baited with a female black cutworm pheromone to attract male cutworm moths. Typically these moths migrate from the southern US and are brought here in thunderstorms that come up from the Gulf of Mexico. The results from the trapping network are useful in predicting whether or not there will be cutworm problems in the corn.  This was not a very active trapping season although there were some mornings as many as five were captured. For over 20 years I’ve participated and it has just become part of the morning routine each April and May.

Lots of bird observations even though some of them indicate a slowdown at the feeders. The jelly in particular hasn’t been consumed with quite as much gusto as it was although if the feeder goes empty, the orioles let me know about it under no uncertain terms. There do appear to be more hummingbirds though so that needs more attention. The bluebirds at the kindly neighbors’ are busy feeding their young as evidenced by a peek in the nesting box when spraying the fence there. Baby robins are everywhere it seems like and some of the parents are starting nests for their second brood already. This should put a damper on some of the loud 4:30 a.m. singing once that is complete.

Was saddened to hear of BB King’s passing. Over the years I’ve developed an appreciation for the blues and he epitomized that genre, not to mention influencing many artists such as Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix. First appearing on The Tonight Show in the late ‘60’s, he became a public figure famous for his signature guitar styling and the guitar itself, Lucille. It would be great to know how to play guitar let alone like he did. It’s more than sufficient to listen and relax to the musical stylings the blues provide and thank my lucky stars for the impact BB King had. The thrill is not gone.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

But I was stumblin' thru the parking lot of an invisible seven eleven

The scurs got some of the moisture out of the equation and finally got the Weather Eye to warm things up a tad. Have they found the formula for success or will they need to look in the Gremlin parts books some more? Starting Wednesday, sunny, becoming cloudy in the late afternoon with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs near 80 with lows around 60. Mostly cloudy on Thursday with a good chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mmid-70’s with lows in the low 60’s. Friday, mostly cloudy with a good chance of a morning shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the low 70’s with lows around 60. Partly sunny on Saturday with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 70’s with lows in the low 60’s. Sunday, partly sunny with a modest chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 70’s with lows in the mid-60’s. Mostly cloudy on Monday with a moderate chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 70’s with lows in the mid-60’s. Tuesday, mostly cloudy with a good chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 70’s with lows in the mid-60’s. The normal high for June 15th is 79 and the normal low is 58. We will only gain approximately one more minute of daylight by the summer solstice. The scurs are making sure their hammock is not tied to the bumper on the Gremlin.

Amazing what a difference a few hours of sunshine and warmer temperatures can make on a corn crop. Conditions cooperated this past week long enough to allow many to finish their corn herbicide applications. Some rain fell but it was spotty in nature with some fields being too muddy while down the road a mile or less conditions were dry. Corn responded favorably to the weather change improving in color and starting to stretch. Much of the corn was V4 – V6 with the nodal root system starting to take over the seminal root system the plant survive on to this point. This caused concern as there were fields and hybrids that displayed many colors other than green. There was one field protected on three sides that already exhibited corn knee-high by the 4th, of June. It’s been a while since that happened in this area anyway.

There have been some questions about ants on peonies and rightfully so. What are they doing there and are they necessary for the flower buds to open? The answer most commonly accepted as to their reason for being there is that the buds exude a sweet substance and ants having the sweet tooth they do are attracted to it. The ants however are not necessary for peonies to bloom. When removed the buds will still open normally. This is not a reason to apply pesticides however. Pesticides can eliminate beneficial insects along with the ants so the best idea is to just leave them alone.

Have been assessing the performance of a Roller Feeder/bird feeder purchased this past winter. So far it’s been good for keeping seed waste down and squirrels at bay. Squirrels have tried in vain to get at it but as of this writing, they’re been unsuccessful. Even the three pint-sized squirrels from this year’s hatch are unable to outsmart it. That didn’t stop me the other day from wondering what kind of bird was getting inside the thing and had shucking out sunflower seeds on top of the seed bin. Watching closely, I determined the culprit was not feathered but 4-legged. While we don’t see them often, it was apparent the feeder is not chipmunk-proof.

The garden planting continues. About the only thing left to plant in the vegetable garden is the 2nd planting of sweet corn. Watermelons, tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers were all planted ahead of some timely rain. Mrs. Cheviot has worked her magic on the pots around the house and the hummingbirds have been checking them out. For their later season enjoyment salvia has been planted as well as the 4 O’clocks and nasturtiums. Nasturtiums are also tasty additions to salads among other things. The peppery flavor and crunchy texture is a well-kept secret. The leaves and flowers from this Peruvian native plant are edible and can make an interesting addition to many gourmet recipes.

The last two straggler lambs have been weaned off the ewes making the lambing season officially over with. They’ve done well for April lambs. Being in a separate pen with access to their own private creep feeder made access to solid feed easy early on for them. Overall the lamb crop has grown rapidly. The type of spring we’ve had has been ideal. You know it’s a good sign when you have to look twice in the lot to make sure one of the yearling ewes hasn’t jumped a panel.

Ellendale natives have got to be excited about the addition of the new Casey’s on the east side of town. It is progressing rapidly and was surprised how far along they are. For those readers on the coasts and overseas friends, Casey’s is a little like a Midwestern 7-11, only better. They make a mean donut and their subs are usually among my favorites when I’m on a mission without a chance to pack my lunch. I have not tired their pizza. However, I am told it is good stuff so am waiting with bated breath for the store to open so I can see if that’s true. Of course, as the saying goes, bad pizza is like some other bad things, not all that bad.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Lately it occurs to me what a long, strange trip it's been.

The scurs wasted no time taking credit for the warmer weather. They somehow don’t seem to take the blame for the rainy, cloudy days however. Will they own up to it this week or blame a phantom malfunction in the Weather Eye? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with a good chance of morning showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid-70’s with lows in the upper 50’s. Thursday, mostly sunny becoming cloudy with a slight chance of an evening shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the mid-70’s with lows around 60. Partly sunny with an increasing chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 70’s with lows in the mid-60’s. Saturday, mostly cloudy with a good chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 70’s with lows in the low 60’s. Partly sunny on Sunday with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid-70’s with lows in the upper 50’s. Monday, mostly sunny with highs in the mid-70’s and lows in the mid-60’s. Mostly cloudy with a good chance of showers and thunderstorms on Tuesday. Highs in the upper 70’s with lows in the mid-60’s. The normal high for June 21st, the first day of summer, is 81 and the normal low is 60. The scurs will savor every minute of the 15 hours and 28 minutes of daylight because after the summer solstice, the days will begin getting shorter. And we all know what that means.

Warmer weather has definitely been beneficial to crops and they show it. Nodal root systems on the corn continue to expand in search of nitrogen and other nutrients. Soybean rows are puffing out as they continue to move toward their reproductive stages of growth. Corn was largely V6 – V8 last week with soybeans being V3 – V4. Baling dry hay continues to be a major challenge when it rains every day or two, without sunshine or breezes to boot. Ditto with spraying. With heavy rains predicted last Thursday, it was like watching a bunch of ants with all the balers, sprayers and side dressing rigs moving across the landscape.

The garden at the ranch has benefitted too from the recent warmth. Vine crops are starting to sprawl and run from their original hill placement. Tomatoes actually turned green from the purple and yellow brought on by the cool cloudy weather after they were planted. The bunnies have gotten into the act, chewing off some tomatoes and messing with Mrs. Cheviots planters. A customer at her greenhouse job was cursing farmers as she claimed the reason there were so many rabbits in town was the pesticides being applied in the fields. I’d like to know just which pesticides these might be so I could get my hands on some as there is no shortage of the stupid rabbits here.

Birds continue to nest in abundance as well. Robins are well on their way to producing a second brood and barn swallows have eggs in their nest in the lambing barn. One pair apparently has been desperately trying to make a nest over the living room window. On the upper portion of the window frame, it looks like someone has been sticking little wads of Blackjack gum. One of these days it will be time to get out the carwash brush and clean their mess off.

The sheep are loving life with all the lush grass resulting from the frequent rains and moderate temperatures. Belly deep in the grass, some of them even grunt like pigs they have become so plump. We get lots of comments from people who commute daily by the ranch, frequently about the lone black sheep in the group at home. They do stick out in a flock of entirely white sheep to be sure and give people something to talk about apparently.

There’s nothing wrong with being different. Sometimes I think it’s been a recurring theme in my existence. Oh sure, we had IH tractors and equipment growing up, plus Dad was a Buick guy. But we didn’t always have the same things the neighbors had. For instance, not many folks had Co-op or Cockshutt tractors or a Studebaker car. When we were kids I remember spending hours poring over some old car magazines an older cousin had left for us to look at. One couldn’t help ogling the Studebaker Hawks and even the fish-mouth Packard Hawk was very unique. As mentioned before, Dad knew what he was doing when he bought the Lark VI for us kids to drive to and from school. It was basic transportation and not powerful enough to get many speeding tickets. That experience got Studebaker into my blood however.

Fast forward to last fall: I spotted a restored ’59 Studebaker Silver Hawk in an ad in Turning Wheels, the official monthly magazine of the Studebaker Driver’s Club. The car was in St. Louis area. I contacted the owner by email and asked some questions about it. It was getting to be late October though and I had contracted the alien, so was unable to take it much further than that. The next month the ad was gone so I assumed the car had been sold. Not so fast. About a month ago I was perusing the ads again and I spotted a car that looked familiar. Was it the same one? I punched the email address into my email search and sure enough, it was a match. I sent more questions and received more positive responses. Should I go take a look at it even though there is still a ways to go on the Lark? Mrs. Cheviot said “Go for it”. She liked the looks of the car and it would give us a head start on the leaf watching and cruising to the A&W in our hometown, Spring Valley before completing the restoration on the Lark.

I enlisted the services of Vista’s noted Swedish astronomer, my consultant to the stars for spiritual advice and his trailer and away we went. We arrived at our destination and the car and the owners were just as advertised from our communications. We were invited in for lunch and after a test drive, we negotiated a deal. They were glad the car was going to a good home and I was ecstatic to finally have one of my dream cars. Best of all I had the approval of the noted Swedish astronomer. Then we got dessert! A homemade cake dish made with angel food cake, strawberries, blackberries and whipped cream. Absolutely incredible. We loaded the classic car on the trailer and after saying our good byes, we headed back north. In the meantime I’d called my insurance agent informing her of my purchase. Earlier I’d sent some photos. She loved the photos and her reply was that her Grandpa and Grandma had owned a car almost identical to it. Swell. Here I thought I was buying a chick magnet. Instead,  I’d punched my ticket to old fart-hood.

See you next week…real good then.     

[Dotch]

Round and round
What comes around goes around

The scurs were a day off on the drenching we got on Monday but it’s like horseshoes and hand grenades. Close is all that counts that far out. Will they hone the Weather Eye in tighter or will they continue to languish in mediocrity? Starting Wednesday, partly sunny with a good chance for evening thundershowers. Highs in the upper 70’s with lows around 60. Partly sunny with a slight chance of an overnight shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the upper 70’s with lows in the low 60’s. Friday, partly sunny with a slight chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 70’s with lows in the upper 50’s. Mostly sunny Saturday with a slight chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 70’s with lows in the low 60’s. Sunday, partly sunny with a modest chance for daytime showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 70’s with lows in the low 60’s. Mostly sunny on Monday with highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the low 60’s. Tuesday, partly cloudy with a good chance of overnight showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 70’s with lows in the low 60’s. The normal high for July 1st is 82 and the normal low is 61. We will have already lost 3 minutes of daylight since the summer solstice by then. The scurs don’t care so long as they get to change their clocks back in November.

The Full Moon will also fall on July 1st with the most common name being the Full Buck Moon, aptly named as the buck deer begin developing their antlers during this time. It also goes by the Full Thunder Moon for the numerous thunderstorms often common this time of year. It also goes by the Full Hay Moon. Somehow the two are not synonymous. The Ojibwe knew this as the Full Raspberry Moon for the abundant wild raspberries ripening in July. The Sioux were also fruit lovers, calling this the Moon When the Wild Cherries are Ripe. Not a lot of fruit at the ranch just yet but it’s only a matter of time. The rate it’s going this year, it could be the Full Lawnmower Moon.

It has indeed been difficult to make hay recently. When the forecast is for rain every other day and it’s right to boot, there’s not much reason to even try. Corn growth this past week took us into the V9 – V10 stage with the color on most fields achieving that dark green everyone likes to see. Soybeans were V4 – V5 with some of the earlier planted fields starting to show and occasional bloom. Right on schedule. The heavy rains did us no favors with most coming off some earlier rainfall events feeling fortunate. Now? Not so much. Nitrogen deficiencies may start to show especially if we don’t get the spigot turned off or at least turned down.

Lawn mowing has been equally frustrating. Letting it go much more than 4 or 5 days is asking for trouble, especially when there’s as much white clover in the windbreak as we have. I don’t spray so the bee people should be happy. However, I don’t see the bee people coming around to help clean out the bottom of the mower deck when it gets gummed up. Without doing that about once per round the mower does a pretty mediocre job of mowing. Mowing it more than once very couple weeks doesn’t hurt either, when Mother Nature and my schedule allow it anyway.

