Fencelines

[Dotch]

Well, I'm a vampire, baby, sucking blood from the earth

Warm and dry after wondering when the snow would fly, the scurs had the Weather Eye dialed back into mid-September. Are Jack Frost and Old Man Winter on vacation or planning their comeback? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with highs in the low 70’s and lows in the mid-50’s. Partly sunny becoming mostly cloudy on Thursday with a good chance of evening rain. Highs in the upper 60’s with lows in the low 40’s. Mostly cloudy on Friday with a good chance of showers. Highs in the mid-40’s with lows in the upper 30’s. Saturday, mostly cloudy with a good chance of rain. Highs in the low 50’s with lows in the low 40’s. Partly sunny on Sunday with a fair chance of showers early. Highs in the low 50’s with lows in the low 30’s. Monday, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of a shower. Highs in the low 50’s with lows in the low 30’s. Mostly cloudy with a fair chance of showers on Election Day Tuesday. Highs in the mid-50’s with lows in the mid-20’s. On the 7th we slide below 10 hours of daylight and won’t see that much again until February 4th. The normal high for November 8th is 45 and the normal low is 28. On the 6th, the scurs will be up at the crack of 2 a.m. standing on chairs to set their clocks back.
 
Daylight Saving Time comes to an end as mentioned on the 6th. It comes with a sigh of relief after being robbed of an hour of sleep earlier in the year. Of course, those who like the extra hour of daylight on the end of their day don’t think it’s so great. As rural America has morphed from being less and less evening livestock chore oriented, it matters less than it once did. We have electric lights that make the process less involved than carrying kerosene lanterns to the barn as once was the case. To a large extent, that rural America is long gone. Public opinion polls have shown the time change to be unpopular with a majority here in the US. It’s a matter of deciding which time regimen we can agree on. In this day and age, businesses should be able to set their own hours according to their personal preference, winter hours vs. summer hours. With all the social media, internet and even the lowly telephone where heaven forbid you talk to someone, we ought to be able to get it done. Just do it.

By coincidence, the Full Moon falls on the 8th as does Election Day. We seem to elect a lot of blood sucking vampires to office anyway so what could possibly go wrong? This Full Moon goes primarily by the Full Beaver Moon, however. The settlers and traders spent much of the month trapping beaver in the shallow waters, so they’d have plenty of warm furs for the long cold winter. It is sometimes called the Frosty Moon. The Ojibwe called it the Freezing Moon and the Sioux named it the Moon of Falling Leaves. At the ranch we know it as the Wrap up Moon as we prepare the lawn, garden and livestock for what is usually a long, cold and sometimes snowy winter ahead.
   
After some extremely cold low temperatures earlier in the month, conditions rebounded quickly and put harvest ahead of schedule. It dried the crop quickly so that if one had room for it, the corn harvest was completed in rapid fashion. Some corn was dry enough to be dumped directly in the bin without artificial drying. If it needed drying, it went through the systems quickly as the warm dry air took less heating to maintain a drying temperature. It was one of the most dramatic changes in a short period of time of any fall in recent memory. Many were convinced it would take most of September for the crop to reach maturity as most of it did. One wouldn’t have bet though we’d be lucky enough to draw an October with above normal temperatures so one could essentially harvest at will. Not our first rodeo. Aside from some scattered fall fertilizer application, it has become eerily quiet once again across the landscape.

It has us ahead of schedule at the ranch to some degree as well. As is normally the case, once we get done with everyone else’s farming, we can focus on things like getting screenings all picked up and covered in a wagon, procuring enough straw to bed the sheep for the winter, grinding up the leaves on the lawn once they’ve fallen, and barn cleaning. Hopefully this fall will allow us to get some of the items cleaned out of the barn that are just in the way, so we have room to store more of our equipment inside. If anyone is looking for a couple flare boxes in good condition, I know where there are a couple really nice ones. Better in your shed than mine. All you have to do is call.

The backyard bird population continues to ebb and flow as migrating birds stop, refuel, and move on towards their eventual destinations. The robins have been more numerous than ever, and the birdbath shows it. When it gets empty the bottom is covered with nannyberry pits. I suspect the cedar waxwings are also culprits, but their stealthy nature makes them more difficult to detect. There are other birds such as an occasional white-throated sparrow. Most others move through so quickly and are elusive, so they go unnoticed. Some of the ear corn I kept after doing yield estimates or gleaned while soil sampling has been put to good use. The squirrels like it of course but so do the blue jays and red-bellied woodpeckers. They become vocal when they’re out of corn and let me know their feeder needs to be refilled. Fortunately there is no hurry. They’ve got plenty of other sources of food, especially with the warmer temperatures keeping insects active well into the first week of November.

Poppy will have the first appointment with the veterinarian under her belt by the time this reaches print. Her shots and worming were kept well up to date by the breeder so it should be a fairly uneventful visit. All of our dogs have liked going to the vet. The vets and their staff have all made their visits a positive experience. Poppy’s still small enough so it’s easy to pick her up for a while anyway. The neighbor girls stopped up to trick or treat and a good time was had by all. Socializing dogs as puppies is important. It helps make them more user friendly as adults when company arrives, especially children. Kids often don’t realize that their behavior can trigger an aggressive response by the dog through no fault of their own. A lot of dog training winds up being human training. Luckily, Corgis are wired a little differently, are cuddly, and seem to genuinely enjoy the attention people give them. It’s easy to give them lots of attention even if it means bending down a little farther to accomplish it.
 
See you next week…real good then.     

[Dotch]

I gave you all fair warning

After more warm temps, the scurs are hoping the Weather Eye is still stuck on at least October. Is Old Man Winter ready to assume the reins or will he remain on vacation a little longer? Starting Wednesday, cloudy with a good chance of rain. Highs in the mid-60’s with lows in the low 60’s. Cloudy on Thursday with a good chance of rain. Highs around 60 with lows in the mid-20’s. Mostly cloudy on Veteran’s Day with a slight chance of snow showers. Highs in the low 30’s with lows in the mid-teens. Saturday, mostly cloudy with highs in the mid-20’s and lows in the low teens. Partly sunny on Sunday with highs in the low 20’s and lows in the low teens. Monday, partly sunny with highs in the upper 20’s and lows in the low teens. Mostly cloudy with a slight chance of snow showers on Tuesday. Highs in the mid-30’s with lows in the mid-teens. On the 9th, the sun will rise at 7 a.m. The normal high for Veterans Day is 44 and the normal low is 26. A sneak peek ahead to Thanksgiving Day shows us cloudy day with highs in the upper 30’s and lows in the low 20’s. The scurs are honoring the veterans not only on Friday, but every day. Without their sacrifice this great American experiment would not be possible.

It doesn’t appear promising for a major warmup anytime soon. We were given fair warning in mid-October with some of the lows in the mid-teens and some seeing the occasional snowflake. Even though the NOAA predictions were for a better than even chance of above normal temps for November, we likely have seen the best of it. The precipitation for the entire fall has been below normal, not unlike the previous two falls. November appears on track to continue that trend. Might argue this fall recharge is critical. No one would disagree that it’s nice to have some moisture to draw upon in the soil profile. However, if one looks at our yields the past two seasons, one could also make a case for timely rains being equally if not more important. We’ll address more on the weather in the harvest column Eli has me slated to work on.

Field work is still winding down. Just about the time one thinks it’s over, anhydrous ammonia tanks and applicators appear with dry fertilizer being applied just ahead of them. It should be about ideal. Given the weather forecasts, soil temperatures will very likely remain well below the magical 50-degree mark for the duration. Not to fret just yet if anhydrous was applied earlier and was subject to soil temps above that. Even if there was some conversion, there has been little precip to leach the nitrate nitrogen or for denitrification to occur for that matter. Along with that, there is likely to be some residual nitrogen left in the profile from this past cropping season. All of this comes into play and worrying about it will drive you crazy.
 
Fieldwork brings back memories and some of them not always fond. Having a cab on a tractor was a dream that never materialized growing up. Consequently when plowing in the fall, it was common to keep one hand on the wheel and sit on the other one for a round to keep it warm. When turning on the headlands and dropping the plow in the furrow, swapping their positions the next round. There was no sound protection either so after several hours of plowing, getting off the tractor for the night meant ears ringing from the sound of the six-cylinder International gas engine. I have plenty of excuses including loud rock and roll music for hearing loss although some that I claim is probably selective. The older you are the easier it becomes to use that one.

At the ranch, progress continues to be made towards getting the lawn and garden put to bed for another season. The apple trees that bore so heavily have been the focus of much of that energy. Sanitation is key to keeping pests and disease to a minimum. The sheep have been beneficiaries of copious amounts of apples as well as the leaves that largely fell while they were still green due to the extremely cold temps in October. There were plenty of apples as the birds and windy conditions made for a large amount of ground falls. It was definitely time to put the bunny guards around the hydrangea and the burning bushes. There were signs on the burning bushes that the cottontails had already been pruning them. Getting as many of the leaves on the rest of the yard pulverized with the mulching attachment on the zero turn would be a feather in my cap before the rain and/or snow flies.

Got the radiator replaced on the pickup so hauling the bulk of the lamb crop to Zumbrota could happen. As we’ve gotten older, we’ve resorted to more trickery and deception to load them. Livestock as slow to catch on as sheep it makes the process easier. Depriving the group in question of hay and tossing it in the trailer seems to work wonders. Sorting gates that pinch the group down tighter, so they have little other choice than to jump in the trailer don’t hurt. I’m getting used to the trip to Zumbrota after several excursions. It’s pretty country and allows me a chance to compare harvest progress. I become frustrated with Google Maps when it routes me down gravel roads then on the return home, routes me on all nice smooth blacktop. What’s up with that? Pretty sure someone just throws darts at the map. The main thing is still getting the livestock off the trailer and getting back home in one piece.
 
Poppy has been a MN resident now for a month. She has changed dramatically in a month’s time. Her puppy fur is being overgrown by a beautiful, shiny, thick winter coat. The only bad thing about that is that Corgis have a reputation for shedding that precedes them. I have to wonder how much worse it could be than some of the Border Collie shedding we’ve experienced over the years. They were bigger dogs so it would follow that there was apt to be more fur. At any rate, Poppy has made herself at home. She barks at things that are out of place, much like the Border Collies did. Move a vehicle, park a wagon or leave a shovel someplace where it wasn’t before, and the barking ensues. Still a lot of chewing going on as her adult teeth work their way under the baby teeth. Another couple months and we should be through the worst of that. Poppy’s a bundle of energy until her batteries wear down. Then she likes to find a nice warm spot to nap. In light of the cold weather forecast, not a bad idea.
 
See you next week…real good then.   

[Dotch]

Since the Mrs. had her run in with the non-handicap curb, I've neglected to get the column posted here. So, what I have done is to post the back issues, dated, with their rock and roll lyric reference. Here we go:

11/15/22

So you take it on the run

As the scurs feared, the Weather Eye was the bearer of bad news. Old Man Winter appears to be here to stay. Will he be moderately well behaved or a real pain? Starting Wednesday, cloudy with a slight chance of snow. Highs in the upper 20’s with lows in the low teens. Cloudy on Thursday with highs in the low 20’s and lows around 5. Mostly cloudy Friday with highs in the mid-teens and lows around 5. Saturday, mostly cloudy with highs in the mid-teens and lows around 5. Sunny on Sunday with highs in the low 20’s and lows in the mid-teens. Monday, mostly sunny with highs in the upper 20’s and lows in the mid-teens. Mostly cloudy on Tuesday with highs in the mid-30’s and lows in the upper teens. On the 20th, we fall below 9 hours and 30 minutes of daylight. We won’t get back to that much daylight again until January 22nd. The good news is the loss of daylight slows to about 2 minutes per day on November 21st. The normal high for November 20th is 39 and the normal low is 23. A sneak peek at Thanksgiving Day: Cloudy with a slight chance of snow. Highs in the mid-30’s and lows around 20. The scurs will be checking that stove wood supply for cooking that turkey next week. Hopefully they didn’t burn up too much on s’mores.

