Fencelines

[Steve Foss]

Good read again, Mark.

Speaking of BCs and engines, our BC Molly used to go absolutely bonkers when we'd get in the boat, fire up the Johnson and putt away from the dock. She'd come charging out with glassy marble eyes in a frenzy of snarling and barking and would try to bite the motor.

Jet Skis going by made her do the same thing.

We appreciated her MAD DOG attitude regarding the Jet Skis, since we feel the same way about them, but were not overly happy that we could never sneak away from everyone else at the cabin for a little clandestine fishing.

We sure miss Molly. Best dog either of us has ever known!

[Dotch]

Thanks Steve, glad you enjoyed it. It's almost a year since we got Ruby and with a few minor exceptions, we've been amused by every minute of it. While not directly related to either one, so far she's combined the best of both Lucy and Gus. Yet she maintains her own very distinct identity.

I remember you mentioning Molly before, that she was getting old and that because of her health her days would be coming to an end. Apparently that day came and I somehow missed it. You have my deepest sympathy, from one BC, owner to another.

[Steve Foss]

Yes, Molly's time came about a year ago. She was just short of 16. Most of her ashes went to the lake cabin, where she spent the best years of her life laying in wait for chipmunks, squirrels, ATVs, outboard motors and Jet Skis. We kept a few ashes out, and they sit in a small ornate container at home on the mantel.

Molly taught us a lot about life, and now that she's gone we laugh about her antics and cherish her memory. Good dogs enrich our lives so much. One of the most special things about her was that we got her as a rescue when she was not yet two years old. Hard to imagine someone giving away a gorgeous black/white perfectly conformed and loving border collie, but we're glad they did. All dogs go to heaven, but Molly probably got right in past St. Peter with no waiting period.

Keep 'em coming, Dotch. I don't always comment, but Fencelines is one of the things I most look forward to reading. I suspect there are others here who feel the same way.

[MN Shutterbug]

Keep 'em coming, Dotch. I don't always comment, but Fencelines is one of the things I most look forward to reading. I suspect there are others here who feel the same way.

Amen!

[Jim Almquist]

I suspect there are others here who feel the same way.

I swear that I can hear and smell the farm yard!

As a kid I got to spend time around different relatives farms and it always brings back fond memories.

[Dotch]

Aw garsh, you guys are too kind. Keep reading 'em and we'll keep writing 'em. Deal? And keep posting those great photos. Although as Steve said while I can't possibly comment on all of them, they are always day brighteners.

I see we have a birthday to celebrate today. Happy Birthday Jim and many more!

[Jim Almquist]

Thanks Dotch!

Spending my birthday getting the boat ready. Heading to Cutfoot/Winne first thing in the morning for a couple of days with my brother and a few friends chasing Crappies and Walleyes.

[Dotch]

The ground is rich from tender care…

The scurs forecast was consistent although the week we’re on should be an improvement over that. Hey, the Twins are consistent too. Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny becoming partly cloudy, highs near 65 and lows of 50 – 55. Partly cloudy Thursday, highs of 65 – 70 and lows of 50 – 55. Friday, partly cloudy becoming mostly cloudy with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs around 70 and lows of 55 – 60. Partly cloudy on Saturday with a chance of rain. Highs of 75 and lows around 60. Sunday, partly cloudy with a chance of rain. Highs near 75 and lows around 55. Monday and Tuesday, cloudy with a chance of rain, with the better chance being on Tuesday. Highs around 80 and lows near 55. The normal high for May 21st is 73 and the normal low is 48. The scurs will finally be putting away the toboggan and looking forward to the warmer temps.

What a topsy-turvy week for temperatures last week was! We topped out with a high last Tuesday of 93 at the ranch. On Saturday the high reached and astonishing 44 with a nasty, wind-driven cold rain to add insult to injury. That’s the high we’d typically see on March 22nd. Field progress was steady by jerks with precip being recorded on 5 out of 7 days at the SROC. Shades of April. If the forecast for this week holds, some steady progress should be made with many farmers able to finish up soybean planting. The pattern continues where we receive precipitation frequently without accumulating large amounts. For now it’s a blessing but we may be hoping it changes once the crop progresses into July and August.

Gardeners have suffered much the same fate. The rich soil has been anything but fit to play in. I did plant some snap peas, lettuce and carrots on the 10th but I wasn’t proud of the way the seedbed worked up. Just as the tried and true area farmers do, sometimes a little patience needs to be exercised. Conditions have improved greatly and this week should allow those of us who want to get at it to do so. One bright note, the vine crop seeds I planted and entrusted to Bill, Debbie’s and Amy’s care look fantastic. Every single pot in the 7 flats grew, even a few planted with leftover seed from last year. I still don’t totally trust the weather yet though. Perhaps another week of warm weather will change my mind.

It has been a banner spring for recording bird sightings at the ranch. Thank you to TP for clueing me in about some of the birds she was already seeing a few weeks ago in town. It gave me the incentive to find some of the feeders and get them put out. We had been getting used to seeing the female rose-breasted grosbeaks but no males. Finally on 5/10 there were 3 of them. This was also marked about the last day of the sparrows migrating through. On 5/11, one of the small colorful warblers, a redstart was flitting around the new leaves on the silver maple, apparently looking for small insects. At first glance because of their coloration they almost appear to be a Baltimore oriole in miniature. This was followed by a goldfinch barrage on the 12th. The feeders and ground underneath were covered with dozens of bright yellow males. Also noted on the 12th was the first ruby-throated hummingbird (a male) and we counted 11 Baltimore orioles. On the 13th they were joined by a lone male orchard oriole.

On the rainy, cold 14th, there was a Baltimore oriole explosion. I counted as high as 20 orioles with 8 of those being full colored males. Of the group of 20 there were 2 orchard oriole males. All told they consumed 4 orange halves, 2 bowls of jelly and a nectar feeder worth of sugar water then had the audacity to scold me and ask for more! Fortunately part of that circus left the next day leaving behind 10 or so. It would take a full time person to keep up otherwise. Last but not least on the 15th, a lone male indigo bunting made an appearance and hasn’t been seen since. Last year I don’t think we saw one and this poor guy may have been confused. Several of the big trees that graced the yard last spring were gone, changing the appearance greatly.

Weaning the ewes and lambs was accomplished the first time on Sunday after lawn mowing by moi and a day of work at the greenhouse was put in by Mrs. Cheviot. It was a battle royal the same as it usually is and I have the black and blue badges of courage (or stupidity) to prove it. We hauled a group off to the kindly neighbors and Ruby got to ride along. We were made aware of some sad news while there. Ruby’s playmate and friend Sophie had been struck by a car and killed since our last visit. She almost seemed to sense it as we put the panels back in place, got the fence back up and hooked up the water. Amazingly enough everything worked as we waved bye-bye and pulled for home. There the sound of bellering could be heard as I opened the door. Not good for sleeping I thought and it wasn’t. I think it even triggered a response from the Dubya’s beef cows down the road as I was awakened several times through the night by the racket. This from one routinely capable of sleeping through severe thunderstorms that blow trees through the side of the house.

The next morning from my throne in the oval office overseeing my little wild Ransom, I spied what appeared to be a buck lamb mixed in with the ewes heading out to pasture. To make matters worse there was a second one! What the…??? I put my clothes on and rushed down to the barn. Sure enough, there were 3 ewes that had managed to get back in with the lambs as well! I discovered the spot where they had managed to blow through the fence so with some fence posts, wire and a hog panel, remedied that situation. There was still the matter of getting ewes and lambs back where they belonged, which would have to wait until later when we could lick our wounds and regroup. They may get loose but they never get away.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Honest to pete, I tried to put k-i-n-g-d-o-m in where it says "Ransom". Wonder what that's all about?

[MN Shutterbug]

Must be a dirty word.

