Fencelines

Dotch · September 25, 2013

Slip inside my sleeping bag

The scurs had a near miss locally with predicted rain that didn’t happen. Fortunately the weather remaining cool helped us make the most of the previous rainfall. Will we see more rains or are we about to become the Gobi desert? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with highs in the mid 70’s and lows in the mid 50’s. Thursday, mostly sunny with highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the lower 60’s. Partly sunny becoming cloudy by evening with a modest chance of showers and thunderstorms as the day wears on. Highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the mid 50’s. Mostly cloudy on Saturday with a good chance of showers or a thunderstorm. Highs near 65 and lows in the upper 40’s. Sunday through Tuesday, mostly sunny with highs in the upper 60’s and lows in the low to mid 40’s. On September 26th we slip back to less than 12 hours of daylight and sun sets before 7 o’clock on the 29th. The normal high for September 30th is 67 and the normal low is 43. The scurs will need to ready the kerosene lanterns and the wireless for the longer nights ahead.

A trip north revealed rapidly changing crop conditions all the way to the Canadian border. Very little evidence of any corn harvest aside from the odd field here and there that had been chopped for silage. North of Blackduck, corn had been frosted so there was likely some silage harvest in their future if the cattle in the area were any indication. Soybean fields were turning and dropping leaves but none of what I saw were harvestable yet. Still a lot of road ditch hay being baled but for the most part alfalfa fields had probably been harvested for the last time this season. The large herds of cattle between Bemidji and International Falls contrasted nicely against the large expanses of pasture. It won’t be long though and some of those round bales will be pressed into service.

The trip north started out a little shaky as the weather turned ugly north of the Twin Cities somewhere south of Buffalo. Hail and heavy downpour made me wonder if we were going to make it to our rendezvous point in Bemidji. Luckily the pickup and I escaped unscathed and we continued our march north. A large truck loaded with red potatoes near Cushing crossed the road in front of me, reminding of those days long ago working for the U on test plots near Becker on spuds. We got to the initial meeting spot in good shape, had a burger at Slims in Bemidji then worked our way to International Falls where we had some of the world renowned pizza at the Border Bar. Luckily there was plenty left for later snacking.

Thanks to my little fat buddy, part of this was written at his cabin on scenic Warner Lake near Atikokan in Ontario Canada. It was a much needed break from the hustle and bustle of Bugtussle. Long overdue and left the impression that it needs to occur with greater frequency. The passport was broken in properly and my little fat buddy was the consummate host. I was able to catch some smallmouth, something I hadn’t done since my college days fishing in the Mississippi in downtown Minneapolis. There’s a story in that but we’ll let that slide in this edition. It was also an opportunity to use a wood burning sauna. I was still a single lad just out of college at my bachelor pad on the Finish Reservation east of Rolla when that last occurred.

Smallmouth fishing was slow and there were only 8 – 10 caught. Luckily I’ve long since become a catch and release guy if for no other reason other that it’s fun to catch them and return them so someone else can enjoy them. It was also great fun to see the flora and fauna that northwest Ontario affords. The blueberries were long gone but the bushes served as a reminder of what had been. Some of the maples were turning allowing for pockets of beautiful color to accent the otherwise still green largely coniferous landscape. Loons were still present and there were numerous birds moving through including robins and warblers. The hummingbirds were probably done for the season although we thought we caught a fleeting glimpse but couldn’t be sure.

Canada is still one of my favorite places. I learned how to drive tractor on a Co-Op E3, basically a Canadian Cockshutt 30 painted pumpkin orange. I first travelled to Canada when my Uncle Basil took my sister and my cousins on a trek across Canada to Alaska in the early 1970’s. When I was a North Dakota resident just out of college, we’d often cross the border at the St. John and go to Winkie’s, then a popular Chinese restaurant in Killarney Manitoba. It’s been too long getting back to Canada and the fact the area we were in was so peaceful and quiet makes me anxious to go back soon. Without worrying about customers phone calls or answering e-mails, I found I slept like a rock when I crawled inside that sleeping bag.

Back home again and Mrs. Cheviot had kept the home fires burning while I was away. The dogs were both glad to see me, with Ruby in particular coming unwound. The lawn had greened up since the rain meaning there may be 1 more mowing in my future. The pasture had greened up appreciably too so the ewes looked fat and sassy against a green backdrop as opposed to the drab brown one before I left. The hummingbirds weren’t present on Monday night but when the feeders were cleaned and refilled Tuesday a.m., it didn’t take long for them to reappear. Sooner or later though they’ll be gone and we’ll have only colder temperatures to look forward to. Oh goody.

See you next week…real good then.

Dotch · October 2, 2013

Lie to me, go ahead and lie to me

The scurs pegged the rainfall about right as well as the nice days following. Will our good fortune continue or are we destined for a wet October? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny becoming mostly cloudy with a moderate chance of an evening shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the upper 50’s. Thursday, mostly cloudy with a good chance of showers or a passing thunderstorm. Highs in the mid 60’s and lows in the low 50’s. Mostly cloudy for Friday with a good chance of continued showers. Highs in the low 60’s and lows in the lower 40’s. Saturday, partly cloudy with a slight chance of a lingering morning shower. Cooler with highs in the upper 50’s with a low around 40. Mostly sunny on Sunday with highs in the low 60’s and a low near 35. Mostly sunny on Monday with highs in the mid 60’s and lows in the low 40’s. Partly cloudy for Tuesday with highs in the upper 60’s and lows in the low 40’s. The normal high for October 5th is 65 and the normal low is 41, about the same as we see in late April or early May. We continue losing daylight at nearly 3 minutes per day however. The scurs will be readying their Hobo Stew recipe for the chilly evenings ahead.

Crops made some major changes as warm temperatures and sunshine prevailed form much of this past week. Much of the corn planted in mid-May has black layered and even some of that planted the third week in June will make corn of one sort or another. Soybeans also made tremendous strides towards getting away from frost danger although in some cases the maturity was brought on prematurely by lack of treatment for soybean aphids. This week should see some harvest activity in both crops barring an off the wall weather event. Rainfall for the month of September totaled 1.69” at the ranch and about 1.45” in town at the Mall for Men. While it hasn’t recharged the soils as of this writing, several forecasts point to more rain and generally cooler temps. Along with the shortening days it should help replace some of what we used up in the upper several feet. The pastures and lawns are definitely showing the effects.

Alas it appears we may have seen the last of the hummingbirds at the ranch over the weekend. That’s OK; we saw our first one on the 13th of May. In 2012 our last sighting was September 21st. A former pygmy goat farmer claimed he still had hummingbirds as of Tuesday morning. During the cold rain on Saturday the 28th, I spied one still working over the nectar feeder that hadn’t been emptied by the wind so I refilled the other one just in case. Sunday they were not in evidence so that may or may not have been a waste of time. There still may be a straggler or two and contrary to some folklore, leaving the feeders out won’t keep them here until they starve or freeze to death. Just looking at the flowers around the yard one can tell they’re starting to wane a little and the hummers can tell that too. One look at the little hand grenade shaped seeds littering the ground under the 4 o’clocks is a clue. There are still some white-lined sphinx moths working the remaining blooms over though. Unfortunately for them, they can’t hitch a ride on the hummingbirds riding on the Canada geese’s backs. Would I lie to you?

Millipedes have been common in the garage at the ranch thus far this fall. While they really don’t hurt anything they crawl all over the place and have an unpleasant odor to them when they’re crushed. Household fly spray is largely ineffective and some of the insecticides that are tend to be more toxic than what I want to spray in an attached garage. Eliminating leaves around the building as well as sealing up areas where they can get in is probably the best option. Also noted while working in the garden over the weekend was the appearance of numerous ladybugs. With much of their food source largely gone in both the corn and soybeans, they’re looking for alternatives to survive on before looking for a place to hole up for the winter. There may be more than what we saw last year due to the number of soybean fields not sprayed mentioned above. Like rats and carp, they are survivors.

The garden has continued to bless us with an abundance of produce not only to eat but to share. The tomatoes perhaps could’ve done better as they have had a tendency to develop blossom end rot. We are not alone in that department. Probably the most gratifying surprise has been the fall snap pea crop. The vines are as healthy as any we’ve ever had and while not yielding perhaps as well as a spring crop, have produced more than we could eat hence the sharing. The emergence of the last seeding of lettuce was spotty but with the warm temps and a little more rain, it’ll be ready for consumption soon. The spring-type radishes are starting to produce just as we’re about to finish the last of the late summer planting. And the winter radishes have been a good. A little like playing Russian roulette perhaps as some are displaying firepower but tasty nonetheless.

Ruby and Fudgie displayed some of their athletic prowess the other night. Seems a stray kitty had decided it was a good time to perch on the gas grill outside the garage. Before bedtime, it’s routine to let the doggies out for their last potty of the night. No sooner was the door open and the chase was on. The panic from the cat upon seeing two red and white rockets in hot pursuit made for a good laugh. Canines and felines behaving normally as they disappeared around the corner into the night. Had to be impressed with Fudgie’s wheels for a 10 year old Border Collie. Like me, for an old-timer she’s still got it.

See you next week…real good then.

MN Shutterbug · October 2, 2013

Thanks Mark. Now I know what these things are really called. http://www.hotspotoutdoors.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/3130949/Hummingbird_Moth#Post3130949

Dotch · October 9, 2013

The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands

The scurs forecast the rain about right with the exception of the dabs that fell in Saturday and Sunday. Will we get back on track for harvest once again? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny and breezy with highs in the mid 70’s and lows in the low 50’s. Thursday, mostly sunny and breezy once again. Highs in the low 70’s and lows in the upper 50’s. Mostly sunny on Friday with a slight chance of daytime showers with a slightly increased chance overnight. Highs in the low 70’s and lows in the low 50’s. Saturday, mostly sunny with a slight chance of a daytime shower. Highs near 65 and lows in the lower 30’s. Mostly sunny Sunday with a high in the low 60’s and lows in the mid 40’s. Mostly cloudy Monday with highs in the upper 50’s and lows in the low 30’s. Tuesday brings the chance of a killing frost. Mostly cloudy with highs in the mid 50’s and lows near 30. For October 14th, the normal high is 61 and the normal low is 38. In honor of Columbus Day, the scurs will take their tiny Alumacraft canoes to St. Olaf Lake, in search of new lands.

A start to the harvest season was made last week only to be put on hold with the Wednesday night rains. Yields have been somewhat variable although soybean yields have been far better than what we would’ve thought even a month ago. Late season rains and a warm September made a world of difference. Corn moisture has been a pleasant surprise as well and the previously mentioned warm September is primarily why. Some breezy days mixed in here and there pushed maturity along quickly. Corn yields have been more erratic with some reporting yields near 200 bu./acre with excellent test weight while others were disappointed with yields of 140 – 150 with lighter test weight. Corn on corn was a part of the equation in many of those cases. All told about 2.62” of rain fell at the ranch with 2.4” in town at the Mall for Men. Our soils have been accumulating moisture with little evapotranspiration occurring. It will be a departure from the past two falls where we were extremely dry going into winter and wondering if there would be enough moisture to keep a crop growing in the spring.

Now that the hummingbirds appear to officially be gone from the ranch, one is hopeful the fall birds begin to take up the slack. The activity at our feeders has been slow just the same as many other readers have indicated though. We have the odd blue jay, a scattered goldfinch and the occasional nuthatch who would rather be heard than seen. Saturday while the sun was shining was a good time to clean some of the feeders after the rainy spell we’d been through. A long handled scrub brush along with the laundry sink in the garage filled with hot water and a10% bleach solution usually does the trick.

After thoroughly rinsing and allowing the feeders to air dry, they were refilled and open for business once again. Not many takers other than four squirrels feasting on the spilled seed so it was time to watch the migrating birds instead. One of those perpetual strings of blackbirds showed up in the afternoon along with several groups of robins. Last year they had to rely largely on the berry crop as they moved through the area. This year they were lucky. There are plenty of berries and plenty of earthworms. Yellow-rumped warblers have been common recently, spending much of their time in the flower garden. About sundown on Monday the sphinx moths were still present, making one wonder how much longer they’ll continue.

There is some color starting to show locally and our yard is no exception. The sumac is becoming a little brighter every day and the nannyberries are blushing, heavy laden with black fruit in contrast. The ash trees by the road cut are bright yellow, making a statement that fall has arrived. Evergreen trees have been casting their needles. Everything from arborvitae to Austrian pine has been shedding, making a mat of needles under the trees.