Farming at least crop farming is coming to a close quickly. The light snow on top of the ground may insulate it for a while but with forecast lows in the single digits forthcoming, odds are the ground will become stiff in a hurry for most tillage operations. Right now it’s a good time to get everything put away and close the buildings up tight so the snow stays where it belongs. A lot of the seed, fertilizer and chemical has been prepaid as farmers try to get the best discounts for the upcoming growing season. A lot of grain has been contracted as well so trucks will be on the move as it reaches its destination. Prices were favorable so why not? A profit is a profit.

Around the yard and garden at the ranch, more putting things to bed for the season. The last of the leaves under the apple trees were ground just ahead of the rain that fell on the 8th and 9th. The apples made their way over the fence as well. Since there were plenty, the sheep at the kindly neighbors even got a couple pails worth. Coralbells and astilbes were covered with bunny proof guards. There are plenty of cottontails when one ventures out in the dark for Poppy’s potty breaks. Some of them will walk right up to you before deciding you might be Elmer Fudd and running the other direction. The recent snowfall will indicate just how many bunnies there are out there. Could make some hassenpfeffer.
 
The birds reacted quickly after the snowfall and colder temperatures. Once the feeders were refilled, the feeding frenzy was on. The goldfinches must have decided the thistle seed tubes were easier picking than what they’ve been feeding on and have pulled on them pretty hard. Likewise with the ear corn, suet and sunflower feeders. Many of the woodpeckers have reappeared after being absent during the warm fall weather we were experiencing. The raucous blue jays are a constant source of noise, and the chickadees are constant visitors.

Something that becomes apparent once the leaves are gone are the numerous birds nests that graced the property over the course of the spring and summer. Most common are the robin nests followed by grackle nests. Many of the grackle nests bit the dust prior to the fall and were ground up by the lawnmower. Probably the most interesting is the crow nest that was on the north side of the barn. They kept it quiet but there’s quite the wad of stuff up in the pine tree. The squirrel nests are up in the ash trees on the south side of the house. How I’ll never know. Ash leaves decompose about like Kleenex.

It's soon time to bring the sheep home from the kindly neighbor’s pasture. They’ve been there since May 22nd, so it’s been another long season. Never seems like at the start of it that snow and cold will eventually dictate when that season is over. When the mineral starts disappearing at a faster than normal rate, the quality of the forage is waning. That’s usually a clue although when they don’t eat the apples down quickly, they’re probably not starving either. Supplementing with screenings might have something to do with it. They were decent quality and when fed in sufficient quantity, seemed to meet with their dietary demands. Probably the biggest issue is hauling 5-gallon buckets of water. Highly overrated.
 
Poppy left little doubt about what she thought of the snow. She loved it! When it started to accumulate on Monday, you could just tell by the way she tugged on the leash that she wanted to get loose and tear around in it in the worst way. Letting her off the leash is a little scary but up near the house, it’s worth it. Corgis like to run. Even though their little legs are short, they can move when they want to. Some call these high-speed circling antics “zoomies”, because that’s about what they’re doing, zooming around as fast as they can. It was interesting to see the circular pattern in the snow after I let Poppy go. She enjoyed every minute of it. When she came back inside afterwards, she was ready for a nice long nap on a nice warm lap. Within minutes she was fast asleep. That can be contagious this time of year.

See you next week…real good then.

11/22/22

(No lyrics-I must've forgot & hit send by mistake)

The scurs have adjusted the Weather Eye so hopefully it makes a slightly better week of weather for Thanksgiving.  Will Old Man Winter take his foot off our throat or are we doomed for another week of agony? Starting Wednesday, sunny with highs in the mid-30’s and lows in the lower 30’s. Mostly cloudy on Thanksgiving Day with highs in the mid-30’s and lows in the low 20’s. Sunny on Friday with highs in the mid-30’s and lows in the mid-20’s. Saturday, mostly sunny with highs in the low 40’s and lows in the mid-20’s. Mostly sunny on Sunday with highs in the mid-30’s and lows in the low 20’s. Monday, partly sunny with highs in the mid-30’s and lows in the mid-20’s. Mostly sunny on Tuesday with highs in the mid-30’s and lows in the low 20’s. Thanksgiving Day falls on the 24th this year, on the earlier side although it can be as early as the 22nd. The normal high for November 24th is 37 and the normal low is 21. The scurs will be sleeping in on Black Friday, sure in the knowledge that there will be lots of time for Christmas shopping.

Many cash grain farmers went into hiding mode last week and understandably so. The temperatures were cold, and snow kept accumulating over the course of the week. Up to 6” fell locally and while it wasn’t a lot, the wind made sure it blew into places where most didn’t want it. Yards were scraped and gouged with tractor loaders peeling back hunks of sod. Signs that the highway departments had struggled with ground that had froze yet were abundant as well. Why does that matter? Largely because there was some precipitation in the snow and with the ground still thawed, odds are it will wind up in the soil profile for next year’s crops. It wasn’t a large amount, somewhere in the neighborhood of a half inch, but it’s still moisture we might not have otherwise had. We take it any way we can get it.

Very much the same scenario at the ranch and the kindly neighbors, where the snow postponed moving the sheep home. It had been on the agenda although extenuating circumstances at the ranch had also come into play. As the winds began to howl, the snow swirled around the barn there and made it dicey to attempt a rescue. Getting the pickup and trailer stuck is never on my list of fun things to do so the sheep stayed put another week. As luck would have it, the forecast looked more favorable and with a little patience, much of the snow may be melted by the weekend. Beats battling the snowdrifts and near blizzard conditions.

The extenuating circumstances referred to involve Mrs. Cheviot’s broken ankle that happened back on the 12th. It has meant a heavy load on yours truly when it comes to almost everything. With surgery required it has meant numerous doctor visits, scans and consultations. Fortunately we got through most of that last week so getting through the surgery is the next major step. In the meantime we’ve accumulated all kinds of scooters, chairs, crutches, shower stools, you name it. We’ve been very fortunate that we have good friends and neighbors. It’s made the whole process go more smoothly.

I’m not the greatest when it comes to caring for two-legged creatures, probably because I haven’t had a lot of practice. The only way to get good at doing anything is to actually do it. I’m getting better but I tire more easily than I once did. Happens when you’re 64. One thing is certain; the dishwasher is my friend. I hate washing dishes. Anything that can go in the dishwasher goes in the dishwasher. There are plenty of other things going on that I don’t need to be diddling around with my hands in the sink. My fingers are already cracked pretty well from cleaning out sheep waterers as it is.
 
Poppy has been good about it as well. She’s all puppy yet but can tone it down when it looks like we need a break, sleeping for extended periods in her kennel without complaint. I get her out to do her business as frequently as possible and she’s been a trooper, with no messes in her kennel. The one that amazes me is the 3 a.m. stroll we take. She seems to know that we don’t want to waste time out there so gets it over with quickly. It probably hasn’t hurt that it’s been so cold. Both of us want to get back in the house as soon as possible.

Chore time is usually Poppy’s fun time. There are lots of smells, sights and sounds create near sensory overload for a young puppy at times. One morning I could hear something flying above us sounding almost like cattle lowing. When I looked up, I counted 20 swans high tailing it south. Poppy heard the sound as well and gave them several little, short puppy “woofs” as they passed overhead. On the way back in from chores Poppy knows she’ll be eating her breakfast or supper depending on time of day. That means letting her off the leash about halfway back to the house so she can let ‘er rip. Zoomies are the order of the day, with those stubby little legs churning for all their worth.

It was 10 years ago that we had Mom over for her last Thanksgiving. It seems like it was only yesterday sometimes. When I’d go get her it was something we always looked forward to as she’d stay several days with her companion dog Fudgie. We’d feast, look for the sheep devouring their pumpkins and watch for pheasants as they made their way around the building site. Best of all we’d simply relax and watch the world go by. Miss those days and wish she could’ve met Poppy but simply glad we had them just the same. As the years roll on past, we’ll always have them, knowing they’ll never be duplicated.
 
See you next week…real good then.
 
 

[glenn57]

 

[Dotch]

Geesh! I must've hit the send key!

11/29/22

Coming, coming home

For most the scurs tinkering with the Weather Eye met with their approval, especially Saturday’s 53-degree high to end the week. Will we see temps like that anytime soon or are we in for the inevitable? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with highs in the low 20’s and lows around 5. Mostly cloudy on Thursday with steady temperatures around 30. Partly sunny on Friday with highs in the upper 30’s and lows around 10. Saturday, sunny with highs in the low 20’s and lows around 10. Partly sunny on Sunday with highs in the low 30’s and lows in the mid-teens. Monday, partly sunny with a slight chance of snow. Highs in the mid-20’s with lows around 10. Cloudy on Tuesday with a slight chance of snow. Highs in the mid-20’s with lows around 5. The sun will rise at 7:30 on December 3rd. The normal high for December 3rd is 33 and the normal low is 17. Refreshed after sleeping in on Black Friday, the scurs are poised to put off Christmas shopping for another week.

The snowfall that was making yards a pain to get around and roads even worse almost completely melted. Almost except for the piles containing the reminders of all the gravel scooped off the driveways and sod scraped off the lawns! As mentioned last week, much of this snow probably went into the ground as a result of the soil thawing or not being frozen in the first place. That is likely to change soon however and like most winters, snowfall won’t add much to our tank for next year’s crops and gardens once the ground is frozen. Not to worry just yet. We’ve made do starting with dry soils from the fall before and the past two seasons were a prime example. I’m still worn out from picking string beans.

Bird watching has tended to ebb and flow at the ranch. When the cold and snow were the order of the day, there were birds galore. Once it began to warm up and the snow left, so did many of the birds. For some, there were probably other food sources they had access to again. There were even some insects out and about. Flies and boxelder bugs were spotted on the south side of the barn. There has also been a Cooper’s hawk out and about. When it shows up, that seems to put a damper on the activity at the feeders big time.
 
At the ranch we were able to make the most of the warmer temperatures, getting all the pumpkins resembling deflated basketballs gathered up with the tractor and dumped in the pasture. The extremely tall corn shock that adorned the yard went with them. Some asked if the shock was made from a particularly tall 113-day hybrid. It wasn’t. It was just from the Indian corn we’d harvested. Regardless, it didn’t take the sheep long to catch on that there were vittles to be had other than the hay they’d been grinding away on. As I backed the tractor down the hill with the bucket low enough so they could see it, the whole darn flock followed until I dumped it. There was a free for all and a lot of orange noses on pointy-eared, white-faced sheep afterwards.
 
As luck would have it, the snow melting sufficiently also meant I was able to pick up the sheep at the kindly neighbors. I’d been feeding them inside the barn anyway so closing the barn door the before made it easier. Chasing livestock is not on my list of favorite activities. I was able to back the trailer up to the door with relative confidence that I wouldn’t get stuck in the snow. A greater concern was rutting up the yard because it was muddy. There was a big mudhole that had formed right in front of the door but since I only needed to wallow through it on foot it, it wasn’t a concern.

 The Cheviots were Cheviots. Some went right in the trailer; others were stubborn and wouldn’t load up while most jumped back out once they decided something was up. I was able to squeeze the group down with a hog panel and all hopped in except one black ewe. She decided it was a good idea to slide the barn door open wide enough to escape. That backfired quickly once she discovered all her buddies were already locked in the trailer. Since sheep are clannish, it’s easy to use that against them. Lock the ewes already in the trailer in the front compartment and after letting the escape artist back in the barn, watch the dummy frantically jump in. They may get loose, but they never get away.

Unloading was slightly less adventurous although flying solo, it took longer than usual. Once I got backed around to the gate and employed a folding panel, I was able to let them out in small groups as they refused to all get in the rear trailer compartment as a group. I was able to separate the ram lamb off into the front eventually that way and backed the trailer into our barn. Being that he had been a show animal, I considered catching him and walking him to his pen. I had a backup plan just in case. Seeing him bounce off the walls of the trailer I decided discretion was the better part of valor. We didn’t need two of us on the injured reserve list at the ranch about then. I’d set it up so he could also just run to his pen where there was a slice of hay waiting. That’s exactly what he did. Another satisfied customer home where he belonged.