[Dotch]

Working from seven to eleven every night…

The scurs woes continue with the farther out forecasting while making good on the nearby once again. What kind of weather are they mustering up for the last week in May? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with a good chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs around 60 and lows of 45. Partly cloudy Thursday and slightly warmer. Highs of 65 and lows near 45. Friday, partly cloudy becoming mostly cloudy with a chance of showers and thunderstorms in the evening. Highs reaching 60 and lows of 45 - 50. Mostly cloudy on Saturday with a chance of s shower or thunderstorm. Highs of 70 and lows near 50. Sunday, partly cloudy with a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs of 70 and lows around 50. Memorial Day and Tuesday, mostly sunny with highs near 75 and lows around 55. The normal high for May 30th is 76 and the normal low is 51. The scurs are on the record predicting no snowmen such as we saw in 1992 for this year’s Memorial Day.

As predicted progress was made in the fields both in the corn that was already planted and in the soybean fields that hadn’t been. 4 days without precipitation from the 16th through the 19th allowed many who had soybeans left to plant to get the job done. Corn emerged rapidly last week and one could row many fields from the road last Friday. Herbicide applications were made possible during this same timeframe and the ensuing rainfall should be beneficial to the efficacy of those herbicides. Rainfall at the ranch pushed close to 2” from Friday through Sunday and fortunately it came in about 4 different rainfall events so washing was minimized. We are behind on GDU’s however so it’s going to take a warmer trend to get us close to average in that department. Some are comparing this year to 2009 and while it may just be, seldom are any two years exactly alike.

Gardening has been slow as well. More than one farmer has indicated that while the crop is in the ground, on farms where drainage is limited or snow sat for lengthy periods of time this spring it still didn’t work up perfect. Ditto in the garden at the ranch. The garden here is situated in an area that catches a lot of snow. Drainage on most of the plot is decent in the area that is Clarion soil. The Webster soil lobe that extends along one side is a different animal and it’s been difficult to get it to dry out let alone make a decent seedbed. Fortunately many of the transplants will be headed into that area and once they spread out, the ground will get its tilth back. Amazing how vine crops will do that. In spite of all the wet weather we did manage to get some Indian corn planted along with some later sweet corn. Trouble looming on the horizon however judging by the numerous little flies detected, otherwise known as seed corn maggots. The seed is treated with one of the neonicotinoid insecticides but it will have a challenge. Tilling a lot of green material into the soil, in this case annual bluegrass, is a magnet for insects such as these. Will it work? We shall see.

Lawn mowing has taken center stage around the rain showers. It’s been a catch as catch can affair and one can work from 7 until 11 to get it done. It takes a couple hours to dry off sufficiently and when it does the roar of mowers can be heard across the landscape. At the ranch, one has to consider where on that landscape it is safe to mow. After Saturday forenoon’s downpour, I decide it had dried enough to attempt mowing the high ground. Looking down into the road cut, there was water running across the bottom of the ditch. Rather than risking winding up in St. Olaf Lake, I opted to avoid the rushing torrent for the time being. If matters got out of hand down there I figured one could always get out the boat and weedeater.

The birds slowed down a lot from last week and that’s a good thing. There was simply no way to keep up indefinitely with an oriole invasion such as we had. As it is there appears to be at least one pair of Baltimore orioles in nest building mode. It’s also encouraging to see there is a pair of orchard orioles that have both been faithfully enjoying grape jelly and nectar from the feeders. In years past there has been no positive ID of the female. One newcomer to the feeders this week was a lone pine siskin. Not sure exactly why he or she was here but the familiar little striped body was hard to mistake after the irruption of 2 winters ago. One other new arrival that stays in is the common yellowthroat. They take up residence in the plum and sumac thicket and their song compliments that of the house wren this time of year splendidly.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Singing in the sunshine, laughing in the rain…

The scurs crystal ball become cloudy once again on Memorial Day but the rest of the week was pretty much as advertised, cold. Will we finally break out of our cooler than normal trend? The scurs are thinking we will. Staring on Wednesday, mostly sunny becoming mostly cloudy by evening with a good chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs near 75 and .lows around 60. Thursday, mostly cloudy with a chance of showers in the morning becoming partly cloudy with a slight chance of showers in the afternoon. Highs around 80 and lows of 70. Warmer on Friday under partly cloudy skies with a slight chance of an overnight thundershower. Highs of 85 and lows near 65. Saturday, partly cloudy with a slight chance of a morning thundershower. Highs around 80 and lows near 60. Partly cloudy and slightly cooler on Sunday with a small chance of a shower or thunderstorm in the overnight. Highs of 75 – 80 and lows near 60. Monday, partly cloudy with a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs around 80 and lows near 65. Partly sunny and warmer on Tuesday becoming mostly cloudy with a chance of afternoon or evening thunderstorms. Highs around 85 and lows near 65. The normal high for June 1st is 77 and the normal low is 52. On June 1stwe will have 15 hours and 15 minutes of daylight, with only 13 more minutes to be gained by the summer solstice. The scurs will be bottling some of this heat for January.

Crop growth was relatively slow last but this week should help to make a dent in the lagging progress. Some 2 collar corn was observed and soybeans that had been planted a week to 10 days prior were emerging. It should come as no surprise that we are somewhat behind what we’ve come to expect in recent years. For starters in May at the ranch, rain was measured on 16 and what will likely be 17 days out of the 31by the time this reaches print. In addition there were 6 days where trace amounts of precipitation were detected. This is getting to sound like a broken record as the same thing happened in April. Lots of cloudy, cool days with precipitation and as a result only a narrow window of time during which the ground was semi-fit for planting. There are some areas of fields this past week that were definitely not fit as witnessed when a local farmer planted soybeans through a wet corner. As I went by the newly planted area, there was water standing in the planter tracks already. Within 20 minutes, it was raining. Not a good sign. We are fortunate however. Most of the crop has been planted so there is plenty to smile about.

There are lots of changes finally in the garden at the ranch. The potatoes are almost entirely emerged now making a solid row to follow from one end to the other. The peas, carrots and lettuce are coming along nicely as well they should. This has been some decent weather for these cooler season crops. The Indian corn is emerging finally as is the sweet corn. It’s a little uneven but with the heat and a little rain it should be fine. One good thing a bout the sweet corn is it can be planted for several weeks yet if it fails to emerge. The pear trees are taking advantage of the warmer recent days and the leaves are really starting to pop. While there are some small pears on the Patten tree it’s doubtful they’ll amount to anything. Still, it’s good to see them. Makes me hopeful that we will someday enjoy fresh pears. The peach tree also seems to be making up some time as the new growth in just the last several days has about doubled in length. It won’t be long and peach farming will become a way of life in greater Bugtussle and environs.

Lawn mowing has become serious business across the landscape, what with Memorial Day and numerous graduations. No one wants to be known as the neighborhood slob so just like clockwork, when the sun comes out the hum of lawnmowers can be heard far and wide out here in the country. Oh yes, I suppose one could plant it all into native prairie or something so it would be low maintenance. It would be except for the fact you still have to control the weeds as well as putting up with the vermin that seem to enjoy having cover as they dig tunnels and dens around the foundations on the buildings. Think I’ll keep mowing, thank you very much.

The birds were active this past week. Not a lot of new arrivals although we did have a male cardinal on 5/28 that graced us with his presence and song while he was at it. He cleaned up under the feeders and helped himself to a little of the orioles’ grape jelly. Speaking of the orioles, the orchard orioles appear to be staying around as both a male and female are coming to the feeders yet. Nest building for the Baltimore orioles was in full swing so I decide to supplement their raw materials with some of the cotton strings we generally discard from the feed sacks. Cut into 8” – 10” lengths and placed on the woodpile, they had the string all picked up by the time we were done with chores the next morning. Found some more string and decided to see who was taking it all. A rather dull colored male oriole appeared and wadded several pieces in his mouth and departed for what was likely neighbor David’s yard. Hopefully he doesn’t end up with lots of 8” long pieces of string stuck in his lawnmower.