Our apples were a mixed bag this year. Both the Haralson and the Fireside started out like a house afire, loaded with fruit. In July the Fireside suddenly dumped most of its crop, leaving a scattered apple here and there in the dense canopy. The Haralson was less affected although those apples had a lot of scab to the point that the skins broke open, resulting in ugly, damaged apples. Not surprising given the wet May and June we had. The Honeycrisp tree was a no-show but the SnowSweet was a pleasant surprise. The tree has only been in the ground 4 or 5 years at most and it rewarded us with 4 nice eating apples. Not sure what to expect, I brought them inside when it looked like they were ripe so the birds wouldn’t get them. They were excellent, a nice balance of sweetness and apple flavor. It was almost a shame to melt caramel to dip the slices in. I wasn’t taking any chances though. As years of watching Seinfeld have taught me, fruit is a gamble.

What ever became of the “A” in the A & P Corporation? You gotta admit, he has been awfully quiet for a long time. That all may be about to change. Rumor on the street has it that there will be a new, secret livestock enterprise taking shape on his property soon. The great thing about it is it’s so hush-hush even he doesn’t know about it. (yet)

See you next week…real good then.

Dotch · October 16, 2013

And last night I saw a naked cowgirl.

She was floatin' across the ceiling.

No killing frost this past week but an unexpected light frost Sunday morning caught the scurs off guard and had them scrambling for extra blankets. Will we warm up or are our days of 90 degrees officially over? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with a slight chance of a lingering shower in the morning. Highs in the low 50’s and lows in the upper 30’s. Mostly sunny becoming mostly cloudy for Thursday with a slight chance of an evening shower. Highs in the mid 50’s and lows in the upper 30’s. Friday, partly sunny with a slight chance of shower. Highs in the low 50’s and lows in the low 30’s. Partly sunny on Saturday with a slight chance of a shower. Highs in the upper 40’s and lows in the low 30’s. Mostly cloudy for Sunday with a chance of an evening shower. Highs near 50 and lows in the mid 30’s. Mostly cloudy for Monday and slightly warmer with a slight chance for a shower. Highs in the mid 50’s and lows in the mid 30’s. Tuesday, partly cloudy with highs in the low 50’s and lows in the mid 30’s. On the 16th, sunrise will occur at 7:30 a.m. and will set before 6:30 p.m. There will be less than 11 hours of daylight for the first time since February 24th. The normal high for October 18th , this month’s Full Moon is 59 and the normal low is 36. At this rate, the scurs may need to locate their long johns soon.

This month’s Full Moon does indeed fall on the 18th and is generally recognized as the Full Hunter’s Moon. This was the time when the Native American tribes as well as the settlers were busy hunting to stock their larders with meat for the long, cold winter ahead. The Ojibwe called this the Falling Leaves Moon and the Sioux also referred to it as the Moon of the Falling Leaves. Luckily they were more concerned about surviving as opposed to raking and bagging leaves. At the ranch we know this as the Moon of Grinding Up Leaves. No raking or bagging here either.

Harvest progress was slow early in the week but picked up speed steadily as the breezes dried the ground and the crop so combines could travel at will across the fields. Yields still have a familiar pattern to them with continuous corn yields being depressed while the soybeans continue to amaze. This brings into play the potential for next year given the number of prevented plant acres that will likely be planted into corn. While it wasn’t what we would’ve chosen to do, it will likely pay big dividends just from the rotational benefit alone.

The days are definitely getting that fall feel to them as Sunday morning marked the official arrival of juncos at the ranch. They are cute little guys and gals that rarely use the bird feeders while cleaning up around and underneath them. The juncos were in the flower bed area, likely feasting on some the of the weed seeds to be found there. The goldfinches are becoming more numerous to the point that one of the thistle feeders needed to be filled. Blue jays are noisy but haven’t maintained a constant presence. Probably saving that for when the snow flies.

In the vegetable garden the tomatoes have finally hit full stride just about as the season is coming to a close. They have been tough to figure out given the goofy season we’ve had. We’ve seen it and others have reported the same thing, that they need to be eaten fairly soon after picking. One can look at them ripening on the counter, thinking you safely have a day or two, check them again and they’re oozing goo all over. The sheep seem to be able to overlook that. They come on a dead run for the garden leftovers like the tomatoes as well as things like radish tops, cucumber peelings, out of code lettuce and ground fall apples with mushy spots on them. No one ever said they were smart.

Speaking of the sheep, Saturday afternoon found me peering out the window at a ewe that appeared to be off by herself in an area sheltered from the wind. Sometimes that means they may be thinking about giving birth and from the distance from the house she was I really couldn’t tell. Although there were none bred we knew of, I decided to be safe rather than sorry. I ventured forth only to discover as I got closer the ewe was just gobbling down leaves from the trees as fast as they were falling. Once she saw me she bolted and ran back with the rest of the flock. It gave me time to look at the pond which has a little water in it since the fall rains started. I made the circuit so was able to see how the trees I’d planted this spring had fared. Quite well actually given the general lack of attention they’d received. The arborvitae had all made it as had the Siberian crabapples. The crabapples are marked pretty well so it’ll be time to get the tree wrap on them soon. The cottontails already have plenty to eat. Don’t recall ever seeing a skinny bunny in these parts.

Sunday morning TV sometimes makes for an interesting spectacle. One program featured an interview with the famous New York City street performer known as the Naked Cowboy, who was appearing for some benefit in the Twin Cities. This of course leads the heterosexual male mind to ask the burning question, are there any Naked Cowgirls? Indeed there are. Apparently the guy who started the Naked Cowboy gig owns the trademark to the concept and gives out franchises to men or women who qualify. They in turn pay a royalty of $500 per month or $5000 per year to use the name. One would think by now he’d be able to afford to perform in something other than just his underwear. And here I bet you thought you wouldn’t learn anything this week.

See you next week…real good then.

MN Shutterbug · October 16, 2013

My first Junco arrived last year on Sept. 26, the same day of our first freeze. I still haven't seen one yet this fall.

Well, the first one just showed up.

Dotch · October 23, 2013

Don't know much about biology

The scurs were a little generous with their low temperatures much to the chagrin of those hoping for one more week of frost free weather. Will we warm up or continue our downward spiral? Starting Wednesday, partly sunny with a chance of an afternoon shower. Highs in the lower 40’s and lows in the upper 20’s. Partly sunny for Thursday with highs again in the low 40’s and lows in the upper 20’s. Friday, mostly sunny with highs in the upper 40’s and lows in the mid 30’s. Partly sunny on Saturday with highs in the mid 40’s and lows in the low 30’s. Mostly sunny Sunday with highs in the mid 40’s and lows in the low 30’s. Mostly cloudy on Monday with a slight chance of a daytime shower. Highs in the mid 40’s and lows in the low 20’s. Mostly cloudy on Tuesday with highs on the mid 40’s and lows in the low 20’s. On October 26th, we slip to 10 hours and 30 minutes of daylight. The normal high for October 26th is 54 and the normal low is 34, the same as we see for April 10th. The scurs are wishing we had the temperatures following April 10th to look forward to.

Field progress, particularly the soybean harvest was slowed by the persistent nagging showers this past week. Many a combine was seen parked on the end of the field over the weekend as a result of the mixed precipitation that included sleet, hail and a few snowflakes. Corn yields are becoming more variable as farmers get into some of the Black Thursday and later planting. Moisture has probably reached a point where we can expect little improvement so with soybeans on hold corn harvest has been the order of the day, until the beans dry out that is. Memories of the 1991 Halloween Blizzard are still etched on the minds of those who can remember it so it’s time to make something happen. The hum of corn dryers can be heard throughout the land and the one at neighbor David’s lulls me to sleep each night with its constant drone. Of course it’s nothing compared to the 10 man dryer in Bugtussle.

It has been a cold October after a warmer than normal September. Almost makes one tempted to add a little tincture to the morning coffee. Around the ranch, the growing season ended officially on Sunday morning. The thermometer read 29 degrees and there was ice in the puddles as well as in the water tank. Some of the plants do take it better than others including petunias, radishes, lettuce and peas to a certain degree. The predicted low was enough to make me pick all the peas, tomatoes and cucumbers before they got nipped. Oh yeah, and the 4 squash that actually made it. While this was a far cry from the dozens we’re used to, we still have to be thankful the garden was as productive as it was. We still have a lot of winter radishes to harvest yet as well as the spring-type radishes planted in early September. And it’s been nice that folks like Betsy’s Dad have shared their bounty with us. Oh to have a system tiled garden.

Fall has also been a time to plant a new batch of perennials we brought back from the farm at Spring Valley. The lilies of the valley were put in last weekend followed by peonies that were divided into crowns after digging. Probably the most interesting plant however was the Jack in the Pulpit. The plant I dug was one of the offspring resulting from some my Dad had moved from a woods before it was bulldozed to the south of our farm over 45 years ago. Not knowing much about the biology of the Jack in the Pulpit it was interesting to read up on propagating them. The plants come from a corm rather than a tuber as some of the internet info may suggest. The flowers are pollinated by flies and plants can also be started from seed. The seeds must be separated from the red flesh before planting though. The flesh contains a chemical called calcium oxalate that can cause a nasty skin irritation so rubber gloves must be worn. I bet those ladies at the grocery store thought I just had dishpan hands.

Saturday brought with it a waiting game as we had sold a ram to a gentleman from WI. When he finally arrived, he was happy with the ram we had available. It was good old Tube Steak, one of those rams able to leap tall panels at a single bound. He had been the odd man, er, ram out as we’ve cut down on numbers and didn’t need his services and neither did the ewes. The buyer had also noticed a young ram lamb we had kept back, wowed by his flashy appearance and breed type. Always nice to hear comments from someone who is seeing the same animal we are.

Our wide-ranging conversation went from sheep, to the hay shortage and his 4 hour trip across WI and MN. He was wondering what some of the strange looking crops were he’d seen especially as he’d crossed the Mississippi into SE MN. He was thinking that they were perhaps turnips. He had the family right. When I explained that many of them were probably tillage radishes that drew a quizzical look from him. When I said they were actually a daikon type radish, the light bulb came on as he’d been a farmer’s market participant over many years.

We caught the ram, flipped him on his behind, gave him a pedicure, and then loaded him into the truck. Payment was made and Chris was on his way back to WI. We’d had a great visit and that’s probably one of the main reasons the sheep remain at the ranch. Sometimes it isn’t so much having the sheep around as it is all the characters one stumbles across as a result.

See you next week…real good then.

Dotch · October 30, 2013

And they wither with the wind,

And they crumble in your hand.

The scurs had the chilly temperatures pegged perfectly but neglected to predict Mother Nature’s dandruff otherwise known as snowflakes. Will we see some relief from the November temperatures once November is actually here? Starting Wednesday, cloudy with a good chance of rain. Highs in the low 50’s and lows in the mid 40’s. Mostly cloudy Halloween Thursday with a slight chance of rain. Highs in the upper 40’s and lows in the upper 30’s. Mostly cloudy again Friday with highs in the upper 40’s and lows in the mid 30’s. Saturday, partly cloudy with highs in the upper 40’s and lows in the mid 30’s. Mostly sunny on Sunday with highs in the upper 40’s and lows in the low 20’s. Mostly cloudy Monday with a chance of rain. Highs in the mid 40’s and lows in the mid 20’s. Mostly cloudy and slightly warmer with a slight chance of rain. Highs in the upper 40’s and lows in the mid 20’s. The normal high for October 31st is 51 and the normal low is 32. For Halloween the scurs will first be heading to Wagner’s. Why? For paper bags so they can trick or treat as Vikings fans.

The light at the end of the tunnel is finally beginning to appear for this harvest and not a moment too soon. If I’ve heard it once I’ve heard it a hundred times, many can’t wait for this stinker of a cropping season to be over. This seems evident by the speed at which fields are turning black. The corn harvest has taken the turn we were afraid it would with the ugly scars from this spring’s battle to get the crop in reappearing as the corn comes off. To make matters worse, LP gas has become tight prolonging the time from the field to the bin in some cases. On the bright side last week’s breezy conditions were just what the doctor ordered when it came to combining soybeans. The freezing morning temperatures were also beneficial, allowing the wet green stems to dry and go through the combine with ease. Anhydrous ammonia applications have been underway with soil temperatures and calendar date in agreement that it is time.

The fall has made for some wonderful garden produce at the ranch. The snap peas are done but the lettuce and radish plantings continue to amaze. The lettuce is sweeter than any I can remember harvesting in the spring. The spring type radishes are by far the crispest we have ever raised. The winter radishes have been extra special. I harvested one of the red meat or watermelon type winter radishes and it was about the size of a softball. Scanning the row there are many more that size. Cutting it open revealed a deep red center, a sweet radish flavor and texture even crunchier than a kohlrabi. The beauty of these vegetables is that they will withstand the cold temps a while yet until they can be processed.