Mrs. Cheviot continues to heal and is definitely making progress. The doctor’s appointment Monday went well, and everything points to getting her more ambulatory. That’s a good thing for yours truly. Her assistance with the laundry, cooking and clean up duties would be welcome. She has done a good job of keeping Poppy occupied or vice versa. Poppy has been good therapy to be sure although she has those puppy moments. She’s lucky she’s as cute as she is. Makes it hard to stay mad at her very long. I’m amazed at how quickly she tends to business when I take her out in the middle of the night. It makes it much easier to get back to sleep after a trip out in the cold at 3 a.m. With lambing season just around the corner I have a sneaking suspicion I’d better get all the sleep I can.

See you next week…real good then.

12/6/22

Our good memories seem like yesterday

The scurs had the Weather Eye tuned in to more seasonal conditions as we worked our way through the first week of December. Will this remain the trend or are we in for a brief warmer respite? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with highs in the low 20’s and lows around 10. Partly sunny on Thursday with a slight chance of snow. Highs in the upper 20’s with lows in the mid-20’s. Partly sunny on Friday with highs in the low 30’s and lows in the low 20’s. Saturday, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of snow. Highs in the low 20’s with lows in the low 20’s. Partly sunny on Sunday with highs in the low 30’s and lows in the mid-teens. Monday, cloudy with highs in the upper 20’s and lows in the low teens. Cloudy on Tuesday with a decent chance of snow flurries. Highs in the upper 20’s with lows in the mid-teens. We’re down to 9 hours of daylight on the 8th and won’t get back to that amount until January 3rd. We’re burning through December at a breakneck pace. Not to worry. The scurs remain convinced there’s no hurry to start Christmas shopping just yet.

The Full Moon for the month of December falls on the 7th and goes primarily by the Full Cold Moon or is sometimes called the Full Long Nights Moon. Both are typically the case. It usually ushers in the beginning of the deepest part of the cold for the winter. It also contains the longest dark periods of any time of the year, including the upcoming winter solstice on December 21st, the astronomical beginning of winter. The Ojibwe knew this as the Small Spirits Moon while the Sioux called it either the Moon of Popping Trees or The Moon when Deer Shed their Antlers. At the ranch it is know as the Watch your Step Moon, aptly named as the ice patches lurking beneath the snow in the dark are easily obscured from your view. Many moons of wintertime experience going to and from the barn.

Not much for precip this past week and temperatures were more seasonal. That’s OK as the frozen ground is preferable for those burdened with the task of snow removal. At least it makes it easier to recover before the loader takes a huge bite out of the lawn. The lack of precip is also a plus for those hauling grain. The snowfall so far has been a slight nuisance, drifting in front of doors and walkways but not impeding progress much otherwise. That and its tendency to melt between precipitation events hasn’t hurt many feelings. As it is we accumulated slightly over 10” of snow for the month of November. That’s significantly more than the 30-year normal of 5.8” at the SROC in Waseca. Our overall precip was closer to the 1.89” normal there with 1.8” total accumulation at the ranch with only1.31” in Bugtussle.

Barn cleaning time is looming on the horizon. The weather’s getting almost crummy enough. It’s a tough job but somebody’s gotta do it. A sheep manure pack is second to none when it comes to heft and difficulty of prying it loose. Many broken fork handles stood in testament to that when growing up. The good old days of cleaning barn over Christmas vacation seem like yesterday. It meant busting the frozen top of the pack open with a pickaxe, pitching the manure into a wheelbarrow and wheeling it up a ramp into the old Shultz spreader. Hauling the loads out with the Co-Op E3 wasn’t bad except the heat houser wasn’t anything to write home about. It was loose enough so if it was a windy day, any heat given off by the engine dissipated long before it ever warmed anyone up. Once the project was done though it left a feeling of accomplishment. It also made school seem like a good time. Oh well, at least wrestling practice and the crash dieting to make weight still sucked.

Fast forward to today. Very little pitchfork action is required. I did the math long ago that a skidsteer was cheaper than back surgery. A good set of manure tines for the skidsteer were a plus, making it capable of tipping the machine on its nose when lifting large enough hunks. It also made shearing spreader pins a distinct possibility if those same hunks happened to be frozen, especially with the old New Idea 210. It didn’t take long to learn that pitching a load off in the dark wasn’t my idea of a good time. The addition of a tractor cab with a heater made the manure hauling process much more comfortable. Neighbor Jon even fixed the pto lever so there’s no longer a need to open the cab window to engage the pto. Is there anything they can’t do?

One more thing before barn cleaning can commence and that’s putting the chains on the tractor for another winter. Whether it’s hauling manure or moving snow, on our yard it’s nearly impossible to maneuver without them. There is only one small flat spot in it and it’s nearly impossible to get enough ballast on a 656 for the rest of it. I was able to demonstrate that plainly Sunday when placing a couple round bales in the feeders. Without a bale on the 3-point spear, it was difficult to get around without slipping even with a cab and the rear wheels rim full of fluid. Latch onto a 1500 lb. bale though and problem solved! A little tough to put the snowblower on, however. I have a bunch of wheel weights purchased with new rims on my wish list. The goal is to get rid of the fluid as it wrecks rims and is an otherwise royal pain to deal with. Regardless, once those chains are on, you go, no questions asked.

Poppy continues to grow like a weed. She gained over three lbs. this past month which may not sound like a lot but considering her lineage probably won’t get much larger than 20 – 25 lbs., it’s significant. It has been interesting to contrast some of her capabilities to the Border Collies we became so used to the past 25 years. For starters, when a play toy goes under the couch, the stubby little legs on a Corgi have a lot slimmer chance of fishing it out. Not for lack of effort. Poppy’s “off switch” is still in existence although it takes more exercise to make it work. We on the other hand our off switch is activated much more quickly. Her chewing has slowly been subsiding as adult teeth have taken their place in her mouth. Good thing as she was going through chew toys at a totally unsustainable pace. Potty training is the last major hurdle. She’s pretty good but after an hour out of her carrier, time to go outside. Best of all though, Poppy’s been great therapy for Mrs. Cheviot in her recuperation process. And for me, while not much of a conversationalist, she’s a great listener.

See you next week…real good then.
   
 
     

 

[Dotch]

There's also a 20,000 character limit I hadn't realized. I wasn't aware there were that many characters other than glenn, mikey and boober on here! 


12/13/22

If we make it through December we'll be fine

The scurs turned the dials on the Weather Eye for a warmer temperature regime although the snow left something to be desired. Are we trending warmer again or does Old Man Winter assert himself again? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with rain changing to snow in the overnight. Highs in the upper 30’s with lows in the upper 20’s. Mostly cloudy on Thursday with a good chance of snow. Highs in the low 30’s with lows in the low 20’s. Mostly cloudy on Friday with a modest chance of forenoon snow. Highs in the mid-20’s with lows in the low teens. Saturday, mostly cloudy with highs in the upper teens and lows around 5 above. Partly sunny on Sunday with highs in the low teens and lows around zero. Monday, partly sunny with possible flurries. Highs around 10 above and lows around zero. Mostly cloudy on Tuesday with highs around 5 above with lows around 5 below. On the 16th we start to see our sunset later at 4:37 CST even though the sun continues to rise later until the first week in January. The normal high for December 16th is 27 and the normal low is 12. Sneak peek at Christmas Day’s forecast: High around 10 with a low near zero. The scurs have been poring over the latest shoppers and circulars, then tossing them in the pot belly stove. Plenty of time for Christmas shopping.

The past week was a nice change from some of the colder weather we’d been experiencing. As mentioned, the snow was a little over the top with areas reporting up to 5” locally. No matter how you slice it, snow makes real livestock chores even less fun than they normally are. It tends to collect at the most inconvenient spots and makes extra work cleaning it out so feeding can be accomplished. Odds are if you say how pretty the snow is to a livestock person, you stand a good chance of getting punched. As far as cash grain farmers, it really doesn’t do much for them either. We’ve been seeing the western corn rootworm numbers on the rise in recent years with the mild winters. Blankets of snow tend to insulate the soil, helping protect rootworm eggs from cold temperatures.
 
At the ranch a larger accumulation of snow is certainly not our friend. It means digging the hay feeders out, so they’ll work properly and scooping snow out of the outside troughs for grain. After that’s done, cleaning the yard out needs to happen so we can get out for groceries, doctor appointments, etc. I had to laugh seeing a report on a Twin Cities TV station about how you go about cleaning your house could influence what kind of physical condition you’re in. Not that it makes a lot of difference but most who are doing chores this time of year want to get it over with ASAP so they can get back inside where it’s warm. Gotta make it through December.

I got warmed up good last week during chores as one of the buck lambs we saved back decided to try out for the Olympic pole vault team or had suddenly become Houdini. Still not sure how he made it over the top of the panel, but he did. The sorting system was handy, but it still took time to separate hm from the ewe lambs. That’s not the point. Lucky for him I wasn’t armed as this was his second escape. If there’s a third attempt, regardless of what kind of lambs he throws, he’s on the next trailer out of here. No time for animals whose primary goal is to jump over fences, gates, and panels. I had a good teacher. As I’ve always said, Dad had special place for them called Wilson’s in Albert Lea.

Barn cleaning commenced at the ranch finally. Between Mrs. Cheviot on the injured reserve and getting machinery repaired, it’s taken a while. It takes a while regardless. Getting equipment moved around and put away for winter so there’s room for feed wagons, mowers and the skidsteer inside takes some doing. The snow blower also needed to be readied just in case someone blows a forecast like they did last week. Then getting the bucket swapped out for the manure forks on the skidsteer and filling it with gas. The 656 was hooked up to the spreader and once greased, inspected and the apron chains pried out of the ice, it was declared fit for service. Just the prep work on the skidsteer and spreader consumed around two hours. There are no gimmes here. You earn everything you get.

 At least Poppy continues to amuse us. She has taken some interest in TV although she doesn’t react to it like Ruby did. She seems to prefer television programs with movement much the same as she does when outside. Birds, cats and to some extent the sheep get her attention. The sheep have noticed her too, especially as she’s growing quickly. She likes doing zoomies inside around the couch. When she’s done 8 – 10 clockwise sometimes she reverses direction and does 8 -10 counterclockwise as fast as her little Corgi legs will take her. She loves playing ball too, but her favorite toy is a blue kong that you can put treats inside. That’s OK but the dog treats need to be cut up first. There are sometimes crumbs on the counter that look like some from the coffee cake and other goodies. Since I’m a crumb eater, I need to be especially cautious. Next thing you know I’ll be doing zoomies around the couch.

Mrs. Cheviot has been unable to decorate very much so up until recently, it didn’t look very festive. Fortunately, we received a beautiful white poinsettia and a planter containing several Christmas season plants. We’ve even been getting ornaments anonymously in the mail. They appear to be one of a kind and will certainly be collectors’ items someday. I have a handwriting expert looking into the matter. Now we just need to locate our Charlie Brown tree (yes, we have one) so they can be properly displayed. Right alongside the Festivus pole.
 
See you next week…real good then.

12/20/22

I need a crowd of people but I can't face them day to day

The scurs had the Weather Eye tuned in for moderate temps then must’ve dozed off. Does Old Man Winter continue to tighten his vise-like grip for Christmas, or do we get a reprieve? Starting Wednesday, cloudy with heavy snow accumulations. Highs around 10 with lows around zero. Cloudy on Thursday with a good chance of snow. Highs in the low single with lows around 10 below. Mostly cloudy on Friday with highs near zero with lows near 10 below. Saturday, cloudy with highs around zero and lows around 10 below. Partly sunny Christmas Sunday with a slight chance of snow. Highs around 10 above with lows around zero. Monday, partly sunny with possible flurries. Highs around 15 above with lows around zero. Mostly cloudy on Tuesday with highs around 20 above with lows in the mid-teens above zero. The winter solstice occurs on the 21st, providing us with our lowest daylight total for the year at 8 hours 54 minutes and one second. We gain a second on the 22nd, 6 seconds on the 23rd, 10 seconds on the 24th and 15 seconds by Christmas Day. The normal high for December 25th is 24 and the normal low is 9. The scurs have printed up their Human Fund cards for another year. The long procrastination is over, until next time.