It was about a year ago I made a trip to IL to pick up our new red and white Border Collie Ruby. Seems like only yesterday she was a little 8 week old ball of fur. Ruby’s a small Border Collie weighing in at a little over 30 lbs. She makes up for that small size with the same intensity and tenacity she demonstrated even as a puppy. On the ride back from IL she took down an older male puppy almost twice her size that I was delivering to another buyer. It’s been a fun year and her vocabulary is larger than some people I know. Just ask the squirrels. Recently she’s learned how to shake hands, one of the talents a dog must have if they’re going to be a member of our family. Now if I could just teach her how to type.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Strawberry Fields forever…

The scurs were steamrolled by the Monday-Tuesday temperatures. Of course so was almost everyone else who was forecasting the weather or heaven forbid trying to work in it. Temperatures soared to the century mark on area bank thermometers, car thermometers and our official Edna thermometer. Will we see a return to more moderate temperatures? Starting Wednesday, partly cloudy with a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs near 85 and lows of 50 – 55. Partly cloudy Thursday and cooler with highs near 70 and lows of 50 – 55. Partly cloudy Friday with a good chance of a shower or thunderstorm by evening. Highs near 70 and lows of 55. Mostly cloudy Saturday with a good chance of showers. Highs around 70 and lows of 50 – 55. Sunday, partly cloudy with a slight chance of a shower. Highs around 75 and lows near 60. Mostly cloudy on Monday with a slight chance of showers. Highs around 80 and lows of 55 – 60. Mostly cloudy again on Tuesday with a good chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs of 70 and lows of 55 – 60. The normal high for June 12th is 80 and the normal low is 55. The sun rises at 5:31 a.m. on the 10th and will continue doing so until June 22nd, the day after the summer solstice. The scurs will be setting their alarm clocks so they can enjoy the best part of the day the only way they know how: By rolling over and going back to sleep.

Next Wednesday ushers in the Full Moon for the month and since those in the country don’t get their paper until Thursday, we’ll cover it this week. It is nearly unanimous between the Farmer’s Almanac, the Ojibwe and the Sioux: This Full Moon is known as the Full Strawberry Moon and rightfully so. While perhaps slightly behind this year, area strawberries are about to come online in full force. This moon is also known as the Moon When Bread Gets Moldy Fast at the ranch.

What a dynamic week for area crops! Corn fields actually look like they mean business following a week of warm temperatures and some much needed sunshine. Many area fields were starting to sport a fully exposed 4th collar and knee high won’t be long. Soybeans are progressing as well although not as rapidly as the corn. The few pea fields in the area looked good last week although it will be interesting to see how they behave following the extreme heat we saw on Monday and Tuesday. Forage harvest was in full swing with the warm dry weekend and many and area hayfield was baled or chopped. Still tough to beat the smell of curing hay as it wafts in the window at night.

The garden is coming along finally. This past Sunday witnessed the planting of the vine crops. They were watered in well but nothing prepares them for 100 degree heat with strong breezes. There are still some cukes and one zucchini to plant. That one plant is usually enough to supply most of a 5 county area. Oh well the sheep like them. The bigger the better.

As mentioned while the sun is rising at 5:30 a.m. the birds are rising about 4:30 a.m. Starting with the robins, followed closely by the chipping sparrows who seem to wake up the wrens, the common yellowthroats, tree and barn swallows, the mourning doves, the orioles, a few goldfinches and an occasional blue jay. It gets loud for about 45 minutes and then before sunrise they must be feeding their young or going back to sleep. There were some newcomers noted this past week at the ranch including a bobolink, a dickcissel, and a warbling vireo. There continues to be a pine siskin at the feeder making one wonder if it plans on taking up residence or just appreciates the free breakfast included in the price of the lodging. A gray catbird apparently liked the length of the headed out bluegrass I’d munched off with the weedeater and was busily stuffing its mouth. It didn’t take long to figure out it was heading into the thick brush on the edge of the yard where it could build a well concealed nest.

Ruby had a newcomer this past week as well. In addition to her squirrel and the grackles she detests, we were exposed to some of the fiercest growling one morning we had ever heard from her. She stood at her spot in front of the sliding glass door and just trembled as something had her full attention. Once we got there to see what the commotion was about, a small chipmunk was on the porch taunting her as it scampered back and forth. This is the first one we’ve ever seen at the ranch. Once it saw me it took off and where it wound up I wasn’t certain. The next day however there was a hole with some freshly shelled sunflower seeds outside of it not far from where Chippy had been seen. Luckily for the chipmunk, Ruby is more of a chaser and not a catcher. She is however a digger so that situation will need to be monitored carefully.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Tuesday’s gone with the wind…

Not a lot of rain last week but enough to keep things going after the mini-heat wave. In spite of the cool start, the scurs are thinking perhaps it’s looking like we will eventually have a real summer. Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy, highs of 70 and lows near 55. Thursday, partly cloudy with a slight chance of evening showers. Highs near 75 and lows around 60. Partly cloudy on Friday with a chance of showers. Highs again near 75 and lows around 65. Saturday, partly cloudy again with a moderate chance of shower and thunderstorms, Highs of 80 and lows of 65. Partly cloudy and warmer on Sunday with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs around 85 and lows near 65. Monday, partly cloudy and remaining warm. Highs around 85 and lows near 65. A good chance of showers and thunderstorms for Tuesday with mostly cloudy skies. Highs of 85 and lows around 65. The normal high for June 21st is 82 and the normal low is 60. The scurs will be remaining under their beach umbrella in case that rain shows up for the summer solstice.

Yes, the 21st is officially the first day of summer although most will say that meteorological summer actually begins June 1st. Last Tuesday’s heat is gone and with it the nearly desert winds however. There have been a few warm days but it’s been difficult to call it much of a summer so far. There have been many days in June where a jacket is a wonderful thing to have along just in case. Heck, I still have the chains on the tractor yet. Not sure if I’m that far behind or just getting a jump on winter the way the temperatures have been going.

Cooler temperatures have meant slower growth in the crops and the flip-side of that is weed growth hasn’t totally been a runaway either. In between gale force wind events, there has actually been time to apply herbicides. This past week saw some corn exhibiting a 6th full collar although 5 collars on a field-wide basis were more the norm. The 2nd trifoliates on the largest soybeans were nearly fully expanded although there are soybeans all the way from there to just planted. Most hay was put up in good shape and the quality looks to be excellent. Feeding some of the newly baled hay delivered by the Hay Fairy, the lambs would tend to agree.

Miraculously all the vine crops planted in the garden survived the blast furnace of a week ago. Apparently having good stock and watering heavily as we went when transplanting paid off. The ground became so hard that tilling the remaining ground was like tilling concrete. After the roughly half-inch Thursday night rain however that changed and the soil worked up better than it has all spring. This allowed for the onions to go in, the cucumbers to be planted and for another planting of sweet corn. There are still tomatoes, peppers and string beans to plant but these fortunately won’t take long after work some evening. Then, maybe, kind of, perhaps we can put all the seeds away and focus on weed control. There are some snap peas blooming and with any luck in another 3 weeks we should be able to sample some of those delicacies. The Haralson and Fireside apple trees are loaded in the yard at the ranch and there are even a few on the Snow Sweet tree that was planted only a year ago. Am curious if any of them make it to harvest so we can see what they taste like. The crabapples we planted were roughed up a little by the heat but after a little extra TLC, it appears they’ve escaped the heat relatively unscathed.

