Fencelines

[Steve Foss]

Great stuff, Dotch. You're good every time. This time you were even better.

[Dotch]

Not sure which repair shop it might've been fishinchicks but it's possible it was the guy whose pasture I sublet from another sheep producer who was long on pasture and short on sheep. The pasture owner never knew my name, just used to leave me notes on the gate saying "Hey sheep guy-call me". He was hoping I'd rent the pasture from him straight out. If it was him, I'll let him know.

Thanks Steve. You know what it's all about having to crank out articles, columns and stories as well as meeting deadlines. As long as people keep readin' 'em we'll keep writin' 'em.

[fishinchicks]

Funny about the other sheep producer.

My daughter said it was the first repair shop just off the interstate, if that helps? No matter who it was, it's just nice to know that there are people around who are still willing to help others out without making them feel bad about themselves.

[Dotch]

And go get yourself some cheap sunglasses...

The scurs were close and that’s all that counts in horseshoes, hand grenades and weather forecasting. Will we get rolling in the field once again? Very likely after last weekends showers. Starting Wednesday and Thursday, a couple carbon copies under mostly clear skies. Highs of 70 – 75 and lows of 45 – 50. Partly cloudy Friday, a high of 70 and a low of 45 – 50 with a slight chance of some overnight showers. Saturday and Sunday, partly cloudy with an increasing chance of showers, highs of 65 – 70 and lows of 45 – 50. Monday and Tuesday, mostly cloudy with a chance rain late Monday lasting into Tuesday afternoon. Highs both day around 60 and lows of 40 – 45. Normal high for April 24th is 62 and the normal low is 37. The scurs are trying to decide if they should sharpen their lawnmower blades or rustle some sheep for the onslaught that is the lawn mowing season.

Speaking of the lawn mowing season, wasn’t it incredible to see the green-up in area lawns and pastures overnight following last Saturday’s rain? The rain was welcomed by most although some were disappointed they couldn’t finish their corn planting. Perhaps the calendar should be consulted before bringing corn back and swapping it for beans just yet. Nice to see it rain as it has done so grudgingly to this point. Hard to blame people for planting as much as they did though. Soil conditions have been nearly ideal and soil temperatures at the 2” depth were above the magical 50 degree mark most of last week. Just a guesstimate in the area, probably 20 – 25% of the corn has been planted around Bugtussle. As one gets towards Mayberry, the town directly east on Hwy. 30, progress is not as rapid.

Lots of early gardening progress reported as well although it’s simply too early for most things like tomatoes, cucumbers and squash unless you really enjoy covering them when the forecast pulls the usual surprises typical of late April and early May weather. It was a good weekend at the ranch to get things whipped into shape for another action packed season of lawn mowing and gardening. All the limbs from the apple tree pruning were cleaned up, the tree wrap taken off, the crushed rock put back on the driveway where it came from and the skeletons of last year’s garden were removed, awakening the little native pink spotted ladybugs from their slumber. Could’ve burned the debris but would rather keep the little six-legged aphid eaters around awhile. Just stockpiled the residue until it warms up sufficiently to allow them to stroll around the grounds until they feel at home. On the north side of the house under one clump of sod, a large chunk of ice was discovered. Was suddenly glad I hadn’t decided to rush into the garden just for the sake of getting something planted. Still lots of time.

The latest arrival in the yard is one of the sweetest singers. The chipping sparrows have set up shop for the season and were only too glad to see Mrs. Cheviot brushing the loose hair out of Gus. His fur is prized by many of the area birds as nest construction material. There was a male bluebird through the yard again on Saturday but it didn’t stick around. Still need to reposition a couple of the nesting boxes the tree swallows haven’t staked a claim to just yet. There is still time although the sooner the better. There was a thrush, either a gray-cheeked or Swainson’s judging by the size under the spruce trees while I was moving some brush to the pile. Wasn’t there long enough to get a good ID but it was not one of the usual suspects.

Area ponds including ours have erupted with chorus frogs. Last Friday night when it was warm, decided it would be a great idea to open the bedroom window to let in some fresh air and allow the frogs to lull me to sleep. That they did; the thousands of amphibians in the basin are truly Mother Nature’s little white-noise machines. However, along about 3:30 a.m., my deep slumber was disturbed by something. In my half-awakened state, I couldn’t figure out what the racket was. Once the cobwebs cleared, the honking of a giant Canada goose from the pond was all I needed to close the window and drift off to sleep once again.

Was with great trepidation and reluctance I finally scraped the underbrush off my face. Truth be known, it actually got to the point last week where it was too warm. Of course, the weather naturally became much cooler following that making me long to be a furbearer once again. However, one doesn’t want to be known as heap big paleface either by waiting too much longer. One thing about it, it’ll grow back and if the scurs call the winter like they did last fall, it will likely reappear albeit in more grizzled form. Now what to do about my blonde minivan driving wig? Maybe accessorize with a pair of cheap sunglasses and one of those big, clunky purses.

Oh and Mar-Mar, lest you think you’ve been spared, will be down some rainy weekend for a Clint Eastwood film festival and to do my best icemaker impression. The mystery guy with no teeth? Put this question to the panel of experts here at the Mall for Men. The consensus: It was Jim Morrison. He faked his death you know. Bet his hair was long and gray and he was wearing the same leather pants he wore in 1970. See? The little fat buddies will stoop to just about any level to get raisin bars.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Rainy day people always seem to know when you’re feeling blue…

The scurs scored another bull’s-eye with their last forecast and we received some much needed rain. What’s in store for this edition? Wednesday, partly cloudy becoming cloudy by evening with an increasing chance of showers over the course of the day. High of 65 and low of 45. Cloudy Thursday with showers likely. High of 65 and low of 45. Cooler Friday May 1 with a chance of lingering showers. High of 55 and low dropping to 35. Saturday, clear. High of 60 and low around 40. Partly cloudy Sunday becoming mostly cloudy with a chance of showers. High near 60 and low around 45. Cloudy Monday with a chance of showers. High of 60 and low of 45. Tuesday, Cinco de Mayo, cloudy with another chance of showers by evening. High of 60 and low of 45. The sun will rise at 6 a.m. on that day in Bugtussle. The scurs will be scouring the neighborhood, looking to cash in on unattended May Baskets. Chocolate Easter bunnies are long gone.

Wild week weather-wise, seeing highs climb well into the 80’s and lows down near freezing. This is why we live here however. Give the weather time and there will be something to complain about and someone to complain about it. Showers overnight on the 25th knocked planters out of the field once again. Weekend showers probably sealed the deal for much of the week with little in the way of drying weather in the forecast. Still, roughly 80 – 85% of the corn in greater Bugtussle has been planted. So far so good. Sprouts appear normal and emergence should be occurring even on fields planted by some heathens on Easter Sunday. We may be glad we have the moisture come the end of July or early August when we’ve tended to be a little short. And with the size of the equipment, one can make up lost ground pretty rapidly. It is amazing how planting equipment has expanded since my arrival some 25 years ago. 8 row planters were the norm and if someone had a 12 row they were big stuff. Now, if you aren’t going back and forth with at least 16 rows, some might consider you a hobby farmer.

Tree swallows continue their indecision in picking a nesting box. Am thinking these must all be female as they can’t make up their minds. A pair of Canada geese have had no such difficulty in making the pond their nesting territory. A barn swallow was the latest new arrival on the 24th. No evidence it stayed but at the ranch as with most other small farm operations, one just takes the little bug eaters for granted until suddenly they’re gone in the fall. Did hang up feeders for the orioles and hummingbirds on the odd chance that one or both species might show up. The only thing that showed up though was a lot of wind that proceeded to empty to hummingbird feeder within a matter of a few hours.

Last week I said there was plenty of time to get the early garden crops in. Well, there was until Thursday when warm temperatures caused my farming hormones to kick into overdrive. The rain in the forecast might’ve had something to do with it also. Composted manure was applied, ground was worked and potatoes, radishes, onions, snap peas as well as a new crimson red rhubarb plant all went in the ground in a matter of a few hours. To go along with that, a Mt. Royal plum and a Honeycrisp apple tree were added to the fruit tree arsenal here at the ranch.