Another ugly week of weather after leading us to believe that we might escape December relatively unscathed. Looking at our winter snowfall thus far, we’ve already received more than a quarter of the normal for the SROC for the winter and what promises to be a real doozy looming ahead of us. What’s been a little deceiving is that up until recently, most of the snow has been melting between snowfall events as a result of some warmer than normal temps. Appears that problem will be solved with some well below normal temperatures although many are forecasting a return to more moderate temps once again after Christmas as we head into the New Year. Moderate as in mid to upper 20’s. Alas, we’ve probably seen the last of the hummingbirds until spring.

The upcoming predicted storm certainly has the birds’ attention at the ranch. There was a dramatic uptick in seed and suet consumption over the weekend. Goldfinch numbers in particular skyrocketed. I recently added a new thistle seed feeder outside the living room window so Mrs. Cheviot could watch them. They didn’t disappoint. Several times all three thistle feeders were completely full of finches with others feeding on the seed being dropped underneath. Our leghorn-sized blue jays were back, consuming sunflower and ear corn kernels as fast as they could stuff them in. The red-bellied woodpecker has been a fun to watch as he maneuvers his way around the squirrel-proof feeder, shooing the house sparrows as he approaches. The cardinals were also active and especially beautiful on Sunday with the bright sunshine making their bright red pop. Pheasants sauntered around the yard but were more interested in what was spread on the field after barn cleaning.

Yes, I got the main barn cleaned, finishing up the 14th load last Wednesday. It was the usual battle. More time ends up being spent on moving equipment and animals around than on moving manure out of the building sometimes. The sorting system that has been a welcome addition becomes a major pain as it was a two-man project to install. It’s at least that to move it and reassemble it. With the weather breathing down your neck, there simply isn’t a lot of time to mess around with it. Not unlike last year, the field got snotty as the temperatures warmed up and mud was tracked in places where the ground wasn’t frozen or snow-covered. It did a beautiful job of cleaning the rust off the chains on the 656 and shined them up nicely. The only fly in the ointment was the lambing barn didn’t get cleaned once the weather slammed the door. There still may be an opportunity but it’s looking grim for that. The low clearance in that barn doesn’t help matters and I’m well past my prime when it comes to pitching manure with a fork.

Mrs. Cheviot should have had her next set of x-rays by the time this reaches print. Hopefully the 7 screws and a plate in her ankle have worked their magic and she can begin to start putting a little weight on it again. I hope so. It’s been a long six week stretch with no chore help, cooking, cleaning up and riding herd on a five-month-old Corgi puppy. We have been fortunate to have friends and neighbors who have been keeping us nourished physical and mentally. At times I’ve missed the personal interaction with people while other times it’s nice when they leave me alone so I can get something done. With the advent of cell phones, that becomes nearly impossible sometimes. I still maintain that if I ever have a retirement party, the one thing I plan on doing as part of the ceremony is smashing a cell phone to bits with my three lb. hammer. I’d be happy to go back to a bag phone for the most part. The world was a much more courteous and civilized place for those of us who wanted to be left alone.
 
Poppy is ready for her first Christmas. Luckily as I’ve mentioned in past editions, she loves snow. The cold hasn’t seemed to faze her either up to this point. Her coat is definitely the double-coat as was advertised. It’s also showing signs of shedding as was also advertised. Once can see those light-colored hairs on a dark colored sweatshirt starting to appear once she jumps down off your lap. There have been a few bumps in the road for her potty training. It doesn’t help that only one of us can take her outside presently and that it’s winter, not warming into spring just yet. Much easier when one doesn’t have to bundle up every time out the door. She’s done well as far as her carrier though. She’s never messed in it once so at least there is that. Some friends sent us a Corgi lawn ornament that lights up. We’ve kept it inside and it lit Poppy up, sending her into a growling and barking fit when she saw it. Jealousy?

This marks 51st edition in the 20th year of Fencelines. It’s been a long run and I’m thankful that there will be no 52nd as Eli has decreed. We’ll start over from square one again on year 21 in the New Year. In the meantime, Happy Festivus everyone and we’ll see you on the flip side.

See you in two weeks...real good then.

[glenn57]

  thanks dotch.......always enjoy reading your stuff!!!!!!

[mike89]

 There are sometimes crumbs on the counter that look like some from the coffee cake and other goodies. Since I’m a crumb eater, I need to be especially cautious. Next thing you know I’ll be doing zoomies around the couch.


now that ya better get a video of that for us!!   good reading for sure!!!   

[Dotch]

I can see for miles and miles

The scurs and the Weather Eye are tanned, rested and ready after yet another Christmas. Well, rested and ready anyway. Two out of three ain’t bad. Is Old Man Winter entrenched or will he vacation for another week? Starting Wednesday, cloudy with snow. Highs around the freezing mark with lows around 20. Mostly cloudy on Thursday with a slight chance of snow. Highs in the upper 20’s with lows around 10 above. Mostly sunny on Friday with highs in the upper teens with lows near 10 above. Saturday, partly sunny with highs in the upper teens and lows around 10 above. Partly sunny Sunday with highs in the upper teens and lows in the low teens. Monday, mostly sunny with highs in the mid-20’s and lows around zero. Partly sunny on Tuesday with highs in the upper 20’s and lows in the low 20’s. We start to gain over one minute of daylight starting January 5th, the Full Moon arrives on the 6th and on the 7th, sunrise happens at 7:47 a.m. after being stuck at 7:48 since December 30th. The normal high for all of those days is 22 and the normal low is 6. The scurs are making sure their woodpile is well stocked for the next few weeks. Cutting up the large hunks of trees from the recent ice storm should help.
 
The first Full Moon of the New Year happens as mentioned on the 6th. It generally goes by the Full Wolf Moon as packs of hungry wolves typically set up shop outside of Native American encampments. This Full Moon also goes by The Old Moon or The Moon after the Yule. The Ojibwe called this the Great Spirit Moon and the Sioux knew it as the Frost in the Teepee Moon or Moon when Wolves run Together. At the ranch we know it as the Cross your Fingers Moon. If you’re lucky, there are no frozen hydrants, buckets, lambs, or other issues making one’s twice daily venture out into the cold any more time consuming than it needs to be.

We came out of 2022 with nearly 30” of snow across much of the area between the months of October, November, and December. That’s well above the 18.4” normal at the SROC in Waseca. The normal for October through May is 52.3” there so we are already over halfway there. There are some weather forecasters calling for above normal precip the rest of the winter while NOAA is calling it even chances for above or below normal. NOAA is calling for better than even odds of above normal temperatures for January anyway, so we’ll take it after the cold we experienced in December. It wasn’t necessarily so much that it was so brutally cold, we just weren’t ready for it after the moderate temps the first several weeks of the month.
 
Since the last edition of Fencelines, we recorded another 7+” of snow and lived through some blizzard conditions just before Christmas. This resulted in some spectacular drifts and ugly road conditions. It also piled some snow on top of the heavy drifts afterwards, making it deceiving to navigate around some farmyards. Most were patient and let the snow come rather than attempting to move it as it fell. Indeed, at the ranch it accumulated more evenly overall than it appeared from the house, often 8” – 12” deep. When one found one of those hard drifts hidden underneath, it made the tractor snort. Fortunately temperatures had moderated so that one could operate in comfortably inside a cab without a lot of heat.

It's been a habit of mine to try to make sure I clean the snow up around the mailbox. It’s not a big deal but I like getting the mail especially when there are seed catalogs, tool catalogs, the Sparks magazine, and circulars from the store where you go to the bathroom in the big orange silo. It’s a small task to get the skidsteer or blower out and clear a path to the mailbox. I’m just thankful the box is right down the hill on the end of the driveway. At the Little House on the Prairie where I lived in ND, my mailbox was three miles from the building site. I could’ve placed it about a mile and a half away with a Rolla address but opted for Rock Lake instead. When working the acres I was responsible for, most frequently I was coming home from that direction. And since Armourdale didn’t have a post office, that was my choice. There was rail and a galvanized elevator that rose above the landscape that could be seen for miles there but that was about it.

Sunday Christmas and New Years holidays seem less like holidays and more like weekends without benefits. When we were kids, it didn’t seem that way as we usually had that Monday off anyway. This most recent set of holidays, many businesses were open while others including the banks and post office were closed. Still tough to do much business in most cases without either one of those in small town America. Cell phones and the internet may confound that somewhat as some just can’t seem to leave others alone even on holidays. By and large though, when checking back through town, there were very few vehicles parked at the businesses that were open on Monday. That’s a clue.
 
Another week of recovery for Mrs. Cheviot and more activity as she mastered the knee scooter well enough to decorate for a wedding many miles away. Poppy and I held down the fort in her absence and kept the home fires burning. Poppy had the last of her puppy shots before the New Year so she’s good to go now for a while. Tipping the scales at a whopping 14 pounds, we figure she’s about ¾ of her adult size and weight. Her mother weighs in somewhere in the low to mid-20’s and Poppy’s length appears similar. She’ll get a little girthier like most of us do as we age so take comfort, it's not just a human thing. Besides, Corgis are generally happy, and you seldom see a skinny Corgi.
 
See you next week…real good then.     

[Dotch]

So darlin’ save the last dance for me

Having survived another harrowing week of weather, the scurs and their Weather Eye will attempt to atone for their transgressions. Has Old Man Winter left the building or just taking a breather? Starting Wednesday, partly sunny with highs in the upper 20’s and lows in the upper teens. Mostly cloudy on Thursday with highs in the low 20’s and lows around 10 above. Partly sunny on Friday with highs in the upper teens and lows near 10 above. Saturday, mostly sunny with highs near 30 and lows in the low 20’s. Mostly cloudy Sunday with highs in the mid-30’s and lows in the upper 20’s. Monday, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of rain and snow. Highs in the mid-30’s with lows in the upper teens. Mostly cloudy on Tuesday with a good chance of snow. Highs in the upper 20’s with lows in the upper teens. On the 12th we begin gaining daylight at over a minute and a half per day. On the 14th, we see the sunset at 5 p.m. CST. The normal high for January 14th is 21 and the normal low is 5. The scurs are digging deep into their reserve of Christmas goodies, hoping Valentine’s Day will arrive sooner than later.

We dodged a bullet last week as other areas were buried in over a foot of snow. Not that we didn’t have some issues with all the ice resulting the storm system as it passed through this neighborhood. When travelling late last week on area roads, they were slippery and, in some cases, rutted from the combination of snow and ice that was packed on them before they froze up. Just 8 hours earlier they were in good shape. Hauling lambs into the locker Friday morning in the fog was an adventure in patience. People tend to be driving too fast for conditions, tailgaters are out in force, and we wonder why the number of accidents is as high as it is. As anyone who has driven while pulling a light trailer on ice knows, the only good thing about a trips like that is when it’s over.
 
Luckily the interstates were kept clear so if one really needed to get to one of the major municipalities, it could be done with relative ease. I-90 & I-35 were dry, and traffic was moving normally. The state highways as of Friday still had scattered patches of ice and snow. The county blacktops were in tough shape and the gravel roads still are. The fog did create some beautiful hoar frost on the trees Friday and Saturday morning so at least there was that. We’ll be heading into what is historically out coldest stretch of the winter from January 16th through the 23rd. Some weather pundits are looking for the weather to change to a more active pattern next week. Not unusual following a warmup this time of year. May want to get familiar with the shovels and blowers again if that’s the case.

It was good to see a couple pheasants in the backyard Monday picking away under the bird feeders. One is always concerned after an ice storm such as we had because they can get iced down, becoming easy pickings for predators. Some pheasants have taken to roosting in the evergreen trees in our yard as I found Sunday late afternoon. While harvesting some greenery for some of Mrs. Cheviot’s decorating creations a rooster decided I was to close so he took off scaring the bee jeepers out of me. Around the yard bird activity was brisk with the snow, ice, and colder temperatures. The goldfinches have gone through a lot of thistle seed while the chickadees, blue jays and nuthatches have pulled hard on the sunflower feeders. We still have a flicker visiting the suet along with red-bellied, downy and hairy woodpeckers. They birds are more interesting to watch than the bulk of what’s on TV anyway.