The birds have become more sporadic in their appearances at the feeders, particularly the orioles. They now go through about a jar of jelly a week as opposed to their earlier antics of nearly a jar a day. One faithful customer has been the male orchard oriole and even the female makes an occasional visit. She seems to enjoy the orange slices as well as the jelly. When they leave they always seem to head for the same group of trees so something tells me their nest is in the yard someplace. Hummingbirds have become more numerous as Mrs. Cheviot has planted the pots and baskets again. Time to get some of those fly and ant guards for the nectar feeders as the insects are wasting no time making a mess of them.

Ruby had another big weekend where we travelled to my Mom’s to see my oldest brother. This was the first time she’d met him as I don’t recall bringing her along at Christmastime. She was very glad to meet someone who would scratch her tummy and she played that for all it was worth. Ruby played outside with Fudgie too, blowing off steam just as they’ve become accustomed to. Looking out the window was a little like watching one of those comedy skits where the parties take turns chasing each other. These 2 are a little like the monkey see- monkey do routine as well. Mom has some hard plastic decorative birds, chipmunks and bunnies she likes to place in the flower beds around the house as well as on the porch. Oddly enough, every one of them was scattered around the yard not much differently than children’s toys left for the parents to clean up. Fortunately nothing was chewed on so no harm, no foul. Just have to be thankful there are no diapers to change.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

So, get all those blues, must be a thousand hues...

The scurs took a chance that it wasn’t going to rain last Wednesday and lost. Will they have better luck this week? Starting Wednesday, cloudy with a good chance of showers. Highs near 65 and lows around 55. Partly cloudy on Thursday with a chance of a shower. Highs once again 65 with lows of 55. Partly cloudy and slightly warmer Friday with a slight chance of rain. Highs around 70 and lows of 55. Warmer again on Saturday with a moderate chance of evening showers. Partly cloudy with highs of 75 and lows of 60. Partly cloudy Sunday with an increasing chance of showers. Highs 75 – 80 and lows of 60. Partly sunny Monday and Tuesday with slight chances of showers and thunderstorms both days. Highs of 80 and lows around 60. The normal high for June 25th is 82 and the normal low is 58. The sun will rise on June 25th at 5:33 a.m. a minute later than it did on the summer solstice and on June 27th we will experience 15 hours and 27 minutes of daylight, one minute less than we did on the summer solstice. Hint: The days will be getting shorter already. That can be good news or bad news depending on your point of view. The scurs aren’t fretting about laying in their firewood supply just yet. Lots of time.

Crops made tremendous progress this past week despite the heavy rains of the 15th and 16th. Some corn has reached 8 collars and is about knee high on everyone with the exception of vertically challenged individuals. It may have been knee high 2 weeks ago in some cases. Most soybeans had 3 fully expanded trifoliates with some of the very earliest planted fields in the area showing a 4th and in some cases 5th trifoliate. Spring wheat has headed out and some have made their last pass with a fungicide. Peas have shown good color to this point although with some of the excess moisture received and forecast to come, that tune may change before too long. All in all to this point, we have been very fortunate compared to some.

The garden is getting closer to planted. There are some flower transplants for the hummingbirds to go in yet and some of the plants like the morning glory and bachelor’s buttons reseeded themselves. At some point one just gives up though. There were a few gourds that probably won’t get stuck in the ground. Given the number of gourds that get tossed over the fence after the fall decorating season, that’s probably not a bad thing. The muskmelons are flowering so hopefully we get enough heat to actually produce the number we’re capable of. The onions and sweet corn that were planted last week are wasting no time getting going. The string beans, tomatoes and peppers are in the ground and so are the zucchini. There weren’t enough transplants to be had so we had to resort to direct seeding, running the risk of hills being dug up by the striped gophers living in the yard. After laying down withering fire, one of the culprits was mortally wounded and hasn’t been seen since. There are hills in a couple different locations as well so the odds of them finding all of them are in our favor.

The gray catbird has decided that this grape jelly thing is a pretty good gig. “It” (the sexes are tough to tell apart) has been frequenting the feeder more often than the orioles as of late. Spotted a male and female bluebird at the kindly neighbors pasture on Monday while admiring the annihilation of the musk thistle population there. The royal blue of the male contrasted against the dark green backdrop of bur oak leaves in the evening sun was almost stunning.

Not so surprisingly, mosquitoes have sprung to life with all the rain. Spraying the pasture fence was done in record time. When the project was started the wind was working to my favor. Once down behind the windbreak however, I was at their mercy and they showed none. It was walk all the way back to the house and douse myself with repellent or tough it out. I chose the latter and lived to regret it. Every step through the long grass sent forth wave after wave of the pesky little bloodsuckers. Luckily as fast as I was moving there were few welts and very little itching resulted. Tough old hide I guess.

Ruby went along on the excursion and proceeded to find something dead in the pasture to roll in. I paid little attention to here rolling as escaping with my life was my primary focus. It wasn’t noticeable until we got back in the house and there was this awful dead animal stench emanating from someplace nearby. Ruby of course wagged her tail once I determined the source of the problem. Judging by the look on her face, she wasn’t impressed when bedtime came as the kennel door closed behind her.

With Mrs. Cheviot on the road for a week, I’ve been left to my own devices. Translation: I have to do it all. It does however mean I can shoot gophers out the window without worrying about repercussions although Ruby hides behind the couch when this happens. Was placed in charge of making sure things all came back home after the 150th anniversary celebration of the Le Sueur River Lutheran church which in turn was also very important to the little fat buddies. There was the better part of a pan of bars that made the training table. A faithful reader from Oregon introduced himself at the celebration and was wondering who these little fat buddies were. Well, there’s Otisco’s noted Swedish astronomer, PH’s husband, a German who the Norwegians have so far unsuccessfully tried to convert, a tractor salesman (a.k.a. “ Mr. Haney”), a real live fertilizer salesman, a full-blooded Swede, Betsy’s dad, a guy who farms from the Mall for Men and other occasional mystery guests. That should pretty well narrow it down I reckon.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Mr. Mojo Risin…

The scurs got untracked again last week; when they said it was going to rain it did. What are they saying this time around? Starting Wednesday, partly cloudy with highs around 80 and lows near 70. The heat is on for Thursday and while the Twin Cities blow combs are calling for highs near 100 the scurs are hedging their bets, forecasting highs near 95 and lows of 70 – 75. Friday, partly cloudy and cooler. Highs near 85 and lows of 65. Cooler on Saturday starting out with clear skies then becoming partly cloudy with a slight chance of evening showers. Highs of 80 and lows of 65. Partly cloudy on Sunday with highs of 80 and lows of 65. Mostly sunny on Independence Day and slightly warmer. Highs around 85 and lows near 65. Clouding up overnight with a good chance of showers and thunderstorms for Tuesday. Highs of 85 and lows near 55. The normal high for July 4th is 83 and the normal low is 55. The scurs will be celebrating with Jim Morrison who most think died 40 years ago on July 3rd. Rock on Jim!

Lucky for us the rainfall that fell last week was as spread out as it was. At the ranch we recorded measurable precipitation 7 days in a row but only totaling about 1.6”. Sure there are some tough looking areas in some fields but when one looks at the big picture, things look pretty good. The corn has been getting into the nitrogen and the color in general remains a deep dark green. Given the heat and sunshine forecast for this week, the height of the corn should skyrocket. By the time the 4th rolls around most corn will be far past knee high and more like waist high. While soybean development has been less dramatic, there are subtle signs when looking closely that they too are progressing. Blossoms were noticed in some fields on Monday the 27th right on schedule.

The garden at the ranch is playing catch up but is making progress. So are the weeds. This has been a good summer thus far for waterhemp, a prolific pigweed family species. It’s estimated that one large plant is capable of producing nearly a million tiny black seeds. That can keep yours truly busy for many hours and keep the repellent manufacturers in business. Some other noteworthy items include the first firefly of the season seen while mowing the windbreak in the dark on the evening of June 23rd. This also corresponds roughly with the hatch of corn rootworm larvae, a longtime nemesis of those growing corn. No cucumber beetles yet but they can’t be too far off. 4-legged “bugs” have been a far greater problem thus far. A hastily improvised fence however seemed to do the trick. One has to protect that high dollar zucchini crop from the long-eared rodents.