Speaking of apples, there may be no honor among thieves but there obviously is among little fat buddies. Recently loaned the pride of my farm equipment fleet, namely the manure spreader to one of our senior members to clean up several loads of road apples. Upon bringing it back he looked a little sheepish and explained that on the way back to the ranch, the jack stand hadn’t latched completely. The foot on the bottom had been ground down pretty well on the asphalt and he vowed to get it repaired at MacGyver’s. A couple days later, the jack stand had been repaired and reinstalled. Just watch, will probably tear it completely off the next time I use it.

Letters, we get letters. A. P. from Owatonna writes that I was mistaken about not being able to stand eggs on end during the precise time of the vernal equinox. Ah, but if one reads closely, notice I never said they couldn’t be stood on end, only that the myth had been debunked. The plot thickens. I have it on good authority that the eggs used in the recent NHREG Star-Eagle photo were fertile. Would be mighty curious to see just what hatches out of them. This may explain why Betts and Jody have been taking turns after hours exercising a rooster and a setting hen on a leash in the alley behind the office. With Reed making amazing progress developing nuclear cold-fusion in the basement, there is no telling what is going on around there at any given moment. I must apologize for being unavailable when numerous attempts have been made to contact me at the Star-Eagle office. The dimly lit tool shed out back from hence this column emanates has only telegraph service. It’s slow too. Guess what? The Civil War is over! A.P.: Appreciate your reading and thanks for the nice handwritten letter that arrived by Pony Express the other day.

http://www.snopes.com/science/equinox.asp

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Upon us all a little rain must fall...It's just a little rain...

The scurs were in the proximity last time around and that’s all anyone can ask when forecasting a week at a time. How close will they be predicting no washouts but chances of rain most days. We shall see. Starting Wednesday, cloudy skies with a fair chance of rain. High of 70 and low of 50. Partly cloudy becoming cloudy Thursday with a moderate chance of rain. High of 70 and low around 50. Mostly cloudy Friday and Saturday and a tad cooler with a slight chance of showers. High of 65 and low near 45. Sunday, partly cloudy, fair chance of showers. High around 65 and low of 45. Partly cloudy Monday, high near 65 and low around 50. Mostly cloudy Tuesday, with a good chance of rain. High of 65 and low of 45. Normal high for May 8th is 68 and the normal low is 43. The scurs are relaxing in the hammock following a long weekend of lawn mowing.

The Full Moon for the month of May falls on the 8th at 11:01 p.m. This is known as the Full Flower Moon or the Corn Planting Moon. The Ojibwe called this the Blossom Moon and the Sioux knew it as the Moon When the Ponies Shed. This is known at the ranch as the Moon When Border Collies Shed although that seems to be perpetual. The nest building birds don’t seem to mind or Gus and Lucy for that matter as wads of hair the size of tumbleweeds roll out of the garage when the door is opened.

Field activity in and around Greater Bugtussle was slowed as the cooler temperatures last week were stubborn about allowing the fields dry enough so planting could commence once again. By Friday afternoon though, breezes blew and by late Friday and early Saturday, planters were rolling. Corn is virtually all in the ground and soybean planting is probably around the halfway mark as of this writing. As fast as soybeans go in, given some good weather between now and press time, that amount could be higher. There are some fields with corn starting to spike through and seedling health thus far looks good. Small grain fields look fantastic as this has been an ideal spring thus far for cool season crops.

Speaking of cool season crops, the early garden stuff is coming along nicely. The radishes started to emerge April 30th, exactly one week after they were planted. The onion sets are also poking through although the peas have yet to make an appearance. The rhubarb that was a little ping-pong ball sized mass of wrapped up leaves just a few weeks ago is now about 18” in diameter. Mrs. Cheviot assures me that it is just about ready to eat. May have to tap into the oriole and hummingbird sugar stocks to make some pie or sauce soon.

Lots of bird activity as the migrants continue to move on through and some of the residents are returning and setting up shop for the summer. Notable among the migrants have been a male rose-breasted grosbeak and a white-throated sparrow. The barn swallows are here to stay as are the brown thrashers who still impress me with their Jimmy Page-like musical skills. On the pond, 3 egrets were wading the shallows in the bright morning sunshine. There are several nesting pairs of ducks too. Counted 3 pair of blue-winged teal, 1 pair of mallards and a pair of Canada geese. There has been something working in the wood duck house too but haven’t been able to determine what so far. Almost all the cedar chips have been tossed out of the nesting box and it’s down to the cedar shavings in the bottom. Curious to know who’s been responsible for all the housecleaning. Still no oriole’s yet the same as one other loyal observer but saw one of the house finches was drinking out of the nectar feeder the other day. As active as they are, they probably don’t need a sugar high.

Grilling burgers Sunday night just before sundown, was amusing to hear the rooster pheasants scattered across the still landscape crowing before their bedtime. Little Jerry has made his presence known during the day too, checking out the corn feeder stationed in what’s left of the sumac and plum thicket after the highway dept. go done with it. He wasn’t impressed and neither was I. Fortunately for him, he was the recipient of all the ears from the food plot. No sense in attracting large numbers of striped gophers to the garden when Jerry needs to keep his strength up. Much handier to shoot the gophers out the window that way too.

Around the yard, buds are popping and this week should display a lot of spring flowering across the countryside. The flowering crabs are ready to burst into bloom as soon as the wild plums are done. Our apples survived the severe pruning they received and are leafing out. This is their “on” year at the ranch so will be interesting to see how the apples are affected. The nannyberries in the yard and fencelines are loaded with buds as are the serviceberries. Thanks to Eric at the Steele Co. SWCD was able to get my chokeberries planted the same day they came in. They only received a little over a quarter-inch of rain though so watered them thoroughly over the weekend by hooking every available garden hose we had together. Hopefully Edna will have a sale soon. Another 5 or 6 hundred feet of hose and we could probably fill the pond when it gets low in July and August.

See you next week…real good then.

[Steve Foss]

Good read, Dotch!

[Birdsong]

Maggie doesn't shed, but she got her hair cut out on the deck last night so the birds can snatch it up for nesting. I haven't heard the orioles singing here yet either. I usually hear them before I see them. I love your column.

[Dotch]

Thanks you guys! My Mom called me Saturday morning after hearing then seeing a house wren. I'd just cleaned out several houses for them so was glad I did. No orioles at her place near Spring Valley yet either. I'll be the first to know when they show up! By the way, our place is crawling with chipping sparrows right now. Do they return to the same place to nest I wonder or do they just end up wherever? They have lots of places to nest but not sure just how territorial they are amongst other things. Would be fun to have the time to observe them more closely but alas...

[Dotch]

I have a bird that whistles, and I have birds that sing.

The scurs have been on fire as of late and not because they’ve been playing with matches. With that degree of accuracy, one would think they’d be on their own private island somewhere in the Caribbean. Alas, they must forecast another week’s worth of potentially wet weather first. Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy becoming partly cloudy with a good chance of rain in the forenoon hours. High of 70 and low near 50. Thursday, partly cloudy, no rain expected. High around 65 and low of 45. Partly cloudy Friday with rain potential increasing by evening. High of 75 and low around 55. Mostly cloudy Saturday with a good chance of rain in the overnight. Expected high of 70 and low of 50. Slight chance of rain under mostly cloudy skies Sunday. High of 70 and low of 50. Partly cloudy Monday and Tuesday with a slight chance of rain Monday a.m. and a better chance Tuesday evening. Highs around 70 and lows near 50. Normal high for May 15th is 71 and the normal low is 46. After Monday morning’s frost, the scurs are keeping their tender vegetation inside a tad longer.

Some progress in the fields although it has been slow going over much of Greater Bugtussle, particularly in areas receiving sudden downpours. Some areas east of Otisco received over 2” in a matter of 45 minutes or less. Corn is slowly emerging and is showing the effects from the lack of sunshine and cool temperatures. Pale color is the norm thus far. Some soybeans have emerged and as of this writing, it remains to be seen how some of them have handled the cool Sunday overnight lows. Small grain continues to look beautiful as do the pea fields at this point. Weeds are beginning to show in the small grain and it will soon be time for control measures where applicable.