The recent storm added more chores to Mr. Cheviot’s already burgeoning pile. The ash tree that shaded the livestock trailer decided to have a come apart so the chainsaw was pressed into service. Not that I didn’t get a lot of help and supervision. There are always gawkers who slow way down. They like work. It fascinates them. They could sit and watch it for hours. There are also Fudgie and Ruby who are on top of things, watching to see that a branch or two doesn’t move out of their jurisdiction. Ruby also added another quirk to her already long list. Running the chainsaw kicks out lots sawdust behind you. When I glanced back to see where she was, I saw the small red and white Border Collie snapping at the sawdust stream. Could only shake my head. What some dogs won’t do for entertainment.

Mrs. Cheviot’s recent run in with a customer who was convinced farmers were evil doers’ hell bent on destroying the bird population should perhaps make a trip to the ranch or our kindly neighbor’s sometime. There are more birds now than ever and like many farmers, we have spent a lot of time providing habitat for them. Robins start singing at 4:36 a.m. and by 5, they must be off putting on the feed bag or looking for food for their 2nd brood of youngsters. The bluebirds at the kindly neighbors’ have fledged and they’re working on their 2nd brood. We have at least two different wrens singing in the background. There are dickcissels singing in the pasture and chipping sparrows singing in our windbreak. The common yellowthroats toss in their two cents occasionally from the plum thicket. The orioles appear to be bringing their young to the feeders just as they have for many moons now. They’re also starting to come on their own, more bumbling and curious than their parents who eat and run a lot this time of year. The brown thrasher tosses in an occasional guitar rift hidden someplace deep in the nannyberries. And last but not least, a rooster pheasant (likely one of Little Jerry’s contemporaries) crows from different points on the landscape as he makes his appointed rounds.

Went to the Back to the Fifties car show again last week with Vista’s noted Swedish astronomers and some other local characters. It was a blast riding up there in the Swede’s ’58 Ford Fairlane 500 hardtop. Once on the State Fairgrounds, symbols of Detroit’s former opulence (and South Bend Indiana’s: Studebaker was manufactured there, not in Detroit) were on display. Also bumped into my little fat buddy from Bemidji with whom we shared some libations and quality time. Couldn’t help thinking of my Dad while we there though as he would’ve turned 100 this past Sunday. Dad was a Buick guy and one of my favorite cars he had was the ’57 Buick. Not as much chrome or massive perhaps as the ’58 my brother once had, but equally as impressive. The interior was fascinating and with those red ball hubcaps it drew attention to a 4-year old when Dad washed it. The salmon color contrasted with the cream colored underline made the car unique and I only remember seeing a few like it. The reawakened memory implanted from that era is probably what stirred my passion for old cars. Among the 10,000 or so old cars go round and round, didn’t see many ’57 Buicks Sunday but they were there, just as I’m sure Dad was. Thanks Dad.

See you next week…real good then.   

[Fawkinnae]

Nice read Dotch!

[Dotch]

Thanks dude! 

[Dotch]

No more Mister Nice Guy…

The scurs and their Weather Eye got the rains to stop in places. However, in places they didn’t. Will they get a grip and dry us out for the 4th or will we have to light soggy firecrackers? Starting Wednesday, partly sunny with a high near 75. Thursday, sunny becoming partly cloudy with a modest chance of rain in the overnight. Highs near 75 with lows in the upper 50’s. Mostly sunny Friday with a slight chance of daytime showers or thunderstorms. Highs in the mid-70’s with lows in the upper 50’s. Saturday the 4th, mostly sunny with highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the low 60’s. Sunday, partly sunny becoming mostly cloudy with an increasing chance for showers and thunderstorms by evening. Highs near 80 with lows in the mid-60’s. Mostly sunny with a slight chance for showers and thunderstorms on Monday. Highs around 80 with lows in the mid-60’s. Tuesday, partly cloudy and pleasant with highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the low 60’s. The normal high for the 4th of July is 83 and the normal low is 61. We will have already lost a staggering 6 minutes of daylight since the summer solstice and the sun will be setting before 9 p.m. In the meantime, the scurs will be attempting to evade  Mark Dayton’s jack-booted Fireworks Police.

After 3.1” of rain fell last Monday at the ranch it has dried out, sort of. We only received .77” for the rest of the week so that was a moral victory. Up until the 22nd we were living a charmed life with rains coming gently and not in large amounts.  Now around the area one can see the toll the wet weather has taken on some fields. There are drowned out spots in both the corn and soybeans and there are signs of nitrogen deficiency appearing where drainage is an issue. Headlands on corn fields by and large look poor, in testament to some of the sins of past cropping seasons. No amount of tillage seems to remedy it, just keeping traffic in these areas to a minimum and time are about the best cures. Corn was V10 – V12 with some flag leaves starting to show on the earliest planted fields. Soybeans were R1 – R2 in some of the earliest planted fields. Small grains have in many cases lodged and many of the peas that looked so good earlier are showing the effects of excessive moisture, not only yellowing but the ruts left after harvest attempts. Baling hay? Fageddaboudit!

At the ranch the first fireflies of the season were spotted on the evening of the 26th. This of course viewed from the safety of the inside of a window screen. The rains have also meant a horde of mosquitoes awaits one if you’re foolish enough to venture outside for a closer look. There is no shortage of flying and biting insects no matter what time of day you’re out and about. The stable flies, those nasty little biting flies that sneak up and bite your exposed skin when you least expect it have been downright nasty. Get around a river or stream and they compete with the deer flies and horse flies for a pound of your flesh.

Fortunately we have a large contingent of barn swallows to consume some of the flying insects. One doesn’t realize just how many until an intruder such as a cat or hawk shows up in the yard. There are plenty of birds to watch lately including a rose-breasted grosbeak and a swelling number of goldfinches, the males dressed in their brightest summer plumage. The younger orioles are coming to the feeders now although they’ve had to compete with the young squirrel population. Putting the plastic baffle over the top of the feeder seems to have thwarted their attempts as they’re not the brightest bulbs on the tree just yet. Robins still start their singing prior to 4:30 a.m. One was trying to sing before 4 the other day but the others must’ve told him to shut up and go back bed.

The gardens continue to progress in spite of all the rains. Prior to the heavy rains last week, nitrogen was applied in appropriate amounts and the plants appear to have responded nicely. The vine crops are dark green and running, with many initial blooms starting. The muskmelons in particular are flowering heavily. Of course the weeds are doing well too. Too wet to move on through with the tiller and the bugs when you try to hoe or pull the darn things about carry you off.

Mrs. Cheviot has been travelling lately meaning that Mr. Cheviot has been left to his own devices. It used to mean watching lots of Clint Eastwood flicks after doing chores but not this summer. The lawn has needed mowing a couple times a week and usually gets mowed once when there’s time. Oh sure I get lots of dog help. After all, they’re my buds and I become the social director in Mrs. Cheviot’s stead. Fudgie and Ruby carefully monitor the progress of the mower, walking back and forth with each pass. With the loss of a ratty ash tree, the dogs were pressed into gate monitoring service while brush was hauled out into the pasture. Nary an ovine was in sight for much of the afternoon and the dogs soon lost interest. That is until a few ewes snuck up while their attention span had lapsed. Within seconds of my hollering, Fudgie was at the gate growling and nipping at their heels, running them back into the barn where they were no longer a threat. No more Mr. Nice Guy, er Girl!

I hadn’t taken either dog on a ride for quite some time but was reminded that it doesn’t mean they don’t like to. Had the door open while cleaning the Silver Hawk out before last Saturday’s car show and heard a “ca-thump” only to see Ruby had jumped in the back seat. I scolded her and she submissively tucked her still wagging tail, making a quick exit after giving me “the look”. Once the car show was over, I needed to make a run for feed to the little store in Hope that has everything the store where you go to the bathroom in the big orange silo doesn’t. It was warm so neither Fudgie nor Ruby were arguing about getting into the pickup’s AC for a while. Was a short trip and upon our return we all had treats. They had Milk Bones. Mine were of the Schwan’s variety. Everybody wins.

See you next week…real good then

[Dotch]

I look at the floor and I see it needs sweeping…

The scurs consulted the Weather Eye for drier, kinder, gentler weather and it delivered. Will it succeed in keeping the rainclouds away from Farm and City Days or will it be wet and wild? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with highs in the mid-70’s and lows in the upper 50’s. Partly sunny Thursday with a slight chance of an evening shower. Highs in the mid-70’s and lows in the low 60’s. Friday, mostly sunny with a good chance of an evening shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the low 80’s with lows in the mid-60’s. Partly sunny Saturday with a moderate chance of forenoon showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the low 80’s with lows in the upper 60’s. Sunday, mostly sunny with a modest chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid-80’s with lows in the mid-60’s. Partly sunny Monday with a moderate chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 70’s with lows in the mid-60’s. Tuesday, partly sunny with highs in the upper 70’s with lows around 60. The normal high for July 11th is 83 and the normal low is 62. Having already lost 13 minutes of daylight since the summer solstice, the scurs will be reading under the covers with their flashlight again.

Corn continues to move along and we should start to see the first tassels hopefully by the time this reaches your mailbox. Despite the wet soil conditions earlier, the crop continues to look very good, with most fields exhibiting very little in the way of N deficiency with the exceptions of the areas surrounding some of the drowned out spots. Soybeans too look better than they have in several years with most being a full R2 (full bloom). Soybean aphids have been found locally although they are nowhere near economic levels. Some small weeds continue to appear between rows. Here again, what people are willing to tolerate depends on personal preferences. Generally speaking these are not yield limiting infestations. Drier conditions this past week allowed weed control measures to wrap up with some even resorting to cultivation in the soybeans. Some of the well washed second cutting hay that had been down for over a week was finally able to be baled. It was nice clean hay though.

The Canadian forest fires are causing some concern that we may see some cooler temperatures for crop production than we may like. Indeed, the haze has helped make it noticeably cooler than one might expect for the calendar date. It has also caused concern for those with respiratory issues. In fact a recent report was claiming that the air quality in the Twin Cities was worse than Beijing. Some of course are quick to jump on climate change as the culprit due to warmer drier winters in the west. One can’t help but wonder though if conditions become colder and wetter than normal there, what will they blame that on? Not saying that the climate change isn’t happening but to many folks, it has become another convenient excuse for any occurrence out of the “normal” in this day and age, whatever normal is supposed to be. When in doubt, blame global climate change.

Lawn mowing has certainly been high on everyone’s chore list this summer. Contending with the mosquitoes has been part of the challenge as well. The back of my neck is pebbled about like a basketball having been bitten so many times. Howard and Whitey have been up to the task so far. Weekly mowing and trimming when I get around to it is about all I can muster these days though, especially when one knows it’ll be a bloodletting.

Don’t recall ever seeing as many orchard orioles as we’ve had this summer. There are at least a couple chocolate colored males, some young green males with the black bib and oodles of green females. They are eating jelly at a frenetic pace with some help from the squirrels and the Baltimore orioles. Oddly enough the hummingbirds have dropped off the radar screen. Not sure why but suspect they are nesting. The first hatch of barn swallows is on the wing and not a minute too soon. With all the mosquitoes and flies to eat they should do very well. 

With Mrs. Cheviot still on the loose, it has taken more time to get the putz projects done. However, after taking one look in the garage at the filth, a good floor sweeping was in order. After all it was becoming nearly impossible to get in the Silver Hawk without getting the once clean floor mats dirty. Driving it in less than pristine condition isn’t part of the deal. Getting rid of the cardboard that was soaked up with oil dripped from Howard and Whitey was the first order of business along with dog hair and what seemed like a dump truck load of sand. Should sell it back to the county.

After taking the Studebaker out for a spin it’s interesting once parked how many times I’ve been asked what happened to the car company. When did they quit making them? Why? Did someone buy them out? The short answers: The decision to cease automobile operations was made by the board in March of 1966. It had been coming for quite some time as the automobile division had been losing money since at least 1953 with the exception of 1959 when the Lark was introduced. The direction the company had been going focused more on developing into a conglomerate rather than automobile production.  Studebaker had been buying up other interests in order to diversify. Studebaker owned companies such as Gravely, Onan, Clarke Floor Machines and STP. STP stood for “Scientifically Treated Petroleum” although Studebaker had used a “Studebaker Tested Products” moniker to tie it to some of its own advertising after purchasing it in 1961.  In 1967, a year after automobile production ended, Studebaker merged with Wagner Electric and Worthington Industries. The resulting company became known as Studebaker-Worthington.  Eventually it was acquired by McGraw-Edison in the late 1970’s, which in turn was absorbed by Cooper Industries in 1985. When that happened, the Studebaker name quietly disappeared from the American corporate landscape.

See you next week…real good then. 

[Fawkinnae]

Nice bonus history lesson.

[Dotch]

Glad you liked it. 