Some of the plants needing protection included the salvia that had been transplanted. The tag on the packets said the plants would attract hummingbirds. They weren’t kidding as 5 minutes later when gazing out the patio door, there was a little male working the red blooms over in a businesslike manner. Another bird discovery that made me happy was the sighting of the male orchard oriole once again. With all the stray cats and other predators around one always fears the worst.

The soccer mom van has been up to its old tricks again. Decided it was easier to drive that to get feed than unhook the trailer from the pickup. I grabbed Ruby to go along for a ride, popped the blonde soccer mom wig on my head then put the van in reverse. As it came down the slant I heard the distinct sound of running water. Indeed it was as water cascaded under the dash and drenched my left foot. Obviously the van was expressing an opinion concerning my decision to use it as an implement of husbandry. Oddly enough, as it rained all the way to the store, it actually behaved in almost eerily normal fashion. We got to Hope, ditched the wig, tossed the feed in the back and headed for home. About the time we got to the intersection the door locks began to pop up and down intermittently. At first I blamed Ruby but she was as far from any of the doors and sleeping on the floor. Fortunately the van was running fine so turning the music up louder seemed to cover the annoyance of the door locks. Pulling into the driveway I made sure when I got out to get the mail that I left the door open. With no spare key there was no telling what might happen if I shut the door with the thing playing games like it was.

No problem there so we unloaded the feed and parked the van back in its favorite spot. Mowed some lawn and after Mrs. Cheviot returned home from a sheep junket, we went outside to do chores. We could hear music coming from what sounded like the neighbors to the north. Thought nothing of it as there are occasionally some gatherings in the area. Odd that there wasn’t more traffic I thought. On the way in from doing chores, I decided to investigate the source of the music more closely. Sure enough, it was coming from the van! The key was off yet the radio was blaring away. I turned the ignition off, then on then off again, pulled the key and shut the door. No difference so I turned the radio off and crossed my fingers that it wouldn’t run the battery down and would still start Sunday morning when I went to church. Next morning it popped right off and away I went. I made the turn towards church and sure enough the door locks started jumping up and down again. Good thing I was going to church I muttered to myself. This van doesn’t need a mechanic, it needs an exorcism!

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Sometimes I grow so tired, but I know I've got one thing I got to do...

The scurs got a little surprise as did much of the area with the Friday night thunderstorms that rolled through the area. Are there any more such occurrences on tap for this Farm & City Days? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with highs of 80 – 85 and lows of 60 – 65. Thursday and Friday, clear skies with highs of 80 – 85 and lows of 65 – 70. Becoming partly cloudy overnight into Saturday with a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm increasing into the evening hours. Highs 80 – 85 and lows around 70. Partly cloudy on Sunday with a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs near 85 and lows around 65. Partly cloudy on Monday with highs of 80 and lows near 60. Mostly cloudy on Tuesday with a good chance of thunderstorms. Highs close to 80 and lows around 65. The normal high for July 10th is 83 and the normal low is 61. We have already lost some daylight, having lost approximately 12 minutes since the summer solstice. The scurs don’t care. They are focused on cornering the market for putty knives to scrape all the road kill Tootsie Rolls off people’s soles following the Farm and City Days Parade.

This past week saw more of what the doctor ordered for the corn crop in this area. Warm temperatures and some timely rain this time of year never hurts, especially for a crop that has been slightly behind thus far. It is apparent in many areas that the nitrogen properly applied last fall and this spring is still there judging by the reaction of the corn in areas of the field that had been pale in color. Some areas where water stood or there have been compaction issues there is no fix to it although some have tired. It’s a little like feeding a runt pig or a bottle lamb. You know that the outcome will likely be unrewarding yet it’s difficult to do nothing sometimes. Soybeans have for much of the area started flowering in earnest and second cutting hay has already been harvested in areas. Small grain and pea crops look good in most cases with the drier weather being to their liking as well.

The flying biting insect crop has been doing remarkably well too. Mosquitoes are making life miserable especially near dusk although on days when it has been relatively calm, they make life miserable during the daytime too. Deer flies have been a nuisance especially when one gets near a body of water and their bigger cousins, the horse flies are starting to appear as well. And of course the smaller biting stable flies have added their touch also, making chores with long pants a necessity most times. The toads have been doing their best to take a bite out of the fly population. I watched one parked by a feed sack the other night, curious as to what it might be up to. As luck would have it, the feed contains liquid molasses and that attracts flies, well, like liquid molasses. They love it. The toad patiently waited until the flies would crawl down within range then would flick its tongue at lightning speed to get the insect and position itself again for the next potential victim. I saw it take at least a half dozen of them out of the picture in about 10 minutes and given the number of toads we have around the yard, that gets to be a lot of flies and other insects taken out of commission. Cucumber beetles showed up this past week in the garden so if you haven’t looked at your vine crops in awhile, it might not be a bad idea to check them and treat appropriately. More benign insects, the fireflies or lightning bugs have been putting on a spectacular shows every evening since late last week. Difficult to recall a summer where they have been more numerous than what we’ve seen so far this July.

Around the yard at the ranch the fledgling birds are all over the place. There are some young orioles starting to come to the jelly feeder now and by the mournful cry they make when lost in the trees without the parents, one would swear they’d lost their last friend. Young wrens are noisily strewn about in the bushes and brush piles and this is just the start. There are several more nests so they are having a banner season. Young tree swallows have left some of the nesting boxes although there are some that didn’t get nesting right away or had to contend with house sparrows before yours truly stepped in and leveled the playing field a tad. The robin in the barn is on her second brood now with little heads popping up above the rim of the nest whenever there is commotion. And what would a farmyard be without lots of young barn swallows perched here and there as the adults feed them then teach them how to catch insects themselves so they can get back to raising a 2nd brood.

The 4th of July weekend came and went. With Mrs. Cheviot at yet another sheep show for the week, Ruby and I had to do it all once again. I tilled the garden, picked peas, sprayed weeds and insects, fixed fence, repaired a water line, mowed the lawn, got a load of oats, picked up feed, treated some sick lambs, did an hour of chores morning and night, all this while working some long, hot hours at work. And that’s just the stuff I remember doing. I’m sure I was starting to look a little gaunt so my little fat buddy and his wife who live on Beaver Lake took pity on me. Never turn down a free meal as another little fat buddy once told me. It was a wonderful opportunity to graze on a wonderful spread of food, visit, then relax in their boat and gaze at the tremendous fireworks display. Sure beat the heck out of getting in the house every night well after dark, wondering what could be tossed together and still qualify as food.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

But first, are you experienced?

The scurs were on the money for Farm and City Days so a good time was had by all. What’s in store for the Waseca Co. Fair you ask? Starting Wednesday, partly cloudy becoming mostly cloudy with a chance of showers by evening. Highs near 75 and lows around 65. Mostly cloudy on Thursday with a good chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs 75 – 80 and lows near 70. Partly cloudy Friday with a slight chance of an overnight shower. Highs near 85 and lows of 70. Mostly sunny and warmer for Saturday with another slight chance of an overnight shower. Highs of 90 and lows around 75. Sunday and Monday, mostly sunny and hot with highs of 90 – 95 and lows near 70. Slightly cooler and mostly sunny on Tuesday with highs of 90 and lows near 60. The normal high for July 15th is 84 and the normal low is 61. The scurs will be working at the fair in the mosquito repellent concession stand.