In the garden, lots of things starting to show up finally and like the corn and soybeans, it’s been slow coming. Snap peas are emerging as are the potatoes and Indian corn. Some spotty areas in the rows of peas and corn however and upon further investigation, appears the culprits are seed corn maggots. There were lots of small flies buzzing around the freshly turned earth the day they were planted so it should come as no surprise. Also shouldn’t be surprising that there are a few wireworms in the mix. Having torn up some sod a few years back where the garden is makes it suspect for that pest as well. Since the wireworm can live in the soil up to 7 years as larva, it could be awhile before they’re out of the system. The adult wireworm of course is none other than the click beetle. As a lad, would place the beetles on their backs, watch them click their head capsule and do a flip to right themselves again. You see, we were poor and didn’t have many toys.

The Dubya’s weaned calves last week and it was a little noisy for a couple days. Not too long and all is forgotten however. The same program is coming at the ranch with the ewes and lambs soon. Some of the lambs are big enough so they almost lift the ewes off the ground when they nurse. The ewes are getting fatter and more aggressive every day, attempting to make my knees bend in directions they were not intended to while trying to get at the feed. Feed isn’t cheap while grass is plentiful and lush. Doesn’t bother me in the least to torment the ewes by weaning the youngsters after putting up with that nonsense.

Great week to observe the birds as they return for the summer and migrate on northward to their summer homes. Spotted the first oriole on Tuesday and he was later joined by a couple other males. Was curious if they’d stay and Wednesday morning after wondering if someone had lobbed an orange up in the tree it turned out to be the oriole singing away. Have seen at least 3 different males so far. The grosbeak is still around, whistling shyly before bellying up to the sunflower feeder. The white-throated sparrow is still here too and was joined on Sunday by a couple Harris sparrows. No white-crowned sparrow yet but there’s still time. There was even a lone pine siskin one Friday. Not sure where the rest of his pals were but most likely a long way north of here. The first house wren was singing on Friday and the first ruby-throated hummingbird was at the nectar feeder on Saturday morning. Summer can officially start now that they’re all back.

The pond area is still noisy at night, especially on the warmer evenings. In addition to the chorus frogs, the toads are extremely vocal, with their near constant trilling in contrast to the frogs thumb on a comb-like chirping. There were numerous toads spotted in the yard during the first lawn mowing. It wouldn’t be surprising if some of them were heading to the pond to do what toads and frogs do this time of year: Sing!

The little fat buddies had cause for celebration last week upon reading news in the Star-Eagle of the bakery being slated to reopen this fall. The possibility of light rail from the Mall for Men to the bakery has been discussed. So far it’s been slow going especially since there have been lots of treats (pie, cookies, chocolate donuts) amongst the several rain delays. Since tax dollars are short, car pooling may have to suffice for now.

See you next week…real good then.

[Birdsong]

I have to tell you, Dotch, on full moon night a couple days back, I saw the moon rising and it was spectacular. I figured a full moon like that had to have a special name. Then I remembered your column last week. I had to go back and look it up. And you thought you were a columnist, not an encyclopedia.

[Dotch]

Encyclopedia? More like a game of Trivial Pursuit I'm afraid.

[Dotch]

You gotta roll, roll, roll, You gotta thrill my soul, all right

The scurs hit a snag last week with temps cooler and lesser rainfall than was anticipated. This forecast period includes some warmth and not a moment too soon. Starting Wednesday, high of 80 – 85 and lows around 55 under partly cloudy skies. Moderate chance for rain in the overnight hours. Partly cloudy and cooler Thursday, with a moderate chance of showers. High near 70 and low of 55. Partly cloudy Friday through Sunday with highs of 70 and lows of 45 – 50. Warming up on Monday, partly cloudy, high of 75 and low of 60. Warmer still Tuesday, partly cloudy with a high around 80 and a low near 60. Normal high for May 22nd is 74 and the normal low is 48. On the 23rd, we will see just over 15 hours of daylight, the first time since late July last year. The scurs will be spending Memorial Day at their secret hideaway, not far from my hovel only minutes away from beautiful downtown Zerkel.

Area farmers are putting the final touches on soybean planting. Most was completed this past week and weekend as the promised showers turned out to be less than expected. The frost early in the week singed some corn here and there while the early planted soybeans weren’t generally emerged enough to have taken much of a hit. Crop progress was slow however as temperatures were cool and few GDU’s were accumulated. Small grains and peas continue to look fabulous as this has been their kind of weather, namely cool and on the drier side. In places like IL, corn planting progress has been an ongoing battle with each weather system seemingly targeting that state’s corn growing areas. At this point we have been very fortunate. As the old saying goes, it doesn’t grow in the bag.

Lots of questions about the big rollers seen going across area fields. They are used to smooth the field surface and smoosh the rocks and corn root balls into it so the combine doesn’t pick them up. It’s also very helpful in the fluffy peat soils to take some of that fluff out of it so one doesn’t sink to China when planting. Cost effective? Hard to put a dollar figure on it. There are lots of opinions on the operation but it’s hard to argue with the clean sample of soybeans that results, not to mention the reduction in wear and tear on the combine.

It’ll soon be time to put the rest of the garden in. Can’t wait for the first cucumbers and tomatoes but after seeing the frost this past week, will have to pay attention so there actually are vegetables to be harvested. As in the fields, the garden has been slow too. Lack of heat equals slow growth. Sheltered areas make a difference of course and gardening in town is a whole different ballgame as opposed to coaxing seed out of the ground on the wide open spaces of the prairie. Wind never stops blowing seems like.

Birds continue to move on through or assume their position in the overall scheme of things. Finally saw the white-crowned sparrow although it wasn’t in our yard, it was down near Lonergan Lake. The little cliff swallows are back under the area bridges. Chimney swifts are commonplace in town now and the bobolinks have shown up in the CRP, another sure sign that summer will be here to stay soon. There has been a male red-bellied woodpecker at the corn and sunflower feeders. Odd because for the past many years all we have seen is females. 4 male orioles were disputing the ownership of the nectar feeder one afternoon and by the weekend, there was one who seems to have signed on as our resident songster. The common yellowthroats are busy with their little witchity, witchity, witchity, call. Eastern bluebirds have not stayed here at the ranch, yet, although it appears there is at least one nesting pair at the kindly neighbors pasture thus far. Does a soul wonders just to see and hear them.

Speaking of the kindly neighbors pasture, following the appearance of the Hay Fairy, it was time for the annual ritual of getting the fence back in order. Always a treat to go for a stroll along the fence and put the insulators back on the posts where winter’s ravages pulled them down. While I’m at it, there are bluebird houses to tend along the way or take down and repair. All this so after hauling the freshly weaned ewes over to capitalize on the high quality grass to be consumed there, they stay in where they belong. And as one might expect, the din from the bellering ewes and lambs can be almost deafening. Hauling some of them to the neighbors certainly doesn’t hurt when it comes to cutting down on the noise factor. In the immortal words of Mr. Rogers, it’s nice to share.

Luckily for me there were ample opportunities to regain my strength after all the weekend toils. The Lutheran church in Geneva had their annual meatball feed. Always very good but I missed the Jell-O salad again this year. Wonder what they did with it? I mean a Lutheran church without Jell-O of some kind? Always thought there was something in the bylaws of the church concerning Jell-O. Lest I incur the wrath of the church basement ladies, there were plenty of good things to eat; the meatballs and pie were exceptional. Then, following an afternoon of hauling sheep then mowing and choring for the day, celebrated one of our 4-H kids graduating from vet tech school at her folks place. Lots of great vittles once again and was encouraged to eat more. Most importantly, great to see Alyssa going on to a successful career doing something she appears to love.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Walked out this morning, Don’t believe what I saw…

Egads! The scurs performance was almost as dismal as last week’s Twins losing streak. Something tells me they’ll come out swinging though and hit for the cycle. For those readers who absolutely need to know Wednesday’s weather, look for partly cloudy skies with a high of 70 and a low of 55. Warming up on Thursday and Friday, clear, highs of 75 – 80 and overnight lows of 55. Cloudy on Saturday with a good chance of much needed rain. High of 75 and low of 50. Partly cloudy Sunday, high near 70 and low of 50. Monday June 1st, partly cloudy, 75 for a high with a low of 55. Tuesday, partly cloudy, high around 80 and low of 60. Normal high for June 1st is 77 and the normal low is 52. We’re still gaining a little more than a minute of day length each day, the rate of gain slowing each day as we approach the summer solstice. The scurs will be picking up their lawn chairs at the neighbors a mile up the road after last week’s winds.