The fall colors have been fizzle for the most part. Blink and you missed them. Just about when it looked like they were coming on, the wind would come up and blow them off the trees before we had a chance to enjoy them. There are still a lot of green leaves and the freezing temps have knocked many of them out of the trees so while there are scattered pockets of color, the peak is well past. At least the warm Sunday temperatures brought the boxelder bugs and ladybugs out reminding us that even if the trees aren’t cooperating, the bugs are still there to entertain us.

There are dog days of summer and sometimes there are dog days in the fall. One day last week I ran across all kinds of dogs at customers places. There was a big Lab mix dog at my little fat buddies shop. It was dark when I opened the door and petted the dog. As I was about to leave I heard someone and it turned out my little fat buddy was taking a nap. After I made sure he was up for all day, I went on my way north and ran across a boxer. I also stumbled into a couple of Honeygold apples the owners gave me after soil sampling their strawberry bed. After that, I went soil sampling in earnest and a trio of dogs greeted me, a yellow and a black Lab as well as the cutest little Aussie shepherd. I told her if I didn’t already have two dogs, she could come home with me. After sampling was done, I stopped at the kindly neighbors to check on the sheep and was greeted by Annie the collie. And of course when I got home there were red and white Border Collies to welcome me.

Both dogs got in one of their last “herd the lawnmower” days Sunday as they supervised the pesky leaves being ground into confetti. Their grass stained white socks served as a reminder of the dozens of trips they made back and forth keeping a watchful eye. When there’s no lawnmower to herd or gates to watch, Fudgie has claimed the porch as her domain now that autumn has come. In the summer she enjoyed the cool breeze from the south as she watched the sheep grazing below. Now the leaves have fallen, the sunshine is warmest there, making it a favorite place to watch the sheep, sniff the breeze or better yet, a nap. Ruby continues to voice her opinion about my television viewing habits. Watching Clint Eastwood westerns as is my wont, I was convinced it was only the horses sending Ruby into a growling fit. Much to my dismay when I tuned in Dirty Harry one night, Clint Eastwood showed up on the screen and Ruby commenced her growling. Even worse, she continued to growl until I chastised her. I mean, how can anyone not like Clint Eastwood? I suspect Mrs. Cheviot has been coaching Ruby. Her reaction is eerily similar when I insist on watching those “dumb movies”.

See you next week…real good then.

Dotch · November 6, 2013

When we gamble with our time, we choose our destiny

The scurs had plenty of Halloween candy to blow through while enjoying a generally nice week of weather. Will their good fortune and candy last? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy becoming mostly sunny with a chance of morning snow showers. Highs in the mid 30’s and lows in the mid 20’s. Mostly sunny for Thursday with a slight chance of an evening snow shower. Highs in the upper 30’s and lows in the mid 20’s. Friday, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of rain and/or snow showers. Highs near 45 and lows in the mid 30’s. Mostly cloudy on Saturday with a slight chance of rain and snow. Highs in the low 40’s and lows in the upper 20’s. Sunday, mostly sunny with highs in the low 40’s and lows in the upper 20’s. Mostly cloudy for both Monday and Tuesday with highs in the mid to upper 40’s and lows in the lower 30’s for both days. The normal high for November 11th, Veterans Day is 42 and the normal low is 25. Now that the World Serious and Halloween are over the scurs can get rid of their fake beards.

Daylight Saving Time came and went without my usual rant. It’s never too late however. My feelings about DST are about the same as for most federal government sponsored brain flatulence. More government meddling to make someone feel like they’ve done something while we pay for it financially and sometimes physically. After a long day and setting about a dozen clocks Saturday night I was shot and ready for bed. At least when I awoke before 7 on Sunday, the good news was I could do chores in the daylight again. The bad news later in the day was the sun set shortly after 5 p.m. so evening chores were done in the dark. In fact it starts setting before 5 on the 5th and our hours of daylight slip below 10 hours on the 7th. Oh goody.

Harvest continues to wind down although there are still plenty of fields of corn scattered around the countryside as of this writing. The June planted corn has hit the drying systems and it’s taking some time to dry it sufficiently. Much of this corn ranges anywhere from the mid-20’s to the low 30’s in moisture. With temperatures cooling down that’s not a good combination. Test weights tend to be lighter than normal and it appears the kernels are breaking up more easily running through the combine and augers if the amount of screenings and white rooftops on bins are any indication. I was amazed the other day when a client brought in 4 ears of corn from a part of a field planted on July 2nd. Never would I have guessed that it would produce something even remotely resembling corn but it did. The ears are well developed and while they are likely light test weight the fact remains it wasn’t a zero.

The weird weather year put us in a bind to locate something to bed the sheep with for the upcoming winter. Small grain fields were few and far between and waiting around to see what might come off the prevented plant acres was not an option. Luckily for us one of our friends decided to bale up some small square bales of cornstalks. We’ve used them before and absolutely love the way they keep the barn dry. Not only that but the sheep spend a lot of time fishing through the stalks for ears and kernels as well as devouring many of the leaves so primarily the stalk is left behind. Given the chocolate covered raisin design of sheep feces, they tend to rattle through the stalks keeping them away from the woolies’ bodies when they snuggle down on those cold winter nights. We stacked the last of the bales in the barn Saturday afternoon so we were grateful for a kind friend’s act. Now we need to settle up. I wonder how many bred ewes he would like in payment?

The high winds on Sunday precluded me from picking up the screenings at the kindly neighbors so Plan B was set in motion: Mowing the long grass in the yard and grinding up the leaves. With Howard back on the unable to perform list and Whitey still on injured reserve, that left Whitey Jr. and I to tackle the project. Fortunately the leaves were crispy dry and there really was no time limit. When one can only take 38” at a time and move at a snail’s pace it’s just not conducive to being in a hurry. Even getting started takes a while. The asphalt chunks knocked into the ditch from the road construction needed to be picked up, ditto with the apples and the downspouts needed to be removed before we could commence. Whitey Jr. sputters, coughs and bangs when idling but once the blades are engaged it becomes a lean, mean mowing machine. It was so windy that the grass and leaves that weren’t in my eyes were dispersed to parts unknown instantly. At least when we were done it looked nice. The leaves were gone and the grass shortened so anything that falls from now on should blow off or collect in areas where it won’t matter. It was reputedly 50 degrees but with the wind howling you could’ve fooled me. I finished up wearing a pair of insulated coveralls. A harbinger of things to come I fear.

There is more bird activity once again at the feeders. One of the tiniest downies I’ve ever seen has made regular appearances recently and his larger cousin the hairy has been frequenting the suet as well. Saturday the large blue jays were back also and at first glance nearly leghorn sized. A chickadee was hitting the sunflower feeder like a kid with a new toy as well, ruffling the feathers of the goldfinches in their olive drab winter colors. The wind on Sunday kept all the birds away but I have a hunch once the snow begins to fly, they’ll be making a beeline for their favorite chow. About like the little fat buddies on Prime Rib Day at the Willows, Walleye Friday at the Lunchbox or Rib Tuesday at the Hartland Cafe. Once the weather turns cold and harvest is done, you can almost set your watch by it.

See you next week…real good then.

Dotch · November 13, 2013

It’s been a hard day’s night, and I’ve been working like a dog

The scurs were tracking well until after the weekend and then the wheels came off. Will we see more of the mid-December prelude or return to more typical November weather? Starting Wednesday mostly sunny with highs in the upper 30’s and lows in the upper 20’s. Partly sunny on Thursday with a slight chance of rain or snow. Highs in the lower 40’s and lows in the low 30’s. Friday, mostly sunny with highs in the mid 40’s and lows in the low 30’s. Partly sunny Saturday with a slight chance of rain or snow during daytime hours and a modest chance for rain showers in the evening. Highs in the upper 40’s and lows in the upper 30’s. Mostly cloudy Sunday with a fair chance of rain. Highs in the upper 40’s and lows in the lower 30’s. Mostly cloudy Monday with possible rain and snow showers. Highs in the mid 30’s and lows in the upper teens. Colder for Tuesday with highs in the low 30’s and lows falling once again into the mid-teens. The normal high for November 15th is 42 and the normal low is 25. The scurs have officially put their Speedos in mothballs for the season.

With Venus in the southwest sky at dusk, the 17th of the month marks the Full Moon, commonly known as the Full Beaver Moon. It was at this time that the early settlers and traders spent much of their time trapping for warm fur pelts. No Thinsulate in those days. The Ojibwe called this the Freezing Moon and the Sioux knew it as the Moon of Falling Leaves. It will be both at the ranch if the temps don’t change and the leaves continue to come off the trees. Grinding up leaves in the snow doesn’t exactly sound like my cup of tea.

Did it look like Christmas early this past week? It sure felt like it. The low temp of 6 at the ranch on the morning of November 12th was indeed normal for December 25th. The snowfall added some insult to injury with about an inch of snow being measured. It contained about .19” liquid equivalent. This will likely mean some greasy soil surface conditions after the snow melts for a few days. Luckily the forecast calling for a warm up later in the week should allow much of the remaining field work to be completed before the ground freezes for good. The fly in the ointment may be the predicted rainfall over the weekend, making the opportunity short lived.The clock is ticking.

Fudgie was less than impressed with the snow and cold like most of us as we age. She moves more slowly and her attitude reflects the weather. Fudgie was downright surly Tuesday morning when the ewes got close to “her” gate. She’s more amicable staying inside where it’s warm to eat, drink and nap. Ruby on the other hand is more like a kid, where the snow is something to tear around in when not tearing around in the house. I remember many times being told to go outside to play and blow off some steam. Same goes with Ruby. Watching her flip and empty oil bottle and pink plastic bear in the air I’ve come to the conclusion that Border Collies are simply reflections of their human masters in furry clothing. While they may not say much they don’t have to. Their actions truly speak louder than words.

This also means for many of us it’s time to get matters in order for winter including those of us at the ranch. A couple more loads of hay were tucked away over the weekend so we should be ready for a while anyway. Both the winter and spring type radishes were harvested, cleaned up and put away. Apples were picked with anticipation of the pies sure to follow. Space was made to afford everything with a motor in it a place to sleep. I dislike snow this time of year. It has no useful purpose other than to serve as a reminder that there’s no time to rest. Still, the emerald evergreens Monday morning stood in stark contrast to the white backdrop left behind by the fast moving storm system. Much as I hated to admit it, it was pretty. There was plenty accomplished, to the point it was time to take a deep breath and admire the beauty of it all.

The birds are slowly coming around too, adding to the Christmas card atmosphere of that first snowfall. The goldfinches are hanging out at the feeders more and the lone chickadee appears to be a resident. Downies and hairies frequent the suet regularly. Blue jays keep the sunflower feeders busy and the resident squirrels have found the ear corn when they’re not contending with the juncos under the feeders. Not everyone is seeing the same things however. I received a phone call from “A” of A & P fortune and fame earlier in the week expressing concern over the lack of birds at his feeders. I came up with several possible explanations but nothing concrete. When we were sitting in the sanctuary before church on Sunday I mentioned to Mrs. Cheviot that “A” had called wondering why he had no birds. She knew exactly why: He didn’t have his sheep yet! When I told him that I thought he was going to fall out of the pew.

See you next week…real good then.

Dotch · November 20, 2013

Every step you take I'll be watching you

Those scurs have been off a cog when it comes to the later week forecasts but then so is everyone else who tries to predict the weather for more than 4 or 5 days at a time. Will their fortunes improve and do we want them to? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of rain. Highs in the upper 40’s and lows in the mid 20’s. Thursday, partly cloudy with a good chance of snow. Highs in the lower 30’s and lows in the lower 20’s. Mostly cloudy becoming partly cloudy on Friday with a modest chance of a morning snow shower. Highs in the low 30’s and lows in the mid-teens. Saturday, mostly sunny and colder with highs in the upper teens and lows in the single digits. Partly cloudy on Sunday with highs in the mid 20’s and lows in the upper teens. Mostly sunny for Monday and Tuesday with highs in the lows30’s and lows in the mid-teens. The normal high for November 21st is 38 and the normal low is 21. The scurs will be retiring their Carhartt’s with the white hanky in the back pocket for another deer season.

November 22nd marks the 50th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy in Dallas back in 1963. I remember that day although I was too young to fully comprehend the significance. I was 5 and where I started school, kindergarten was only in the spring so I was home. We typically listened to the NBC affiliate as in that area KROC in Rochester came in the clearest. I remember listening to people like Sander Vanocur, David Brinkley, Chet Huntley and Floyd Kalber covering the events of that day and the following days. The black and white Columbia TV was part of the memory, the images seeming now like something out of an old movie, a very sad one at that. Things changed that day forever and not for the better.