The Full Moon for the month occurs on the 15th and is known by many different names. It goes by the Full Buck Moon as white tail deer bucks antlers are growing and as seen in my recent travels are in the velvet already. Another common name for this moon is the Full Thunder Moon, named for the many thunderstorms that happen during the month. Many of the pioneers also called this the Full Hay Moon as many put up hay for their livestock and the long winter ahead. The Sioux knew this as the Moon When Wild Cherries are Ripe. The Ojibwe commonly called this the Full Raspberry Moon, aptly named as the wild raspberries now are ripe for the picking, if you can outlast the mosquitoes in the process that is.

The deer have been noticed out in the open during the daylight hours. It’s quite possible the bugs are responsible for driving them out into open areas where the breeze helps make it more difficult to land on them. Coyotes are on the move and have been heard during the evening hours. One has to wonder if the insects aren’t partially to blame. That is the one bright side about the onset of winter: Knowing there are 5 or 6 months where the bugs won’t bite.

We just thought the crops grew last week. Wow! Corn is over 6’ tall in areas and about 7 – 10 days from tasseling in most area fields. Soybeans have gotten through the ugly stage and are starting to look like a crop rather than an afterthought. Most soybeans are in full bloom and wouldn’t be surprised to see some of the earliest planted fields start to set a few pods. You just knew we couldn’t get by another year without the mention of soybean aphids. Yes, they were found last week in several area fields and while the numbers were extremely low, they have made their presence known.

There appears to be a bountiful supply of berries on tap for the birds this season. Here at the ranch one doesn’t have to look very far to see plentiful nannyberries, dogwood, crabapples, chokeberries, American cranberry and honeysuckle. In addition the elderberries have been in full bloom this past week. It was comical a year ago while up on the roof talking to an insurance adjustor. He commented that we must have a lot of berry bushes nearby. “How do you know that?” I asked. He laughed and pointed out all the purple stains on the shingles, courtesy of our feathered friends.

Speaking of our feathered friends, the young continue to show up at the feeders. It was mentioned last week marked the start of the young Baltimore orioles coming to the feeders and now this week the young orchard orioles are showing up. Apparently they were nesting all along in our hard maple tree where the leaves are so dense there was no way to tell what was nesting in there. The young look a lot like the female at this point, greenish in color but one can tell by their shorter beaks and bumbling nature around the feeders they’re not experienced, yet. Hummingbird numbers have been steady all summer and they clean out their nectar feeder about once a week. They also dip into the oriole feeder of course so it’s hard to say exactly how much they’re consuming. One of the most gratifying sights this past week came from the kindly neighbors pasture. Driving up to check the sheep pastured there, one could see there were several birds perched on the barbed wire fence. Getting closer it was easy to determine these were bluebirds, 7 to be exact and quite possibly some of them the fledglings from their favorite nesting box. They scattered to the shelter of the oak trees, their understated song following them as they went.

Decided to go to the Farm and City Days parade for a few hours after another grueling weekend of fun and games. It was just as good as it ever was. There was the grand marshal, the local marching band, the antique autos, various floats and displays by several civic organizations as well as numerous princesses from many a local contest. Fire trucks and every type of farm implement imaginable were all tossing candy to the young and young at heart. The thing I still look for every year though is the old tractors, many of which I had the pleasure of driving at one time or another. In particular, I was hoping that the local Minneapolis Moline collector would make yet one more parade. I was not to be disappointed. Looking over the top of some of the displays, I could see LW leading his entourage on the old gray Twin City Minnie Mo he’s so faithfully driven every year. Not that I was ever a big Minneapolis fan but they were unique and played an important role in the development of the farm tractor here in the U.S. There’s still something about seeing and hearing a well restored old tractor. It brings back memories to this old farm boy, as I’m sure it does to many who grew up driving what some may call “junk”. Just remember, one man’s junk is another man’s toy. And best of all in the case of an old tractor, you don’t have to clean up after it in the parade.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Stroll around the grounds until you feel at home…

The scurs were on target with the heat wave predictions, unfortunately. What are their predictions for this week? Starting Wednesday, clear skies with highs near 95 and lows around 75. Thursday, partly cloudy with a chance of an overnight shower. Highs around 85 and lows of 70. Partly cloudy on Friday and Saturday with a chance of an overnight shower both days. Highs of 85 - 90 and low of 70. Partly cloudy on Sunday with highs of 85 and lows dropping to 65. Mostly sunny on Monday with highs of 80 – 85 and lows of 60 – 65. Mostly sunny on Tuesday and are you ready for this? Highs near 75 and lows around 60. The normal high for July 23rd is 84 and the normal low is 62. On Wednesday the 20th we experience 15 hours of daylight the same as we did back on May 23rd. The scurs will celebrate the cooler temps with a short lemonade. Moderation in all things.

The past week saw more tremendous progress made in the crop although it was not without its share of issues for farmers to worry about. Heavy storms moved through the area last Friday not once but twice. The morning thunderstorm came as somewhat of a surprise as rain was originally predicted for later in the day with only small chances in the morning. The matinee was predicted and came through with a vengeance at the ranch. Decided it was a good idea to check the sheep at the kindly neighbors pasture before the storm broke and while there the sky turned pitch black. The sheep were fine and the yard lights were on as I left. It was so dark there the fireflies came out at 3:30 in the afternoon. Had never seen that one before as we hightailed it for home. Had intended to get the mail but by the time I got in the driveway it was raining sideways. It rained so hard by the time I made it in the garage that the barn was nearly imperceptible aside from the yard light on the south side. Total rainfall amounts on the day varied anywhere from 1.5” to near 6”. This meant some potential nitrogen loss in the corn and the winds that were part of both storms in areas caused corn to lodge as well as snapping some off. Soybeans fared better with only some minor leaf tattering from the wind. Some of them have now reached R3. Small grains went flat in places although most fields took it well. Pea yields have ranged anywhere from poor to slightly above average. The heavy rainfall made harvest efforts muddy and challenging. Rainfall so far for the month at the ranch has totaled 4.7” compared with about 5.3” for the month of June.

The heat and humidity have certainly made life miserable and some of that misery will be reflected in next months electric bill. The sheep have been extremely uncomfortable even though we’ve kept fans on them and cool clean water in front of them 24/7. Sheep don’t sweat so have to rely on panting to cool themselves, something they’ve been doing much of the last several weeks. Working with them when it’s been this hot is out of the question. The last thing we want to do given the circumstances is to stress them any more than is absolutely necessary. Ditto for the human component after spending many days working in the heat.

It’s become obvious one robin has it in for me because on many of the days this summer we’ve recorded precip, it has decided to take a dump in the rain gauge. Fortunately the garden hose is nearby to clean it out. It’s just the principle of the thing. The orioles stopped coming to the jelly feeder suddenly which seemed a little odd since it had recently been filled. Closer examination of the situation revealed the windblown rain had pretty well cleaned it out. It didn’t take long upon refilling it and orioles young and old were back feasting again. After Friday’s storms it was surprising to see a wild turkey hen being harassed by a red-winged blackbird as she and her two poults strolled around the grounds, grazing for bugs. Speaking of bugs, the first cicada at the ranch was heard buzzing on Monday the 18th.

Once again the local varmint population has reared its ugly head. A huge woodchuck has been spotted near the granary and it appears to have done some digging there. My double barrel is on the blink so I grabbed a pump shotgun instead and inserted a couple shells into the magazine. Trouble was after getting used to popping a couple shells into the old blunderbuss all these years, I neglected to chamber a shell. Imagine my disbelief after having the critter dead to rights only to hear a “click” when I pulled the trigger. The woodchuck apparently couldn’t believe it either as it lumbered merrily off to do some more digging.