[Dotch]

You mess with her, you'll see a man get mean


The scurs managed to keep the rainclouds at bay with an assist from the Weather Eye for Farm and City Days. It threatened but did not make good on it. Will we be so lucky for the Waseca Co. Fair or will the thunderstorms finally prevail? Starting Wednesday, partly sunny becoming mostly cloudy with a moderate chance of showers and thunderstorms late in the day. Highs around 80 with lows near 60.Thursday, mostly cloudy with a good chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 70’s with lows in the mid-60’s. Mostly sunny and muggy on Friday with a modest chance of evening showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 80’s with lows in the low 70’s. Saturday, mostly sunny and humid with a modest chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the upper 80’s with lows in the low 70’s. Partly sunny on Sunday with an increasing chance for showers and thunderstorms by evening. Highs in the mid-80’s with lows in the mid-60’s. Monday, mostly sunny and a tad cooler with a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the low 80’s with lows in the low 60’s. Mostly cloudy and cooler Tuesday with highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the low 60’s. For July 20th the normal high is 82 and the normal low is 62. We will experience 15 hours of daylight, the same as we saw back on May 23rd. After bloating on Farm and City Days candy, the scurs have their sights set on those onion rings at the Waseca Co. Fair. Regularity is never a bad thing.


Tremendous crop progress since the rains fell on the 6th. Warm temperatures and dry conditions are just what the doctor ordered to allow the corn to get down to some of the nitrogen that was a question mark after heavy June rainfall. Judging by the color of most of the corn, it is not suffering from a lack of nitrogen. Tassels are also coming on rapidly. Given the ample supply of moisture and nearly ideal temperatures, we should see good pollination. Disease pressure at this point is still relatively low so fungicide applications are a gamble. Soybeans are also on the move. Most fields were in the R2 stage this past week although some of the earliest planted soybeans were a bonafide R3. While soybean aphids continue to become easier to find, the temptation to make early insurance applications becomes greater. A recent press release from the U of M should help temper that notion.

 http://blog-crop-news.extension.umn.edu/2015/07/the-downside-of-insurance-insecticide.html

Indeed we have been fortunate to have missed several of the recent severe thunderstorm events. It doesn’t appear the mosquitoes have noticed yet. Most are of the same opinion that going outside when it’s still or getting closer to dark is taking your life in your own hands. As a result the amount of repellent being used at the ranch has skyrocketed. It does give one some appreciation for the month of January. I can honestly say I’ve never been bitten by a mosquito while doing chores that time of year.

Accomplishing anything in the garden has been a major feat. We did snag our first tomatoes on Monday though, a few grape and cherry tomatoes. Picking them on the run makes it easier to get exercise especially when not wearing repellent. Overall things look good at a fast trot. There are some Mt. Royal plums turning purple too although getting up the nerve to battle the bugs has been tough. Should do it pretty soon though as the birds seem to easily find them before we get there. The apple trees continue to impress as well. All the trees have ample fruit so there should be plenty for pies and eating barring some disaster before fall anyway.

It appears there are several families of orioles, both Baltimore and orchard types, consuming grape jelly in our backyard. Up to a dozen individual birds are recognizable as they descend from the tree to the feeder hanging below. Of course there are a few others including the catbirds who like to sneak in when the orioles aren’t there to gobble down what they can before the next wave shows up.

It has taken a while but Mrs. Cheviot finally put the AC on over the weekend. There were wedding flowers being manufactured with some recruited help so it needed to be cranked up to keep them from withering in the heat. Both the flowers and the help. It certainly made watching the Twinkies game more comfortable from the recliner. Within a few minutes I was sawing logs, paying little attention to the TV or the commotion from the other room.

Made an appearance at the Farm and City Days car show Saturday and got to see all kinds of people. Columnist extraordinaire Bob Hansen accused me of going golfing although it’s probably been 20 years since people ran for cover after I swung a club. Al Batt offered me a used but not abused feline, which I gracefully had to decline. The smell of fresh cat poop in a warm garage this time of year really doesn’t tickle my olfactory senses. Pat B. checked the back of my neck for mosquito bites to make sure last week’s report was accurate. And Vista’s noted Swedish astronomer was glad that I’d remembered to bring my cooler. Of course then there were the cars, lining main street, gleaming and polished to perfection. One thing about it, it’s definitely “look but don’t touch”. No telling what might happen if a sticky, gooey handprint were to wind up on the seat of one of those old gals. Yes, on the cars of course.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Yet I still recall as I wander on
As clear as the sun in the summer sky

The scurs prevailed in only allowing rain in the overnight hours during the Waseca Co. Fair. The Weather Eye worked its magic once again. Will the magic continue or will the Weather Eye spring a leak? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the low 60’s. Mostly sunny and warmer on Thursday. Highs in the low 80’s with lows in the mid-60’s. Friday, mostly sunny becoming cloudy with increasing chances of showers and thunderstorms into the overnight hours. Highs in the mid-80’s with lows in the upper 60’s. Mostly sunny Saturday and warmer with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid-80’s with lows in the mid- 60’s. Sunday, sunny with highs in the mid-80’s and lows in the mid-60’s. Partly cloudy Monday becoming mostly cloudy with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms into the overnight hours. Highs in the low 80’s with lows in the mid-60’s. Tuesday, partly sunny with a good chance for showers and thunderstorms in the daylight hours. Highs in the low 80’s with lows in the low 60’s. The normal high for July 25th is 82 and the normal low is 62. The scurs are on hiatus from local celebrations, increasing time available for napping in the sun by the ceement pond.

Crops continue to progress at a rapid pace with our recent sunny summer skies. Corn is for the most part tasseled out and in the middle of pollen shed. Some plants have pollinated with silks already falling off the blistered kernels. The weather has been cooperative with the Friday night rainfall being a bonus. In spite of all the June rain, corn color remains a healthy dark green color with the exception of localized areas in some fields. Soybeans have reached R3 with some sizeable pods already appearing at some of the lower nodes on the plants. Some of the earliest planted beans are actually R4. 2nd and in some cases 3rd cutting alfalfa is  being knocked down for those fortunate enough to have caught the weather right on the 1st cutting. Pea harvest is coming to a close with sweet corn harvest right on its heels, to start next week. A lot of buzz about fungicide application on both corn and soybeans. Fungal disease pressure continues to be light at this point lowering the odds of an economic response fungicides. A good primer on some of the diseases of potential concern:

http://blog-crop-news.extension.umn.edu/2015/07/midsummer-corn-and-soybean-disease.html#more

At the ranch, the sheep are readying themselves for the onslaught of garden refuse. To expedite that process, I had the good fortune to run across a sweet corn stand Friday at the SROC in Waseca. To be sure, I’m usually gun shy about buying sweet corn at stands unless I know the source and how fresh it is. Who should know more about growing sweet corn though than the horticulture folks there? I took a leap of faith and purchased a dozen and was not disappointed. For early corn, it wasn’t half bad. Sweet corn like fruit is a gamble.

Around the ranch and surrounds, the wildlife continues to make its presence known. At the birdfeeders the chipping sparrows have taken a shine to the new finch mix. It’s the first time we’ve had them actually feeding out of the feeder rather than just cleaning up underneath. Orioles continue to go through jelly like it’s water. The robins are becoming quieter in the morning with their parenting duties apparently interfering with their early hour singing. The best news on the bird front was the group of 8 – 10 young pheasants that flew up out of the pasture whilst I was spraying some pesky thistles with “deadly agro-toxins” from a hand sprayer. The young pheasants were about the size of Hungarian partridge and while not skilled at flying, they did their best to elude my zig-zag pattern. Seeing many deer with young fawns out in the open including one with a pair of twins we see occasionally. Lots of bucks in the velvet as well. They must not appreciate the abundant mosquito crop either.

Ruby and Fudgie have enjoyed their summer thus far. The AC in the house during the hot weather makes their time indoors pretty easy to take, especially when the bugs have been bad outside. They still like to do the chores and follow the lawnmowers for hours on end though. Pretty hard to do that in the house. Reminds me of the days when Mom would boot us out of the house on a nice summer day. Rightfully so. As long as we didn’t kill or maim each other getting us outside and out of her hair was the best policy.

The name of the People’s Republic of Steele Co. Highway Department was taken in vain at the ranch once again. About the time it looked like I would participate in another car show in Owatonna they decided it would be a good idea to spread tar and pea rock on our road, making what is known as a seal coat. After our experience a couple years ago when highway department contractors tore out our phone line and it took the phone company over a year to finally bury it, what could possibly go wrong? I was forced to choose whether I would drive on the half-mile of fresh tar or just stay home. Since I had already committed to help park cars I went anyway. I will admit, they did their best to minimize the amount of tar that actually sticks to your vehicle. However, when you have a pristine vintage automobile and it happens to be light beige in color, it’s not going to be pretty. It took lots of elbow grease and cleaner to get all that sticky black goo off. What’s really annoying is now the vehicle should be re-waxed. Putting tar and pea rock on the road may extend its life but I suspect it isn’t because of the seal coat itself: It’s because people avoid driving on those roads after they dump that crud on there!

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

If it keeps on rainin', levee's goin' to break

The Weather Eye definitely sprung a bigtime leak last week and the scurs were distraught. Will their Barr’s Stop Leak put a damper on the leak or will we see our rain continue to trickle at a slower pace? Starting Wednesday, sunny with highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the upper 50’s. Thursday, sunny with highs in the low 80’s and lows in the mid-60’s. Sunny on Friday with a slight chance of an evening shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the mid-80’s with lows in the mid-60’s. Saturday, mostly sunny with an increasing chance for showers and thunderstorms into the evening hours. Highs in the low 80’s with lows in the low 60’s. Mostly sunny for Sunday with slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the low 80’s with lows near 60. Monday, mostly sunny with a modest chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 70’s with lows in the upper 50’s. Mostly cloudy on Tuesday with a good chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid-70’s with lows in the upper 50’s. The sun will rise after 6 a.m. on July 31st. The normal high for August 1st is 82 and the normal low is 61. The scurs plan to enjoy their extra minutes of sleep once their ark is completed.

The 2nd Full Moon for the month of July will occur on the 31st, making it officially a “Blue Moon”. A Blue Moon takes place every 19 years in the month of July. The next Blue Moon will be January 31st 2018 with another that same year on March 31st.  So what did the Native Americans do about two Full Moons in a month? Since their schedule largely revolved around the period between moons, it wasn’t an issue. Sounds like another thing white man managed to screw up.

Crop progress continues to be steady and very close to on track for the calendar year. Corn is in the blister stage while soybeans are largely in the R4 stage, with some of the early planted early maturing varieties making a case for being in the R5 stage. R5 is known as Beginning Seed, with a seed 1/8” long in a pod at one of the four uppermost nodes on the main stem with a fully developed leaf for those keeping score at home.

The recent rains while excessive in some respects showed us that it indeed still can turn on a dime in the month of July and on a widespread basis if it so desires. The result has been some phenomenal growth and pod set on the soybeans since it fell. Since August is known as the month that makes a soybean crop, it will be interesting to see what happens when we have a nearly full profile for soil moisture. Sure there are already people wringing their hands about white mold and whatever else may befall this crop. These are the same people who also worry when we don’t get rain. Personally, would rather have the tradeoff of some gas in the tank going into August for a change.

Just when you thought it was safe to think about skipping mowing the lawn for a week, the rains fell. Amounts varied this past week from roughly 3” – 5”. At the ranch, there was one patch on a south facing slope beginning to show signs of drying out. 3.84” later, that spot largely disappeared. The rest of the lawn is growing like it was still June, meaning 3 – 5 hours out of every week will be spent going back and forth. It will also mean a renewed assault from the mosquitoes that were by some accounts starting to wane. With 7.4” of rain so far in town and 6.76” at the ranch one can only imagine what’s going to happen.

The hot weekend wound up being spent on stacking the remaining hay in the barn, cleaning up the storm damage and mowing the windbreak. One of the crabapples that we’d somewhat nursed back to health caught the straight line wind Friday morning and split off. I left the rest of the tree though as it was loaded with crabapples. If the tree can withstand the winds until spring, at least the birds can utilize the fruit. More hunks of silver maple needed to be dealt with although that’s just part of the routine of having one of these trees prone to wind damage. Probably the most disappointing loss though was an arborvitae about 12’ tall in the windbreak. It was really the only tree lost there, snapped off about 6” above the ground. These trees were planted as 12” transplants and really stop a lot of snow from getting in the yard.  The heat and humidity took their toll and by the time I’d removed the branches from the fence at the kindly neighbors, I was pooed. It was difficult to stay hydrated and equally as difficult to keep enough repellent on without sweating or rubbing it off on all the vegetation.