Taking Poppy out in the middle of the night for her potty break sometimes reminds me of just how quiet it is out here and what a different planet if is just 80 some odd miles north in the Twin Cities. All one needs do is watch the evening news, but I digress. Some nights there’s dead silence here and others there are sounds that I’ve become so used to, they go unnoticed. The train going through Ellendale doesn’t register although it set Poppy into a barking fit one night. Neighborhood dogs the same. Seems one barks and within minutes there’s a chain of barking they all join into, Poppy included. Then there are more subtle sounds, including those of the great horned owls. They were off in the distance but came closer. The closer they came the more Poppy barked and the bunnies cowered. Hopefully the owls were able to have some fresh rabbit for supper or brunch.

The sheep are wintering well thus far. Still no lambs but with Mrs. Cheviot recovering on injured reserve, it’s fine if wait a while. Just a guess by their appearance that most don’t appear close until well into February. The past couple years have been a bit of an anomaly with many lambs hitting the ground in December and January. It’s tough enough just to keep their lot cleaned out so one can plop round bales in the feeders every few weeks. Recently the snow was like concrete where the rain had soaked into the drifts left by the blizzard. There was the added bonus of freezing the feed trough legs down so it needs to (A) warm up so they can be pried loose or (B) it’ll be time to use the pickaxe. I’m really out of practice on the latter so I choose A.

Poppy is firmly in charge od live entertainment although she is growing up quickly. Her vocabulary is ever expanding, and her potty training has been going well. Her interest in the sheep is increasing, checking the gate at chore time. Monday night when I was filling the water tank in the lambing barn I brought Poppy in with me so she didn’t wander off. As I filled the tank, one of the ewes came in the barn, unsure what to expect from the new resident canine. It was one of those moments I wished I’d had the phone along and recorded a video. The ewe was a distinctive Cheviot called Baldy that lost her wool as a result of a temperature when she was a lamb. Nursed back to health, she’s arguably the prettiest ewe in our flock. She warily approached the water tank and Poppy, equally as wary, walked very slowly in Baldy’s direction. When they got within inches, they sniffed each other, touched noses then slowly backed off. I chuckled at both of them, betting that it likely won’t be their last dance.

See you next week…real good then.

[glenn57]

hey Dotch.......since this is Ag related i thought i'd put it hear.

a while back i read something about a couple farmers out your way got busted playing games so to speak with this organic farming. there is another blurb today on MSN about the feds getting involved!!!!! it mentioned cottonwood county. ithought the other article was maybe closer to you. know anything about it!!!!!!

some time back there was a gal on an old forum that did organic farming down by cottonwood. i forget her handle but she liked to bass fish. she actually invited me to stop by and visit, so i did on a trip to sioux falls...yep i was on the clock 

she explained  to me very well and showed me some of the equipment used for weed control. propane burners!!!! most there coen went to new your for organic vodka.

[mike89]

cottonwood cty is sw of you Glenn

[glenn57]

cottonwood cty is sw of you Glenn

I went through it when I went to Sioux falls. There is also a town named cottonwood along HWY 23. I had what is now an ex aunt that grew up there!

Not 100 % sure but it's near Marshall MN

[glenn57]

  ok so after a little google the town of cottonwood apparently is not in cottonwood county.  who woulda thunk that!

The gal I referred to is from the town of cottonwood, or rural cottonwood. if you remember there was an accident with a school bus and some Mexicans where the woman got hung out to dry blaming some guy driving. Hell I drove past that intersection 2-3 hours before that happened .

Any how the organic thing I remember now was around windom!! it's biatch getting old and your memory messes with ya!;

[mike89]

it's in Lyon cty, same as Marshall

[glenn57]

it's in Lyon cty, same as Marshall

uii never said I was real good at geography!!!🤔

[Dotch]

I've heard some rumblings lately on the news about people getting in trouble for cheating on raising their organic crops. No surprise there. It's been going on for years. Basically it's an honor system. Most of the people are honest & don't use non-organic fertilizers or pesticides but like most things, there are always a few bad eggs. The system relies on area supervisors/inspectors. I won't bore you with all the stories I'm aware of over the years but they are numerous. It doesn't help when some of the people in charge are crooked to start with. It's fairly easy to cheat & unless someone snitches on you, you'll likely get by with it. Unless you have good idea what unapproved chemical was used, it's difficult to find it analytically, especially the longer it goes from the date of application. I'm pretty sure some organic hay I got one time was legit tho. The guy who baled it for the organic farmer brought a couple big squares over for me to try, cheap. They should've been. They were 99% foxtail. The sheep hated it & wouldn't eat it. I told him not to bring me any more of that crap, no matter how cheap it was.

[LPS]

it's in Lyon cty, same as Marshall

uii never said I was real good at geography!!!🤔

Just west of Marshall. 

[Dotch]

Oops! Been slipping here again lately...

From 1/17/23

And another one gone, and another one gone

After another week of the weather doldrums, the scurs and Weather Eye continue to receive fan mail. Is Old Man Winter sleepy or is he about to make winter great again? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with a good chance of snow. Highs in the low 30’s with lows in the upper teens. Mostly cloudy on Thursday with a good chance of snow. Highs in the upper 20’s with lows in the low teens. Mostly cloudy on Friday with highs in the low 20’s and lows in the low teens. Saturday, mostly sunny with highs in mid-20’s and lows in the mid-teens. Mostly sunny Sunday with highs in the mid-20’s and lows in the upper teens. Monday, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of snow. Highs in the mid-20’s with lows around 10 above. Sunny on Tuesday with highs in the upper teens and lows around 5 above. On the 21st we begin gaining daylight at over 2 minutes per day. On the 22nd we’ll see 9 hours and 30 minutes of daylight. On the 24th, we slowly begin to climb out of what is typically the coldest stretch of average daily temperatures for the winter. The normal high for January 22nd is 21 and the normal low is 4. The scurs are finding it easier to keep their wood stove stoked in weather such as last week.

After some significant precipitation the first week of January, we’ve been fortunate to avoid much of the heavier weather well to our south. While tornadoes are unlikely in January, they have happened in December as we found last year. As mentioned in last week’s column we may be heading into a little more active pattern this week. Not long after I sent the column I happened to listen to climatologist Pete Boulay and he was saying much the same thing. Imagine that. Also included in some of Pete’s comments was the fact that frost depth is not particularly deep. Indeed we’ve found that to be the case at the ranch especially in areas where snow has sat for extended periods of time. It’s been challenging when moving snow that’s more of a nuisance than a problem. The tendency is to use the bucket rather than the snow blower for light snow accumulations. For flatlanders it’s not the problem it can be for those of us who live on more sloped building sites. The only time you’re not nervous is when you finish the job.
 
More positive vibes from Pete Boulay included being optimistic about the drought we’ve been in for the past several months. We basically were very close to normal for precip in November and actually slightly above normal for the month of December. The aforementioned shallow frost depth could allow us to take advantage at least a percentage of that moisture as the snow melts. That becomes more likely the longer we can go without increasing that frost depth substantially as we approach spring. The most recent frost depth reported at the SROC was 8”. A rain followed by some well above normal temperatures could be a game changer and allow spring to be an earlier rather than later possibility.
 
The sheep continue to winter well with the milder temperatures and lower recent precipitation. Being outdoors most of the time is a plus when it comes to the flock health. Fresh, clean air is good for everyone including the sheep. Starting to see some ewes bagging so it’s probably a matter of 10 days or so before we see some hit the ground. Here again, the slowdown in precipitation is something we hope continues. It’s nice to have the lambs inside a building for a while during the winter months and while the cold can be an issue, damp conditions are a bigger threat when it comes to things like pneumonia. If the lambs get up off the deck and nurse in a dry pen, it’s amazing how much cold they can take, especially Cheviots. The colostrum provides them with antibodies that protect them from disease organisms very well. Wet conditions foster an environment for disease organisms, particularly pathogenic bacteria. Keeping the animals well bedded and dry is a crucial management tool.

The earlier weather did cause its share of headaches. Keeping the snow and ice from accumulating in the hay feeders was a pain. When it builds up the panels don’t slide as easily and the ewes have to push harder to get at the hay. With these white-faced ewes, one can see where the feeders are rubbing the hair off their faces so a cleanout needs to happen. That’s fine if it stops snowing but when it keeps at it like it did in December, it takes a lot of the fun out of it. Likewise with the feed troughs. We feed grain during night chores so spending a lot of time digging the trough legs free isn’t high on the list. When the weather was ugly in particular it was hustle to get chores done. When it warmed up recently it was time to bust the troughs loose again. If the weather decided to get ugly, it would be a lot easier to move snow. It took a session with the pickaxe, but I was able to pop them loose after a workout. I was surprised that I didn’t whack the troughs or my leg while I was at it. I could’ve been a miner.

Mrs. Cheviot continues her mastery of the knee scooter. It has taken some of the burden off of me when she’s able to help herself more and do some of the day-to-day indoor tasks. Physical therapy is ongoing at this point, and it seems to be helping gain some of her dexterity back. Driving is not an option just yet but it probably won’t be long before that becomes reality again. Having a vehicle parked in an attached garage won’t hurt although the ice that seems to be attracted to the ranch like a magnet may slow her return to the chore scene anytime soon. Wondering if they make knee skates.
 
Poppy continues the growing up process. She’s slowly getting better about jumping on guests but still has some work to do. Her propensity to dismantle, dismember, and decapitate her squeaky toys continues. If there’s a sewn seam or any appendage on a toy, within a matter of several minutes to an hour, the toy is ripped open, or she tears a leg, an arm, or the head off it. So far, her victims include a duck, an alligator, a cow and a fish. After becoming annoyed with fishing balls out from under the furniture, we bought her a fabric chuck it Frisbee. She loved it. However, it took less than 15 minutes before she tore a stitched seam loose, strewing bright orange threads all over the house. They were also found in the yard once they passed through Poppy. On Sunday, Unkie Gregory and Auntie Mar Mar brought her a plush Gumby squeaky toy. It looked like it had potential. She played with it an hour. In that time, she opened a hole on one of Gumby’s arms, revealing the stuffing inside. Another one bites the dust.

See you next week…real good then. 

[Dotch]

This week's edition. Caught up (I think)

And here I am, I'm back on my feet again

More warmer than normal temps so the fan mail continues to pour in for the scurs and the Weather Eye. Will Old Man Winter continue to sign the guest book, or will he take up residence soon? Starting Wednesday, cloudy with a fair chance of snow. Highs in the mid-20’s with lows in the low teens. Mostly cloudy on Thursday with a fair chance of evening snow. High in the upper teens with lows around 10. Mostly cloudy on Friday with highs in the mid-30’s and lows in the low single digits. Saturday, mostly cloudy with highs around 10 and lows near 5 below. Mostly cloudy Sunday with highs in the low single digits and lows around 15 below. Monday, mostly cloudy with highs around zero and lows around 10 below. Mostly cloudy on Tuesday with highs in the low single digits and lows around 10 below. On the 29th we’re gaining daylight at 2 minutes and 20 seconds. The normal high for January 29th is 22 and the normal low is 4. The scurs will be lighting their gas oven in an attempt to create some global warming.

By the time this reaches print, mailboxes and bird cages, we will have burned up the month of January. We definitely dodged a bullet both in the temperature and to some extent the precipitation department. Temps have definitely been above normal, averaging 7.4 degrees above normal at the SROC in Waseca through the 19th . As far as snowfall goes, we’re very close to normal. If we catch a major fraction of an inch this week, we’ll be very close. We are significantly above normal however when it comes to the liquid precipitation at slightly over 2”. Most of that it largely due to the precipitation that fell as rain during the month. Snowfall also contained more moisture than it typically does in January. Still, as some have pointed out, it has seemed like a long winter. Indeed it has. We started seeing snowfall in mid-November. While that melted off for a few days after Thanksgiving, it returned shortly afterwards. The ground around building sites has had some snow cover ever since the end of November. Despite warmer than normal temps, the stretch of recent cloudy, gloomy, foggy days hasn’t helped. Those things help add up to a long winter.

At the ranch we cranked up the snow blower last weekend after receiving nearly 8” of new snow between the 19th and 20th. The snow contained a large amount of water so waiting to blow it seemed the prudent thing to do. Mrs. Cheviot had canceled her therapy appointment anyway meaning we had no reason to be out and about. Saturday, the blower really worked well, peeling the snow down while leaving just enough for decent traction. It cleaned all the Poppy cigars up, pitching them into the road ditch. They did serve a purpose as they formed a clear line along the edge of the driveway, creating a demarcation between that and the lawn. A trip to town on Saturday revealed just how poorly the roads still were especially on the People’s Republic of Steele Co. side of the line. I came real close earlier on to complimenting them on the job they had done to keep the roads in good condition. Things have reverted back to the norm.