Field work is nearing completion although the weekend rains made conditions greasy on top following the thawing of the soil late last week. As a result, lots of mud can be found on area roads where attempts have been made to finish up. A few people are still finishing up and the ten-man dryer in Bugtussle continues to howl, a reminder that the late corn has not dried down much.

Venus is in the southwest sky not the southeast sky as was written in the column that went to print last Tuesday. I was driving down the road looking to the south and wondering if I had written southeast or southwest. Sometimes it seems like it’s easy to be thinking one thing and writing another. Sure enough when I checked I had written southeast so I apologize to all of those who were frantically looking in the southeast sky for Venus. It is so bright right now that you literally can’t miss it. Also making an appearance now is the planet Jupiter which will be rising a little earlier every night and will be rising in the early evening come months end. Mars will be high in the real southeast sky at dawn and will be easiest to pick put above the crescent moon on the morning of the 29th, if it isn’t cloudy of course. The Leonid meteor shower left an impression on me. Heading to the kindly neighbors Saturday night, a meteor could be seen through the light clouds as it tracked westward, becoming a dazzling blue before finally fizzling out.

Mrs. Cheviot left me to my own devices for the weekend marking the official start of barn cleaning at the ranch. With the sheep way out in the pasture Friday night it made a perfect opportunity to grab the spreader quick from the feedlot so I left the gate open. No sooner had I turned my back to put the pin in the skid loader and they were on their way through the gate. I yelled and Fudgie was there in an instant, nipping and growling at the sheep as they retreated back to the safety of their enclosure. The weather Saturday was not the most cooperative and neither was the tractor, deciding to die briefly after the 3rd load. The sediment bowl held some clues as some rust from the tank had collected in the bottom. After that load I was soaked anyway as the drizzle intensified. Once it let up and I put on some dry clothes 2 more loads were hauled. That part was fine: The mud tracked into the yard wasn’t. The wheels on both the tractor and spreader looked like coconut chocolate covered donuts with all the stalks and leaves stuck to them. Muddy fields sorta take the fun out of it as if cleaning barn is a lot of fun in the first place.

Looking at the field on Sunday after the rain, seeing the sheen left by the precip and recalling all the mud already in the yard I opted instead to do a bunch of other odd jobs. The list included garbage detail, cleaning up in the house, trimming branches and putting tree wrap on all the vulnerable saplings. The branches needed to be trimmed while being slapped in the face by those low hanging branches when mowing was still fresh in my mind. Fudgie and Ruby were more than glad to assist. There was plenty of growling, tire biting and circling the Gator as we made our way across the yard from tree to tree. Watching the two dogs enjoying themselves in the fresh air as I worked made the day go faster. They stayed in the yard watching though when I went out to the tree planting, not wanting to tempt fate with an electric fence encounter. By nightfall I had found and wrapped the last of the crabapple trees. As I drove back towards the yard, both the dogs came around the house on a dead run, keeping an eye on my every move just as they had all day. Time for chores and to put the feedbag on afterwards, a welcome respite for one tired human bean and two tuckered canines.

See you next week…real good then.

Dotch · November 26, 2013

Old days

Good times I remember

The scurs missed the Tuesday cold front but otherwise were dead on. Will their forecasting skills be honed in for Thanksgiving? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with highs in the low 20’s and lows in the lower teens. Turkey Day, mostly sunny with highs in the upper 20’s and lows in the mid-teens. Mostly sunny on Friday with highs in the lower 30’s and lows in the lower 20’s. Partly sunny for Saturday becoming mostly cloudy with a slight chance of snow by evening. Highs in the lower 30’s and lows in the lower 20’s. Sunday, mostly cloudy with highs in the lower 30’s and lows in the lower 20’s. Mostly cloudy Monday with possible snow showers. Highs near 30 and lows in the mid-teens. Partly cloudy for Tuesday with highs near 30 and lows falling to about 10. The normal high for November 28th is 33 and the normal low is 17. On December 2nd we’re back to the sun rising in the morning at 7:30. Also, the loss of daylight has slowed to less than two minutes per day at that point. Enough about time or lack of it. The scurs will be celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday traditionally by boycotting all Black Friday activities. Plenty of time left to shop.

With the exception of some tiling, the cold temperatures over the weekend all but ended any remaining fieldwork. Corn has stopped appearing at the elevator in Bugtussle and the 10-man dryer has ceased its fearless roar. Some of the prevented plant acreages remain in windrows while other fields were rolled up ahead of last Thursday’s snowfall. None of those bales I’ve seen are steaming yet so that’s a good sign. Soil moisture remains in good shape in the top 5’ measured at the SROC in Waseca. There were nearly 10” available back on November 1st, slightly above the long-term average with some additional accumulation since then. Much of the moisture is deep in the profile so at least at this point, one can look optimistically at next spring’s potential planting conditions.

It will soon be time to bring the ewes home from the kindly neighbors. The sheep coming off both pastures are fat. At home they were treated to vegetable leftovers including daily buckets of carrots from Souba’s. At the kindly neighbors they consumed countless acorns as the bur oak trees there were very prolific. In the meantime there is still the small barn left to be cleaned. The cold weekend made matters less than palatable so with a warmer forecast, it’ll happen. The main barn was finished up before the snow Wednesday afternoon last week and mostly without incident. I did however discover the likely cause of the tractor missing and coming to a sudden stop last weekend. Looking in the bottom of the sediment bowl I spied a familiar “object”: Not just a part but the entire body of one of those insipid ladybugs! That it got in the tank doesn't surprise me but how it got through an opening the size of that in the bottom of the gas tank is beyond me.

Mrs. Cheviot took off again for another weekend of action packed house decorating so once again the dogs and I were in charge at the ranch. It was a good Saturday to run some errands and upon returning to peruse the web for Studebaker parts. Yes, brakes are in order and my trusty mechanic keeps finding “things” needing attention. The brake drums are to the point that turning them won’t bring them into tolerance. New brake drums aren’t cheap and neither are decent used ones. Luckily the internet has made part shopping almost fun although looking at all the options first including hard copy always makes sense. The car doesn’t have to be on the road anytime soon and replacing the brakes is imperative. Since it’s a three on the tree, one could do a lot of downshifting I suppose. However, operating without a like new braking system given some of the hilly terrain one might encounter could be downright dangerous.

Sunday meant a little warmer temperatures so after church the dogs and I were busy doing some more winterizing. While we refilled the sheep water tank we got the skid loader out and then removed the old hay bales from the well pit. We used them to mulch some of the perennials we’d planted previously, something that should work just about right. We replaced the partially decomposed hay bales with nice cornstalk bales, making me breathe a little easier the next time Old Man Winter decides to leave the freezer door to the north open again. Having done all this should of course cause the weather to warm up. Hey, if that’s what it takes we’ll keep doing it.

Thanksgiving this year will come as a bittersweet holiday at the ranch. It had become tradition that we’d go get Mom and Fudgie from her place and have her over to stay as long as she’d like. When we’d call to invite her you could always detect the excitement in her voice, the anticipation of the relaxation and the feast that was a part of the visit. Of course she always felt compelled to bring something and among the favorites was the cherry salad she’d make. We have a lot to be thankful for this year, including all the time we spent with Mom since last Thanksgiving and her passing in June.

Those Thanksgiving memories are still alive and well however. I was just at Krause’s the other day, recalling how impressed she had been with the little farm store off I-35 in Hope. She always asked about the store and spoke fondly of her visit there; rightfully so. Few stores exist like that anymore. The rolling of the pumpkins down our hill with the sheep chasing merrily after them was cause for much giggling on her part. And we can’t forget how she loved the way the warm house smelled, especially once the turkey came off the grill to intermingle with the wonderful aroma of everything Mrs. Cheviot had whipped up. We won’t have Mom this year but we will have cherry salad made from her recipe Treasured memories and we are thankful for them.

See you next week…real good then.

Dotch · December 4, 2013

Get ready, cause here I come

The scurs were pretty close last week in that it decided to be warmer over the weekend and even hit the snow showers for Monday correctly. Will we be so fortunate this week or has our luck run out? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with possible snow showers. Highs in the upper 20’s and lows in the mid-teens. Thursday, partly sunny and colder with highs near 10 and lows falling just below zero. Partly sunny for Friday and colder. Highs in the upper single digits and lows near 5 below. Saturday, partly sunny and continued cold. Highs again in the upper single digits and lows near zero. Mostly cloudy on Sunday and warmer with possible snow shows once again. Highs in the mid-teens and lows in the mid-single digits. Monday, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of snow. Highs in the upper teens and lows near zero. Partly sunny for Tuesday with highs once again in the upper teens and lows around zero. The normal high for December 7th is 29 and the normal low is 13. The scurs will be adding those temperatures to their Christmas wish list.

There actually were some field operations taking place over the weekend in the neighborhood. Some of the prevent plant acreages were baled up and the bales hauled off the fields. One had to wonder the way November was behaving what we were going to see. All in all though it was a dry month at the ranch and across most of greater Bugtussle. We tallied .81” of precip at the ranch for November with about 1 inch of snow. Frost depth s variable according to those trying to complete some last minute projects before I’s too late. Under sod the frost depth was only a few inches. In areas where the ground is bare with high amounts of traffic, up to a foot could be found. St. Olaf Lake has been frozen over since before Thanksgiving, earlier than normal. Even the geese must’ve taken the hint. They usually spend better than a week keeping the water open. This year they were there only a week or less according to some of the resident and highly trained goose observers.

The 9th of December marks the day Studebaker announced their plant in South Bend IN was closing 50 years ago. Within 11 days the assembly lines there ground to a halt for good and Studebaker moved its operations to Hamilton Ontario. What a sad day that must’ve been for workers who were suddenly without jobs just before Christmas. Studebaker had been a part of the South Bend landscape for a long time. It was a major manufacturer of horse drawn transportation starting in the 1850’s. It was one of the early automakers, initially producing electric automobiles. It was a company that had manufactured 63,000 engines for B-17 bombers during World War II. It’s also a little known fact that Studebaker was the first manufacturer to come with an entirely new lineup of automobiles for 1947 following the war, beating the Big 3 to the punch. The cars were popular and sold well. Things looked very bright for the future at that time. Poor management and labor decisions however in the early 1950’s would spell what would finally be the end of the company in 1966.

Last Friday I was talking on the phone to my little fat mechanically inclined buddy who happened to be working on the Studebaker at the ranch. As he left that afternoon he’d noticed a group of sheep out in front of the barn. Having never seen them there before he mentioned it in our conversation and he was definitely right: The sheep were out! Not to worry. As long as they stayed out of the road until I could get there from town, we were fine. When I drove up, sure enough there were ewe lambs grazing away on the side hill around the well. Rather than try and chase them around myself I got Fudgie and Ruby out. Within seconds the sheep were back in their enclosure where they belonged. Dogs 1, sheep 0.

The weekend manure hauling didn’t go quite as planned. Unable to use the skid loader, the lambing barn had to be pitched out by hand; a slow 3 ½ load, 2 day process. A delay in barn cleaning had a ripple effect as it frequently does. My original plan had been to clean the lambing barn Saturday and bring the ewes home from the kindly neighbors on Sunday afternoon. Monday morning meant hauling a few of the aforementioned escapees to Morgan’s Meat Market so the trailer was hooked up anyway. Having shut the ewes in the night before, they were ready to load after I dropped off the slaughter lambs. Finally, something went right for a change after a weekend of frustration. The lambs unloaded easily at the market, the ewes at the kindly neighbors were cooperative about loading and aside from sliding around on the greasy soil, it came off without a hitch.

With nightfall bearing down we unloaded their feeding equipment, closed up the lambing barn and took the ram out of the trailer along with a couple ewes to cull. The ram decide it was a good idea to tangle with the young buck next door so the youngster was moved to a pen where they couldn’t get at each other. More than once I’ve seen a young buck with a snapped neck as a result of jousting against superior firepower. Climbed the ladder to change a burned out light bulb, put the tractor away and shut off the lights. It had been a long several days but with barns cleaned and everything home I could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Winter could set in anytime and we were ready for it.

See you next week…real good then.

Dotch · December 10, 2013

Move over nice dog

A mean old dog is movin' in

Well the upper teens sounded good for this past Monday. As the scurs pointed out, if you like those temperatures you can keep them. That being the case what do we have in store for the coming week? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with a daytime high in the low single digits below zero. Temperatures rising above zero overnight into the lower single digits above zero. Thursday, partly sunny with a balmy high near 20. Becoming mostly cloudy in the overnight with a low around 10. Mostly cloudy for Friday with highs in the low 20’s. Cloudy for the overnight with a slight chance of a snow shower. Lows near 10. Saturday, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of a snow shower. Highs in the middle teens and lows in the lower single digits. Sunday brings partly sunny skies with highs again in the middle teens and a low near zero. A slight chance of snow for Monday under mostly cloudy skies with highs near 15 and lows near 5 above. Warmer for Tuesday and mostly sunny. Highs in the mid-20’s and lows near 10 above. The normal high for December 15th is 26 and the normal low is 9. After sliding below 9 hours of daylight on the 10th we’ll slide to 8 hours and 55 minutes worth on the 15th with only one more minute to go before the days get back to that length on the 25th. The scurs are still boycotting Black Friday. Plenty of time to be making a list and checking it twice.