Some of the winged inhabitants at the ranch included the first cicada heard the evening of the 27th. Had heard one earlier back on the 17th at the SROC in Waseca. It appears the grape jelly supply is barely keeping up with the demand at the bird feeders. Some mornings we are serenaded by a male cardinal, something that hasn’t happened in summers past. We’ve been blessed with a great hatch of barn swallows. At any given time there are over a dozen youngsters gobbling down their fair share of flying insects. The hummingbirds are becoming more frequent visitors. They’ve developed a fondness to the Wendy’s Wish salvia amongst all the other types Mrs. Cheviot has planted. The first of the 4 o’clocks has started to bloom so as we move into August, watching the zippy little feathered marvels will make barbecuing on the patio even more entertaining.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Don't you, don't you know that you are a shooting star…

The scurs courtesy of their trusty Weather Eye delivered a knockout weather punch this past week. Sure there were some warm days but we needed that to make up for some of the cooler days earlier in July. Will we see another warm week or will we see fall creeping up on us? Starting Wednesday, partly sunny with a modest chance of an overnight shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the upper 70’s with lows in the low 60’s. Thursday, partly sunny with an increasing chance for showers and thunderstorms by evening. Highs in the mid-70’s with lows around 60. Partly sunny Friday with a modest chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the mid-70’s with lows near 60. Saturday, mostly sunny with a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the upper 70’s with lows in the mid-60’s. Partly sunny on Sunday with a moderate chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 70’s with lows in the low 60’s. Monday, partly cloudy with an increasing chance for showers and thunderstorms by evening. Highs in the upper 70’s with lows in the low 60’s. Partly cloudy for Tuesday with highs in the upper 70’s and lows around 60. The normal high for August 10th is 81 and the normal low is 60. The scurs will be watching for meteors from their chaise lounge.

The best viewing of the Perseid meteor shower will take place in August. The earth passes through the debris field from the Swift-Tuttle comet every year starting July 17th and runs through August 24th. The number of sightings increases until about mid-month and should decline from there. With the New Moon coming on August 14th conditions should be about perfect the night of the 13th, with very little light interference. The peak time to look for them is after midnight when the meteors should be high in the sky although there should be plenty to be seen prior to that. There is no reason to look in any one spot, just lay back in your lounger and enjoy the show, weather permitting of course.

Crops progress prospered under the warmer than normal temperatures last week with corn progressing to R3 or roasting ears as they are fondly known. Soybeans also made progress with many fields making R5. The soybeans are impressive to look at although looking closely one can see the soybean aphids are increasing in many area fields. The temptation is to blindly spray when the neighbor does. This may or may not be the proper timing. The aphid infestations vary widely from field to field and the only way to know whether the insects are at treatable levels is to scout them.

Lots of insects to see this past week at the ranch. First, a yellow swallowtail made a bee line for the tiger lilies that were in full bloom, making for a colorful visual. Next, when attempting to fuel up the lawnmower a paper wasp flew out of the cover surrounding the pump, causing me to spring into action. I dislike paper wasps immensely after having been stung numerous times by them over the years. I got out the dairy aerosol and sprayed up inside the housing and ran. Several more wasps flew out of the cover and did not return I might add. Several have asked about earwigs. We’d never seen earwigs at the ranch until a few years ago after someone left a box that had contained wedding decorations. The box was loaded with earwigs and before we knew it, they escaped into the garage. Not too long ago one of the solar lights quit working. Upon dismantling the light, it was full of earwigs and worked fine after their eviction. Earwigs are rather ferocious looking insects with cerci or pinchers on their abdomen which are used to hold whatever it is they’re feeding on. Earwigs typically feed on decaying organic material as well as some smaller living organisms. What concerns people though is when they choose to vary their diet and go after flowers and vegetables. A good article from Jeff Hahn at the U concerning earwigs can be accessed at:  http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/insects/find/earwigs/

It looks like the orioles have at least for the time being taken a hike. It may have something to do with another visitor, namely a Cooper’s hawk that has been terrorizing the bird feeder area from time to time. An unfortunate young mourning dove wound up in its grasp and as breakfast one morning last week. Since that time, orioles have been scarce. It hasn’t deterred the goldfinches that are becoming more numerous. There are very few females coming to the feeders now so one has to wonder if their nesting period has begun.

Fudgie has a birthday coming up on August 6th. She was one of a litter of three puppies born to our first Border Collie Lucy 13 years ago. Fudgie’s primary occupation for 10 years was to keep my Mom company at the farm which she generally did pretty well. Mom of course spoiled her rotten. I suspect there were many baked goods that found their way into Fudgie’s tummy over the years. To this day you can’t crack an egg but what it gets Fudgie’s attention, waking her from a deep slumber. When Mom became ill we promised to keep the dog until such time that she could get back to the farm. That of course didn’t happen so we suddenly had a second dog again. Now, Fudgie is not Miss Congeniality. She had things pretty much her way for a long time and is slow to warm up to strangers. She tolerates Ruby although they do play some together yet which is pretty remarkable considering their age and speed difference. The distance she travels some days following the lawnmower is truly amazing. She is also a natural when it comes to watching gates and chasing the sheep back in, for which we are grateful. Fudgie is welcome to live out the rest of her days here. 

Mentioning baked goods above, Auntie Mar Mar came through with a plethora of goodies, the leftovers from all her fair baking projects. There were high fiber muffins, nut breads, lemon bars, and raisin bars. All tasty treats after a long dry spell of going without. She was obviously concerned about my health though. Mar Mar is a faithful reader of my rantings and apparently wanted to make sure I was still a regular columnist.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

I’ve been waiting so long to be where I’m going…

The scurs and the Weather Eye teamed up again for an absolutely glorious string of weather again last week. Will this remarkable string of sunshine continue or will we start to see some of that fabled late summer rainfall? Starting Wednesday, sunny with highs in the low 80’s and lows in the mid-60’s. Thursday, mostly sunny with an increasing chance for showers and thunderstorms by evening. Highs in the mid-80’s with lows around 65. Sunny and warmer Friday with highs in the upper 80’s and lows near 65. Saturday, mostly sunny with a slight chance of an evening shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the upper 80’s with lows in the mid-60’s. Partly sunny on Sunday with a moderate chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the low 80’s with lows in the low 60’s. Monday, mostly sunny with an increasing chance for showers and thunderstorms by evening. Highs in the upper 70’s with lows in the low 60’s. Mostly cloudy for Tuesday with a good chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 70’s with lows in the mid-60’s. On August 16th, we slip below 14 hours of daylight, about the same as we had back on April 26th.The normal high for August 16th is 81 and the normal low is 60. The scurs have a hankering for shish kabobs at the Steele Co. Fair.

Another good week of crop progress is in the books although rainfall only measured a paltry .07” at the ranch with even less in Bugtussle proper. Lots of sunny weather made some of the early planted, early maturing corn move towards the R4 (dough) stage. There were no dents noticed yet but give it a week. Right now we are on pace for corn to mature sometime in mid to late September, in other words at a relatively normal time. Soybeans continue to be primarily R5 yet. That stage tends to last a while (on average about two weeks) although it won’t be long and some of the early planted, early maturing fields will be R6. In the meantime the dreaded soybean aphids also enjoyed the dry conditions with their populations rising quickly in many fields. After a relatively healthy local population became established we were blessed with additional winged adults from the west delivering scads of live young. It wasn’t unusual to find a dozen or more winged adults per plant so it was no wonder matters deteriorated as fast as they did in some fields.

In the garden at the ranch, things have been far from deteriorating. The string beans hit full stride yielding several grocery bags worth. Ditto with the cucumbers. At last check Auntie Mar Mar was feverishly working on a plan to make copious amounts of bread and butter pickles from a kenning of cukes. (A kenning = 2 pecks) Always wondered where that name came from. There’s really no bread or butter involved in their manufacture. The rest of the garden is poised to explode as we approach September. There are several muskmelons increasing their girth and the other vines allow an occasional glimpse of a pumpkin or squash under their thick canopy. The sheep are growing vine crops in the pasture this year as well. Apparently they didn’t eat all the seeds out of the leftovers we tossed over the fence. That or some of the chipmunks, squirrels or striped gophers gave them an assist at planting them.

Mornings are much quieter on the bird front than they were a couple months ago. The robins were up at dark thirty to start their chorus. Now all we hear primarily is the traffic from people on their way to work. Would rather hear the robins thank you very much. There are occasional young Baltimore orioles still using the jelly feeder although I suspect they are just passing through. We still hear a few wrens, chipping sparrows and a catbird singing but their days are too numbered as we edge closer to September. I was surprised to find one late nest of barn swallows in the lambing barn last week. In about a week, they will be on the wing, joining the large group we already have. And fall is edging ever closer. The sound of blue jays and chickadees serve as a harbinger of things to come I fear.

The Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour begins next week already, just in time to reinforce how fast this summer has blown by. After 11 previous outings, it’s become kind of a bittersweet experience. Sure it’s nice to see all the people you’ve met over the years but it’s also a grind. Someday it would sure be nice to have that week of my life back again. Or at least that blasted hour from the time change when we go on Eastern Time.

Gee what would I do with all my spare time? For starters, go cruising in my Silver Hawk. I finally got the collectors plates for it after waiting with bated breath since mid-June. They arrived with only five days left on the 60 day temporary license taped in the back window. Not sure why it should take that long. It’s not like there’s been a sudden rush on licensing vintage automobiles that I’m aware of. Heck I even got the new title in a matter of a week or so and it had to be transferred from out of state. The outside of the envelope the license plates came in is covered with print apparently trying to make you think they’re really busy at the DMV headquarters along with listing things they think you ought to be doing. Here’s a thought: Maybe rather than printing all that stuff on the envelope to try to convince me how on top of things they are, they could try getting things done in a more expeditious fashion. It might leave a little better taste in everyone’s mouth.

Something that’s become a popular practice among the car collector crowd is finding a set of expired plates from the same year as your collector automobile and getting them reinstated. One never knows where they might show up. Occasionally they’ve been used to patch holes in old granaries, barns, outhouses, etc., but sometimes they’re in cherry condition especially when they’ve been used inside. After my experience getting new collectors plates though, I’m not so sure I want to see how long it takes the DMV to give their blessing on expired plates dating back to 1959. I might expire and be reinstated before the license plates are.

See you next week…real good then. 

[Dotch]

Let it roll, baby, roll

The scurs and the Weather Eye clicked for a third week in a row. Suddenly junkyards are being flooded with calls for used heater controls from AMC products. Who knew? Will the scurs continue to be bulletproof or are their days of being golden limited? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with a good chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid-70’s with lows in the upper 50’s. Thursday, partly sunny with an increasing chance for showers and thunderstorms by evening. Highs in the upper 70’s with lows around 60. Sunny and warmer Friday with highs in the low 80’s and lows near 65. Saturday, mostly sunny with a good chance of an evening shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the upper 80’s with lows in the mid-60’s. Partly sunny on Sunday with highs in the low 80’s with lows in the upper 50’s. Monday, partly sunny with an increasing chance for showers and thunderstorms by evening. Highs in the upper 70’s with lows in the low 60’s. Mostly cloudy for Tuesday with a good chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 70’s with lows in the low 50’s. The normal high for August 22nd is 80 and the normal low is 59. With a sudden break before the Stat Fair the scurs are suddenly lost without a cause.

Crop progress continues to be steady and it is shaping up to be a good one. With sweet corn yields reported over 10 ton per acre in areas, it could be a very positive sign of things to come. Corn was beginning to show some dents already especially on the ear tips, which still makes it R4 corn but is approaching R5 rapidly. Soybeans continued to operate within the R5 level of maturity with some of the early planted early maturing soybeans beginning to show signs of R6, soybeans with full seed in the pod at one of the 4 uppermost nodes with a fully developed leaf. Soybean aphid control measures have been a mixed bag with some fields especially those treated prior to threshold levels requiring retreatment. This is why waiting until threshold is a good idea. Thinking one can outsmart Mother Nature is a fool’s game, especially with a pest we have only slightly more than decade’s worth of experience with in the United States.

Observations from the window of the oval office the other morning included the sighting of a bull thistle in the pasture. When one is an agronomist, one makes mental notes of such things since you don’t want the neighbors to thinks you’re some kind of slob. After chores pursuit of the cirsium vulgare was on. Armed with my trusty bean hook, I was determined to make a quick end to the problem weed. In addition I also found plumeless thistles (Carduus acanthoides) . Spellcheck really sucks by the way if you’re trying to write about anything agronomic but I digress. Anyway, of course when you find one thistle you generally find a dozen without looking very hard. Thistles tend to bolt at varying times so no matter how hard one tries, there always seems to be another one showing up. And worst of all you’ll probably miss one or two so your neighbors will still think you’re a slob.

The garden at the ranch continues to move along. More muskmelons arose from under the canopy of leaves and the sweet corn should be nearing perfection within the next week. Numerous squash and pumpkins are also evident as the vines begin to show signs of winding down as fall approaches. The tomatoes are beginning to behave as though their fruit will start to ripen once September draws near. Given the number of plants it should result in an avalanche of tomatoes. Cukes and string beans are continuing to produce although they too are showing signs that without some rains in the near future, their eventual demise is certain.

The dogs continue their appreciation for air conditioning. When Mrs. Cheviot travelled south to the IA State Fair, Mr. Cheviot turned the AC back on. The humidity in the house had risen to unacceptable levels and Fudgie and Ruby weren’t sorry when the thermostat was dialed down to 75. Besides with the Pro Farmer Crop Tour looming near on the horizon, Mr. Cheviot needed his beauty rest. After chores the last thing needed was more panting from the dogs or Mr. Cheviot.

The Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour will be well underway by the time this reaches print so those of you getting this electronically will be the beneficiaries of this preview. Things looked about the way through the windshield as I would’ve expected. MN and IA on the route from home to the IL border looked general fantastic from the road. As we moved into IL from about Galesburg on, the corn crop in particular began to be up and down, not to mention nitrogen deficient. The appearance of the soybeans was more subtle with damage from excess moisture becoming more evident as we got closer to the IL and IN border. Larger drown out spots were apparent and the crop was beginning to show signs that rain would be beneficial in areas. In IN, there was some decent looking corn and soybeans along with the same variability we’d seen in IL. OH was much the same from the IN border to Columbus. What does that tell you? It tells you looking out the windshield, we really can’t know much other than physical appearance. That’s why we’re out here. To take an actual measurement of the crop yields as well as a close up and personal rating of its condition. Follow us on AgWeb.com and our Tweets on #pftour15 as we roll through the eastern Corn Belt to our final destination Thursday night in Rochester MN.

See you next week…real good then. 

[Dotch]

But day after day the show must go on.

The scurs and their Weather Eye seem to be invincible. There are even rumors of someone starting a new Nash-Rambler Corporation. Can’t miss. How much more of this success can the scurs take or are they doomed to wind up on the ash heap of history? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with highs in the low70’s with lows in the mid-50’s. Thursday, mostly sunny becoming mostly cloudy with an increasing chance for showers and thunderstorms by evening. Highs in the mid-70’s with lows around 60. Mostly cloudy and slightly cooler Friday with a good chance of daytime showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the low 70’s with lows in the upper 50’s. Saturday, mostly sunny with highs in the mid-70’s with lows in the upper 50’s. Mostly sunny on Sunday with highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the low 60’s. Monday, mostly sunny with an increasing chance for showers and thunderstorms by evening. Highs in the low 80’s with lows in the low 60’s. Partly cloudy for Tuesday and slightly with a good chance of showers and thunderstorms in the daytime hours. Highs in the upper 70’s with lows in the low 60’s. The normal high for August 31st is 80 and the normal low is 59. The scurs will be heading to their favorite foot long hotdog stand by the NW corner of the Coliseum upon their arrival at the Great MN Get Together. One with fried onions, please.

The Full Moon for the month arrives on the 29th and goes by several names, the most common of which is the Full Sturgeon Moon. It also goes by the Full Green Corn Moon and the Full Grain Moon. The Ojibwe were fond of calling this the Berry Moon as the blueberries are generally plentiful in August. The Sioux were also fruit lovers, calling this the Moon When Cherries are Black. At the ranch, we like our fruit a little larger perhaps but it frequently is the Full Cantaloupe Moon.

Corn and soybeans both made steady progress this last week although it was slowed somewhat by wetter weather and a cool down over the weekend. When highs are in the mid-60’s as they were on the 20th, that corresponds to the highs we see in early October. No wonder we caught a glimpse of fall heading our way. Corn has dented although few fields have begun to exhibit a milk line just yet. Soybeans to a large degree are now R6 meaning that the seed fills the seed cavity at a pod on one of the uppermost 4 nodes on the plant with a fully expanded leaf. Both SDS and white mold became more apparent this past week although it appears at this point they will nibble at yields rather than gobble them in most instances. Soybean aphids have largely been subdued although some who sprayed too early wound up repeating the process. Sweet corn yields continue to sound impressive as yields reported over 10 ton per acre are still common.

After returning safely from another Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour, I was thinking the orioles were probably done for the season. Not so fast! Sunday morning I thought I heard a male in the tree scolding me as I was gawking out the window after morning chores. I went in the house and returned with some grape jelly to see if I could entice the noisy bird out of the tree. It didn’t take long once I was back in the house. He descended from high in the ash tree and cautiously made his way to the feeder. Once there, the brightly colored orange and black male quickly took several beak-fulls of jelly and disappeared. He was back the next morning however and seems to be settling in. For a while anyway. Now he has company in the form of another male equally as developed as he is and a young male. They seem to spend a lot of time bickering and squabbling over the feeder contents. Oh well, there’s plenty of grape jelly in the refrigerator. The goldfinches continue to feed regularly at their usual stations with the color on the males beginning to fade ever so slightly. The hummingbirds have a vast array of flowering plants to choose from. With 4 o’clocks, nasturtiums, morning glories and too numerous to mention types of salvia, they definitely have it made as they get ready for their long journey south.

Area gardens continue to yield a bountiful harvest of produce. At the ranch, the green beans have about run their course and the cukes are showing signs of slowing down. The first planting of sweet corn is in prime form now, tomatoes are becoming abundant and the first of the muskmelons has ripened. The flavor of some of the garden stuff has been slightly disappointing, possibly due to the over abundant rains we’ve had. Not to say that can’t change. Sometimes as we move into the cooler part of late summer and early fall, the amount of sugars being deposited in the fruits and veggies increases, making them more flavorful than their earlier season counterparts. Next up should be the apple crop. When it’s ripe in late September, there should be a lot to choose from. The sheep have been taste testing the ground falls to this point. No complaints from them.

The cooler weather certainly agrees with the resident canines. Even Fudgie at 13 trots around the yard like a much younger dog, looking forward to her trips outside with large blocks of time consumed when the lawn or garden need attention. She tires more easily than Ruby but then who doesn’t? Ruby’s just one of those Border Collies with boundless energy, sometimes to the point where it becomes annoying. It’s at those times especially when trying to take a breather from the day’s activities, it’s OK to let her become fixated on staring at a ball for 15 or 20 minutes. At least she’s quiet and sitting still. The show must go on.

See you next week…real good then.   

[Dotch]

Now he's rolling down the mountain goin' fast, fast, fast
And if he blows it this one's going to be his last

With the Weather Eye firmly entrenched in their weather forecasting arsenal, the scurs have been right more often than not. They still have a hard time with predicting precip a week out. Maybe need to add the windshield washer bag from the Studebaker. Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with a slight chance of an isolated shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the low 80’s with lows in the upper 60’s. Thursday, mostly sunny becoming partly cloudy with a slight chance for showers and thunderstorms by evening. Highs in the low 80’s with lows in the upper 60’s. Mostly sunny Friday with a slight chance of daytime showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid-80’s with lows in the upper 60’s. Saturday, partly sunny with a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the mid-80’s with lows in the mid-60’s. Partly sunny on Sunday with an increasing chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid-80’s with lows around 60. Monday, mostly sunny with an increasing chance for showers and thunderstorms by evening. Highs in the mid-70’s with lows in the low 50’s. Partly cloudy and cooler for Tuesday with highs in the mid-60’s and lows in the upper 40’s. The normal high for September 7th is 76 and the normal low is 54. The scurs will be having one last Pronto Pup to celebrate the end of another Great MN Get Together. Fat lives matter!!!!

After a cooler week last week, Mother Nature turned summer back on to a sticky and uncomfortable setting. Heavy dews at the ranch have resulted in accumulations in the official rain gauge each night of around one hundredth of an inch. This is the kind of weather that is conducive to all kinds of leaf diseases. However, with the crop moving to maturity as quickly as it is, damage caused by late developing leaf disease should be minimal. Corn is R5 and already showing a milkline across much of the area. Early planted, early maturing soybeans on fast ground are showing R7 maturity, meaning that there is one normal sized pod on the main stem that is mature color already. Some of those will likely be ready to combine in a few weeks. Rainfall this past week was general and fell slowly, allowing it to soak in. There is plenty of soil moisture to finish the crop out and any leftover will go toward fall recharge, something we haven’t talked about over the past several years.

Another State Fair is in the books for us at the ranch. The Cheviots competed but perhaps not at the level we would’ve liked. We managed a reserve champion which is still something although when one remembers some of the dominant groups we once brought to the show, it’s a little disappointing. It’s still the same amount of work raising them if not more now and the level of competition isn’t what it once was. Still, that’s not why we raise them and like everything else, success in the show ring is cyclical and can be fleeting. A wise shepherd once told me you have to raise what you like. Indeed, if one looks at the breed type on our flock, there are very few really ugly specimens.

We seem to be perpetually mowing lawn at the ranch just like everybody else. There was another large hatch of toads again this year though so I’ve tried to be as careful as possible not to hit the small amphibians as they struggle to get out of the long grass ahead of me. I’ll stop the mower and get off if I have to in order to move them to safety. These are the “good guys” when it comes to controlling things like flies and mosquitoes and I appreciate their efforts. Without them and other natural control agents we would be up to our necks in flying insects.

In the limited time I seem to have to drive it, discovering the subtle nuances of the Silver Hawk has become a favorite pastime. Having exposure to only one other Studebaker prior to this, it is an adventure each and every time out. I recently discovered how to operate the overdrive in the Silver Hawk more by accident than by design. The factory build sheet said it came equipped with overdrive but there was no overdrive handle in evidence under the dash. I was uncertain if the overdrive was operational, if someone had disabled it or worse yet, totally removed it. The kind gentleman I had purchased the car from had no idea how it worked so I was on my own. Overdrives were popular options especially on Ford and Studebaker automobiles and trucks. On the ’59 Silver Hawks, it was standard on the 3-speed transmission models. Quick shifting the car from 2nd to 3rd, it goes into 3rd regular drive. There is a technique to getting them into 3rd overdrive. One night coming home after a car club function, I happened to wind the car up in 2nd, let off on the gas allowing the rpm’s to fall to idle then dropped it into 3rd. Letting the clutch out, the engine was instantly pulling hard and by the time I got it wound up to the speed limit, it was basically running at a fast idle with lots of gas pedal to spare! This was good news as checking the mileage recently, it was a less than stellar 12, about the same as my 4 wheel drive pickup.

Putting the car up on a hoist confirmed that the overdrive was still intact. The Borg-Warner unit was on the tail shaft of the T-96 transmission with the solenoid on one side and the governor on the other just like in the pictures I’d seen. The lockout cable was also still attached to the switch on the side of the unit and the switch was pushed back in the engaged position. The cable did not however go through the firewall to the bracket under the dash and there was no chrome plated handle in sight. Not totally surprising. The cables were prone to corrosion so many just left their cars in overdrive. This is OK except for one thing: Being able to lock it out of overdrive is advantageous under steep or hilly terrain. If you have the overdrive engaged and try to use the engine to help brake the car by shifting down, it freewheels until the engine catches up with the ground speed. In other words, you are relying totally on the brakes to slow the vehicle. The brakes are OK but they are a far cry from what’s on today’s machines. Restoring that cable to its original function is probably a good idea from a safety standpoint not to mention it returns the vehicle to its original condition. Unless of course I really want to live on the edge. At my age I find that’s becoming less of an option. Living to nap another day sounds like a better plan.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

And every Saturday we work in the yard
Pick up the dog doo
Hope that it's hard (woof woof)

The Weather Eye apparently benefitted from the Studebaker windshield washer bag, predicting the showers and thunderstorms with deadly accuracy. Will the scurs secret fall into NOAA’s hands or will they continue to fly under the radar? (pun intended). Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with a slight chance of an isolated shower or thunderstorm by evening. Highs in the mid-70’s with lows in the mid-50’s. Thursday, partly sunny with a moderate chance for daytime showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 60’s with lows in the upper 40’s. Mostly sunny Friday and cooler with highs in the mid-60’s and lows in the upper 40’s. Saturday, mostly sunny with a slight chance of an evening shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the upper 60’s with lows in the mid-50’s. Mostly sunny on Sunday with a slight chance of evening showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the low 70’s with lows in the low 50’s. Monday, mostly sunny with an increasing chance for showers and thunderstorms by evening. Highs in the low 70’s wand lows in the low 50’s. Mostly cloudy and cooler for Tuesday with highs in the upper 60’s and lows in the mid-50’s. The normal high for September 15th is 73 and the normal low is 50. The scurs will be on the lookout for those large yellow livestock haulers. Yes boys and girls, school is back in session!

The hot humid conditions of this past week pushed crop maturity along at a rapid pace. The milk line on the corn in some early planted early maturing hybrids was nearly gone by week’s end putting it out of the danger of an early frost. Early planted early maturing fields of soybeans were starting to move out of R6 into R7 in the same timeframe. The heat is not exactly what we wanted as moving the maturity along too quickly tends to take test weight off of corn and reduce soybean seed size and weight. Luckily temperatures have moderated and a slower pace is more in line with reaching the potential we have left.

After dipping under 13 hours of daylight back on the 5th, we continue to lose daylight at nearly 3 minutes a day. The signs of fall that were starting to show last week are becoming less subtle and more pronounced. Canada geese are grouped up and looking for picked sweet corn fields or in our neighborhood, for a dinner date with a field of dry peas that was recently harvested. The leaves on the walnut tree are already turning at the ranch and with a slight breeze beginning to flutter to the ground. Other trees including the silver and Autumn Blaze maples are starting to show initial signs of their fall colors. It won’t be long and certainly not long enough.

Still, there are signs that summer may not be totally done just yet. Hummingbirds are constantly on our blooming plants. While it’s pretty clear they’re migrating, the flowers on the plants are at their peak. Orioles were still at the jelly feeders as of the 7th with four males in their bright orange plumage still keeping things hopping yet on the 6th.  The monarch butterflies, the demise of which the handwringers have been blaming various boogiemen for appear to be as bountiful as ever as this growing season comes to a close. Even the bumblebees are numerous this early September. Could it be we are not as close to the entomological apocalypse as some would have us believe?