What a week in weather contrasts! We start off with a low of 33 on the 17th in Waseca and end up with a high of 97 there and 99 in Owatonna on the 19th. By now most residents of Bugtussle should have all the corn stalks picked up that were blown into town due to the strong winds on Wednesday. Sustained winds were running in the 30 – 40 m.p.h. range, with gusts clocked at over 50 at the Waseca airport. While not a pleasant task to clean up, better than the soil that would have been blowing had that residue not been on the surface of area fields. One has only to look in the road ditch near fields that were in peas last year. The amount of topsoil in them conjures up images of the Dust Bowl. Kudos to farmers who did their best to try to stop some of that wind erosion by rotary hoeing or dragging. Your successful efforts were duly noted.

It’s that time of year once again where I take one for the team. My esteemed colleague and one time philatelist told me it would be nice if I got my column done a little early with the Memorial Day holiday and all. So, armed with a strong cup of hot coffee from our re-gifted one at a time coffee maker, lots of balm in case I spill, and some Dylan and Neil Young on the record player, set course for another adventure in literary magnificence. Man, that’s some strong coffee!

Actually, it’s a gray, drippy Saturday forenoon and with tunes calming the nerves, it’s relaxing to reflect on the week. My mind wanders while watching the house wrens drinking big water droplets off the maple leaves outside the window as the fox squirrel (looks like Tubby) leaps from branch to branch, being dive bombed by the robins and grackles. Saw the first baby robins of the season on the morning of the 20th. Almost flew right into my head while making my way to the barn and Dad was right there to defend him/her. I must have a big head. At least I was a good “breaker-upper” I thought to myself, as I gazed at the map to the barn my pal Jonny had drawn for Mrs. Cheviot, and kept moving as there were “chorse” to do.

Later that day while grilling brats, was scolded severely by an olive-colored oriole appearing bird at the jelly feeder. Looking at the Sibley’s guide, determined it was a first summer orchard oriole. A feisty young lad too, chasing the Baltimore race Northern oriole off so he could have the grape jelly all to himself. Finally broke down and purchased a jelly feeder as the constant wind empties the nectar feeders on a regular basis. Took all of about 10 seconds after putting it out for the orioles to find the feeder and begin dining. Just like opening a box of donuts at the Mall for Men and watching the little fat buddies come out of the woodwork.

With any luck the remainder of the garden should’ve gone in over the weekend. If it didn’t, not to worry with Memorial Day being as early as it was this year. Memories linger though of the Memorial Day snowfall in ’92 followed by the Father’s Day frost that year. Freshly cultivated corn got torched. Then of course there was ’93 where our summer temperatures were about the same as those experienced normally in central Canada. Our tomatoes never did get ripe that year. Oh well, that was a long time ago, and there have certainly been lots of great growing seasons since then. Thanks to my squash loving buddy, the vine transplants are ready to go. Now if it stops dripping, gardening should commence. Maybe after finishing my coffee and a little lunch…

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Strawberry fields forever...

The scurs have been faltering as of late, with rain falling on days it isn’t supposed to and none falling when it should. Sounds like Murphy’s Law is in full force. This week’s attempted forecast is as follows: Wednesday, partly cloudy becoming cloudy, high of 70 and low of 45 - 50. Clear on Thursday, high of 75 and low of 50 with a slight chance of an evening shower. Cooler Friday, high of 65 and low of 50 with slight chance of a daytime shower. Partly cloudy Saturday with a slight chance of showers. High near 70 and low of 50. Slight chance of showers continuing into Sunday, high of 70 and low of 45 – 50. Partly sunny on Monday with a high of 70 and a low of 50 – 55. Slightly warmer under partly cloudy skies on Tuesday, high near 75 and low around 60 with a slight chance of a passing shower. Normal June 5th high is 78 and the normal low is 53. We will only gain roughly 8 more minutes of daylight before the Summer Solstice. The scurs will be savoring these long days napping in the hammock, knowing that by the 26th, they will become one minute shorter.

The Full Moon for the month will occur on the 7th. It is commonly known as the Full Strawberry Moon and is generally agreed upon, even by the Ojibwe and the Sioux who didn’t agree on a lot of things. The name truly fits as the strawberry is primarily in season locally for the month of June. Many of the delectable berries are consumed during the month, making them hard to resist. June is also known as Dairy Month. Strawberries and whipped cream made from fresh Jersey cream were a favorite treat growing up. Few things better!

We’re into the month of June although the temperatures have been somewhat reluctant to give us much in the above normal category. This may be a blessing in disguise however. We seem to be stuck in a pattern lacking an abundance of convective type storms. Oh sure, we’ve been getting a few tenths here and there but haven’t had much in the form of soaking thunderstorms. Since we are just getting by on moisture, probably better to have it a little on the cooler side at this point as opposed to consistently warm temps with high winds. We seem to have plenty of wind regardless.

The crop continues to progress although with the cooler temps, it’s not moving as fast as it might. That’s OK too. There’s no law that says we need to be done harvest by October 1st. After being yellow to start, corn has made that transformation to the nice dark green we’ve all come to expect. Soybeans have emerged, some of them without the benefit of rain so some fields are a little uneven. Small grains and peas are loving this weather. Cool and dry suits them just fine. Some 1st cutting alfalfa has been harvested along with the dandelions in some cases.

Still, it is June. How do we know? The June bugs began showing up in the water tank shortly after seeing them in the soil when working the soil for the garden. They’ve also made their way into the garage and bounce off the screens on the windows, especially when the lights are on in the evening hours. The lilacs are on their way out although their fragrance was powerful the last week in May, wasn’t it? A warbling vireo has added its song to the tunes being sung in the yard at the ranch. The garden neared completion as the transplants all made it into the ground, as well as the beans, beets, sunflowers and early planting of sweet corn. The ground certainly worked up beautifully, just like a garden!

Even with the dry weather the lawns continue to grow. Gus and Lucy went into sensory overload when unloading the 4 wheeler and loading the lawnmower Memorial Day morning to head to Spring Valley to give Mom an assist. Upon returning later that day they got all wound up when the swap was made again. Can always tell when Gus is around. When the lawnmower is started, you suddenly feel something pulling on it, not unlike a sunfish tugging on an angleworm. In this case it’s just Gus, the black and white tire biter.

Made several graduations over the weekend. Got the opportunity to drive my favorite white mini-van once again. Needed to go to Owatonna to Sunday morning to get some supplies and gazed at the non-functional fuel gauge then at the mileage on the trip meter I use to measure miles between fill-ups, noting that there were over 500 miles on it. Normally the little low fuel icon shows up on the dash before needing to hit the panic button anyway so not to worry. With that many miles on the meter, Mrs. Cheviot must’ve put some fuel on while she was driving it this week I thought to myself, pulling up to the store where you go to the bathroom in the silo with the orange roof on it.

After making some purchases, made my way home and hammered on the garden, mowed the windbreak, then did chores. Got cleaned up to go to the graduation, put my driving wig on and hopped in the van, pleased with my day’s accomplishments. About half a mile south of town, the van suddenly began to lose speed and along with it came the sinking feeling of knowing you’re going in. Did manage to make it to the gravel road and pulled off to the side.

Through the miracle of technology, made a cell phone call to Mrs. Cheviot who happened to be working at the graduation just up the road. She needed a break and came to get me. Given my inquisitive nature, I asked if she had put any gas in the van after driving it this past week. The reply was “no” and “the gas gauge doesn’t work but the little orange light should come on if it’s low on gas”. Three things went through my mind as we headed home to retrieve a gas can: (1) The little orange light must not work anymore, (2) No wonder GM went broke and (3) They must not sell gas in Albert Lea.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

His brain is squirmin' like a toad...(again)

The scurs tracked the rain over the weekend and not a moment too soon. What’s in store for this forecast period? The scurs are saying “seasonal”. Starting Wednesday, partly cloudy skies, high of 65 – 70 and low around 50. Slight chance of showers. Partly cloudy Thursday and Friday, highs of 75 with lows around 50 – 55. Starting out partly cloudy Saturday becoming mostly cloudy. High of 75 and low of 55 with a moderate chance of rain Saturday night. Sunday, mostly cloudy with a chance of lingering showers. Highs of 75 – 80 and low near 60. Look for a humid Monday under partly cloudy skies. High of 75, low of 55 – 60. Partly cloudy becoming mostly cloudy Tuesday with a good chance of rain. High of 75 – 80 and a low near 55. Normal high for June 12th is 80 and the normal low is 55. The scurs will be sharpening their mower blades in anticipation of massive lawn growth.