The Full Moon will show itself once again on the 17th, commonly known as the Full Cold Moon or the Full Long Nights Moon. The nights are indeed long as mentioned above and the moon tends to shine brightly off the new fallen snow. The Ojibwe called this the Small Spirits Moon and the Sioux the Moon of Popping Trees. At the ranch we know it as the Moon of Popping Joints when it comes time to roll out of a warm bed and head outside to do morning chores.

Snowfall this past week amounted to perhaps more than what we were expecting. At the ranch we measured roughly 2 ½” and were able to melt about a quarter inch of moisture out of it. With the ground frozen, it won’t move into the soil any time soon. At the SROC under bare soil, the frost depth has reached 11” as of December 9th. However with freezing and thawing of the rough, tilled black soil, some of the moisture from the snow can make its way into the ground and be held in the upper several inches of soil for use by next year’s crop.

One good thing about feeding the birds thus far this winter: It’s been easy on the pocketbook. As Al Batt pointed out a few weeks ago, there is plenty of food out here for them to eat. Just looking out the windows here we can see all kinds of berries, not to mention the upland portion of the CRP that was full of composite flowers, complete with all the seed they produce. Still, we have lots of downies and hairies, a large contingent of blue jays and a growing number of goldfinches. There were even two big, beautiful rooster pheasants that s trolled cautiously across the pasture on the slope just below the house on Monday morning. Was good to see a few of them do still exist.

The bellering the sheep do during evening chores doesn’t set well with Fudgie and she becomes very agitated, flinging herself at the gates and the ewes when they’re loud. A few buckets of screenings later however, the sheep are quiet again and she calms down. Ruby just runs with reckless abandon the whole time we’re outside so noise really doesn’t matter. Once the sun starts getting low in the sky her chore clock goes off and she pesters us incessantly until we relent and go do chores. It is nice sometimes on the weekend to do chores during daylight hours so we can actually see what the kind of condition the sheep are in. So far so good, they’re all active except for those wrapped in white paper in the freezer.

Saturday was brutally cold but still allowed us to accomplish a few things. Rather than leave a thrower rack in the yard to move snow around all winter it seemed like a logical time to tow it back to its place of origin near Owatonna. The wagon trailed about like a drunken sailor on leave so a slow rate of travel was in order. After 17 miles of listening to the bearings squeak, watching the running gear whip violently back and forth while visions of ditching it danced in my head, I was more than relieved to exhale and unhook it once we reached our destination.

While in Owatonna, it presented a golden opportunity to grab a Christmas tree before they were down to the Charlie Brown trees. There’s something about the smell of a real tree that can’t be duplicated. Sure, they’re more work and maybe someday if our health no longer allows it, we may opt for an artificial. However, even if that day comes, my guess is it’ll just add to the numerous artificial trees scattered throughout the house. Mrs. Cheviot lives for Christmas decorating. This is part of why Mr. Cheviot is willing to opt for a live tree. After putting it in the pickup, bringing it in the garage, letting it set a few days, taking it outside, making a fresh cut, hauling it back in the house and plopping it in the stand, Mr. Cheviot can go back into hiding, sure in the knowledge that his decorating “skills” won’t be needed for another year. Best of all, this year I didn’t even need to stop at the store where you go to the bathroom in the big orange silo. I went before I left home just like Mom always told me.

See you next week…real good then.

Dotch · December 18, 2013

Well I'm never on my own but there's nobody in sight

The way things are going the scurs are contemplating just reusing last week’s forecast. They are after all noted re-gifters. What kind of present will they have wrapped up for this week? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with a high near freezing and lows in the upper teens. Thursday, cloudy with a moderate chance of accumulating snow. Highs in the upper 20’s and lows in the mid-single digits. Friday, colder under partly sunny skies. Highs near 10 above and lows slightly below zero. Partly sunny for Sunday with highs near 15 and lows around 5 above. Monday, mostly sunny with highs in the lower 20’s and lows in the mid-single digits. Tuesday, Christmas Eve Day, partly sunny with highs in the mid-20’s and lows in the upper single digits. A sneak peek at Christmas Day calls for partly sunny with highs in the mid-20’s and lows near 10. The normal high for Christmas Eve Day is 24 and the normal for the night when Santa arrives is 7. After retrieving the Festivus pole from the crawlspace the day before, the scurs will be thinking it may be time to start thinking about shopping.

The winter solstice will be upon us on December 21st at 11:11 a.m. According to Deanne Morrison from the U of M Institute for Astrophysics, the sun reaches its southernmost point over the Tropic of Capricorn. Due to irregularities in the earth’s orbit, the sun will already be setting later by then and has been since the 14th. Other astronomical happenings include Venus being at its brightest and Jupiter rising earlier as the month wears on, appearing a mere 20 minutes after sunset by months end. We may or may not be treated to an appearance of the comet ISON as it passes closest to the earth on December 26th. As she quoted famed comet hunter David H. Levy, "Comets are like cats; they have tails, and they do precisely what they want."

Dogs also have tails and Ruby and Fudgie seem to be wagging theirs extra hard with the holidays approaching. The snow adds to their playtime fun. Along with that, it’s easier to figure out what they’ve been up to. Like a couple kids, it’s time to worry when they’re out of sight and the noise stops. The old-style Weber used to grill the Thanksgiving turkey is still on the brick patio. Not too long ago both dogs began showing up with sticky stuff stuck in their fur, smelling like they’d attended a barbecue. Following the tracks in the snow it was obvious they’d been cleaning out the ash pan on the Weber, getting basted by the barbecue sauce that had dribbled through the vents. Busted!

Old friends returned to the bird feeders at the ranch and others reported the same. We had sightings of white-breasted nuthatches, an odd Harris sparrow mixed in with a bunch of juncos, a red-bellied woodpecker, lots of chickadees and last but not least a male cardinal. This prompted me to put out some corn screenings in hopes that he would continue to grace our viewing pleasure. More rooster pheasants also appeared with their numbers growing to five at last count. The ear corn feeder was filled in response to a possibility of a weather system moving through later in the week. Snowfall hasn’t buried their food deeply yet although there was much less ear-droppage last fall, not to mention fewer acres of corn actually planted in the area this spring.

Snowfall this last week was frequent while significant accumulations were not. It snowed some almost every day at some point and managed to accumulate less than an inch. That’s OK by me. Shoveling snow and moving snow in general are both overrated. For now it’s just nice to look out the window and see the flakes lazily falling, making the landscape look a little more like a Currier and Ives winter scene every day.

Some have been curious how the sheep adjusted to the recent cold weather. Just fine, thanks. Realizing that they have about 10 months’ growth of wool right now, they really don’t seem to care much about the temperature unless it’s windy. The wind cools their ears down and while not the brightest bulbs on the tree, they go back inside after eating to snooze and chew their cud, not unlike my little fat buddies. Their ears get cold too.

December 23rd will mark the celebration Festivus. This holiday of course is highlighted by “Feats of Strength” and the “Airing of Grievances”. Most think this is a made up holiday. Turns out it actually was conceived by writer Daniel O’Keefe, whose son Dan went on to write the concept into an episode of Seinfeld. It’s no different in that respect than Kwanza or some of the other excuses people come up with to get off work. At this point I’ll take almost any excuse I can to get out of work, maybe even take a long winters nap. It’s another Festivus miracle!

See you next week…real good then.

Dotch · December 24, 2013

Well here's another clue for you all,

The walrus was Paul.

The scurs are ready to close out the New Year once again. Seems like it was only about a year ago. What will the reaper leave on our doorstep this year? Starting Wednesday, a slight chance of snow with partly sunny skies. Highs in the mid 20’s and lows near zero. Mostly sunny for Thursday, highs in the middle single digits and lows between -5 and – 8. Friday, partly sunny with highs in the upper teens and lows of 10 to 15. Partly sunny again for Saturday and warmer with highs in the upper 20’s and lows near 10. Mostly cloudy Sunday with highs of 10 to 15 and lows near zero. Mostly cloudy for Monday with highs in the mid-teens and lows in the upper single digits. Partly cloudy with a slight chance of snow for Tuesday. Highs in the mid-teens and lows in the upper single digits. The normal high for New Year’s Eve Day is 23 and the normal low is 5. The scurs will be breaking out the noisemakers and filling themselves with good cheer.

Permanent fish houses have begun to appear on area lakes. There are a few people driving out but they were tending to park their vehicles on shore and walk out to the houses. Frost depth in the ground somewhat mirrors the ice thickness on area lakes. Reports of a foot or so of ice on area lakes are not uncommon. As of last Monday there was 15” of frost in the ground as measured at the SROC in Waseca on bare ground. This week’s cold temperatures and relatively light snow cover will promise to drive that frost and make the ice even deeper.

The trees are silhouetted against the sky now with the exception of the evergreens of course. Those deciduous trees however serve as a reminder of all the birds that nested over the summer. The hard maple tree had three nests in it. As dense as its canopy of leaves were this past year there was no telling what might’ve been nesting in it. There are many other bird nests scattered in the trees throughout the yard, another reason sleeping with the windows closed in June is a good idea if you don’t want to wake up at 4 a.m. Numerous squirrel nests have also appeared scattered throughout the trees. The squirrels seem to have it figured out. They come down out of the nest when they feel like it. Otherwise they stay in bed. The pin oak tree is bitterly clinging to last summer’s leaves. With each blustery winter day a few more are loosened up and by spring, they’ll be history as well.

With the snow melt this past week, snow cover has become patchy. As a result, the bird activity has slowed once again at the ranch. Out here it almost seems that we need to have pretty good cover to bring out the best variety. Sure we still have our faithful downies, hairies, blue jays and juncos but it seems the more exotic things like the cardinals are less apt to be seen without snow here. We have had a Harris sparrow that seems to be hanging around with the juncos but that’s about as exotic as it gets for the winter so far.

Staying inside once we get in from chores seems to be the order of the day. I have learned one thing though: You have to be careful with all the static electricity in the house right now. Ruby loves to play with her ball and hence generates a lot of it. When her tail happened to bump against the laptop, I heard a spark and immediately the screen turned to snow. I couldn’t get what I was working on back without rebooting the confuser and then parts of it that weren’t saved were gone. I’m sure what I was working on wasn’t literary award winning material. Still, wouldn’t want to have that happen too many times.

The cold winter temperatures also have us watching TV when there is actually something fit to watch. Sunday night The Sound of Music was on so we decided to watch it after not seeing it for a long time. The dogs sometimes like to come in and watch too although Fudgie is indifferent about television, usually opting to stay in her room and sleep. Typically that’s a good call. Ruby and I were all curled up with our popcorn. All was going well until Julie Andrews made her appearance. Ruby saw her and started one of her patented growling fits that escalated into loud barking. First Clint Eastwood and now Julie Andrews. What on earth is the world coming to?

And with the advent of the smartphone, I’ve become lazy in my gift buying decisions for the staff at the Star Eagle. These days, since we can just point the phone at anything and our problems are magically solved without having to think or work, I figured I’d find them some apps as gifts. Can’t wait to see this stuff show up on my bill. Here’s what we found:

Let’s see for Jim, a hair growing app. Point the phone at your melon; you grow hair. Simple. If it stays this cold he’s going to need it. For Mark, an app that makes your voice sound like Jules Perlt so you’re ready for the Barn when they call. For Al a bird ID app. Oops! He wrote it. OK, a hat app instead. Careful, Jim may steal it. For Kathy, a column writing app. Hey, that’s what I use. For Kugie a sports trivia and prognostication app. The scurs use the weather version. Guaranteed to increase your predictive capabilities or your money back. Did I mention it’s a free app? For Sara a hair and makeup application app. Should save time on those rushed mornings when you’re late to work. My sheep shearer uses a similar version. Hopefully I got the right one. For Nicole, a copy correction app. Won’t work on Fencelines columns. They are beyond repair. And for Reed a little fat buddy secret decoder app. It reveals those hidden messages in Fencelines columns. Paul is dead…Paul is dead. See? It really works. Truly a one of a kind, just like Reed.

Merry Christmas! See you next week…real good then.

Dotch · December 31, 2013

On New Year’s Day...