On the subject of insects, I consulted with the Boy Entomologist the other day to confirm I knew what I was talking about. The dark colored moths everyone keeps asking about are green cloverworm moths. A large portion of them likely came out of the soybean fields. There was an extremely heavy migration of these moths into MN this spring. Most sprayed the soybeans for aphids which in most cases controlled the larvae of the cloverworms. However the residual only lasts a couple weeks at best on most products and a day or two on others. Most products are not ovicidal and it's unlikely that they would control pupae, which are frequently on undersides of the leaves. Each generation of cloverworms takes about a month and there are several generations once they arrive here in MN. Hence the situation we're in now. There are also some lighter colored specimens I've been questioned about. Those are likely forage loopers, coming from the soybean fields as well. The good thing about them is they leave less of a mark on a light colored wall when you squash them.

The recent warm and wet conditions certainly didn’t slow the lawn mowing much. Have taken the recent lawn mowing advice in the Star Eagle to heart and for fall have started leaving the mower deck set at about 3”. It does seem to get the lawn out of blocks a little faster next spring. The between mowings period appears to be shortened so it’s not a perfect tradeoff. The Border Collie poo also tends to stay on top more rather than becoming nestled down between the blades of grass. Since it’s been so wet, it also tends to stay juicy longer. Have to be vigilant, making note of where the dogs are doing their business and exercise caution when one strolls about the grounds.

Mom would’ve turned 90 this past week. Time has flown since her passing in 2013 but the memories of spending time with her on her birthday have become precious beyond enumeration. It’s not surprising as she was one of those who was just tickled you’d thought of her no matter what you’d bring for a gift. Among her favorites were things out of the garden and writing cards, especially if they included wildlife or in later years Border Collies. Her dog Fudgie is still with us and serves as a reminder of those days not all that long ago when we could get together and relax while enjoying the day together. It frequently included a trip to the local Dairy Queen or A&W and watching the birds afterwards, especially the hummingbirds as they’d come to the window feeder on the kitchen window. Those were special days, something to always treasure as we move into fall and beyond.   

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Running on - running on empty
Running on - running blind

The scurs were a little disappointed that the Weather Eye got ahead of itself, predicting rain for Monday rather than Tuesday. When in doubt, blame global warming. Why not? Everyone else does. Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with a slight chance of an isolated shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the low 80’s with lows in the upper 60’s. Thursday, partly sunny with a good chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs near 80 with lows in the upper 60’s. Mostly sunny Friday and cooler with a continued modest chance of a shower or thunderstorm.  Highs in the upper 60’s and lows in the upper 40’s. Saturday, sunny with highs in the upper 60’s with lows in the upper 40’s. Sunny on Sunday with highs in the low 70’s and lows in the low 50’s. Monday, continued sunny with highs in the low 70’s and lows in the low 50’s. Sunny for Tuesday with highs in the low 70’s and lows in the low 50’s. The normal high for September 22nd is 70 and the normal low is 47. The sun begins to rise after 7 a.m. CDT on the 22nd. The scurs have their calendar marked for the autumnal equinox although our nearly even amounts of daylight and darkness will not occur until the 26th. Winter is coming. Oh goody.

Days are definitely becoming shorter and the crops are making dramatic progress towards the finish line. Some fields of early planted early maturing soybeans will likely be combined this week. Corn has moved along to the point where a frost or even a hard freeze is unlikely to harm it much. The milkline on most hybrids was well past half milkline in most cases with some earlier planted earlier maturing hybrids having black layered. Stalk quality is started to be talked about and rightfully so. Corn is relatively tall this year and ear placement is also fairly high. It gives wind plenty of leverage especially when it blows like we all know it’s capable of.

Some of the birds we’ve come to enjoy over the spring and summer continue to say their goodbyes. The last oriole we saw at the ranch was about the 7th. Last year the last one was spotted on the 8th. They showed up on May 2nd so we really can’t complain. Knowing what’s coming, given the chance many of us would start to fly the coop pretty soon too. The local barn swallows appear to have departed as well. A week or so ago, swallows were lining the wires for about a half mile in front of the ranch. Pretty sure the locals were still here as they were flying through the window on one side of the granary and out the other. The hummingbirds are still bountiful yet but their days too are numbered. Last year the final hummingbirds we saw were on October 4th.

Saturday was International Drive Your Studebaker Day and no I’m not making that up. A fitting day it was at that. With lawn needing mowing and dozens of other things that could be done, I decided that the Silver Hawk needed to make a trip to the A&W in Spring Valley. It was perfect weather to open the side vents on the front fenders and let the fresh air in, screened for bugs of course. Mrs. Cheviot had arranged to meet her sister and brother-in-law. We had intended to take them for a cruise earlier but schedules and health did not allow. We went for a loop from Spring Valley to Stewartville and back. The Stude performed beautifully, cruising smooth as silk on recently redone US 63. Using features like the overdrive along with the Studebaker exclusive hill holder clutch, the cruise was a success, turning heads and generating a “thumbs up” wherever we went. Unfortunately before we knew it we had to return home.

The gas gauge apparently is fairly accurate. Non-oxygenated fuel was impossible to find on the way home so we were on pins and needles watching the gauge running on empty. We made it home but had no idea how much fuel might have been in the tank. It holds 18 gallons. I ran some errands with the pickup the next day and grabbed three gallons to put in the Studebaker, enough to get us to Waseca for a fill. I had purposely not wiped the car down anticipating that I would make a run to fill it up late Sunday. In addition to the three gallons I put in it, I put a hair over 15 gallons in it, that after the trip to Waseca. We had to have been running on fumes. The good news was it gave us an excuse to enjoy one more trip on what was an absolutely beautiful weekend for cruising.

It always saddens when a customer for 20+ years and faithful reader suddenly passes away. Gudmund Nodland farmed with his wife Ethel where Ethel grew up south of Waseca. They received the paper from Ethel’s sister and I frequently was asked about some of the things I’d written when I went there to look at their fields. Gudmund was a kind soul and always had a smile on his face when we’d stop. Typically he and Ethel would invite us in for in cookies and something to drink. He also would offer us sweet corn from his field, something I took him up on occasionally when our own garden sweet corn wasn’t ready yet. Those were much appreciated half dozen ears of perfection. Gudmund also gave me an old International electric fencer, one I still have today. It still works and is pressed into service occasionally should we suffer a lightning strike or one of the other units just gives up the ghost. In recent years Gudmund frequently wasn’t his normal self. He didn’t talk about it much other than mentioning his mobility was suffering. I was surprised to learn recently that he was in the care center and absolutely shocked to read of his sudden passing back on the 5th. Come to find out he had been ill for some time. I’ll miss going there to look at his fields and most of all I’ll miss that smile as we visited over a cold beverage and cookies.

See you next week…real good then.

 

[Dotch]

Got to get back to the land, set my soul free.

The scurs tinkered with the Weather Eye and got it back on track. Amazing what one can do with a piece of baling wire. Will their fix hold or will they need to get a bigger hammer? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with a good chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the mid 70’s with lows in the low 60’s. Thursday, mostly cloudy with a slight chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 70’s with lows in the upper 50’s. Mostly sunny Friday with highs in the low 70’s and lows in the mid 50’s. Saturday, sunny with highs in the low 70’s and lows in the mid-50’s. Sunny on Sunday with highs in the low 70’s and lows in the upper 50’s. Monday, continued sunny with highs in the mid-70’s and lows in the upper 50’s. Sunny for Tuesday with highs in the mid-70’s and lows in the upper 50’s. The normal high for September 27th is 68 and the normal low is 44. The sun begins to set before 7 p.m. CDT on the 29th. The scurs are awaiting the chance to fly their Acme drone disguised as a rooster pheasant. Delivery is scheduled for October 10th.

Harvest actually got underway in places this past week. Some soybean yields were reputedly in the mid-60’s on some early maturing early planted soybeans. The Thursday rains slowed any progress that was anticipated although with a dry forecast, it should get on track quickly. If early returns are a harbinger of things to come we may experience some of the best soybean yields we have seen in quite some time. Some corn should have been harvested by the time this is written to fill some early contracts. Most indications are that corn in general will also yield very well. The fly in the ointment may be the excessive rains that fell in late June and the encore performance in late July. There are stalk rot organisms lurking in some corn fields so the situation will need to be monitored closely.

My return from Canada Monday afternoon revealed very little in the way of harvest activity all the way from the Canadian border aside from silage being chopped. Mike Hergert from Red River Farm Network called me Monday morning expecting to do an interview on harvest progress.  Reports I’d been given from one of my ace scouts indicated scattered soybean combining with lots of green beans and pods in the samples yet. Most were opting to wait a few days. Indeed, only one combine was spotted in Sibley Co. as I trekked the backroads assessing the progress. Lots of leaves still on the plants in places so an interview next week will likely be more fruitful.

The Full Moon for the month will occur on September 27th. It as usual goes by several names the most popular of which is the Harvest Moon. It was at this time before the advent of artificial lighting that farmers could work far into the night due to the bright moon that lit the skies. Sometimes it is also known as the Full Corn Moon. The Ojibwe knew this as the Full Rice Moon, aptly named for the staple that would be harvested during the month. The Sioux called it the Moon When Plums Turn Scarlet. At the ranch we know it as the Moon When Days Become too Short. Seems there is never enough time to get everything done before battening down the hatches for winter.

A total lunar eclipse will also take place on September 27th. Luckily Vista’s noted Swedish astronomer plies me with information from time to time so I can stay on top of these things. According to Dale Niedfeldt from the Steele Co. Astronomical Society, the partial eclipse will start shortly after 8 p.m. with the total eclipse beginning at 9:48 p.m. The mid-total eclipse will be at 9:48 p.m. and the eclipse will end at 10:23 p.m. The moon will appear even larger than the total eclipse back in April as it is the closest it will be all year. This of course if it isn’t cloudy. 

This last Thursday was the 3rd installment of what has become an annual event: My yearly excursion to my little fat buddy of the north Bill’s cabin in Canada near Atikokan. Some get all fired up thinking that I’m heading north to slaughter the fish. Maybe in my younger days that would’ve been the case.  Nowadays it’s to escape the crowds I’ve been exposed to, exhale, and get back to the land, set my soul free. As I get older I find myself valuing my privacy more and more. Some can’t seem to grasp the concept partially due to all the social media I’m convinced. I wasn’t at all disappointed that my cell phone didn’t work. There was a landline if we needed to use it but why? Just me and Bill, cutting, splitting and stacking firewood in addition to feasting and seeing who could best each other in the evening cribbage tournament. Only soon to be forgotten true stories are told sans embellishment during these sessions.

The birds are always something worth noting when we’re there. The hummingbirds were a “no show” making me wonder if they were still at the ranch or had moved on there as well. They were as of the 21st. There were still robins making their way through and juncos of course. They have a tendency to show up at the ranch within a week or so of my travels north. Juncos were heard already Tuesday morning. Also of note were the red-breasted nuthatches and the chickadees. It usually takes an ugly winter for the red-breasted nuthatches to be winter guests at the ranch while the chickadees are frequent visitors, welcoming me upon my return to the ranch.

Learning trivia about old cars has certainly become a wonderful pastime. For instance, I read during my Canadian stay that Studebaker stopped making horse drawn carriages in 1919 so they could focus on the automobile business. My Dad being an old Buick guy could appreciate the fact the Buick V8’s were known as “nailheads” because the perpendicular arrangement of the heads on the block and the small diameter valve heads gave them that appearance. Another tidbit I remember was the air cleaner body on the 1963 Buick Invicta station wagon we had. It was emblazoned with “Wildcat 445”. This didn’t refer to the engine displacement but rather to the ft.lbs. of torque it produced. It did really wind up for a station wagon. My brother Roger proved that when he used to lay patches with it in the driveway when our parents left of course. Pretty sure he was still in grade school yet as he had trouble reaching the pedals without pulling himself forward with the steering wheel. Also pretty sure in the absence of 4 wheelers back in the day, Dad didn’t have to use a lot of imagination to figure out where the divots were coming from. Dad was funny that way.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

The wealthiest person is a pauper at times compared to the man with a satisfied mind

Thank goodness the scurs got the Weather Eye to deliver some absolutely gorgeous weather. Will their forecasting warmth continue or will their forecast give us the cold shoulder? Starting Wednesday, partly cloudy with highs in the low 60’s and lows in the low 40’s. Thursday, mostly sunny with highs in the low 60’s and lows in the low 40’s. Mostly sunny Friday with highs in the low 60’s and lows in the low 40’s. Saturday, sunny with highs in the upper 50’s and lows in the low 40’s. Sunny on Sunday with highs in the low 60’s and lows in the low 40’s. Monday, continued sunny with highs in the low 60’s and lows in the low 40’s. Sunny for Tuesday with highs in the upper 60’s and lows in the low 40’s. The normal high for October 1st is 66 and the normal low is 42. The scurs plan on exchanging more emails with Hillary Clinton on her personal email account.

Harvest actually got rolling in earnest over the weekend in places. Soils in many areas are still plenty wet however and slowed progress. Soybean yields are a very pleasant surprise although there are still fields slow to ripen. There are also often several yields on the same field as one noted observer pointed out when I asked him last week how they were running. There’s the yield monitor yield, the grain cart yield and the one that counts, the one over the scale at the elevator. Some corn has been harvested and yields are generally making farmers smile except for the most curmudgeonly perhaps. Sure, it always could’ve yielded more, it was too wet, the quality wasn’t as good as it could’ve been and so on. We all know them and know that sometimes it’s OK just to be satisfied with the way things turned out as they can’t be changed.