If one listens to the Twin Cities TV weather blow combs, one would swear we were in the middle of a Great Depression era drought. Perhaps they were; only time will tell. This is part of the reason I generally ignore what they have to say about the weather. MN cuts off at about Lakeville to the south and extends from there to the Canadian border. For the time being in SC MN however, while we have been dry, we are a long way from any record dry conditions. In fact, looking at the past week’s release from the SROC in Waseca, this past May ranked only the 16th driest on record and as recently as 2002 May was actually drier. If one looks at the weather data recorded at the ranch, we received slightly more rain than they did at Waseca, 2.32” vs. 1.9”. Anyone who knows the weather here in MN knows that it can change rapidly and without notice so fretting about it is wasted time. As for our crop development, yes we’re a little behind what we might expect based on date of planting. However, we’re far ahead of areas to our south and east where they struggled to just complete planting. The rains from the weekend were just what the doctor ordered with nearly as much rainfall being recorded as we accumulated for the whole month of May depending on location.

Out and about this past week in the fields one ran across in several locations newly hatched baby killdeers. These are some comical looking little birds, looking like striped, fuzzy ping pong balls on stilts. They can run too, not as fast as the parents trying to lure you away by dragging a wing, but definitely quick enough to get out of trouble in a hurry. The baby robins finally left the nest in the garden, leaving me with more solitude and less scolding when getting close to their arborvitae. They’re around the yard yet, trying to adjust to their vocal chords like junior high school boys. Little Jerry the rooster pheasant was in the corner of the lawn looking forlorn on Saturday during the drizzly rain. Sunday he was back at it again, trying to drum up business for one last fling.

In the garden, the radish crop this year has been phenomenal. Have made several harvests and they just get better and better. Eventually they’ll be done and their space occupied by either vine crops or some annuals like bachelors buttons that were planted in the interim. Given the recent rains, this should work out about right. The snap peas have fastened their tendrils onto the pieces of hog panel being used as their trellis. The rabbits continue to annoy. The most recent casualties were the peppers so another piece of chicken wire fencing was put in place to thwart their efforts. This is a nasty bunch. One of them has been eating the tops off the onions. Think I know which one it is too as there’s one the others all seem to avoid.

Saturdays’ rain brought with it the rumble of thunder. What? There was no thunder on Saturday you say. There was if you were a little fat buddy taking advantage of the drippy weather to take a nap. Let’s see, it was gray (check), it was cold (check) and it was rainy (check). That usually enough to do it after a long spring of toiling in the fields, lawns and gardens. The Saturday afternoon rain pattering softly against the east window was about as gentle as one could imagine been and you could hear that pleasant sound until drifting off. The effort was one of my personal bests: A 2 ½ hour powernap. Think there could be some new TV shows in the offing here. How about “Napping with the Stars” or “So You Think You Can Nap”? Guaranteed to be at least as exciting as some of the junk that’s on now.

Managed to finish up planting the last of the planters at work on Friday morning. Tossed the partial flat of petunias in the truck and headed off to work on a mission. After arriving at the Mall for Men, set the flat along the side of the building then proceeded to pull the weeds out of the remaining pots and replace the top 4” – 5” with new soil. After that it was time to plant and it went off without a hitch until I got to one pot that looked a little peculiar. Something was stuffed down into the soil, jamming the petunia off to one side, almost the same size as the 3” pot it was occupying. Upon closer scrutiny, it turned out to be a toad about as wide as it was long that had hitched a ride to town and was hunkered down in the cool, damp petunia container.

Decided he might get along fine in the shade on the west side of the building so placed him there as I finished up the planting. Having given marching orders for the day, thought to myself there must’ve been a reason this fat toad was hanging out on the north side of our house. There are after all lots of insects flying around especially when the outdoor lights are turned on and it was my fault he’d been moved from his favorite spot. Went around to the side of the building to see if he was still there. He was and not more than a foot or so from where I’d left him. Picked him up, placed him in a bucket and quickly gave him a ride back to the ranch where he was released to his old stomping, er, hopping grounds. May sound kinda dumb but since the rain, reckon we’ll need all the little non-chemical bug controllers we can get.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

They carry news that must get through...

While the scurs had predicted some rain for last Saturday, it snuck in ahead of schedule and caught us Friday. The seasonal weather was slow arriving but it too made its way here. This go around starting with Wednesday, skies will be partly cloudy with a moderate chance of rain. High of 80 and low near 60. Thursday, mostly cloudy, increasing chance of rain with a good chance by evening. High of 80 and low around 60. Moderate chances of rain on Friday decreasing as the day goes on under mostly cloudy skies. 80 for the high and 60 for the low. Saturday through Monday, partly cloudy. Highs in the low to mid-80’s and lows in the low to mid-60’s. More rain likely by Tuesday. Partly cloudy, high of 80 and low of 65. Normal high for June 21st, the Summer Solstice is 82 and the normal low is 57. The scurs will be enjoying piña coladas poolside at 12:46 a.m. in celebration.

Yes, we’ve reached the point where the days will be starting to get shorter soon. Is the 21st the longest day of the year? Technically “sort of”. It is in some locations and not in others. For instance, for us in Bugtussle, actually the day before, June 20th this time around the sun happens to rise slightly earlier at 5:31a.m. than it does on June 21st at 5:32 a.m. It also begins to set at approximately 9 p.m. on the 19th and will continue to do so until July 4th. Through fractions of minutes in the calculated day lengths, the day length actually becomes detectably shorter on June 26th by one minute. We may as well enjoy it as it’s all downhill from here.

Crop growth really got a shot in the arm with the weekend warm up. Corn seemed to increase by about a third in size and has begun to get that deep green color that says nitrogen needs are being met at least for the time being. Soybeans also are beginning to look like they’ve made progress. From one week to the next it was tough to see they were making much progress. Spring wheat has nearly headed out and some of the oats are doing the same. The earliest planted peas have completed their flowering and barring some untimely weather, this looks like it could be one of those years when peas are a decent crop to have. Stay tuned.

While our bluebirds have been no-shows at the ranch, apparently we had some cardinals nesting in the area. Late last week the female was under the feeders cleaning up some sunflower seed and the next day, a couple juveniles were spotted briefly. Let’s hope it’s the start of something to look forward to. Their habitat is coming along nicely. All but one of the chokeberries planted this spring have leafed out and the other bushes and shrubs in the yard have had a decent spring despite the earlier dry conditions. There are still a couple male orioles coming to the feeders yet. One is a first summer male and the other is a splendidly colored male who controls the feeders when he’s around. It’s always a treat to hear their song break up the silence in the yard. The pond still appears to have at least one nesting pair of blue-winged teal. Hopefully there will be some youngsters on the scene soon. Sunday afternoon was special as an egret paraded around the basin as a doe and her fawn drank at the waters edge. That’s the way it ought to be.

As a lad I went to swimming lessons during the early part of the summer. Really would’ve rather played Tee Ball but that wasn’t in line with what my Dad was thinking. Instead we were hauled to the swimming lessons by Mom who waited in line with us until the doors opened and we could get in. It was customary to wear your trunks under your clothes then roll your undies up in your towel so you could get in the pool faster. Of course one morning, while standing there all the sudden, kids started laughing and I seemed to be the focus of that laughter. Looking around, there were my Anthony’s “tidy-whities” lying on the sidewalk. Not sure who wanted to crawl under that sidewalk worse, me or my mother. I did learn how to swim but at that point, playing Tee Ball looked much more attractive.

Ah, but no one is laughing at the little fat buddies newsgathering and networking skills. On Saturday, it was time to make one of those trips to the store where you go to the bathroom in the silo with the orange roof on it. Driving along in the Silver Bullet, my “Man Truck”, I received a message: A couple more little fat buddies were in the pickup behind the car that was following me. All I could think as the 5.9 Cummins chortled its way through the curves was mercy sakes alive, looks like we got us a convoy!