Several have noticed the larger than average doves this winter appearing at and around their bird feeders. These doves are Eurasian collared doves. They are easily distinguished by their larger size and the dark neck band on the backside of their necks. They’ve become more common over the past decade or so. We’ve had them nesting at the ranch in that timeframe and can hear their almost owl-like call during the daytime. Can these doves be hunted? Absolutely. They are considered an invasive species and while mourning doves have an established season, the season is open on the Eurasian collared doves. The breast is about double the size of a mourning dove. They are good to eat according to sources.

Mrs. Cheviot’s ongoing therapy sessions continue. This Friday could mark a positive turn allowing more weight to be placed on her ankle which would be equally good news for me. Being able to relinquish some of the indoor responsibilities and focusing my attention to more of the business at hand would be a welcome change. It’s been a long couple months. Since she has to stay inside, Poppy and I do our best to provide entertainment outside including keeping the bird feeders full. There is always something to watch. Lately the pheasants have taken up plucking crabapples out of the trees right outside the living room window. They tend to bumble their way around the tree trying to get at the fruit on the smaller branches. If we make one false move inside the house however, they’re gone like the wind.

With lambing starting, it makes for long days. The first one hit the ground Monday late afternoon as I was moving a round bale into the feedlot. I’d noticed the ewe inside the lambing barn when Poppy and I filled bird feeders. Thought little of it as the ewe wasn’t straining or pushing and there was no discharge. Sometimes they just want to take naps away from their obnoxious counterparts, only to come out at chore time and eat with a vengeance. Come back in a few hours to start the tractor and she had some discharge. Time to be aware of her actions and react accordingly. Got the bale in the feeders and voila! Lamb up and running. Put a panel across the door, penned them up during chores, checked the ewe for milk then watched as the lamb hooked on. I suspected it already had. One side of the bag was open, and the teat was wet when I checked. The ewe cleaned by the time I finished chores. If lambs all came that easily everyone would be raising sheep.

Poppy continues to grow up before our very eyes. At just over 6 months old, she’s still a puppy but giving us glimpses of what she’ll become as an adult. She has some of the same habits that Ruby had including watching TV. Poppy’s not as reactive as Ruby was, yet. She’s particularly interested in motion on the screen. She’ll cock her head and occasionally emit a little “oof!” if something catches her attention. Poppy enjoys sleeping in the little “dog hole” on the couch, a depression that Ruby made after curling up on it for many years. It’s the most uncomfortable couch on the planet for humans, but dogs love it. Something that Poppy also enjoys is watching the birds. The movement aspect comes into play as it is nearly constant around the feeders. Something that is very different is the privacy issue. If you left the bathroom door open a crack with Ruby, she’d pry it open and walk right in to see what you were doing. So far, Poppy seems to respect that privacy. Be curious to see how long that lasts. Her foot licking if you’re barefoot and the door is left wide open isn’t my cup of tea.

See you next week…real good then.   

[LPS]

Very interesting on those doves.  I will text my brother on that. 

[Dotch]

Mercy!

Temperatures plummeted this past week, prompting hate mail to pour in for the scurs and the Weather Eye. Does Old Man Winter continue his icy grip or does his arthritis kick in? Starting Wednesday, sunny with highs in the mid-teens and lows around 5 above. Mostly sunny on Ground Hog Day with highs in the mid-teens and lows around 10 below. Partly sunny on Friday with highs near 5 above and lows around zero. Saturday, mostly cloudy with highs around the freezing mark and lows in the mid-teens above zero. Partly sunny Sunday with highs in the mid-20’s and lows around 10 above. Monday, partly sunny with possible snow late. Highs in the low 30’s with lows around 10 above. Mostly cloudy on Tuesday with a fair chance of snow. Highs in the low 20’s with lows in the upper single digits above zero. On Ground Hog Day the sun will rise at 7:30 CST. On the 3rd, we begin gaining daylight at just over 2 minutes and 30 seconds per day. On the 4th, we attain 10 hours of daylight, roughly where well be on November 6th. The Full Moon for the month occurs on the 5th. On February 6th, the sun will set after 5:30 p.m. CST. The normal high for Ground Hog Day is 23 and the normal low is 5.  The scurs will see their shadow on the 2nd. That means we will have another six weeks of winter. One can only hope it’ll be over that soon.

The Full Moon for the month as mentioned above will be February 5th. It goes by the Full Snow Moon as February was the snowiest month to endure for the tribes of the northeast. It was also known as the Full Hunger Moon as the resulting deep snow made hunting difficult. Larders were beginning to be drawn down as well. The Ojibwe knew this as the Sucker Moon as the suckers began to run in the rivers and streams at this time. The Sioux called this The Raccoon Moon as the creatures would awaken from their winter slumber during the warmer days during this moon. At the ranch, it is generally known as The Moon when Water Buckets are Hauled. Since it’s usually on the ice, may also be known as the Full Krause Grit Moon.

This past week’s weather brought us back to reality. Temps struggled to get above zero and few were happy about it. Understandably so. We’ve led a charmed life with temperatures trending well above normal for most of January. There had been a few below zero lows earlier in the month but nothing like what we normally experience. Snowfall was right around the normal for the SROC at Waseca which is 10.7”. At the ranch we tallied right at 11” and in Bugtussle 11.5”. Unlike the Twin Cities, while we’re trending slightly ahead of normal for snowfall, we’re nowhere close to setting any records as they have elsewhere. The snow cover we have should help keep the frost depth from going extremely deep if February temperatures moderate as some predict. Snowfall may be a different matter.

The snow cover also helps keep me from thinking about all the crud in the yard that will need to be picked up before lawnmowing season. Out of sight, out of mind. When it’s thawed however, it’s revealed an ugly sight. There are large limbs, sticks, twigs, branches, cones, spruce needles, and other assorted stuff that’s accumulated from wind and ice storm events. Worst of all, it’s widespread and relatively uniform in coverage. Thinking it might be easiest to drive along with the skidsteer, rake it into the bucket, dump the debris on the pile, rinse, and repeat. Hopefully one of these days the sun, the moon and the stars will align and the DNR will give their blessing for me to legally burn it. Not holding my breath.

When I did chores Monday night, there was a ewe acting “lamby”. She was holed up in the corner of the lambing barn looking miserable. When I fed the grain to the group she came out to eat but didn’t spend much time at it. Great. Supposed to be the coldest night of the month so far. Sure enough, she was pushing a few hours later when I checked in on her. By about 10 p.m. I’d seen enough, penned her up and pulled a huge buck lamb out of her backside. Toweled him down and considered my heat lamp options. The cord didn’t reach on the one nearby so wanted to swap it out with the heat lamp from the other pen. When I did and plugged it in, it flickered and went out. Swell, or words to that effect. The 250W bulb base broke off in the socket. Back to the house to find a corn cob and another bulb. Could only find 125W bulbs, not what I like when it’s real cold. Beggars can’t be choosers.
 
In the meantime the lamb had slid over to the ewe’s bag and hooked on while she was still recovering from the lambing process. Watched that progress but was concerned it wasn’t enough milk to get him out of the woods with the temperature at -14. I milked the ewe out and tube fed him another 4 – 6 oz. of colostrum. He conked out so toweled him down one last time, grabbed a couple gallon milk jugs of hot water, tucked them in beside him and was in the house around midnight. I’d done what I could do. When I woke up it was almost 4 a.m., at least an hour later than I’d planned on sleeping. Took Poppy out with me and checked in the lambing barn. The lamb was leaned up against the cold outer wall, half awake. The ewe was up eating some hay and had cleaned. Got him up. He stretched and came to life. His mouth was warm when I checked it, and he ambled over and hooked onto the ewe. Hallelujah. Still a long way to go with this cold stretch but somedays, you know there is a God.
 
Mrs. Cheviot continues her therapy sessions and making progress. This past week she was able to walk some unassisted without the use of the knee scooter. She’s also been starting to use a rolling walker that was kindly loaned to her by a famous feed store owner from Hope. There is still a long way to go especially with all the ice and uneven terrain from the winter’s rain and snow. Outdoors is off limits. It’s no wonder many have been falling on the ice. I went to put some air in a tire the other day and came away thinking our yard wasn’t nearly as treacherous as that parking lot was. There wasn’t a level spot in their lot and it was at very least an invitation for a twisted ankle or worse. At least at the ranch most of the ice is even. With the slope and curve in the driveway, it makes a wonderful bobsled run.

Poppy has grown up but she’s still very much a puppy. Not unlike a kid that needs to be put down for a nap, when she’s tired, she’ll fight it until she can’t any longer. You can see her eyes are heavy, she just won’t let go and fall asleep when it’s obvious she needs to. Afraid she might miss something although I’m not sure exactly what that might be. We lead a pretty mundane existence. One little ditty that has been unique is the strange little noises she emits when waking up from her naps. Sometimes it almost sounds like Roy Orbison on “Pretty Woman” only in miniature. If she starts wearing his signature dark glasses, we’ll know she’s a fan.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

I don't mind you hanging out and talking in your sleep

The Thursday-Friday dip in temps churned out by the Weather Eye last week made the scurs groan. Have we seen the last of Old Man Winter or does he have a comeback tour planned? Starting Wednesday, sunny with a slight chance of evening snow. Highs in the mid-30’s with lows in the mid-20’s. Mostly cloudy on Thursday with a modest chance of afternoon snow into the evening. Highs in the low 30’s with lows in the upper teens. Partly sunny on Friday with highs in the low 20’s and lows in the lower single digits. Saturday, sunny with highs in the upper 20’s with lows in the low 20’s. Partly sunny on Lincoln’s Birthday, the real one, with highs in the mid-30’s and lows in the low 20’s. Monday, mostly cloudy with possible snow late. Highs in the mid-30’s with lows in the mid-20’s. Mostly cloudy on Valentine’s Day with a fair chance of snow. Highs in the mid-30’s with lows in the mid-20’s. The normal high for Valentine’s Day is 26 and the normal low is 8.  The scurs saw their shadow on the 2nd, but it was faded. The upcoming Valentine’s Day goodies should help them cast a good, dark shadow.

More moderate temperatures arrived and not a moment too soon. It hasn’t been a horrible winter thus far but when temperatures get below zero for any length of time after having mild conditions earlier, people start to get anxious. This return to milder, more seasonal temperatures is just what the doctor ordered. Road conditions with the relative lack of snowfall so far in February have made grain hauling easier and for those wishing to head out for some winter recreation, it’s been ideal. The frost depth did creep slightly deeper at the SROC in Waseca, measured at 10” on the 6th. Was wondering if it hadn’t moved down some as there was a big, long crack in the driveway ice at the ranch. Fortunately it hasn’t been deep enough to heave the frame on the walk-in door to the barn. Hopefully I won’t need it but there’s a bungee strap at the ready just in case.

The moderate temps have meant an easier time in the lambing barn as well. With a few of them born with temps in the teens below zero, you appreciate 20 – 30 degrees very quickly. So far, we’re about 25% finished lambing in the main barn as of this writing. It’s been interesting as there have been some natural-colored (dark) lambs born to white ewes and vice-versa. This makes one think about the genetics behind the coat color. Over the years, we’ve had animals carrying the natural-colored gene, both rams and ewes. Since it’s a recessive trait, it isn’t expressed in the offspring unless both parents carry it. Even then, if both parents have a white coat and carry the dark gene, only about 25% of the lambs will be dark colored. If one of the parents is dark colored and the other white but carrying the dark gene, it increases the odds of dark-colored lambs to about 50%. Your ovine genetics lesson for the day.