Am writing this on Mrs. Cheviot’s confuser as my hard drive decided to take a vacation after I got back from mine. It’s OK as it’s a unit with which I once wrote many of these literary masterpieces. Hopefully it hangs together until I can somehow get this sent to the newspaper. Also hopeful that my regular model comes back to life once my trusted computer guru gets through with it. Fingers crossed but no guarantees.

Trees got my attention this past week. Betsy’s dad had mentioned something about a tree that had mysteriously appeared in Verna’s yard. It had shiny leaves on it I was told. Scratching my head as is my wont, could not based on the description come up with an idea of what it might be. “Bring a hunk of it in here and we’ll check it out”, I said. Sometime Friday he must’ve dropped it off as it was crispy by the time I found it Saturday. Examining it more closely, I spied one leaf that was lobed before it snapped in two. Then it clicked: A mulberry!

We have some mulberries growing in our windbreak among the dogwood bushes that probably should be removed. Apparently they were spread there by the birds. The berries are popular with them and humans too I guess although it’s rare event to get one before the birds do. The white mulberry is native to China and while a rather invasive tree it is also the tree that serves as the main food source for silkworms. After introduction to the southeastern US long ago, attempts at producing silk were unsuccessful. The mulberries on the other hand have been very successful and have spread across much of the country.

The birds are continuing to make more moves as we head deeper into the fall. The hummingbirds were a “no show” Sunday making me wonder if they had moved on. Monday afternoon I slipped home to make a sandwich and much to my delight one descended from the tree to the feeder below. There was still one at suppertime feeding on some of the flowers. The flowers are starting to wane though so it’s a matter of time. The robins and waxwings are busy gobbling down the nannyberries as fast as they ripen. They’ve also hit the crabapples hard. Think I discovered where a lot of the goldfinches are hanging out. As I made a trip to Matawan on the back roads Saturday, hundreds of them flew out of the CRP that was covered with Maximilian sunflowers. There is a lot of food out there and checking the seed on some of the native plants including oxeye, it’s probably a lot more to their liking than some of what we put in the feeders. Once it’s gone, it may be easier to mooch off us. Other “fall” birds are becoming more common in the yard though. Flickers continue to be common, jays are active and the red-bellied woodpecker found the ear corn once again, when the squirrel isn’t using it of course. The squirrels have lots of red oak acorns across the driveway this time around and I almost nailed one upon our return from a cruise Sunday with the Silver Hawk.

Ruby has been up to her old TV watching antics again. A few weeks ago Auntie Mar Mar was amazed by her reaction to an elephant on the tube and later some giant insect that set Ruby off on a barking and growling frenzy. Mar Mar was in disbelief that the dog would react as she did. Ruby recently added another person to the list of people she doesn’t care for. After seeing her bark and growl regularly at such notables as Clint Eastwood and Julie Andrews, nothing really surprises us anymore. It was a little embarrassing though when Mrs. Cheviot informed me that she had been watching Pope Francis on TV and Ruby had another of her patented meltdowns. Well, maybe she doesn’t like guys wearing short white coats and beanies while talking about climate change I thought. Or it could be as simple as she’s just a Protestant. Never can tell about these Border Collies.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

You better get back honky cat

The scurs continue to coax the Weather Eye to keep deliver more of the same and deliver it has. Will it ever freeze or will we get through harvest without it?  Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with a good chance of overnight showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the low 70’s and lows in the upper 50’s. Thursday, mostly cloudy with a modest chance for lingering showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 60’s with lows in the mid 40’s. Mostly sunny Friday with highs in the low 60’s and lows in the mid 40’s. Saturday, sunny with highs in the upper 60’s and lows in the low 50’s. Sunny on Sunday with highs in the mid 70’s and lows in the mid 50’s. Monday, mostly sunny with highs in the mid 70’s and lows in the upper 40’s. Cloudy and cooler for Tuesday with highs in the upper 60’s and lows in the low 40’s. The normal high for October 12th is 62 and the normal low is 48. The scurs are celebrating Columbus Day by leaving Saturday’s junk mail and bills in the mailbox. That way they’ll still have a reason to pick it up and potentially make the PC police think it’s no longer a holiday. There’s a method to the scurs madness.

The ten man dryer is running at the elevator so now it truly is fall. Harvest progress has been steady although not without some bumps in the road. Green stems in the soybeans with no frost to even things out have caused some snarling and gnashing of teeth. Along with that there have been plenty of green beans mixed in the sample even though moistures have generally tested 11 – 12%. Relatively calm conditions haven’t hastened the drying of those green stems or beans themselves much either. In some instances the tough combining has led to soybeans going out the back of the combine, prompting some to switch over to corn for a few days. Soybean yields have in general been spectacular with most running from the upper 50 bushel per acre range to the low 70’s. Corn has also been impressive based on the acreage harvested thus far. Many reports of low to mid 200 bushel readings on yield monitors and in actual weighed truckloads as well. It is too early to apply anhydrous ammonia at this point and as Fabian Fernandez from the U points out, applications should be based on soil temperatures and not on calendar date. Read his latest press release at:

 http://blog-crop-news.extension.umn.edu/2015/10/fall-nitrogen-applications.html

There are scattered pockets of color showing here and there so this weekend should be a good one to go forth and gaze at the leaves. Sumac was prominent this past weekend in our travels to the north and the river valleys in particular had subtle signs that the show should be at its peak in the next week or so. It smells like fall too. The odor of senescing vegetation is familiar when one heads out the door in the morning to do chores.

It’s official: The hummingbirds left the ranch on September 28th. We had them for quite a spell though. We saw the first one on May 16th. They were faithful little visitors all summer long to the pots and the hummingbird feeder. I’ve left it up just in case a straggler should happen by. Some have asked if leaving the feeders out keeps the hummers here too long and endangers their survival. It does not. Once the flowering plants they crave begin to decline, hummingbirds seem to know it’s time to get out while the getting is still good. One species I have been surprised to see yet though is barn swallows. This past week a handful still appeared occasionally when I was out soil sampling. Had to look twice but saw them on a couple occasions on different days, the last of which were spotted on Monday October 5th. Was glad to see them too. There were mosquitoes and was bitten a few times by what appeared to be stable flies.

The gardening season is winding down. Wet weather prevented the planting of the winter radish crop so that will have to wait until next season. However, the pumpkins, gourds and squash managed to make it. The squash crop was somewhat disappointing but the Indian corn, gourds and pumpkins made up for it. Lots of them for decorating which is exactly what happened to much of the crop. They’ve already travelled to a wedding at Watkins MN and are back to decorate the church as well as the ranch once we find some daylight to see what we’re doing. Had to move the remaining Indian corn from the trailer where it was drying. The squirrels and chipmunks decided it was good enough to eat so helped themselves.

Ruby and Fudgie like this cooler trend and can follow the lawnmower endlessly as a result. They also seem to have diversions to occupy their time. Ruby set up a barking frenzy Monday morning when I was in the shower. It’s not unusual for her to growl and whine at the squirrel eating corn each morning so I couldn’t figure out what had set her off. It turned out that neighbor David had left his dumpster out at the end of the driveway. To Ruby’s way of thinking, it was out of place and required my attention. Fudgie has a stray cat to torment that recently appeared. Actually we haven’t had cats for quite a while and were reluctant about keeping this one around. Cats are known carriers of toxoplasmosis. That can raise heck with pregnant ewes and the lamb crop. And since a lot of people treat our road like it’s a racetrack, any cat we’ve actually liked has ended up being a statistic. The downside to all that is the house sparrows decided the loafing barn is an excellent area to defecate and make a general mess. Since the cat showed up, the sparrows have typically kept their distance. The cat is an adept climber and hunter so we’ve been feeding it just enough to keep it interested. It certainly keeps Fudgie interested with its whereabouts and that’s a good thing. The cat gets to put those climbing skills to good use.

See you next week…real good then.   

[Dotch]

You're Judy in Disguise, with glasses

The scurs had the Weather Eye dialed in over the weekend although the fan must’ve got stuck on high Monday. Will our season come to screeching halt or will we still be mowing lawn at Thanksgiving?  Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with a miniscule chance of overnight showers. Highs in the mid 60’s with lows in the low 40’s. Thursday, mostly sunny with a modest chance for showers. Highs in the low 60’s with lows in the upper 30’s. Mostly sunny Friday with highs in the low 50’s and lows in the upper 20’s. Saturday, partly cloudy with highs in the low 50’s and lows in the mid 30’s. Sunny on Sunday with highs in the upper 50’s and lows in the mid 40’s. Monday, partly sunny with a slight chance of showers. Highs in the upper 60’s and lows in the upper 40’s. Cloudy and cooler for Tuesday with a modest chance of a shower. Highs in the low 60’s and lows in the upper 30’s. The normal high for October 17th is 59 and the normal low is 37. We dip below 11 hours of daylight on the 17th, still losing about minutes per day. The scurs are thinking that covering their delicate foliage may be in order Friday night. Leaving it out to freeze might not be all bad either. Cuts down on watering it.

Harvest continues to move at a breakneck pace. Most soybeans are in the bin with the exception of wet spots that remained too green to combine or areas that were replanted due to drown outs. Soybean yields for many set personal bests. Corn has also been yielding tremendously and due to the relatively dry moisture content, is coming off the fields rapidly. Most were seeing moistures in the mid to upper teens on earlier maturing hybrids (95 – 100 day) with full season hybrids in the low 20’s. Stalk quality has been an issue in places although in the absence of windy, wet conditions, it has remained in the background. After Monday’s wind however, some may have to rethink the notion of waiting for corn to dry in the field so it can be dumped directly in the bin. Still too early for ammonia application.

Many questions about the spate of annoying insects, namely multi-colored Asian lady beetles and minute pirate bugs. Unfortunately for us as humans, these insects have run out of soft bodied insects to chew on and are looking for a snack before packing it in for winter. It is a common misconception that the lady beetles are only attracted to soybeans. They have for the most part been spending much of their time recently either in the corn searching out the last remaining aphids, in trees doing same or have followed the surviving soybean aphids to their overwintering host, namely buckthorn. They then look for places to hole up for the winter, including your house. Less is known about minute pirate bugs. For starters they’re not trying to squat in your house. They become more well-known this time of year once their food sources are depleted. They then migrate to overwintering sites such as leaf litter, like that surrounding many houses this time of year. They can inflict a rather painful bite. Some are referring to these true bugs as “no see ‘ems” although they are not related to the tiny biting flies that develop from larvae in rivers and streams earlier in the year. Their calling card is a nasty welt. Despite the bites being painful, there’s generally little evidence you’ve been bitten by a minute pirate bug.

 http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/insects/find/multicolored-asian-lady-beetles/

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/newsrel/2003/nov03/nov0318.html

After having numerous distractions the previous weekend, it was finally time to put the mower deck back under Whitey with new belts. While the deck was off I decided it was a good time to put a quick edge on the blades with the angle grinder. I flipped the blades over so the edges could be accessed. With the cordless impact driver, it was a quick process. Changed the oil in the process while the deck was off and things went smoothly. Even the deck that was somewhat persnickety about coming off went on easier than I would’ve guessed. Heading towards the shed and the grease gun I turned the blades on expecting to see grass fly about 20’. Instead it barely cleared the discharge chute. Puzzled, I peered under the deck only to see that in my haste I had committed a cardinal sin: I’d left the blades upside down! Nothing a few more minutes of wrenching couldn’t solve but an embarrassment nonetheless. Didn’t take long and the road ditch was returned to its original pristine condition.

The mowing done and a minor crisis averted where a deer had apparently gone through the fence again, it was time to sneak off for a cruise. Days such as Sunday were made for taking the Silver Hawk out to gaze at the leaves as well as running reconnaissance on area farmers. Mrs. Cheviot and I made a whirlwind tour. We stopped in Waseca for gas where a gentleman admired the car as I filled it up. We then proceeded to Le Center and Cleveland then on to Madison Lake to wet our whistle at the Trailblazer. It was a warm day.  With the heater core on the Silver Hawk positioned under the passenger side seat as was common back in the day, it was even warmer. Not many people in the Trailblazer Sunday afternoon although several noticed and commented on the Stude. On the way home we swerved around Betsy’s dad who was pulling a wagon toward the field. Moments later we received a call from him saying how cool the car looked. Looking at the phone I noticed that there had been another call from Shannon Shonrock’s uncle. Upon calling him back, he too had spied us rolling past his place. Suddenly it dawned on me: This is not the vehicle to go driving around in if you plan on going someplace incognito. Likely have to break out the Soccer Mom van, wigs and sunglasses for that.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Leaves are falling all around, it's time I was on my way

The scurs had the Weather Eye dialed in again over the weekend and the fan was stuck on high Monday, again. Will our recent warm conditions remain or will we begin our transition into more normal temperatures?  Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with highs in the upper 60’s with lows in the upper 30’s. Thursday, sunny with a slight chance for and overnight shower. Highs in the low 60’s with lows in the mid 40’s. Mostly cloudy Friday with a good chance of showers. Highs in the upper 50’s and lows in the upper 40’s. Saturday, partly sunny with highs in the upper 50’s and lows in the upper 30’s. Sunny on Sunday with highs in the mid 50’s and lows in the upper 30’s. Monday, partly sunny with a slight chance of showers. Highs in the mid 50’s and lows in the upper 30’s. Cloudy for Tuesday with a slight chance of a shower. Highs in the mid 50’s and lows in the mid 30’s. The normal high for October 27th is 54 and the normal low is 33. The scurs are toying with the notion of putting their patio furniture away. After all the wind they’ll have to find it first.