We put the hammer down, made our purchases, put on fuel, had lunch and were back home in about 2 hours. Upon arriving home and doing it all some more, received a call from yet another little fat buddy who was on his way to investigate a rumored area Dairy Queen closing. He later phoned to inform us the rumor was false and large malts were going for $3.89. After having some of the leftover ice cream birthday cake the Swedes didn’t eat on Monday morning, may just have summoned enough strength to make that journey to the east to see for myself.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Hummingbird don't fly away, fly away...

After putting up with last week’s unstable weather and quick hitting little pop-up storms, hail, tornadoes and rain, the scurs are planning on seeing if this one will be any different. Starting Wednesday, cloudy skies becoming partly cloudy with a moderate chance of rain. High of 85 and low of 65. Warmer on Thursday under partly cloudy skies. High of 85 – 90 and low around 65. Partly cloudy Friday with an increasing chance of rain. High 85 – 90 and low near 65. Slightly cooler Saturday, partly cloudy, slight chance of afternoon showers, high of 85 and low of 60. Sunday, partly cloudy, high near 80 with a low of 55 and a chance of afternoon showers. Showers Monday possibly lingering into Tuesday, partly cloudy with highs of 80 - 85 and lows around 60. Normal high for June 26th is 83 and the normal low is 59. The scurs have laid in their first transport load of mosquito repellent.

The recent unsettled weather and resulting rainfall has definitely kicked the mosquitoes into high gear. No more going out around dusk without long sleeves or repellent on. The crops have definitely responded well to the heat and moisture, making up for some lost time. There is already corn well over knee high in many fields and we should start to see some flowering beginning in the soybeans soon. Hay fields greened up quickly too so hopefully the second cutting will be better than the first in areas where the cutting was a little short. Some of the first cutting that was knocked down a couple weeks ago is becoming nice, clean hay.

Still lots of bird activity around the yard but am sad to report that Little Jerry was likely hit by a car and killed. Can’t say it was due to a speeding or inattentive driver but I do wish people would slow down and pay attention a little better. The bluebirds are still in the kindly neighbors pasture although now the mosquitoes are out in force, am not sure which house they chose to build in. In our yard, the goldfinches and orioles still get top billing. The first of the tree swallows are getting close to leaving their nest and the second hatch of robins can’t be far behind. The hummingbird numbers have increased too with the addition of a “hummingbird only” nectar feeder the orioles can’t monopolize.

There are lots of June bugs around yet too. White grubs, the larvae of the June bug must be fairly active in area lawns, judging by the mole complaints one hears. Grubs are a favorite food of moles. Did you know there are probably 2 main beetles we’re commonly calling June bugs in SC MN? There are the larger models from the genus Phyllophaga that range from about one-half to 1 inch in length and are chestnut in color then there is a smaller type, Cyclocephala borealis only about one-half inch in length. The smaller beetles are lighter brown in color and have a dark spot on each side of the thorax. They really like our garage for some reason. These smaller beetles are actually called Northern masked chafer beetles. The larva from the masked chafer beetles only last one year in the soil where the larger beetles are in the larval stage for 3 years. They’re all June bugs to most area folks when they’re buzzing around lights and bouncing off window screens.

Growing up as a lad, this was always about the time of year Dad decided it was time to get the oats sold from our farm to the north in Stewartville. Much of the crop at home was fed but the crop that was our share at the other farm was stored in a granary. So we were sent on a mission to get the oats hauled either to Spring Valley about 12 miles which sometimes had a better bid or to Stewartville which was of course much closer. We were armed with the E-3, a “barge box” type wagon that held about 250 bu. of oats, a 4” electric auger, some wood to make a tripod setup and of course a shovel.

The first couple loads weren’t so bad but of course by today’s standards, the loading was still pretty slow with a 4” auger. By the time the last 2 loads came around and the bin was swept out, one could guarantee it was going to be at least 90 degrees and muggy. Dust masks were something no one wore especially when it was hot and one was wearing glasses. Did I mention oats were dusty? The amount of black gunk coughed up for several days after the completion of the task was not for the faint of heart.

There were several ways to get to and from our Pleasant Grove farm including one containing a huge hill known as Hardscrabble Hill. For some reason as a kid, I always thought it was Hart’s Gravel Hill. After all it was a big gravel hill but never did determine who this Hart person was it was named after. It was extremely steep and I only went that way when I was going to our other farm as it was downhill. There was no way the E-3 would pull the wagon full in road gear up that slope. As it was, the tractor would sound like it was cranking out about 8000 rpm when you descended it with the empty wagon.

Going through metropolitan Washington where we used to get our black and white TV fixed and on to Masonic Park was the main route to get back and forth. The slopes were more gradual but the road was winding and it still made the tractor grunt pretty hard, especially if the wagon was full and the oats were heavy. Plus, one always wanted to make it through there before dark. The lights on the tractor didn’t work and the park was where the fictitious “Claw-Man” resided. Sure, we made him up as part of a story to scare people but we did such a good job, we weren’t about to take any chances on running into him ourselves.

Next week, we say farewell to Lucy…real good then.

[Dotch]

Well, it's been ten years and maybe more since I first set eyes on you…

The scurs called the cool down over the weekend right but the potential precip fizzled. That’s OK as long as it remembers to rain sometime in the months of July and August this year rather than forgetting as it did in ’08. What’s on tap this forecast period? Gorgeous seasonal summer weather sayeth the scurs. Starting Wednesday, look for clear skies, a high of 75 – 80 and a low of 60. For Thursday and Friday, partly cloudy, highs around 80 and lows near 60 with a slight chance of a shower creeping in Friday overnight. Saturday and Sunday, partly cloudy skies, highs of 80 and lows around 60 with a slight chance of showers both days. Partly cloudy Monday, high of 80 and a low of 60 with chances of rain increasing by evening. Chance of rain Tuesday under cloudy skies. High of 75 – 80 and low of 55 – 60. Normal high for July 4th is 83 and the normal low is 60. The scurs will once again be hiding their cap pistols from the fireworks police in the state where absolutely nothing is allowed.

The Full Moon for the month will occur on Tuesday at 4:21 a.m. for all those wishing to rise from their slumber so as to be astronomically correct. This moon goes by several names including the Full Buck Moon as white-tailed deer bucks are pushing antlers in the velvet, the Full Thunder Moon as we experience thunderstorms frequently in the month of July some years anyway, and the Full Hay Moon as July was a month in which much hay was once made. The Ojibwe knew this as the Full Raspberry Moon and the Sioux called this one the Moon When Wild Cherries are Ripe. They must’ve had better bird netting than we have at the ranch. In our cherry tree’s existence, think I managed to eat a whole handful over its brief 5 year lifespan. They were good and could understand why the birds liked them so well.

Crop progress was rapid this past week which should come as no surprise. While we were still behind normal by about 3 days on GDU’s, we were actually ahead of where we were in ’08 at the same time. Rainfall amounts have been variable. With just over 5” of rain recorded for the month of June at the ranch it seems every few days we get a few tenths of an inch of rain, almost like someone has been watering us with a water-wand. There are areas that have received the short end of the stick and there are places where moisture has been excessive particularly when trying to harvest peas and plant soybeans behind them. So far pea yields have been excellent. A lot of area corn is waist to chest high so making the knee high by the 4th benchmark in most cases has been exceeded. Some flowering was noticed on area soybeans already last week, right on schedule with the Summer Solstice.

After being in suspended animation much of the first half of June, the vine crops in the garden have taken off. Unfortunately so have the weeds. Ditto in the sweet corn and much of the rest of the garden so much weeding has been required. The lawn grew at a frantic pace also so mowing has been moving at breakneck speed. As busy as things have been in the lawn and garden department, still manage to catch a Twins game occasionally. The ads are frequently as entertaining as the games, especially when the Twins are losing. The most recent ad to grab my attention was the AFLAC ad featuring a Herford cow with a milking machine attached to it. Now, my folks used to have milking Shorthorns but I don’t recall them ever mentioning anything about milking Herefords. Must’ve missed that one in ag class too. Would be interesting to see what happens to the guy trying to attach it to the cow’s udder, that’s for sure.