Checking for new lambs at 3 – 4 a.m. has been part of my routine since mid-January. The weather has been warm enough so most of the sheep have been sleeping outside, even on evenings that are well below zero when wind is light. Looking at them with the flashlight every night reminds me of the scene from The Sound of Music where the Nazi’s are searching for the Von Trapp family. With the sheep moving the steel hay feeders, the clanging sounds eerily like the iron gates being shaken in the movie. In order to get the ewes to go in the barn at night, shearing needs to happen soon. In a perfect world, the ewes are shorn in advance of lambing season. With all the upheaval at the ranch since mid-November, that’s been put on the back burner. They can be shorn after lambing but it’s more labor intensive.

We’ve been blessed to observe some resident pheasants who’ve camped out in the yard much of the winter. There have been varying numbers, but they’ve been faithful visitors on a daily basis. They’ve been humorous to watch as they clean up under the bird feeders. They even got up and perched precariously on the ear corn feeder, picking off kernel after kernel as the squirrels and red-bellied woodpeckers looked on. Recently I had some screenings that had been spilled in the barn. They were full of dirt and other debris, hardly something I wanted to feed the sheep. Scattered south of the house however they made excellent table fare for not only the pheasants but cardinals, blue jays and juncos. It may not qualify under some definitions of sustainability but ask me if I care.

Mrs. Cheviot continues making major headway on her recovery. The surgeons did a terrific job and therapy has worked wonders. She’s begun to walk again for short distances and is able to drive for the first time since her accident back in mid-November. She demonstrated satisfactorily that she was able to load the walker into the car herself, so her independence is becoming closer to reality once again. It’s also nice that she’s been able to contribute at chore time. Mixing up feed ahead so I’m not doing it myself helps a lot as does distributing the feed pans in the lambing barn. It’ll probably save me a couple hours per week. Last week I mentioned the walker which was graciously loaned to us by Hope’s noted philosopher. This week a walking stick my Mom had, designed with winter in mind, was pressed into service. When it wound up in my possession a couple years ago, I figured it would likely never be used. Little did I know.

Poppy has been my faithful little companion during the countless trips to the barn. As puppies will do, her attention span wanes, and she likes to wander off into the lot. The sheep seem to accept her and are skittish when she starts heading for their hocks. Still more puppy than adult, there are subtle hints of a potential herding dog. Indoors, she continues to monitor TV shows. There have been programs with dogs featured that catch her interest, only for her to lose focus when a bird flies past the window. She seems to like The Incredible Dr. Pol, cocking her head at some of the different animals on the screen. Poppy’s favorite pastime otherwise is still watching the birds, including the pheasants. She’ll sit for long stretches in front of the sliding glass doors especially on sunny days. Not long afterwards she’ll snuggle into Ruby’s old dog hole for a long nap on the couch. Sometimes there are little twitches and “oofs!” during that slumber. Tough to be a Corgi some days.

See you next week…real good then.         

[Dotch]

I want you back where you belong

Some exceptionally nice February temps delivered by the Weather Eye last week has the machine back in the scurs good graces. Most everyone else’s as well. Has Old Man Winter been vanquished or is he just biding his time? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with temperatures falling throughout the day. Highs in the low 30’s with lows around 10 above. Partly sunny on Thursday with highs in the upper teens and lows around 0. Sunny on Friday with highs in the upper 20’s and lows in the low 20’s. Saturday, sunny with highs in the upper 30’s and lows in the mid-20’s. Partly sunny on Sunday with highs in the upper 30’s and lows in the mid-20’s. President’s Day, partly sunny with highs in the upper 30’s and lows around 10 above. Mostly cloudy on Tuesday with a fair chance of snow. Highs in the mid-20’s with lows around 10 above. We’ll see 10 hours and 30 minutes of daylight on the 15th. The normal high for this year’s President’s Day is 28 and the normal low is 11. The scurs struck it rich in the Valentine’s Day goodie department. No guarantees but this should tide them over until the Easter baskets show up.

It was indeed a welcome stretch of weather this past week. Since winter got started in earnest back in mid-November, any moderation in temperatures helps this time of year. It also helps keep the frost from going much deeper while shrinking the snowpack slowly but surely. With southerly breezes blowing across it, that snow cover has kept temperatures from reaching their forecast highs some days. Where tillage left some fields relatively free of residue last fall, large patches of dark soil have emerged. The frost depth continues to be a question from individuals. The last reading at the SROC on the 6th showed the frost depth to be 10”. With above normal temperatures occurring most days since then, it likely hasn’t moved downward. In fact after a puddle formed in front of the walk-in door on the barn ahead of evening chores last weekend, I figured I’d be wading through it for several days. That or slipping and falling on the ice after it froze up again. To my surprise, it disappeared overnight and was nowhere to be found the next morning. Not much frost there I’d say.

I have been in my full winter plumage much of the season. Back when Mrs. Cheviot fell, I’d decided there probably wasn’t enough time to slip away for a haircut so I might as well let my face go too while I was at it. On some of those colder days and nights I wasn’t sorry I did. I’m not one of those guys who can grow facial hair like a werewolf, so it takes a while to cover. Probably the best part is that aside from my muzzle, the dark color absorbs the sunlight and warms my face on a cold winter’s day. The longer hair doesn’t hurt sometimes either although it is a pain in the neck to deal with it. I’m sure some who have seen me think it’s Doc from Back to the Future. Bad hair days are one of the reasons they invented hats. Eventually it’ll get too warm, and I’ll gladly shear it off. Until then it’s here to stay a while through the cold that’s yet sure to come.
 
I had my chance to get a free haircut last Friday when the sheep shearer arrived. He’d been over to survey the situation a week earlier and must’ve decided with all the lambs hitting the ground, it was time. Was glad he did. We enlisted the services of the Garden Gnome to catch the critters, so it was game on. I got the geezer duty of running the wool bagger. Not as strenuous as using the wool box used to be. It’s still work but doesn’t require the muscle required to catch and tip the sheep. My left shoulder awaits a serious exam once Medicare becomes a reality. We got through the group of 31 then moved to the big barn to finish the last seven. When we were done Mrs. Cheviot had food on the table ready and waiting when we came in. I can’t say for sure but I’m guessing this was probably somewhere north of 50 shearing sessions for me. The best thing about shearing is still when it’s done for another year.

As mentioned, Mrs. Cheviot continues to pick up speed on her recovery. Able to drive herself to therapy and doctor’s appointments, it’s helped take some of the pressure off me. It’s also helped that she’s riding down to the barn in the Gator to mix up feed pans and feeding the ewes in pens. She even held the lambs on Sunday so I could tag, dock, and vaccinate them. She couldn’t walk them down to the main barn but at least she could open the pens up so I could grab the lambs and the ewes would hopefully follow. Her efforts put us in a position so we could empty some pens in order to make room for more new arrivals. Climbing over the top of panels is overrated especially at our age. Nice to have her back in the barn again and she seemed to approve of what I’d been up to when she couldn’t be.

Some of the dog people we know have wondered how we made it as long as we did without getting another dog. It's been wonderful to hear the clicking of dog toenails on the laminate flooring again on a daily basis. Poppy has a little different cadence to her footsteps than the 25 years of Border Collies we’d become accustomed to. Her short legs make for quicker syncopation despite her long wheelbase. Her trips to the barn have increasingly included more interaction with the sheep, in particular with her wanting to tail them and push them ahead of her. They seem to have developed a respect for her one on one. Hopefully that translates into pushing ewes back inside of a gate and tailing them when we move ewes with lambs between buildings. We’ll be missing her briefly this week as we get her spayed Wednesday, delivering her to the vet on Tuesday. Hopefully all goes well, and we can get her chipped while they’re at it. It shouldn’t be a prolonged stay and will be nice to have her back where she belongs.

See you next week…real good then. 

[glenn57]

Dotch.you mentioned the frost is down about 10", thats not normal is it????i've heard the frost line is really shallow all over the state.....especially up in northern Mn!!!!!!

[Dotch]

No, that's really shallow even for the southern part of the state. Most years it's typically about twice that deep by this time of year or deeper. Usually when the frost depth measures about 19" at Waseca, the walk in door frame on the barn here heaves & the door won't latch. Given the circumstances we could see spring break quickly if the weather continues on this above normal temperature trend. It started raining steady here about 9:30 this morning. Supposed to rain much of the day so that should help reduce the snowpack quickly which should help it warm up more rapidly.

Was just outside letting Poppy do her business. A flock of 25 Canada geese flew over. Might be a group from the river running thru Owatonna but can't be certain. Only place I know nearby that would have enough open water for them to camp overnite. 

[Dotch]

One other note, north of Bugtussle right along Hwy 13 this afternoon. There were a half dozen swans sitting in the field by the road. When I saw them from a distance, I wondered who'd dumped the snow out along the edge of the field & why. Wasn't snow.

[Dotch]

Hang on Sloopy, Sloopy hang on

The scurs had the Weather Eye tuned in as we got tuned up by Old Man Winter last week. Will he lay into us one more time before spring or go lay by his dish? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with highs in the low 30’s and lows in the upper teens. Partly sunny on Thursday with highs in the upper 20’s and lows in the mid-teens. Mostly sunny on Friday with highs in the low 30’s and lows around 20. Saturday, partly sunny with highs in the low 30’s and lows in the mid-teens. Mostly sunny on Sunday with a modest chance of an evening rain shower. Highs in the upper 30’s with lows in the low 30’s. Monday, partly sunny with a slight chance of a rain/snow mix. Highs in the low 40’s with lows in the low 20’s. Cloudy on Tuesday March 7th for the Full Moon. Highs in the low 30’s with lows in the mid-teens. The normal high for March 7th is 34 and the normal low is 18. With seasonal temperatures on tap, the scurs will be taking seasonal naps, hoping this long winter will soon be over.

The Full Moon arrives on the 7th and generally is known as the Full Worm Moon as the earthworms begin to be active in this timeframe across much of North America. They provide protein for the robins and other birds as they return to their nesting grounds. This was called the Full Crow Moon by the northern tribes as the cawing crows heralded the end of winter. It has also been known as the Full Sap Moon as maple trees are tapped during this month. Another variation is the Full Lenten Moon as it was the last moon of the winter. The Ojibwe called this the Full Crust Moon as the snow surface became crusted and crystalline with the warming daytime temperatures. In tune with their way of life, the Sioux knew this as the Moon when Buffalo drop their Calves. At the ranch, it’s the Corgi with a Wet Tummy Moon. Low clearance will do that to a little dog.

Some lively discussions last week about the blizzard with some indicating disappointment that it had been overhyped. My personal feeling was I was just thankful we were warned it was coming well in advance. As a small livestock producer without many of the nice toys and facilities the big boys have, I don’t need to prove how tough I am by being out in nasty weather. Been there, done that. Since I don’t want to wind up on the 10 o’clock news as someone charged with animal abuse, I have no choice. It was a major storm and while perhaps not as brutal as some, it was still a pain in the butt just the same. The one-two punch was a new twist. I don’t recall a storm where I needed to blow a path to the barn three consecutive chore sessions. Plenty of wind and snow to make life miserable enough.

As if on cue, the ewes started lambing with reckless abandon. We lambed roughly a third of the flock in the day leading up to the blizzard and during its duration. It got to the point where I really didn’t even want to look in the barn. There was generally good news though as the temperatures didn’t really plummet until the storm had moved through. That caused more issues than the storm itself. We had moved one little buck lamb and his elderly mother down to the loafing area ahead of the storm as we needed pen space. They got a long OK until the storm and when the temperature tanked so did the lamb’s mother. He was smart though and probably the most capable little milk thief I’ve ever seen. He resisted our attempts to bottle feed him at first. We got him started however and on that coldest night, he’d reached the point where he’d come up to the panel for his bottle He also snuggled with other lambs, so he stayed warm. Sandwiched between two black lambs, he looked like the filling on an Oreo.
 
The next morning he was crumpled up along the panel, likely a victim of one of the ewes that took exception to his thievery. He was still alive but barely. Took him inside and tried to warm him up but as badly injured as he was, to no avail. Another lamb had been struck by what appeared to be a quick pneumonia. Fine when last checked but by that same morning, he was hardly moving. Still alive but same result. A few stillborn lambs later, what started out as a miraculous lambing season had taken a demoralizing turn for the worse. Monday night at chore time when I opened the door, one of the unplanned pregnancy ewe lambs had a lamb at side. After the recent spate of bad luck I wasn’t expecting anything except trouble. Instead, everything was very routine. While the ewe wasn’t keen on the idea of being penned up, it liked the lamb and it had been nursing already. The lamb was a normal, healthy, natural-colored ewe lamb and cuter than a bug’s ear. Realizing there were only a few more ewes left to lamb, catching a lucky break after the recent spate of bad luck suddenly made it tolerable again.