After a rousing New Year’s Eve, the scurs are chomping at the bit to manufacture our upcoming week’s forecast. Will the weather continue its 2013 hangover? Starting Wednesday, cloudy with a slight chance of snow. Highs in the lower single digits and lows near 5 below. Thursday, partly sunny and continued cold. High slightly above zero and lows near 10 below. Friday we get a slight reprieve under partly sunny skies. Highs near 15 and lows around 10 above. Warmer for Saturday and cloudy with an increasing chance of snow by evening. Highs in the mid-20’s and lows around 5. Mostly cloudy Sunday and slightly cooler with a chance of snow. Highs near 15 and lows near 5 below. Mostly cloudy becoming mostly sunny on Monday with highs near 15 and lows just below zero. Mostly sunny for Tuesday with highs near 15 and lows again sliding just below zero. The normal high for January 7th is 22 and the normal low is 4. With days getting longer (back above 9 hours of daylight on the 3rd) and the sun setting later (about a minute a day), the scurs will need to find time to nap after all their holiday toils.

The temperature roller coaster ride we’ve been on has kept everyone occupied lately it seems. We topped out somewhere around 40 at the ranch on Saturday and temperatures have fallen ever since with promises of negative teens below zero low. Frost depth moved down only slightly after the snow and warmer late week temperatures, with the promise of more to come. Ice on area lakes while never completely safe has been improving with the thickness well over a foot in most places. In northern MN, problems have been occurring in areas that have received ample amounts of snow, keeping the ice treacherous despite the colder temperatures. What has this done to our overwintering insects such as corn rootworms? Probably not much yet. Western corn rootworm egg mortality isn’t affected substantially until soil temperatures are in the mid-teens somewhere and while we have been cold, the soils have not reached that level.

Warmer temperatures and melting snow have meant slower bird watching at the feeders. The Harris sparrow was seen several times, hanging out with the juncos. The juncos have been exhibiting a little different behavior than what we’ve been accustomed to. Rather than spending all their time ground feeding they’ve been up on the feeders as well. Perhaps with the recent lack of goldfinches, they’re not getting as much dumped on the ground so they’re taking matters into their own hands, er, beaks. There have been some American tree sparrows as of late along with a growing group of house sparrows. A female cardinal was spotted on Sunday although she was initially harassed and discouraged from the feeder area by the blue jay troupe. She did seem to be cleaning up under the nannyberry bushes however. Apparently the starlings didn’t get all of them. Not long after seeing her, a male accompanied her. Oddly enough, some safflower had been added to the mix. Cardinals are always welcome and one of these years the cover we’ve planted will entice them to stay year around.

Seed catalogs appeared en masse this past week giving us some good evening reading in the hours after chores before bedtime. There probably won’t be a lot of seed ordered however as our garden was too wet too long last spring to allow much of it to be planted. A few things such as the winter radishes and snap peas will need to be replenished to continue the early spring and fall garden project we’ve started the past couple seasons. I have particularly liked the fall gardening as the weed control is a snap relative to the spring and summer. And the way the winter radishes have kept, there is always something homegrown and fresh to eat through the winter as a result.

Not wanting to say this too loudly but snow removal so far this winter hasn’t been too bad. Only once have I felt compelled to move a pesky little drift out of the driveway. Even then I didn’t get out the heavy artillery, namely the tractor. The skid loader was handy and since the drift was so localized, it made relatively short work of the obstruction. Of course there is some ice underneath in places but that’s not a bad thing especially if one is going to use a bucket to move snow. While it’s good exercise, shoveling gravel piles off the yard in the spring isn’t exactly my idea of a good time.

The dogs seem to be adapting to the winter fairly well so far, much more so than we humans. Fudgie has it figured out. If it’s cold, go outside only as long as you feel like it then come back in. Ruby on the other hand will stay out as long as long as we do, sometimes lifting a foot if she’s getting too cold. Luckily chores are not consuming a large block of time yet and hauling frozen buckets from the small pens into the garage to thaw saves time and effort. Yet, both dogs operate differently at potty time. Ruby, for as energetic as she is tends to dump close to the house. One has to watch their step. Fudgie on the other hand tends to wander off the beaten path a fair distance although I am concerned one of these days she’s going to hit my snow measuring board. Trouble is I haven’t seen a column on the data collection sheet concerning dog poo depth.

See you next week…real good them.

Dotch · January 8, 2014

Crazy on you

The scurs didn’t see the polar express coming down the pike for the weekend and Monday. Will they have better foresight with the upcoming week’s forecast? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with highs in the middle single digits and lows slightly below zero. Thursday, mostly cloudy with highs in the mid-teens and lows around 10. Friday, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of snow. Highs in the upper 20’s and lows in the upper teens. Mostly sunny on Saturday with highs in the upper 20’s and lows near 15. Mostly cloudy Sunday with a slight chance for snow. Highs near the freezing mark and lows in the upper teens. Mostly sunny on Monday with highs near freezing and lows in the mid-teens. Mostly sunny on Tuesday and cooler with highs in the lower 20’s and lows in the mid-teens. The normal high for January 10th is 22 and the normal low is 4. The scurs are checking into tickets for somewhere warmer the next time one of these brutal cold snaps blow through.

Frost and ice depth readings continue marching downward. Cold temperatures and windy conditions with the lack of snow cover are compounding matters. Last check at the SROC in Waseca, frost measured 21” deep on January 6th and reports from area lakes have ice nearing the 2 foot mark. If this keeps up, we may see the need for auger extensions in this part of the state before long. Have also noticed some large cracks in the ground opening up since the coldest weather with the lack of snowfall. There is some light at the end of the tunnel however. On the 10th we will experience 9 hours and 9 minutes of daylight, an increase of 10 minutes since the 1st and 16 minutes more than on the winter solstice. The sun will also set after 5 p.m. on January 14th, something it hasn’t done since November 3rd. See? Things really are looking up. Once everyone’s water pipes are thawed out and their vehicles start again we should be able to enjoy it.

Sunday ahead of the storm, additional bales were placed around the well pit at the ranch as a precautionary measure. Sunday night chores gave us a foretaste of what was to come, with winds beginning to gust over 30 mph. Temperatures fell from a high near zero to -11 within a matter of an hour then plummeted to a Monday morning low of -21. Wind chills were in the -45 range. Didn’t matter to the ewes. They came boiling out of their barn ready to chow down. Luckily we are not in lambing mode yet so chores have not become the hassle they will be in another two months. Most of the ewes are in excellent condition and with their fleeces continuing to grow, they can nearly bowl you over at feeding time.

Ruby and Fudgie continue to deal with the weather somewhat differently as we wrote last week. Fudgie’s coat is very thick and heavy, making her look somewhat like a red bear. She’s been spending more and more time outside during chores this past week and loves rolling in what little snow we have. Ruby on the other hand still has a rather slick coat although it has an undercoat that continues to thicken underneath. She stays warm by tearing around like a banshee but likes to get out and back in as quickly as possible when it’s been bitterly cold. I can relate to that although if I had a sauna or lots of fur, I might be tempted to roll in the snow some too.

The bird watching has followed the weather patterns fairly closely this winter. With the onset of colder conditions, the activity and variety tends to increase at the feeders. Some of the characters are the same as the week before with the juncos continuing to feed out of the tube feeders and the Harris sparrow remains with the group, opting to feed whatever lands on the ground. The blue jays are pushing everyone away from “their” feeders and a pair of nuthatches appeared again Sunday afternoon. The woodpeckers keep the suet occupied almost constantly with downies and hairies leading the way. There have been a couple red-bellied woodpeckers too although it’s hard to say if they’re a pair. They are male and female but they rarely appear together. The cardinals continue to grace our feeding area and have taken a shine to the safflower recently added, picking it up off the ground where the other birds toss it out of the feeders. Word must be getting out because a second male has now appeared. The cardinals are often the first to appear in the morning and the last to be seen in the evening. Looking for the beautiful red plumage of the males makes watching the birds like a game of “Where’s Waldo?”.

To keep Mrs. Cheviot from going completely stir-crazy during these periods of confinement due to the cold weather, she enjoys putting together puzzles. Apparently Mr. Cheviot doesn’t offer much of a challenge anymore in that department. She has me pretty well figured out I’m afraid. That’s OK. There are plenty of things Mr. Cheviot has to do like making sure the physical plant continues operating as it should. Then of course there are always naps upon completion of those tasks. Taking naps, putting together puzzles, it’s all the same. Everyone needs a hobby.

See you next week…real good then.

Dotch · January 15, 2014

A long, long time ago

I can still remember how that music used to make me smile

The scurs were off the mark with temperatures coming in warmer than forecast. Oddly enough no one has complained after the previous week’s brutal cold. Will our good fortune continue? Starting Wednesday, partly sunny with a slight chance of a snow and freezing drizzle mix. Temperatures rising from 20 to near 30 after midnight. Thursday, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of snow. Highs near 30 and lows falling to just below zero. Friday, mostly sunny with highs in the lower teens above zero and lows in the lower single digits. Mostly sunny on Saturday with highs near 20 and lows near 5 above. Sunday, sunny skies with highs in the upper 20’s and lows in the mid-teens. For Monday, mostly sunny with highs near 30 and lows in the mid-teens. And for Tuesday, mostly sunny with highs near 30 and lows again in the mid-teens. The normal high for January 17th is 22 and the normal low is 4. The scurs will be interviewing for a Vikings coaching position. If they keep messing up these forecasts, they’ll need a job somewhere.

The snowfall from last week accumulated about an inch at the ranch with another 1.5” Tuesday a.m. making roughly 3.5” for the month. We’ve measured a little more than 14” for the winter. Luckily we haven’t had large accumulations and the snowfall has tended to melt away during the melts. Given the windy conditions we’ve experienced several times over the past couple months, we could’ve had a real mess on our hands. As it is there are plenty of little nuisance drifts that seem to appear exactly where one doesn’t want them. One also has to feel fortunate after the recent warm up. Typically when we get into the period from about January 11th to the 20th we see the coldest days of the winter. Not that we are out of the woods yet but every day we stay above normal it makes it less likely that we’ll see another long stretch such as we went through in early January. Our daylight period is stretching out to over two minutes more per day as well. Will we see more snow in February? Stay tuned.

Venus has disappeared from view in the evening sky to the west before sundown. It will be back to its “morning star” status once again in the eastern sky by the end of the month. Jupiter is now the dominant planet in the night sky, already fairly high in the eastern sky by the mid-evening hours. Its yellowish color easily distinguishes it from the stars. The Full Moon will follow Jupiter across the sky on the 15th. Of course if it’s cloudy it won’t be visible but you’ll have to trust me on this one. The Full Moon for this month goes by the Full Wolf Moon. Wolves could often be heard howling outside the Native American encampments of the northeast. The Ojibwe called this the Great Spirit Moon and the Sioux knew it as The Moon of Frost in the Teepee. Indeed, the teepees would’ve been nothing but frosty in those days of old.

One has to be glad we’re not into a heavy covering of snow if you’re concerned about the wildlife out here. The fields have had snow cover but it has been short-lived making it possible for deer, turkeys and pheasants to find the food out here in the fields easily. It makes it even easier for them when people like our neighbor Mark and his son Brock plant the kind of cover they have. They were recently recognized with the Outstanding Windbreak award in Steele Co. It looks like it too from our living room window at the ranch. It has really grown over the past decade and no doubt provides shelter from storms and predators. Frequently we can see pheasants hopscotching their way across the fields from their place, to their CRP, to our yard and then to our CREP acreage. Sunday my nephew saw the first two rooster pheasants we’ve seen in several weeks. Thanks neighbors!

We continue to see cardinals daily and they have set up shop in the brushy edge areas on the east side of the lawn. One of the males is particularly red while the other has some darker color mixed in with the red. The female has probably been the most active though, appearing when the males stay behind in the thicket. Others are also noting lots of cardinal sightings. There have been large groups of American tree sparrows as of late although the Harris sparrow may have ski-daddled when the weather was brutally cold. Smart bird.

Fudgie and Ruby continue to enjoy winter. There are times you’d swear they’re little furry kids. Once you put them outside, they like playing in the snow and running through it as fast as they can. For an old dog Fudgie can still really motor especially when the sheep get too close to “her” gate. Ruby gets into a tizzy anytime the OMC 330 is approached and especially if it’s started. Good thing there are 8 ply tires on it or she would have bitten a hole in them a long time ago. Still smile when I feel Ruby tugging on the tires and her fierce growling before the skid loader starts. Music to my ears.

Small villages of permanent fish houses have dotted area lakes for several weeks now. Fishing appears to have slowed since the recent cold snap. That or the fishermen have. Rumor has it that there are likely more hands of cards being played than fish being caught. Some are reputedly not even wasting time drilling holes. As one wise fisherman once told me, there’s no law that says you have to fish.