Inside the house, a bat decided to show up about bedtime. It maneuvered around the living space quite nimbly and the only way it was detected was by the swishing sound of its wings. Bats are fine with me as long as they stay outside eating insects where they belong. Once they get in the house, it’s all out war. I grabbed the nearest broom and proceeded to do my best Michael Cuddyer impression. When the bat did his down and away slider impression I swung and missed. However I did manage to make contact with the pantry door. No biggy I thought as I hunted the little beast down and finally subdued it. After disposing of the bat I happened to look at the pantry door and to my horror discovered I’d made more than just contact; I’d punched a hole in it. The next day I called my little fat vertically challenged Swedish carpenter buddy and explained the situation. Add this latest tragedy to the hole I poked in the siding when clearing the snow off the roof and the one made by the rooster pheasant that flew into the side of the house this spring. I’m sure he’s thinking the way keep making holes in things he’ll be able to cash in and make a full day of it soon.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

The more things change the more they stay the same

The scurs called the end of the heat wave and not a moment too soon. Sales of deodorant were topping all-time records. Will it return again soon? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with a good chance of rain. Highs around 85 and lows near 70. Partly cloudy Thursday with a continuing chance of rain. Highs of 80 – 85 and lows around 65. Mostly clear skies both Friday and Saturday with highs of 80 – 85 and lows of 65 – 70. Clear becoming partly cloudy on Sunday with a slight chance of rain. Highs 85 and lows of 65 – 70. Mostly sunny and warmer on Monday. Highs of 85 – 90 and lows around 70. Partly cloudy becoming mostly cloudy on Tuesday with a good chance of a thunderstorm. Highs around 90 and lows near 60 when the system moves through. The normal high for August 1st is 83 and the normal low is 61. The sun will rise at 6 a.m., roughly the same time as it did back on the 6th of May. The scurs will be sawing logs with their newfound extra minutes of morning darkness.

Last week was brutal weather for humans. It is considered the warmest week of the year and it lived up to its billing. With air conditioners keeping it comfortable inside, the decision to stay indoors was easy especially after opening the door and feeling the blast of sauna like heat and high humidity. When your glasses steamed up that was a clue. In general though the corn and soybeans didn’t seem to mind. Much of the corn was starting to pollinate although there was probably more this week judging by the smell of corn pollen in the air. Soybeans largely pushed into the R3 stage, by definition largely making glyphosate applications off-label. Soybean aphids are more easily found but nowhere near any kind of threshold levels. Small grains are turning rapidly and the heat has done it no favors. With the wet summer, wheat has suffered from a bacterial leaf streak from which there is no known treatment other than selecting for more tolerant varieties. Same scenario with the peas as yields turning sour on the remaining fields from the root rot and heat.

Peas in the garden have followed suit. The snap peas that showed so much promise earlier failed to set pods after flowering profusely. The vine crops loved it and are staying ahead of the weeds for the time being. There are plenty of weeds however with warm season weeds such as waterhemp and crabgrass having an absolute fiesta. Sweet corn in the fields has tasseled on the short side and can’t see anything different in the garden either. String beans have appreciated the heat too and it shouldn’t be too much longer before seeing the first flowers on our later than normal planting. Tomatoes are looking good but again since they were put out relatively late, not much for fruit set just yet. The direct seeded zucchini has come through and it won’t be too much longer before the 5 county area is overrun with this wonderful source of livestock feed.

The lawn has been nearly impossible to stay ahead of this summer. It’s either raining, too wet or the mosquitoes will carry you off if attempting to mow in the evenings. Trying to find daylight hours when the wind is blowing seems to be the best idea although that isn’t necessarily foolproof either especially if one happens to be mowing in a windbreak or around the bushes. And just like in the garden the crabgrass has come through. Given the high moisture of the crabgrass, the mower deck becomes a portable cow pie carrier.

We continue to feed what appear to be several families of orioles. It looks like at least 2 groups of Baltimore orioles and one family of orchard orioles. They can really gobble down the jelly with consumption approaching that of the spring migration. They’re going through a couple of the 32 oz. jars a week so one may as well just buy 2 at a time and get it over with. The hummers are sticking around this year so not sure if there was a nest in the area or not. There seems to be some smaller ones now and they spend much of their time dive bombing each other while circling the wagons around the feeders. They may be the young from this years hatch, perhaps not from here but from somewhere.

During my Mom’s brief hospital stay this past week, we had the pleasure of keeping Fudgie. She seemed to fit right in after a good old fashioned brushing to help keep the hair shedding to a minimum. Doesn’t seem like nearly 8 years have passed since she was just a little wriggling puppy playing in the wading pool filled with cedar shavings. It didn’t take her and her playmates long to get out of it either as I recall. Border Collies start out active and stay that way, at least until they decide it’s nap time. Ruby was being Ruby and bouncing off the walls during much of Fudgie’s visit here. Someone to play with and to attempt to herd. Once she got tired of Ruby’s antics she’d repair to the solitude of the utility room to take a snooze. Funny thing, there are people who make me feel the same way.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

You been out ridin' fences for so long now…

The scurs were tracking the return of the heat wave although the duration was nowhere near the last one. It is that time of year. This week starting with Wednesday, mostly sunny with highs reaching 80 and lows around 65. Partly cloudy on Thursday with a slight chance of rain or a thunderstorm. Highs around 80 and lows near 65. Partly cloudy and gorgeous on Friday with highs once again around 80 and lows of 65. Slight chance of rain during the day on Saturday increasing in potential by evening. Highs of 80 and lows around 65. Sunday, partly cloudy with a modest chance of rain during the day decreasing in scope by evening. Highs of 80 and lows of 60 – 65. Monday partly cloudy with a moderate chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs of 80 and lows of 60 – 65. Cloudy and slightly cooler for Tuesday with a good chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs 75 – 80 and lows dropping to 60. The normal high for August 7th is 83 and the normal low is 60. The sun will set at 8:30 p.m. on the 7th, roughly the same time as it did on May 12th. The scurs will be enjoying a Cajun wrap at the Freeborn Co. Fair. One wonders who will be enjoying them the next day?

Crop progress this past week was nothing short of phenomenal. Corn pollinated and while it wasn’t perfect with the abundant soil moisture supply it is in good shape at the present time. Some will fret and worry but changing anything at this point is next to impossible. Soybeans keep making their move and August is generally considered when the soybean crop is made. While there are some R4 soybeans here and there as of this writing, there are few entire fields that would qualify just yet. Soybean aphid numbers are increasing although they have shown an affinity for younger, later planted fields in areas. On the weed control front as expected, waterhemp has had a banner year, popping through those soybeans not yet sprayed with the second application of glyphosate. Small grain yield reports thus far have been disappointing, with test weight on oats and wheat suffering as a result of the hot weather to finish the crop. The main thing now some old timers say is to get some rain on the straw so it’s not so slippery and is more absorbent. I’m not so sure about that one. It was always nice just to get it baled, period.

The garden has been on the emergency rescue list at the ranch so it was time to sharpen up some of the garden tools. Now I got me a sharp hoe, yeah! The tiger lilies have been about at their peak this past week and oddly enough they are what started my weed control career. After seeing Dad chop off a bunch of “kingheads” or giant ragweeds, I got out my garden set and proceeded to chop off Mom’s tiger lilies. Needless to say she was not amused as I recall. Luckily tiger lilies are pretty tough and those she still enjoys today are descendents of my victims. Obviously my weed ID still needed a little work. It has vastly improved however and I seldom hack off tiger lilies anymore. It does make me wonder sometimes how old the tiger lilies are at the ranch. Were they planted by Teamon Ruth, one of the original settlers whose name is scrawled on the wall of our granary? More on Teamon in another episode. Oh yeah, the garden. The first zucchinis appeared late last week and the first cuke showed up Monday night. In my zeal to remove the lambsquarters from their moorings in the potato patch, it revealed a couple golf ball sized baby red potatoes. Mmmmmm!