Poppy is almost back to full capacity again. Still don’t let her rip and tear like she did pre-spaying, but we’ve gradually loosened the reins. It’s been tough to give her as much exercise as she’d like up until recently. I’ve let her off the leash a few times and the results are about as expected. She runs at full speed and doesn’t show any sign of slowing down. She still has quirks as well. We got used to Border Collie quirks so it’s just a matter of figuring out the trigger mechanism. Some of the towels that we’d used in the birthing process from the lambing barn were piled on the utility room floor. Every time Poppy looked in the room she’d have a barking-growling hissy fit. Mrs. Cheviot figured out that the pile of towels was the culprit and promptly closed the door. So much for that source of entertainment/annoyance.

Speaking of annoyance, the icy conditions that have followed the blizzard have made it a challenge for everyone. Mrs. Cheviot, while her ankle has almost healed, needs to be extra cautious so as not to undo what the surgeons magically repaired. Likewise with Moi. Icy spots are hidden all over the yard and one false step, down you go. Fortunately I’m not exactly Zach Edey so I don’t have far to fall. Regardless, I need to be extra careful. I’m fully capable of going on the IR list as ice doesn’t give much. Both of us find ourselves constantly looking for handles, levers, steering wheels, or anything else to hang onto especially at chore time. Just snow is one thing but when it melts and refreezes, any port in a storm when it comes to staying upright. Presently the slush has frozen very unevenly so landing wrong while hauling water buckets could mean a twisted ankle or worse. Oh well, as long as we can drag ourselves back to the house across the ice for the next batch. Somedays you gotta play with pain.
 
See you next week...real good then.     

[Dotch]

Can't you smell that smell?

The scurs had the Weather Eye on the more moderate setting this past week. Is Old Man Winter ready to go on spring break or more likely to break us in two? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with a fair chance of evening snow. Highs in the mid-30’s with lows in the upper 20’s. Cloudy on Thursday with a good chance of snow. Highs in the low 30’s with lows in the upper 20’s. Mostly cloudy on Friday with a fair chance of snow before noon. Highs in the low 30’s with lows in the upper teens. Saturday, mostly cloudy with a good chance of more snow by evening. Highs in the low 30’s with lows in the mid-20’s. Mostly cloudy on Sunday with a modest chance of a forenoon snow shower. Highs in the low 30’s with lows in the low 20’s. Monday, mostly cloudy with highs in the low 30’s and lows in the upper teens. Partly sunny on Tuesday with highs in the low 30’s and lows in the low 20’s. On the 8th we begin gaining daylight at just over three minutes a day. Daylight Saving (really?) Time begins on Sunday. The normal high for March 12th is 37 and the normal low is 21.  The scurs will be standing on three chairs, dutifully moving their clocks ahead. What could possibly go wrong?
 
Yes indeed, it’s time again for the government to mess around with our clocks and health again, much to the chagrin of those who have become fond of the sun coming up before 7 a.m. To be certain, the individuals who promoted this silly notion of Daylight Saving Time obviously didn’t have livestock to care for or a job to get to once they were done with that. Something just wrong about pulling the rug out from under your body when it’s just getting into a rhythm. With good reason. The sun will rise at 7:30 a.m. on March 12th, the same time as it rose back on February 1st. It will take until April 10th, almost a month, before the sun rises again at 6:30 a.m. as it did on March 11th. As the saying goes, only white man foolish enough to believe that you could cut a foot off the top of a blanket and sew it to the bottom and have a longer blanket.

Our winter weather has been record-setting at least at the SROC in Waseca. They recorded the wettest Dec. – Feb. period on record at 6.97” of liquid equivalent precip. It’s hard to say with certainty that that’s the case in Bugtussle or at the ranch as we simply don’t have enough years of data to draw that kind of conclusion. It has been very wet however with 6.89” recorded at the ranch in that timeframe and 6.44” in town. Normal for the most recent 30-year average at the SROC is 3.97”. Something unique about this winter has been the amount of precip that has fallen as rain. At the ranch for instance, about 2.4” of the winter precip was actually rain and not snow. It soaked into the snowpack and along with the wetter than normal snow, has meant there is a significant amount of moisture still in the remaining snowpack, guesstimated up to 3” worth. The frost depth at the SROC was reported at 8” on March 6th so it shouldn’t take long once it warms up for the frost to go out. Fingers crossed.
 
It's been interesting to watch how the winter’s wet snow has impacted the sheep. Normally I fill their water tank about every third day. Typical late December and January snow will contain .07” or less of water per inch of snow. This winter, numerous times the snow has contained .1” or more of liquid precip per inch of snow. Add some rainfall the snow soaks up like a sponge and it becomes like a snow cone. When I’ve filled their water tank the past three months, it takes several days before there’s a noticeable change in the water level. Why? The sheep have been eating snow. They’ll do that when the snow has a high moisture content. This confounds my efforts to use the water tank to gauge when lambs are likely on the way. As the ewes get close to lambing, many times water consumption increases. Water consumption increases after lambing as well, but that water isn’t coming out of the water tank. Some schmuck is hauling small buckets of warm water from the house across the glare ice to those small pens.

Speaking of that, Mrs. Cheviot is getting closer to back to her normal routine. By using the Gator to chauffer her to and from the barns, we seem to make chores work. When the blizzard hit, it made chores somewhat bearable despite the inclement weather. Recently, I must’ve slipped or stepped wrong when moving sheep or hauling buckets. I didn’t fall and don’t recall hitting my left shin above the ankle. I noticed nothing right away but could tell Sunday night I’d tweaked something. Monday morning it was sore and by evening chores, it was downright painful. I was hobbling around like Chester on Gunsmoke. I like Chester but golly Bill, I would’ve rather been Festus. The best medicine was to just stay off of my feet as much as possible. Just glad the crunch in the lambing barn was over, and we had only a small handful of ewes left to go. It seems to be healing quickly, back to just sore on Tuesday morning. Hope so. Two gimps are not better than one in this case.

Poppy’s routine is becoming more and more normalized, even though she has the attention span of a gnat sometimes. For that reason I usually keep her on a leash at potty time and when we’re out doing lamb check. She’s a little too curious especially when it comes to the traffic that goes by the ranch. There has also been a skunk in the vicinity. My nose doesn’t lie. The positive is that she’s become used to being on a leash which our Border Collies never were. They were focused on what was going on in the barn and cared about little else. I do allow Poppy off the leash when we’re filling birdfeeders even though it takes some hollering to get her attention at times. Still, the exercise is the main thing. When we get back in from those excursions, Poppy is still going 90 mph. Within a few minutes however, her batteries start to wear down. The next thing you know, she’s sound asleep on the couch, atop the pillow she’s claimed without a care in the world. Life as a Corgi doesn’t look all bad.
 
See you next week…real good then.     

[Dotch]

It's been too long

The scurs tweaked with the Weather Eye last week but to no avail. Is this Old Man Winter’s last hurrah or is he on the extended stay plan? Starting Wednesday, partly sunny with a modest chance of evening rain showers. Highs in the low 40’s with lows in the upper 20’s. Cloudy on Thursday with a good chance of rain changing to snow by evening. Highs in the upper 30’s with lows in the low 20’s. Mostly cloudy on St. Patrick’s Day with a fair chance of snow before noon. Highs in the mid-20’s with lows in the upper teens. Saturday, partly sunny with highs in the mid-20’s and lows around 10. Mostly sunny on Sunday with highs in the upper 20’s and lows in the upper teens. Monday, for the vernal equinox sunny with highs in the mid-30’s and lows in the low 20’s. Mostly cloudy on Tuesday with a good chance of snow showers. Highs in the upper 30’s with lows in the mid-20’s. The normal high for St. Patrick’s Day is 40 and the normal low is 23. The scurs will be enjoying corned beef and cabbage on Friday. On Monday, hens will become annoyed when their eggs stand on end.

The spring or vernal equinox will occur on March 20th at 4:24 CDT. This is considered the first day of astronomical spring, which for most purposes is more likely to resemble spring weather conditions than the meteorological date of March 1st. Most of us get that the latter divides the year into nice, neat units for data collecting purposes. However, those of us who spend a fair amount of time outdoors this time of year know that spring and March are frequently not synonymous. For quite some time, March was actually our 2nd snowiest month of the year surpassed only by December. With more rain falling in March during the most recent 30-year normal data period, it’s fallen to fourth place behind February. So far, it’s doing a good job of keeping pace this year and the month will be half over by the time this reaches print.
 
Our snowfall & precip totals for the previous four months and including the first two weeks in March have been impressive. So far at the ranch, our tally measures 67.8”. Equally impressive is the amount of liquid equivalent precip that has fallen in that timeframe, taking into consideration that total is a preliminary 9.91”. The normal for November through March at the SROC in Waseca is 8.11”. There continues to be ample evidence that some of the precip is going into the soil. If the nasty ruts and slop holes we drive through almost daily during chores are any indication, there should be plenty of moisture to green the lawns up quickly, not to mention the gardens and crops once planted. The temperatures have been slow to warm so the thaw has been extremely gradual. That’s a good thing for keeping more water on the land ahead of the cropping season.
 
Lambing progress has slowed to a snail’s pace. There are only a few stragglers left to come in yet as we monitor their progress. A set of twins born Sunday morning represents part of a small handful of March born lambs. Not complaining as it’s nice to have the bulk of the lambing done before that. The mild winter has meant the lambs on the ground are growing at warp speed. Having the creep feeder set up and operating makes a world of difference. One can see the increase in the amount of feed and water consumed every few days. Some of the older, larger lambs can almost compete with their mothers at chore time. Now we need some cooperation from Mother Nature so we can let the brood ewes with lambs outside on a regular basis. March being the fickle month that it is, expecting we can start to turn ewes on pasture is usually pie in the sky.
   
We did have a little excitement in the main barn this last week in the form of an unwanted visitor. Could detect Pepe Le Peu’s presence & essence occasionally, making us nervous when we were choring. After smelling skunk enough times, I set a live trap outside the barn, hoping to get a shot at the varmint without stinking the barn up. I caught three out of our four cats and hadn’t noticed any odor. Was hoping perhaps it had been run over or one of my neighbors had shot it. Couldn’t be that lucky. Went down to the barn last Thursday to start chores. The normal routine starts by feeding the cats so I turned on the lights and peeked my head inside the door. I saw the usual complement of cats but noticed an extra black one in the corner on top of the empty cat food bags. This one had a big white stripe down its back. Yipes!
 
I quickly slammed the door and ran as fast as I could to get my loaded shotgun. Thank goodness it was at the ready as I was fixing to do battle upon my return. Better than the option of wondering where the skunk was the entire time we were doing chores. I poked my head in the door and noticed the varmint was still there. It didn’t give it time to take aim at me when I unloaded the first blast, stepped back out quickly and shut the door. After a few seconds, I opened the door again and noticed it didn’t stink. Seeing the skunk was still wiggling, I let him have it with barrel #2. Then it stunk. After removing the skunk and cat food bags, the smell dissipated to a large degree. At least I hadn’t been sprayed and the intruder had been vanquished.
   
During Mrs. Cheviot’s recuperation, the birds have provided some welcome entertainment. The pheasants in particular are daily visitors to our backyard. It’s been many winters since we’ve seen as many goldfinches as this one starting back in November. They’ve really chugged through the thistle seed. When I commented that it’s getting really expensive Mrs. Cheviot chimed in that it’s still worth it. I’ll remember that if I want another tractor someday. As mentioned in past editions, Poppy likes watching birds too. A sandhill crane flew over on the 9th, making that almost prehistoric call. She was looking skyward, cocking her head, trying to figure out what the strange noise was all about. Deer don’t fly, but if you really want to set her off, wait until they show up in the backyard around dusk. Fun for the whole family. Poppy’s been cooped up inside a little too much methinks. Robins have had at least three snows on their tails here at the ranch. Time to see some green grass. It’s been too long.

See you next week…real good then.