See you next week…real good then.

Dotch · January 22, 2014

TV dinners there's nothin' else to eat

The scurs wasted no time jumping back into the fray, only to have their thermometer stuck again on Tuesday. Will we see another invasion of woolly mammoths or are we destined for warmer days ahead? Starting Wednesday, partly sunny with a slight chance of snow. Highs in the upper single digits above zero and lows in the low teens below zero. Partly cloudy on Thursday with steadily rising temperatures. Highs near zero with rising temps in the overnight early Friday morning hours. Friday, partly sunny with a slight chance of snow. Highs in the upper 20’s and lows in the middle teens. Saturday, mostly cloudy with a possible flurry. Highs near 20 and lows near 5. Mostly cloudy Sunday with highs near 10 falling to overnight lows of near – 10. Monday, mostly cloudy and cold. Highs struggling to get above zero and lows near 5 below. Temperatures rebound for Tuesday under partly cloudy skies with a chance of flurries once again. Highs in the upper teens and lows in the middle teens, all above zero of course. The normal high for January 25th is 23 and the normal low is 4. The scurs will be desperately trying to repair their broken thermostat by March.

We continue the rollercoaster ride caused by the Alberta Clippers (Calcutta Clippers for all you Denny Green fans) as they slide through, dumping small accumulations of snow then slipping the cold air in followed by plenty of wind. This pattern shows no sign of breaking anytime soon and if anything, it seems to be bringing slightly more precipitation along with it as of late. Coming into January at the ranch we had measured 10” of snow between November and December. Since January 1st we have had 9.8” of snow, well below normal but increasing in frequency and amount per event. In liquid equivalent that snow has melted out to roughly .55”, well below the 1.25” average as measured at the SROC for January. Something that also continues to happen is the thaws every week to 10 days, melting much of the accumulations across the landscape except for the fencelines, groves and of course in front of everyone’s garage.

After the Friday snow it was time to fire up the snow removal equipment at the ranch. The skid loader was used on Saturday and upon freezing my tootsies in the wind, decided it was time to finally bite the bullet and put the chains on the tractor. It’s icy underneath and without them, trying to use a bucket to move snow is nearly futile with the tractor and terrain we’re dealing with anyway. There are very few flat spots in the yard and it works best to try to move the snow downhill as much as possible. Of course that means you actually have to get to the top of the hill first. Putting chains on is a time-honored tradition, one that must be done properly or they wind up in a pile shortly afterwards. Once attached though, you can go almost anywhere you want and tear up large hunks of sod rapidly even though the ground is frozen solid. Helps create more flat spots however.

Was asked recently about the presence or absence of squirrels by a reader not too far as the crow flies from the ranch. Yes, we continue to have plenty of squirrels with Fudgie and Ruby doing their level best to see that they are well exercised. The reader was concerned that their squirrel population was flagging to the point where they weren’t seeing any. Typically on any given morning at the ranch there are at least two and have seen as many as five, all fox squirrels. Of course, they have the good fortune of access to all the ear corn they could desire in addition to cleaning up sunflower and safflower seeds under the feeders. They’re fine until they get bored and tangle with the “squirrel-proof” feeder which has proven to be a slight deterrence at best. Any plastic on the poor thing has long since been chewed off. They also seem to develop an affinity for chewing the coating on wiring. It’s at those times I’d be more than happy to share them, fried or grilled.

The ear corn was put out for the benefit of the few pheasants in the area when the snow buries their food deeper than they can access it. There has been one rooster on the road cut side of the thicket on the edge of the yard when I leave almost every morning. Bunnies, squirrels and blue jays all seem to be using the feeder as well. Something I did as an experiment has been interesting: I placed one of the ears from the July planted corn in the two-cob feeder on the tree by the house. The squirrels are not fussy. They seem to be eating that late planted corn just as readily as the ear from the more typical planting date. More highly relevant scientific observations to ponder.

Auntie Mar-Mar is apparently starting to show her age. After turning down an invitation for a barbecued lamb dinner last weekend, she informed us she was content to become a hermit, stay at home and watch Wheel of Fortune. We are concerned that she may even be taping the shows for future viewing. Now, Bonanza or Gunsmoke reruns would be understandable but Wheel of Fortune? She even mistakenly referred to Mrs. Cheviot as Vanna on the phone. I guess if we can’t get Mar Mar to come out we’ll just have to sign her up for Meals on Wheels. Maybe bring her some TV dinners.

See you next week…real good then.

Dotch · January 29, 2014

How years ago in days of old, when magic filled the air

The scurs still haven’t mended the thermostat and are thinking about installing a used one from the Studebaker along with the Weather Eye climate control system from the old AMC Gremlin. Will it be closer than what they’ve been using? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with a chance of evening snow. Highs near 25 and lows around 5 above. Partly sunny and colder for Thursday with a slight chance of daytime snowfall. Highs near 10 above and lows falling to 5 below. Partly sunny on Friday with another chance for evening snow. Highs near 10 and lows in the single digits above zero. Saturday, partly sunny with a slight chance of daytime snow. Highs near 15 and lows around zero. Mostly cloudy on Sunday with a continued slight chance of daytime snow. Highs in the mid-teens and lows around 5 above. Monday, mostly sunny with a slight chance for snow. Highs near 20 and lows near 5 above. Tuesday, mostly cloudy with a chance of snow. Highs around 20 and lows near zero. The normal high for Ground Hog’s Day is 24 and the normal low is 5. The scurs will be hoping they don’t see their shadow. That will make it much easier to sleep in.

Venus is back to being a “morning star” once again. Trekking in from the barn it is very distinct in the southeast sky before dawn. The conjunction with the waning quarter moon on the still morning of the 28th was nothing short of spectacular. On Ground Hog’s Day, the sun will actually rise at 7:30 a.m., something it hasn’t done since December 2nd. And the days keep getting longer. On the February 3rd we will have gained one hour of daylight since January 1st. On February 4th, we will see 10 hours of daylight for the first time since November 5th. Time sure flies when you’re having fun, doesn’t it?

Another week on the winter weather roller coaster ride. With temps on Friday near the freezing mark, it made one wonder how we were going to see a monster develop over the weekend. The advance warning gave us time to get everything battened down just in case. The bird feeders and water tanks were filled while extra bales were put back around the well pit. That’s one of the things about this time of year that can be so dangerous: It can change in an instant. Sunday was a prime example of that. The weather was somewhat nasty when we did chores but by noon it still hadn’t changed much. So I did what every red-blooded carnivorous male MN would do and started the grill. We had some of Morgan’s brats that were quick and easy. Within 20 minutes they were on the plate and back in the house. Staring out the window half an hour later and you couldn’t see the hand in front of your face. Visibility at times was less than 100 feet as the light pole in the yard disappeared from view. Timing is everything.

As I’ve written before, we’ve been fortunate these systems haven’t had large amounts of snow to work with. With a hair over 3” recorded at the ranch between Friday and Saturday night, it really wasn’t one of those storms of old. Those storms of the 60’s and 70’s were amazingly rugged. The timing of school closings due to storms with heavy snowfall when you had a test or paper due was almost magical. Roads were frequently impassible, pipes froze, feedlots were full of snow and adults were generally grumpy. About the worst thing to happen this time? The snow on Friday night was so wet it stuck to the satellite dish like mashed potatoes. We missed the 2nd period of the Gopher hockey game against St. Cloud State, dadburnit.

The birds appreciated their feeders being full both during and after the storm. There was more variety the day after although most of them were busy staying on the leeward side of trees and other objects. There were American tree sparrows, a mourning dove, 2 goldfinches, juncos, house sparrows (of course), blue jays, nuthatches downies and hairies, red-bellies and last but not least the cardinals. One always wonders how the birds survive these blasts. Apparently rather well if the amount of sunflower seed and corn consumed is any indication.

January is pretty close to over with and we can cross another month off of winter. The ewes at the ranch continue to get girthier and the dogs continue monitoring their movements. Fudgie has developed a habit of barking at them when they’re slow to come out of the barn at feeding time. With some of the wind, temperatures and dark 30 chore times I can’t say as I blame them for sleeping in. Fudgie’s coat seems to get thicker by the day with the cold weather. If it keeps up, we could have her shorn in a few weeks along with the sheep. No such problem with Ruby. Her tootsies get cold and without the heavier coat, she’s more than willing to keep her trips outside brief. It still doesn’t stop her from being the hay Nazi, growling ferociously at the sheep picking through the windblown stems hung up in the fence. No hay for you! Come back one year!

See you next week…real good then.

Dotch · February 5, 2014

A little respect (just a little bit)

The scurs are onto something. Seems their AMC Gremlin Weather Eye coupled with the Studebaker thermostat addition to their weather machine worked to perfection last week. What about this week? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of forenoon flurries. Highs near 5 above and lows around 15 below. Mostly sunny on Thursday with highs 5 above zero and lows near – 5. Mostly sunny on Friday with highs near 10 above zero and lows around - 5. Saturday, partly cloudy with highs again around 10 above zero and lows around 5 below zero. Mostly sunny on Sunday with highs near 10 and lows in the upper single digits below zero. Partly cloudy on Monday with highs in the lower teens above zero and lows near zero. Warmer for Tuesday with highs in the mid-teens with slowly rising temperatures. The normal high for February 8th is 26 and the normal low is 7. After seeing their shadow, the scurs are going out on a limb and predicting spring should be here by June.

What a January for weather we had. It was one of those despite having no single large snowfall accumulation, we wound up with above normal snowfall. Normal for January at the SROC in Waseca is 9.5”. They tallied 17.2” and here at the ranch it was 16.2”. It has been difficult to measure snow accurately so it’s amazing that our readings were that close. We also recorded measurable snowfall on 12 days at the ranch and there were 13 days at the SROC. In other words it has been nickeling and diming us. It has also been colder than normal. The average air temperature at the SROC for January 2014 was 6.4 and the normal calculated for the period 1980 – 2010 is 13.2. Brrrr!

The LP price and supply has caught our attention. Prices more than doubled in the matter of a week and are routinely north of $4 a gallon. It has some scrambling to find supplies, then wondering if they can afford it if they do. It took a higher than normal amount of LP to dry corn this fall and as mentioned, it has been cold. Three are also pipeline and terminal situations that also factor into the equation. I had the opportunity to lock in LP for $1.30 a gallon back in July or August. I didn’t do it but that was my fault. Fortunately when we remodeled 7 years ago, we insulated, put in new windows and installed a dual fuel heating system. The electric bill won’t be pretty but neither are frozen pipes.

The pheasant population around the ranch is showing signs that it is very much still alive. Mrs. Cheviot saw 2 roosters and 5 hens on the north side of grove last Friday. On our way church Sunday, there were close to 20 in the field on both sides of the road. Lots of them were hens so if we can get to spring without too much snow and ice, we might have a fighting chance of seeing even more in the future. They must like some variety in their diet. The tracks from the corn feeder over to the birdfeeders are a clue. Cardinals apparently aren’t the only birds that enjoy safflower.

My brother and I were talking not long ago about what has been the toughest thing since Mom passed away. I was thinking it and then he said it: Not being able to call and talk to her on the phone. Countless times over the years when chores were done a call was placed to catch up on her life and fill her in on ours. Frequently we’d share bird observations or talk about the dogs. One of the things I could’ve told her this past week was how proud I was of the Border Collie Fudgie we gave her then inherited after her passing.

Twice in the past week Fudgie was pressed into service, guarding the gates and keeping the sheep on their side of the fence while I cleaned the snow from their feed lot. I like leaving the gate open. Constantly getting on and off the tractor or skid loader is hard on these old joints. After a few run-ins, the sheep decided this was not a dog to mess with and did their best to avoid her. Several days earlier a few ewes had decided the electric fence in the pasture was fair game. It isn’t charged in winter and wearing their heavy wool coats they are lousy conductors of electricity. Cruising the lot, I spied several ewes grazing on the south side of the house, in the lawn! They were until Fudgie came around the corner of the house quickly putting them back in where they belonged.

I kept at the snow removal project, blocking the access to the pasture with a real “snow-fence” and placed a panel across another entry point. I was thinking to myself, the sheep were happy and Fudgie was happy. Everyone was happy except me. As I finished while watching Fudgie toy with the ewe flock, it was obvious they had gained her respect. For an older dog that never had much to do with sheep other than an occasional encounter while visiting, she kept them at bay like she’d been doing it all her life. What’s more Fudgie was doing it against s nasty little group of Cheviots, one of the fastest, most cunning breeds to herd. Now, Fudgie is not a “people-person”. She’s selective about who she likes and who she doesn’t just as her mother Lucy was. She’s also fearless and all business when it comes to working sheep, just like her mother. Thinking about it as I wired the gate shut, Fudgie had earned my respect. I had to believe that Mom and Lucy would’ve been proud too. Suddenly I was happy.