The Full Moon for October lands on the 27th and is known as the Full Hunters Moon. It was at this time that Native Americans and settlers alike were busily stocking up for the long winter ahead. Deer, waterfowl, grouse, squirrels and other game were fattened up and available for the larder. The Ojibwe called this the Falling Leaves Moon and the Sioux similarly called it the Moon of the Falling Leaves. At the ranch we go by the Do Chores in the Dark (both times) Moon.

Harvest is beginning to wind down across much of the area. The soybeans are essentially all combined with even the replants in the wet spots disappearing in recent days. Less than 25% of the corn remains in the field with moisture content continuing to plummet. Much of the corn being harvested is in the mid-teens allowing many to dump it directly in the bin without drying and just running air on it. It has been a storybook ending to the cropping season for most. Sure it had its ups and downs; they all do. In spite of the excess rains in June and an encore performance for some in July, the crop exceeded expectations for many. It goes to show that rain in the months of July and August can make a tremendous difference in the outcome of our crops after coming up short over the past several years.

Where are we going into next year? We have seen an extremely dusty, dry month of October. As of the 20th, we have recorded only a trace of moisture a couple times at the ranch so we are due. It would give us a welcome respite from a harvest that has essentially been non-stop since late September.  A major El Niño is already firmly entrenched and the forecast for the upper Midwest is for a drier and warmer than normal winter. Few will be disappointed with that. Our soil moisture is generally in good shape although this past couple weeks has caused the surface to become rather hard particularly where soils had been subject to excess moisture earlier in the year. As measured at the SROC in Waseca on the 16th, there is just under 10” of available soil moisture in the top 5’ of soil. Bear in mind that the SROC recorded several inches more precip than we did for the months of August and September.  One might suspect especially on some of the ground that was worked early, there might be less soil moisture than that here.

Our cropping season at the ranch has largely ended as well. About the only thing that remains is some possible horseradish digging and grinding. The apple picking needs to be finished up too as the call for apple crisp and apple pies from the Haralson tree will only increase. So will the bird damage, the worst in years. Among the lucky finds before last week’s frost were dozens of tomatoes, some of which were nestled under a cover of leaves. Indian corn, gourds and pumpkins decorate the house inside and out. The sheep get some of them that aren’t keeping well. As fat as they are, they really don’t need anything extra but that doesn’t stop them from running towards the fence any time you approach it. Always looking for a handout.

Sunday morning I had to haul one of the buck lambs over to the pasture to join the ewes there. He was cooperative about being caught and going into the trailer. Unusual especially when it comes to Cheviot sheep. Frequently you need to be wearing track shoes, helmets and other protective gear. We made the trip quickly although I had to go find the ewes upon our arrival. When I slid the gate open on the trailer he didn’t waste any time hopping out or attempting to hop on for that matter. Sort of a poor man’s version of dropping Lamar Odom off at a brothel.

Mrs. Cheviot was gone on Sunday so I rambled off on another cruise with Auntie Mar Mar and Unkie Greg. We retraced much of our route from the prior week and were disappointed that much of the fall color had disappeared from the wind. It still was fun to cruise the backroads I frequent during the growing season and hear Mar Mar comment from the backseat, “I have no idea where the heck we are!” Unkie Greg bought me a libation and some appetizers at the Trailblazer as we wound our way towards home. Best of all though, Auntie Mar Mar left us a blueberry coffee cake that I promised to share with Mrs. Cheviot. I was tempted not to though. Warmed up in the microwave then topped with a little butter, it’s even better than a Drake’s coffee cake.

See you next week…real good then.

[Fawkinnae]

Sort of a poor man’s version of dropping Lamar Odom off at a brothel. 

[Dotch]

Must be getting early, clocks are running late

The Acme fan the scurs ordered for the Weather Eye is proving to be more than they bargained for. Will it continue to mean windy conditions or will a new control switch solve the problem? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with a good chance of  showers, possibly turning to snow before morning. Highs in the upper 40’s with lows in the low 30’s. Thursday, mostly cloudy with highs in the mid 40’s and lows in the low 30’s. Partly sunny Friday with an increasing chance of showers. Highs in the upper 40’s and lows in the upper 30’s. Saturday, partly sunny with a slight chance of a shower. Highs in the mid 50’s and lows in the low 40’s. Sunny on Sunday with a slight chance of an evening shower. Highs in the upper 50’s with lows in the mid 40’s. Monday, partly sunny with a slight chance of showers. Highs in the upper 50’s and lows in the low 40’s. Partly cloudy for Tuesday with a slight chance of a shower. Highs in the upper 50’s and lows in the low 40’s. The normal high for November 1st is 51 and the normal low is 31. The scurs will be hosting as many trick or treaters as the candy budget will support. After that they’re on their own.

It’s that weekend we’ve waited all summer for: The end of Daylight Wasting Time! Time to set our clocks back an hour at 2 a.m. on November 1st. Nationwide, many people will once again wind up in the emergency room because they fell off a chair while changing their clocks back. Light in the morning and dark by 5 in the afternoon. Personally, I won’t be around. I’ll be in Canada where they also witness this nonsensical changing of the clocks thing. And guess what? I will still sleep another hour in protest!

There is still some corn left to be harvested in pockets although those pockets are shrinking every day. Moistures did pick up slightly with last Friday’s rains so Monday’s breezes were welcome from that standpoint. The rain was also welcome as the dry conditions were putting us at greater risk for fires. Miraculously very few incidents have occurred locally although other areas have not been as fortunate. The rainfall also settled the dust on the gravel roads, something that was making them hazardous to travel on especially when meeting or following large trucks. Having recovered from the writer’s cramp after recording the summer rainfall, I managed to pencil in .3” and in town about .25”. It was the first measurable precip since September 24th. In the fields fall anhydrous ammonia applications are starting. The calendar and soil temperatures are all pointing in the right direction so it should be an acceptable time to begin.

Apple harvest at the ranch has concluded. Mrs. Cheviot got the apples the birds hadn’t pecked off the trees so it was up to Mr. Cheviot to finish the honors. Lucky for me the skid loader was handy as I used the scoop shovel on the last of the apples and proceeded to dump them over the fence to the sheep. Not exactly like they really need anything more to eat although they never argue when extra vegetative material is tossed their way. The last of the tomatoes were a pleasant culinary find. Not always the case. They have been amongst the best flavored of the season although they don’t keep for long. Finding that to be the case with some of the gourds and squash as well. The warm temperatures we keep getting seem to be having a negative effect in that department.

The summer bird watching and feeding has segued into the fall/winter segment. Bluebirds continue to filter through, looking over the nesting boxes perhaps for future reference. The hummingbird feeder was taken down and cleaned for the last time and the last of the suet feeders was hung in its place. The nuthatches, the downy, hairy, and red-bellied woodpeckers have all been busy on those feeders. They also seem to be annoyed by the house sparrows who try to horn in on the sunflower feeder, shooing them away when they want their turn. There are also five huge blue jays who were some of the likely culprits in destroying a portion of the apple crop. There are still more than we’ll ever eat though so they get a pass.

Saturday we mad another leaf watching trip in the Stude only to get to the other side of Lansing and discover that the ammeter was indicating it wasn’t charging the battery. Luckily it had been working up until that point so we continued on our abridged journey. There were still areas of color as we went east particularly in the small bergs and villages along the way. Lots of huge corn piles too at the local elevators where there was no room in the bins. As we came in our driveway at home we were greeted by the pin oak and red oak that were reaching their peak color. Probably could’ve just sat in the car, stared at those two trees and stayed home.

Sunday was relatively calm so it was a decent day to get the screenings cleaned up at the kindly neighbors’. After making the annual pilgrimage there for many moons I’ve long since forgotten how many years it is. It went smoothly and the small ewe flock there was happy to see the screenings suddenly appear in their feeders. There again, they don’t need extra feed either. They’ve picked up the few acorns that fell in their pasture and the grass grew exceptionally well with all the rainfall. Still, it’s nice to get them started on some feed and screenings work well in that department. And the price is certainly right, not to mention the exercise I desperately need this time of year. I have Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas in my sights.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

And to our health we drank a thousand times, it's time to ramble on

The recent warmth has the scurs wondering if the Weather Eye will continue to spew forth heat or suddenly get back to more normal conditions for November. Only time will tell. Starting Wednesday, aside from some possible morning drizzle, mostly sunny with highs in the upper 60’s and lows in the mid 50’s. Thursday, mostly cloudy with a good chance of showers. Highs in the low 60’s and lows in the upper 30’s. Sunny Friday with highs in the upper 40’s and lows in the low 30’s. Saturday, mostly sunny with a highs in the mid 40’s and lows in the low 30’s. Sunny on Sunday with highs in the low 50’s and lows in the upper 30’s. Monday, mostly sunny with highs in the low 50’s and lows in the upper 30’s. Partly sunny for Tuesday with highs in the low 50’s and lows in the low 30’s. The sun sets before 5 p.m. on the 5th and we slide below 10 hours of daylight on November 7th for the first time since February 3rd. The normal high for November 7th is 47 and the normal low is 29. The scurs will be rationing their leftover Halloween candy, hoping it will tide them over until Turkey Day.

Anhydrous ammonia and tillage operations were underway in many areas this past week. The telltale signs of anhydrous ammonia applicators were present in many area fields upon my return from a short trip. There certainly is no hurry however if the warm temperatures are any indication. The closer one can make the applications to freeze up of course it makes the likelihood of loss much lower. Soil conditions are probably about as good as I can ever recall them being for fall ammonia so it appears to be sealing up very well. Rainfall in the month of October turned out to be moderate after a very dry first three weeks, garnering 1.08” at the ranch and just about 1.05” in the gauge at the Mall for Men.

Yet one last trip to Canada to help my little fat buddy Billy of the North to help winterize his cabin before winter sets in. Before leaving everyone always assumes we’re going fishing and while we always have that option, just getting away from the hustle and bustle a few days is more than adequate for me. The flora and fauna keep matters interesting. Trying to think about how the pieces fit together make it an endless puzzle to ponder as we keep in mind that it really doesn’t matter; it’s there to keep us guessing. On the way north from Bemidji, flocks of snow buntings were common as we headed to Frostbite Falls. A harbinger of things to come I fear. The morning after we arrived at camp, the chickadees were on hand to greet us. They appeared to be searching for some small insects on the branch tips of the pine and white cedar. It made me wonder if on some future visit what they might do with some of the sunflower seeds prized by the local chickadee population at home. Some redpolls and siskins could also be heard although not seen, a behavior many of us grew up with.

Leaves were down with the exception of some red and pin oaks along the way. Some tamaracks were still clinging stubbornly to their needles in places even well into Canada. Their yellow tinge blended into the dark green evergreens remained against the gray backdrop; signs of hope that the landscape would once again come to life when the seasons change.

The weather was gray as well. From Thursday through Monday morning we saw the sun for about 10 minutes. Temperatures were freezing when we arrived making the front porch slick. Visions of doing a one and a half somersault in the middle of the night while making a nature call danced in my head. Luckily it did warm up slightly so the frosty porch was no longer an issue. However temperatures didn’t get much above 40 for the duration of our stay. Still not bad considering what it’s capable of. At least we didn’t have to get out the heavy artillery, namely the long johns and thick wool socks. Come about January, we’d take some of those temperatures even in our latitude.

We were also on a diplomatic mission. Some compensation for services rendered needed to be made. We went to Atikokan to bearing gifts for some nice folks who drained Bill’s cabin water previously when the weather managed to dip below freezing. Unlike greater Bugtussle, water lines are unable to be buried six or more feet deep. There simply isn’t six feet or more of soil to bury them in in most places. Later we went to another neighbor on the lake for socializing and to drop off some food items that wouldn’t make it through customs for the journey south. It’s fascinating to me anyway to visit with these hardy souls and learn more about how they think and live for that matter. Canadians are wonderful neighbors. We could definitely do much worse. I feel a kindred spirit with them living as close to Canada as I once did. The land can be cold and forbidding at times while the people typically remain genuine and as warm as a July afternoon.

Once back home again the dogs were excited to see me, especially Fudgie. I laughed as her mannerisms seemed to belie that 13 year old body, acting like a Border Collie half her age. Ruby of course definitely behaves like a two-year old all the time and is shedding hair massively to boot. Actually both dogs are. One look at my sweatshirt after some doggie affection and it definitely meant another bomb session with the brush soon. That in addition to countless other chores needing to get done before the snow flies. No rest for the wicked.

See you next week…real good then.