Would like to thank all those who caught the mention of Lucy’s passing in last week’s column and passed along their condolences in person or with a card. While Lucy was over 12 years old it came as somewhat of a surprise when she suddenly became ill. For her age she had been the picture of health. This was more than a dog to us, it was a companion and a coworker. Not more than a couple weeks before she passed away, she had neglected to come in one night after I’d finished working the garden and walked to the house. Wondering where she’d gone when I came to let Gus out for potty time, she had stayed in the barn because there was a lamb that had gotten out in the alley way. I was overjoyed to find her and even happier that she’d stayed on the job until I came and got her.

That was probably the thing that sticks in my mind most about Lucy. She was consistent, all business even when she played and always tried her best to please us. Not that she didn’t have her little quirks but they were also consistent and part of what made her so unique.

She had a unique appearance. When people think of Border Collies they generally think of animals that look like those from the movie “Babe”, those doing the obstacle courses or those in the dog shows on TV. Lucy was a red and white Border Collie with a short, smooth coat. She had a little swirl of hair on top of her head that was like a miniature Mohawk. The white racing stripe across her hips was distinctive and those ears sticking straight up were like radar especially if there were trucks or airplanes to bark at. We were taken by the red and whites that were being used by Kim Kuykendall and Joyce Burnham back in the days when we were showing sheep around the country. In early March of ’97, I went to Steeleville IL to get the puppy they had picked out for us.

The bond was immediate as was the fact this dog wanted to learn. Learn she did. The best thing about her herding was the great “stop” command she mastered keeping her in the game even though our Cheviots were being total knotheads. Dogs that ignore a stop command keep chasing and scattering the sheep only making matters worse. Bringing sheep up out of the pasture and putting them in the shed was her forte. She saved us many steps over they years, especially in the off site pasture at the kindly neighbors where in her prime it normally took longer to load up the sheep equipment than it did to trailer the sheep. Moving ewes with lambs at side from the lambing barn to make room was a battle when by yourself. With Lucy, the ewes seemed to key on her and through some eye contact, would follow her down to the loafing barn rather than galloping around the yard.

Coming home at night, we were frequently greeted with a loud welcoming “Roooooo-ooooo!” not unlike Devon in Jon Katz first book. Several people heard her do this when we were on the phone pulling into the garage and laughed when we’d explain it. She could shake hands, give “high-fives” and would thump her tail when asked. She loved to fetch and retrieve tennis balls and was a constant companion on our many excursions around the country. She was a good mother too, taking great care of the litter of pups she had. She loved to ride in the front seat of her truck and was disappointed if she didn’t get to ride along. Her final ride was a tough one. She was in pain and whimpered uncharacteristically on the ride to the vet’s office. Oddly enough, she always enjoyed going to the vet’s office as they were very good to her. It was not an easy decision to have her put to sleep but at the time we felt it was for the best. She’d lived a long productive life and watching the quality of that life deteriorate was more than we could bear. We plan to scatter Lucy’s ashes in the pastures and around the barnyard so that she may rest in peace in the land she was an integral part of.

See you next week…real good then.

[Jim Almquist]

Dotch I am sorry to hear about the passing of Lucy. She sounds like she was such a great pet and a loved member of your family.

[Dotch]

Thanks Jim. You're a class act all the way around.

[Dotch]

Ooo, baby baby...

The scurs played it close to the vest last time around and it was right on the money. This forecast period? Some chances of showers early on and drying out for the weekend. Starting with Wednesday, partly cloudy skies with a moderate chance of showers and thunderstorms. High of 75 – 80 and low of 65. Partly cloudy and warmer Thursday and Friday with a moderate chance of showers on Thursday, lessening as we move into Friday. Highs of 85 and lows around 65. Absolutely gorgeous weather Saturday and Sunday for Farm and City Days. Partly cloudy, highs around 80 and overnight lows near 60. Monday, partly cloudy, warmer, high of 80 – 85 and low of 65. Partly cloudy Tuesday with a moderate chance of showers by evening. High of 80 and low of 60 – 65. Normal high for July 10th is 83 and the normal low is 61. As of the 10th, we will have lost 13 minutes of daylight since the summer solstice. The scurs don’t care and will be waiting to collect all that candy from the fleet of Minneapolis Moline’s and the Swede’s car in the Farm and City Days parade.

Summer is flying by at warp speed. With Farm and City Days upon us and the 4-H kids working at a breakneck pace with their show lambs almost daily at the ranch, it serves as a reminder that it won’t be long and school will be back in session. Crop growth is on track too even though we are officially behind normal on GDU’s. One needs to bear in mind that the “normal” is calculated from May 1 and most of the corn was in the ground well in advance of that date. Corn does appear to be shorter from the road but once one is in it, it gets over your head pretty fast. Corn will likely be slightly shorter as a result of the cooler early season temperatures and that’s a good thing when it comes to the windstorms that can frequent the area in late summer. Tasseling should begin in earnest in about another week although around groves and sheltered areas, tassels will likely be seen sooner. Soybeans are in full bloom and are starting to look like soybeans. It helped that the weather dried out and they’ve shaken off the effects of iron deficiency chlorosis.

Rains have become hit and miss but more miss than hit. We in greater Bugtussle and surrounds could use some rain and while not desperately yet, it would help by pollination time in the corn. Area gardens are probably more in need at this point than the field crops. Fortunately in many instances, watering is a possibility. At the ranch, without rain in another week or so it will be time to decide whether to string the hose back to the garden to give it a drink. The flowers have already benefitted from the recent re-plumbing operation making hauling water a thing of the past. It is nice to see all the flowers in the planters downtown too. It adds a touch of class and shows that people care.

This has been a week to watch the new crop of feathered friends in and around the ranch. Was particularly amused by a mommy downy cracking sunflower seeds open and feeding them to her youngster. The house wrens haven’t emerged from their birdhouse gourd yet but judging by the amount of noise and the frequent trips by the parents, they’ve got to be close. An immature oriole has been hanging out in the backyard, presumably waiting for someone to come with food. It appears though it may be on it’s own. Lots of little chipping sparrows around having left their small woven nests in the windbreak evergreens. Young nuthatches are starting to come to the sunflower feeders and are smaller, even cuter versions of the adults. The house finch fledglings are numerous there also. One wonders where all these things have been nesting because it isn’t real obvious where they were hidden. The young tree swallows have taken flight from all but one of the nesting boxes. Can tell because there are still some dive bombing me when dorking around the garden. A male rose-breasted grosbeak has suddenly appeared and seems to be staying around. Most gratifying was my recent trip to the kindly neighbor’s pasture. Not one as in the past but two nesting boxes with bluebirds in them. Can hardly wait to see the newbies on the wing.

Thanks again to all readers who have expressed their sympathy concerning Lucy. I was really impressed Friday that one reader took the time to stop by the house and express that sympathy in person. Al Batt is right. We do have the best people here and they are kind. Some have asked how Gus is dealing with the loss of his mother and constant companion of almost 6 years. He’s adjusting but it’s taking some time. After all, there were very few times where Gus was allowed in or out a door first and if he didn’t follow protocol, Lucy let him know about it. He still looks before going outside, just in case there are some flashing eyes forbidding it. He does like to ride so have taken him along on some errands and to the kindly neighbors pasture. While I doubt that Gus will ever make it as a herding dog, he’ll always be one very friendly and silly, great companion.

Mrs. Cheviot travelled to Ohio to the All American Jr. Sheep Show, something she’s been doing for quite some time in July. However, I don’t recall her specifically saying when she was coming back. If she did it may have been contained in one those mutterings under the blaring TV while I was foraging in the kitchen in search of food. Fortunately some took pity on me while she was gone and I did not starve. For some reason, I was under the impression she’d be back on Sunday and when I flipped the July calendar over sure enough, the event was over on Sunday. Hmmm…does that mean she’s back on Sunday or do Gus and I have to do it all for another day I thought to myself? After a cell phone call to check it out, sure enough Gus and I did have to do it all for another day! Note to self: Pay particular attention to the murmuring and muttering of your spouse. It may contain clues of their whereabouts.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

With the help of some fireflies...