See you next week…real good then.

Dotch · February 12, 2014

Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting

The scurs continue to score forecast success with their AMC Gremlin Weather Eye powered by the Studebaker thermostat. Must still have the winter thermostat in it however. Will they switch it over this week? Starting Lincoln’s Birthday, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of snow. Highs near 25 and lows in the low teens. Yes, above zero. Mostly cloudy on Thursday with a slight chance of snow. High near the freezing mark and lows in the single digits. On Valentine’s Day, mostly sunny and colder. Highs near 15 with lows around 5 above. Partly sunny and warmer on Saturday with a modest chance of snow. Highs around 25 and lows in the lower teens. Sunday, partly sunny with a slight chance of evening sleet and snow mix. Highs in the upper 20’s and lows around 20. Monday, partly sunny and warmer with a chance of a rain and snow mix. Highs near 35 and lows close to 20. Mostly sunny for Tuesday and warmer again. Highs near 40 and lows in the lower 20’s. The normal high for Valentine’s Day is 27 and the normal low is 9. The scurs will be taking their sweetie pie out for a spin in the burnt orange Gremlin X to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Honest Abe.

Another cold week and frost continues to move down in the soil, 27” deep as measured at the SROC in Waseca on February 10th. February has been a dry month thus far with only .6” of snow as of Tuesday morning, melted down to a measly .02” of liquid. Snow cover in the fields is variable although in general not very deep on worked ground. Most of what we have remains in the ditches, fencelines and groves. The old saying that the fields aren’t fit until the snowbanks are out of the fencelines may be put to the test. We shall see.

The Full Moon happens to fall on Valentine’s Day this time around and generally goes by the name of Full Snow Moon. It was at this time of year that snows became deep and food became more scarce. It also goes by the Full Hunger Moon for that same reason. The Ojibwe called this the Sucker Moon for the suckers running in the rivers and streams this time of year. The Sioux called this the Raccoon Moon as raccoons commonly awaken from their slumber to forage about to find food. Fortunately there was not as much traffic in those days. At the ranch we can officially call this the Full Lamb Moon after this past week.

Yes, we had lambs show up during the coldest days last week. It happens every year that some hit the ground before shearing. One would think we’d learn how to use a gestation chart so that wouldn’t happen. Oh well, the main thing is that the lambs are doing well and there shouldn’t be a lot more before shearing on Saturday. After that all bets are off.

This stretch of cold weather seems to zap the energy right out of a person. Day after day of starting out below zero and then struggling to get much above that takes a toll. By nature however I am a napper and utilize cold weekend afternoons once indoors to examine the inside of my eyelids. The Winter Olympics generally make for good napping fare although Sunday one announcer became boisterous over a cross country skiing final. I might’ve murmured something about the strategic location of a ski pole. Enough of that. This is why I stick to watching golf or bowling. Not only is it boring to watch, the commentators are quiet so as not to wake anyone.

Ruby had a rough several days of TV watching. First, the Westminster Kennel Club Agility Trials were held Saturday, sending her into several barking fits. A red and white Border Collie named Kelso won so we were cheering for him while we were trying to keep Ruby quiet. Sunday, bull riding was on and again Ruby was not amused, growling at the bulls as their riders bit the dust. Then the Westminster Dog Show was on Monday night and more of the same. That’s OK. Ruby spends much of her time sleeping while we’re away and tormenting Fudgie when we’re not. Nice to see the shoe on the other foot sometimes.

The birds have been letting us know it’s cold, consuming what we’re putting out there at a rapid pace. Particularly noticeable has been the amount of suet devoured. There are a lot of woodpeckers this winter and there are usually several waiting in line to get on the 2 suet feeders. We did see a new bird for us anyway: A northern shrike. These are predators and shortly after it appeared, everything else disappeared. Not to worry. It didn’t stay and if it does, there are plenty of house sparrows for it to eat.

Last Sunday marked the first appearance of the Beatles in 1964 on the Ed Sullivan Show. That’s a while ago and pretty sure we weren’t watching. More likely the dial on the black and white set at the little old farmhouse was on Bonanza or some other high quality programming. As a result of their visit though, the Beatles had a major impact on me and my generation, something subsequent generations haven’t always been able to fully grasp. The Cold War world as we knew it at the time would be changed forever. Beatles lunchboxes appeared at school, crew cuts became mop tops and as the Beatles changed from their skinny ties and suits, so did clothing styles. As did the music. Gone were the days of the greasers, Elvis and rocking around the clock, replaced by a newer, more modern sound from across the pond. At least many of us thought so despite the naysayers. And as it turned out we were right.

See you next week…real good then.

Dotch · February 19, 2014

At last the sun is shining, the clouds of blue roll by...

The scurs and their Gremlin X Weather Eye with the Studebaker thermostat have given them a degree of accuracy not previously achieved. After more tinkering, will the results continue on track? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with a moderate chance of snow. Highs in the mid-30’s and lows in the upper 20’s. Cloudy on Thursday with a good chance of snow. Windy conditions may cause blizzard conditions. Highs in the mid-20’s and lows in the low teens. Partly sunny and starting a cooling trend on Friday. Highs in the low 20’s and lows in the middle single digits. Cooler and mostly cloudy Saturday. Highs in the upper teens and lows near zero. Partly cloudy Sunday with a slight chance of snow. Highs near 15 with lows just below zero. Mostly sunny and cold on Monday. Highs near 10 and lows near zero. Warmer for Tuesday with highs rebounding to near 20 and lows in the upper single digits above zero. The normal high for Washington’s real birthday on the 22nd is 30 and the normal low is 12. The scurs will be shoveled out for a piece of cherry pie at Hartland’s Village Inn by then. Probably have some ice cream too while they’re at it.

The Full Moon on Valentine’s Day was as good as advertised. It was orange and huge as it rose, prompting a reader to call and ask if I’d seen it. Indeed I had as we were settling in for an evening of Gopher hockey. Quite a planet we live on and full of beauty in the skies this time of year. Venus continues to shine brightly in the morning at chore time. Mars will become more prominent feature as the month draws to a close, rising around 10 o’clock in the east. Jupiter has been high overhead around 10 p.m., one night recently appearing to be racing with the moon. On February 25th we’ll see 11 hours of daylight for the first time since the middle of October. We have actually seen some sun too once the clouds roll out. A welcome relief from the long dark days of late December.

The lack of snow was suddenly changed although it was amazing how much mileage we got from the dabs of snow that fell. High winds were responsible for several back to back driveway cleanings with the same snow. Saturday changed all that with about 3 inches of snow at the ranch followed by Monday’s encore performance of another 3+ inches. The amount of moisture in the snow has been changing as well. The snow last week was very dry with .02” of liquid in .6” of snow. This week the snow on Monday for example was .35” of liquid per 3.2” of snow. Seasonal wetlands should benefit although it’s unlikely this latest snow will impact the fields much as the frost depth was 28” at the SROC on February 17th. Snow depth is guesstimated at about a foot at the ranch. Reports of frozen pipes are becoming more and more commonplace particularly in areas that have been kept clear of snow. Frost has been reported as deep as 6’ in those situations.

The birds continue to respond to the cold conditions with increased amounts of snow on the ground. The pheasants in particular are becoming more numerous in and around our yard. Over a dozen at a time were spotted at the ear corn feeder recently. When you’re reading the paper and they fly by the living room window it’s comical. Some people have automobile traffic. I guess we have pheasant traffic. Sunday morning saw the first robins of the season. They were back on Tuesday morning. One has to wonder if they weren’t perhaps some that were sick of trying to tough out the winter and were moving south. I think a lot of us can relate.

Shearing was accomplished once again at the ranch over the weekend. The fleeces were clean and for some reason extremely dry and light. The sheep were generally cooperative although one ram decided to demonstrate his 4 wheel drive by snapping a steel T-post off at ground level. Thanks to my cat like reflexes he narrowly missed my knee. Our age is beginning to catch up with us though. The next day getting motivated to do much more than move from the couch to the dinner table was challenging. It doesn’t seem to faze the shearer and the catcher however. They seem to never age. We had more lambs on the ground when he came and after he left the games began in earnest. Thank goodness it warmed up although those born in the subzero cold are doing just fine. It’ll be time to move them into a loafing area soon so the lambs can access the creep feeder. Must be nice to be young and able to eat as much as you want.

In between moving snow and running back and forth to the barn, we make some time to watch Gopher hoops and hockey, both men’s and women’s. All the teams have been competitive and win or lose the games are entertaining. The Olympics have also been a great way to relax when we get a chance. Ruby’s latest pet peeve appears to be figure skaters. She can awaken from a dead sleep and if figure skating is on TV, she’s growling. Unless the skaters fall of course. Their movement stops and true to her Border Collie roots, that’s the way she prefers it.

See you next week…real good then.

Dotch · February 26, 2014

Wintertime winds blow cold the season

The scurs still have the winter Studebaker thermostat in the Weather Eye apparently. Will they get the right one before March 1? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with highs in the upper teens and lows near 10 below zero. Mostly sunny on Thursday with highs slightly below zero and lows near -20. Friday, a slight chance of snow. Partly sunny and warmer if you can call it that. Highs in the lower single digits above zero and lows around 10 below. Saturday March 1st, partly sunny with a slight chance of an evening snow shower. Highs once again just slightly below zero and lows near 10 below. Sunday, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of daytime snow. Highs near 5 above and lows in the middle single digits below zero. Monday, another slight chance for snow. Mostly cloudy with highs near 10 above and lows near 5 above. Mostly sunny and warmer on Tuesday with highs getting back to near 20 above and lows in the lower teens above zero. The normal high for March 1st is 33 and the normal low is 16. The sun will set after 6 p.m. once again on February 28th. The scurs are banking on all that extra daylight to warm temperatures.

Thursday’s blizzard deposited plenty of precipitation as measured at the ranch. There was roughly a quarter inch of rain that fell in the a.m. along with 8.2” of snow. Melted down the wet slop was equivalent to .87” of water. For the month we stand at about 16.2 of snow at the ranch and 1.79” of precip in liquid form. It’s well above the long term 9” average as recorded at the SROC and makes one wonder what March will do once it decides to warm up. The 30 day and 90 day temperature outlook from NOAA are indicating better than even chances of colder than normal conditions. For precip even chances of above or below normal precip are predicted. Not going out on a limb with that one.

Last week’s blizzard brought back memories of some of the storms of old although the winds had pretty much subsided by late Friday morning so one could begin digging out. It didn’t do a lot of good in some cases as plows wouldn’t show up until almost 6 p.m. Friday evening. Afterwards the roads were a fright as the heavy, wet snow made for a rutted surface and would pull a vehicle suddenly from side to side. Top this off with some people who were driving about 20 and some who seemed to think the speed limit was too slow as well as some like me who figured 40 would get me there in one piece. It’s amazing there aren’t more accidents than there are some days.

One always wonders what storms such as these will do to our feathered friends. At the ranch it seems to make them more actively seek the supplemental food we provide for them. The pheasants in particular numbered 20 on Saturday morning. It even pushed some chickadees our direction for the first time in several months. The day before the storm horned larks were commonplace along the roadsides. Surprisingly enough the robins were still in evidence Friday morning with one male gobbling down crabapples from the Indian Magic tree.

The alien has struck once again at the ranch. Coughing fits, chills, aches and pains have been the order of the day. Of course enough sleep is being lost already due to the annual event known as lambing season. It’s not bad if you can sit still under a blanket and shiver. Unfortunately it’s tough to get much done that way. It has served as a wonderful appetite suppressant though. Difficult to find food one is interested in making it lucky to have consumed all of those holiday goodies.

Lambing season is roughly half over and but it has been a battle. We’ve had some tough luck with lambs born dead and ewes not milking to their capability. The cold weather hasn’t helped. This all adds up to some bottle lambs. Bottle lambs seem to be very popular with visitors at the ranch. I must admit they are cute if you don’t have to head out there 4 or 5 times a day to feed them. However when the milk replacer is purchased and it’s your behind out there the novelty wears off pretty fast. That and seldom do bottle lambs ever amount to much. Lambs simply do much better when Mother Nature works as it’s supposed to as opposed to human meddling. A lot of things like that in life one finds.

The dogs seem to understand. They appear to know when we’re not feeling well and tend to stay quiet. Yet they’re the first there when a ewe decides to walk through an open gate or it’s time to move ewes with lambs to their loafing area. The natural instinct and non-vocalized communication of the dogs as they move the sheep with their eye contact and posturing is uncanny. It sure makes our lives a little easier. Now, if they just had opposable thumbs we could probably stay in the house.

See you next week…real good then.

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