There are beginning to be signs our summer is starting to wind down. There are places where there are some acorns starting to fall already. Leaves on the walnut tree are starting to show hints of yellow. The lavender colored wild bergamot is blooming and its sage like fragrance just smells like autumn for some reason. Toads are getting big and fat on all the insects they’ve consumed and scads of their offspring are all over the lawn when mowing it. The fall birds have started to make their presence known too. There are some young nuthatches trying out the sunflower feeders now and the blue jays are becoming more numerous and more raucous with their calling. Chickadees, who have been absent for much of the time since early last winter are suddenly setting up camp in the windbreak. And last but not least, could it be that the male goldfinches are beginning to lose a little of that ray of summer sunshine glow? Say it ain’t so!

The little fat buddies have been on hiatus much of the summer although they found some time the other day to squeeze in a rare late summer session to eat cake and donuts as well as to discuss the Great Depression. Speaking of the Depression, I had the privilege to receive a 1938 Depression era copy of Successful Farming from my brother who had found it in one of his travels. It is in pristine condition so I make sure to keep it in its plastic sleeve when not perusing the pages. All kinds of fascinating info and much of it giving one a feel for the agriculture of the day. Producing fat hogs was a source of pride and by gum there’s an article that could help you accomplish that goal. Oddly enough, there was an ad for Parmak electric fencers. The electric fencer we have at the kindly neighbors pasture is a Parmak and they’re still being manufactured to this day. A little different perhaps than the 6 volt battery powered model offered in that old magazine but still keeping livestock on their side of the fence none the less. Now if they’d just invent an electric lid to keep the little fat buddies on their side of the cake pan.

See you next week …real good then.

[MN Shutterbug]

Speaking of Tiger Lillies, when I was over by Rochester a month ago, I was surprised how numerous they were in ditches and even alongside the Whitewater River at one spot. Upon googling them on the way home, I found they are also called Ditch Lily. There are also way too many all over town where I live.

•There is an old legend from Asia about the Tiger Lily. A Korean hermit helped a wounded tiger by removing an arrow from its body. The tiger asked the hermit to use his powers to perpetuate their friendship after his death. The hermit agreed and when the tiger died, his body became a tiger lily. Eventually the hermit drowned and his body was washed away. The Tiger Lily spread everywhere searching for its friend.

There is a superstition that smelling Tiger Lillies will give you freckles.

[Dotch]

Great story! And while you can't get freckles from tiger lilies, I know you can stain light colored shorts almost red with the pollen from their anthers. I thought I was bleeding the other day for a second after brushing against them. It is amazing isn't it how growing up using a different vernacular, we tend to call things by different names. For instance, what you referred to as "tiger lilies", we always called corn lilies. Don't ask me why but that was their given name locally. What I call tiger lilies are actually oriental tiger lilies that grow with more of an upright spike with flowers at the top and bulblets growing in the leaf axils that spread to propagate new plants. As it turns out, both names are proper references. Wouldn't the world be a wonderful place if that kind of agreement existed in places say, like Sillytown?

[Steve Foss]

We've been running around like crazy people these last couple of months. Finally got a little more time to kill, and came in here for a few sessions of Fencelines.

Thanks Mark! Same good reads, same old memories of my farm country youth.

And we grow tiger lilies (the kind with the upright orange blossoms and the bulbits, just like my grandmother did on the Wisconsin dairy farm. Mike, that was a very cool Asian story. I'd not heard/read that one before. Thanks for sharing it.

And see here. This is a thread for sentiment and sanity. Don't go ruining it with Sillytown references. Reason is absent down there. It's HSO's own little Capitol Hill.

[Dotch]

Ah Steve, but as the song goes, wouldn't it be nice?

Maybe the Beach Boys have got you now…

The scurs wasted no time predicting the moderating temperatures and now they’re working on getting some rain back in the forecast. Will we get it? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with highs near 75 and lows around 55. Thursday, mostly sunny becoming mostly cloudy with a chance of an evening shower. Highs 75 – 80 and lows 60 – 65. Mostly cloudy Friday with a good chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs 75 – 80 and lows around 60. Partly cloudy on Saturday with highs near 75 and lows dipping to 55. Clear skies on Sunday with highs of 80 and lows of 60. Partly cloudy Monday with a chance of an evening shower. Highs once again near 80 and lows of 60. Warmer and a chance of showers under partly cloudy skies for Tuesday. Highs of 85 and lows near 60. The normal high for August 15th is 82 and the normal low is 59. We slip to under 14 hours of daylight for the first time since April 26th. The scurs think this may be the catalyst we need to spur on the chances for some of those April showers.

The Full Moon for the month will occur on August 13th and is known by several names. The fishing tribes of the Great Lakes called this the Full Sturgeon Moon as this was the time of year these large fish were most easily caught. It was also known as the Full Red Moon as the moon tended to be red from all the haze in the air when it rose. It also goes by The Green Corn Moon and The Full Grain Moon. The Ojibwe called this the Full Berry Moon as blueberries were ripe for the picking. The Sioux called this The Moon When Geese Shed Their Feathers. Judging by the number seen roaming area lawns, my guess is they’re shedding more than feathers.

Crop progress continues at a breakneck pace with some corn already in the milk stage. More pollination issues are evident although there are probably more issues due to tip back related to lack of precipitation locally. Soybeans are huge with numerous fields containing plants 4’ tall. They look nice but with the heavy canopy and cooler weather comes increased risk for white mold. There are some bona fide R5 soybeans out there so that should help. Soybean aphids continue to play mind games: Will they reach treatable levels or won’t they? Those levels are all over the board with areas where soybeans were planted later getting hit hard and others slowly increasing where planting dates were earlier and maturity of the plants is advanced. Some made prophylactic insecticide applications a few weeks ago and it will be interesting to see if the aphids make an encore appearance in these fields. Reported small grain harvest woes continue the trend set last week. Poor spring wheat yields in the 30 – 40 bu./acre range and oats yields of 65 – 70 bu./acre, about half of what they were last year. Factor in lower quality on both crops and without a pretty lucrative price, it will make it easier to forget about them next year. Sweet corn harvest is underway and so far there is some optimism. If we continue this dry trend that optimism may fade quickly.

After making some initial discoveries in the garden at the ranch, decided it might be a good time over the weekend to see what other vegetables might be ready. More zucchini of course in addition to the cukes and new potatoes. One variety of snap peas rallied to produce one more picking in spite of all the heat they’d been through. They were small but still very sweet none the less. Somewhat surprisingly, the sweet corn appeared ready. It had tasseled and silked less than two weeks ago. Checked a couple ears and sure enough, nice long ears filled to the tips with plump kernels begging to be gnawed on. The sheep always like this time of year. They get the husks and silks as well as the cobs once we’re done with them. The green and yellow string beans have started to set some pods so it won’t be long and they’ll be ready. The tomatoes are coming but if this year is like most, late August and September is tomato time. Lots of fruit set and the plants are healthy as a horse.

The garden flowers are also getting geared up for the hummingbird migration. The four o’clocks are just starting to flower and the red salvia has really come on after a little watering as have the impatiens. The morning glories are climbing the pole and the hummers were seen checking out the tiger lilies one last time before they lose all their petals. The hummers like their nectar feeders to be sure however they like the real McCoy once in awhile too. We continue to host the oriole families and it is gratifying to still see the male orchard oriole occasionally. Seeing him makes me feel that all is right with the world even though events in the news may sometimes attempt to make one believe otherwise.

Made some time after chores last week to go see the Beach Boys concert in Albert Lea. Somehow over the years I managed to miss them at State Fair and other venues. Decided I’d probably better go see what’s left of them anyway or they’d all be dead. Oh sure, I’ve seen all kinds of “geezer bands” at the Freeborn Co. Fair such as America, BTO, and Three Dog Night but few where one knew the words to most of the songs. In my younger days as part of a band we actually performed some of their tunes. My appreciation of their intertwined flowing harmonies is great so my attendance was a given. They performed all their wonderful oldies but they had me right away when they stopped to joke about taking an intermission along with a nap. My kind of band.

See you next week…real good then.