After scraping the last of the road kill Farm and City Days Tootsie Roll off their shoes, the scurs will be ready for just about anything this week. Starting Wednesday, look for partly cloudy skies with a high of 75 – 80 and a low of 55 – 60. Mostly clear Thursday. High of 80 and low of 55. Partly cloudy Friday through Sunday. Highs in the low 80’s and lows of 55 – 60. Partly sunny Monday, high of 80 and low of 60. Clouding up on Tuesday, slightly cooler. High of 75 and low of 60 with an increasing chance of showers as the day wears on. Normal high for July 17th is 84 and the normal low is 61. By the 21st, we’ll be back down below 15 hours of daylight, roughly the same as we were back on May 21st. Come Monday the scurs are turning their attention towards Wednesday’s Waseca Co. Fair and their favorite greasy onion rings.

More crop progress being made albeit a tad slower perhaps than some would like. With corn pollination looming on the horizon, a widespread rain of 1 – 2 inches would be welcome as opposed to the spotty performance of last week’s systems. Even what looked like a surprise “can’t miss” on Thursday turned out to be little more than a dust settler at most for most greater Bugtussle residents. It is fortunate we have the subsoils here we have or we’d be in a lot worse trouble than we are. The moderate temperatures have been keeping us in the game in the moisture department so far but we are starting to get behind, even on those corn fields planted from the 13th through the 20th. Small grains are beginning to turn however and the pea harvest continues. Some many fields have been passed recently it’s been difficult to put any kind of an exact figure on those yields.

Were lots of cool critters and birds out and about last week. At the end of the driveway I spied what appeared to be a small brown dog sitting on it haunches at the end of the driveway. Upon closer inspection, it had some mighty long ears. Turned out to be a jackrabbit, the first one I’d seen in 4 or 5 years. In a field south of Waseca, there were a couple of strange creatures about a quarter mile from the field approach where I’d parked. Didn’t have a set of binoculars along so hoofed it out far enough to see that there were 2 sandhill cranes poking around. Not sure what they were up to but they made quite a ruckus when they took off and flew into a marshy area to the west. On the weekend visit to Mom’s near Spring Valley, there was an orchard oriole ruling the roost or at least the jelly feeder when he was present. There were several Baltimore orioles waiting as he helped himself. A pair of cardinals landed in the lilac bush and the late evening sun on the male made him appear even more stunning than normal. Mom has also had a rose-breasted grosbeak show up this past week. This week at the ranch a second male grosbeak appeared at the feeders.

Lots of insect activity lately too aside from mosquitoes and biting flies. Fireflies can be seen flashing on and off in an attempt to attract their prospective mates. This same procedure does not seem to work well in humans. Green lacewings can be seen in soybean fields where they lay their eggs. The small eggs are oval shaped and attached to the plant on a hairlike stalk. Upon hatching the larva, also know as “aphid lions”, are voracious feeders on soybean aphids, not unlike the little fat buddies when descending on a pan of warm baked goods.

That sure was a nice photo of an old horse out cultivating beans on the front page of last week’s Star-Eagle. The 1206 looked pretty good too! Seriously, the days of the 1206’s bring back a lot of memories, particularly watching tractor pulls at the Fillmore Co. Fair as a lad. Oh sure, there were always a lot of John Deere’s but the souped-up 806’s and 1206’s almost always ate their lunch, belching thick, black smoke into the evening sky and shaking the old rattle-trap grandstand as their drivers sought to keep their tractor under control to the finish line. Tractors of today don’t seem to have quite the same personality, what with all the gadgets, electronic wizardry and creature comforts. Oh to be sure, working all day in the field there’s no comparison but for their time, the 1206’s and 5020’s of the world represented the sheer raw power that farmers were looking for, and that handsome rugged exterior didn’t betray that expectation.

Say, are you getting as tired of this “going green” business as I am? People on TV ads act as though they’d discovered cold fusion or something. Heck, I’ve been going green for years, especially after eating too many sugar snap peas! And what about all this “carbon footprint” stuff? I can just about imagine what would’ve happened growing up on the farm if we’d tried to tell Dad about this phenomenon as a basis to get out of a task. I think his answer would’ve likely been pretty plain, something along the lines of “If you don’t stop your yapping and get to work you’ll have a carbon footprint on your backside!” One thing about Dad, his advice was usually right on the money.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

I caught a fleeting glimpse out of the corner of my eye...

After a cool, dry forecast, the scurs are serving up another helping of cooler than normal without large amounts of rain. Starting Wednesday, partly cloudy with a high of 80 and a low of 60. Slight chances of rain every day for the period Thursday through Monday. Partly cloudy with highs Thursday and Friday near 80 and lows near 60. Cooling off slightly Saturday through Monday, highs around 75 and lows of 55 – 60. Partly cloudy again on Tuesday with a high of 75 – 80 and a low around 55. Normal high for July 24th is 84 and the normal low is 61. The scurs will be licking their chops, looking for another local mid-summer celebration at which to sample the cuisine.

Tassels showed up slightly delayed, which shouldn’t be surprising given weather that threw a couple of days with highs in the 60’s last week. Soybeans are starting to set pods and like the corn would benefit from some timely rainfall. The cool temps did help forestall some stress but it puts us further in the hole on GDU’s for the season. Last week at the SROC we were about 11% behind normal and back on the 18th, a new record low high temperature of 64 was set. By press time, we will likely be farther behind than that. Forecast rainfall amounts have certainly left us high and dry. Frequently the tenth and quarter inch forecasts have yielded squat. Rainfall at the ranch for the month has totaled a whopping .4” for the month through the 20th. And some have had the nerve to call me a “rain hog”!

It has been tempting to start to water the garden in earnest. We did some to get transplants going but hate to get into the habit of watering just yet. Plants are generally not exhibiting much stress yet due to the cool conditions but there will come a point pretty soon if it doesn’t rain that the sprinkler will need to be cranked up. The hose is already in place, just need to couple it up and let it rip. Sugar snap peas are still bearing like crazy while the cukes and string beans are flowering like crazy and are about ready to get cranked up. Trees and shrubs in area yards including those at the ranch are showing some signs of moisture stress. There are some places where trees like soft maples are exhibiting signs of what could possibly be verticillium wilt. Symptoms include a yellowing of the leaves and sudden dying off of parts or all of the tree. We’ve had a ratty soft maple in the yard here it took part of the one side off of a year ago and with the moisture stress things are under, wouldn’t be surprised to see it finish the job. Looking around the countryside, it might have a lot of company.

A bit of a bittersweet week with the birds. First at the kindly neighbors pasture, one of the nesting boxes originally claimed by a bluebird was overtaken by a wren, something that is not all that unusual. While they sing ever so sweetly, wrens are very aggressive and will peck holes in the bluebird eggs and build their little stick and twig nests right over the top of the bluebird nest. However, in the other bluebird house, there were 4 very rapidly growing youngsters that not very long ago were 4 blue-green eggs. Meanwhile back at the ranch out of the corner of my eye I spotted a bluebird beating a hasty retreat from the mealworm feeder on my way back in from the barn. The orioles had also been picking at them as had one of those insipid starlings I like to blast every opportunity I get.

The two male rose-breasted grosbeaks have been joined by at least one female so they’ve been fun to watch. The hummingbirds are either very sneaky or are no-shows. Since they seem to prefer eating out of the oriole feeder, it’s hard to say if they’ve been here or not. The orioles must have invited every oriole in the county, judging by the amount of grape jelly and sugar water they’re blowing through. Not unusual to see 4 or 5 stacked up waiting for a turn at the feeders and the jelly feeder is licked clean after a couple days.

The pond with the dry weather has nearly dried up, leaving any remaining waterfowl high and dry.

Thankfully the neighbor to the north dug his pond deep enough so it contains water year round. Even though I’m told our pond is important as a seasonal wetland, it’s frustrating. Would still rather see some waterfowl on it rather than watching it dry up and wishing there was. It has raised a dandy crop of mosquitoes to be sure. Speaking of that, one would think they would’ve just about run their course. All one need do however is go out in a wooded area near sundown on a still night and they’ll still nearly carry you off.

The little fat buddies started the week off in style. A fresh pan of cinnamon rolls from CS and coffee on the training table always makes Monday a lot more tolerable. Wide ranging discussions including bird talk, county fair happenings, WWII spotlights, motorcycling, corn head repair, the weather, etc., were covered so once again the world is safe until the next morning when we reconvene to solve the problems that have arisen overnight.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Maybe get a blister on your thumb...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

See you next week…real good then.