Fencelines

[Dotch]

Strange how the night moves with autumn closing in

The scurs were betting on the ’74 Gremlin X Weather Eye to finally deliver on rain in a forecast and deliver it did. Now the burning question: Were there any leftover Kelvinator freezer parts used in its manufacture? Let’s hope not. Starting Wednesday, partly sunny becoming mostly cloudy by evening with an increasing chance for rain into the overnight hours. Highs in the mid-70’s and lows in the low 60’s. Thursday, mostly cloudy with a good chance for showers and thunderstorms. The beginning of a warming trend with highs in the low 70’s and lows near 60. Mostly cloudy Friday with a modest chance for rain showers. Highs in the mid-70’s and lows once again around 60. Saturday, mostly sunny becoming partly cloudy by evening with a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the low 60’s. Mostly sunny Sunday becoming partly cloudy by evening with a slight chance for an evening shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the low 60’s. Labor Day Monday, mostly sunny with a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the upper 50’s. Mostly sunny on Tuesday with highs in the upper 70’s and lows dropping into the mid-50’s. The sun will set before 8 p.m. on August 27th, the first time since April 16th.The normal high for September 1st is 78 and the normal low is 56. The scurs are readying for the onslaught of those yellow livestock hauling contraptions. Yes kiddies, it’s time to go back to school.

What a wonderful week last week turned out to be in terms of rainfall for most in the greater Bugtussle area! A more scattered rain fell on the 19th with more even coverage on the 22nd. More rain fell over the weekend bringing most totals for the week to well over an inch. These were welcome rains to help maintain the ear tips on the corn as well as help fill some of the flat and small pods in the soybeans. Some of the more mature corn has reached the dent stage (R5) and the most mature soybeans are also beginning to push R6 in places, typically where earlier varieties were planted on the earlier side. Some SDS (Sudden Death Syndrome) and white mold has cropped up in the soybeans since the rain. Soybean aphids have been largely controlled although some who sprayed early might be wise to continue monitoring those fields for possible re-infestation. Potential weed control issues are readily apparent in many fields with waterhemp and giant ragweed being the main problems.

Another Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour is in the books. It came up so fast and was gone just as fast. ON the eastern leg of the Tour, it went about as one might’ve guessed although some of the rumors about 300 bu./acre yields being commonplace in IL were dispelled. Also the myth about all the double ears while we were at it. As Chip Flory pointed out in our wrap up in Rochester, if you’ve got double ears you didn’t push plant population enough. All in all it was probably the most complete corn and soybean crop in the states of OH, IN and IL I’ve seen in the 11 years I’ve been going on the Tour. Sure there were some spots in some of those states that were better than others but there always are. When you looked at the big picture they were minimal. That’s what it takes to make the kind of yields being forecast nationally.

It’s still great to be home with autumn looming ever closer on the horizon. Ready or not there are subtle hints that it’s on the way. Orioles appear to be making their last hurrah with many brightly colored males gracing the feeders. I was wondering when I purchased that last jar of grape jelly if I’d really need it. Apparently and another batch of sugar water to boot. Labor Day is typically about the last we see of them at the ranch so we’ll see how much longer they hang around. The hummingbirds are in full force as their migration from the north is likely underway. Coming around the corner of the house Monday morning I almost had a collision with one, narrowly missing me as it zipped by my chin. There are more hummingbirds than ever at the ranch this year as they’ve enjoyed diving into a smorgasbord of numerous salvia varieties, impatiens, four o’clocks and morning glories. They largely have Mrs. Cheviot to thank for that.

Desperately trying to catch up on a suddenly overgrown lawn, I noticed the bur oak acorns had all fallen while I’d been gone. The garden too had changed after the rainfall, exploding with string beans, sweetcorn, more cukes and tomatoes. One of the nicest things was the mosquitoes were conspicuously absent for what seemed to be the first time all summer. And it’s always great to be able to sleep in your own bed once again even though my internal clock seems to want to stay on Eastern Time. I don’t usually sleep all that well the first few nights as it’s a strange bed and there’s too much unfamiliar noise. Someone I was visiting with on the Crop Tour said they preferred the “white noise” of the city to sleep. Not me. It is so comforting sleeping with the windows open, knowing you’re in your own bed, hearing crickets and grasshoppers chirping, Ruby snoring on the floor as well as a great horned owl hooting outside. All is right with the world.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Some may say I’m wishing my days away…

The scurs were on the money last week with their rainy forecast. Unfortunately the windshield washer was a little sticky on the Weather Eye so some places received excess precipitation. Will the new heater knob the scurs ordered from Budach’s arrive in time for a happy ending to the school week? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with a slight to moderate chance of showers as the day wears on. Highs in the low 80’s and lows in the upper 60’s. Mostly sunny and warmer for Thursday becoming mostly cloudy by evening with a moderate chance for a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the mid-80’s and lows in the upper 50’s. Partly sunny, dry and cooler on Friday with highs in the upper 60’s and lows in the low 50’s. Saturday, mostly sunny with highs in the upper 60’s and lows near 50. Mostly sunny on Sunday and continued dry with highs in the low 70’s and lows in the low 50’s. Monday, partly cloudy with a slight chance of rain. Highs near 70 and lows in the low 50’s. Tuesday, mostly sunny with highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the mid-50’s. The normal high for September 8th is 76 and the normal low is 53. We slip back below 13 hours of daylight on September 6th, the first time since April 5th. The scurs have no doubt that the Vikings will be undefeated yet on Saturday. It’s Sunday they’re worried about.

The Full Moon for the month lands on the 8th and is known as the Full Harvest Moon. The brightness of the moon allowed farmers to work long into the night before they put headlights on the horses of course. It was under this moon that many of the staples common to the native tribes were harvested. The Ojibwe called this Full Rice Moon and the Sioux called it The Moon When the Plums are Scarlet. Indeed, the wild plums at the ranch are scarlet, those that have remained hidden from the birds. We generally refer to it as the BLT Moon however.

Abundant precip fell this past week over much of the area putting farmers’ worries about having enough moisture to finish the crop to an end. The month of August at the ranch we tallied 5.6” with another .41” falling on Sunday and actually recorded for September 1st. In town the rainfall for the same period was 6.95”. The pattern of an extremely dry August the past several years has been broken. Now the biggest concern becomes having enough heat to finish although we have made some positive strides in that direction. Worrying about it won’t change it however. Most corn remains in the R5 dent stage and R6 soybeans are becoming more common with the exception of the replants of course. The rains should help keep the potential yield in play on both crops as we get closer to the finish line.

There were some large flights of dragonflies noted the last couple weeks of August then again over the past weekend. Many of those spotted at the ranch appeared to be green darners. This is interesting because this species actually migrates south to the Gulf states. Dragonflies are an important link in controlling winged insects although they may get more credit than they deserve for controlling mosquitoes as adults anyway. As Jeff Hahn at the U points out, most mosquitoes generally show up at dusk and afterwards. This doesn’t mean however that they won’t grab one should the chance arise during the day.

The white-lined sphinx moths arrived at the ranch over the weekend too. A few weeks ago one of the large green hornworms was seen feeding on some prostrate knotweed and purslane outside the Mall for Men. Was wondering when the moths would appear and first saw one working over some of the bouncing bet (an escaped ornamental) in the road ditch as I gathered the mail. The next night several were flitting between the salvia and four o’clocks in the small garden. Meteorological fall has arrived.

The orioles hung around through Labor Day so we’re holding our breath hoping they’ll stay a while longer. There were more Baltimore types than we’d seen since back in May. With their frenzied activity it’s no wonder they eat so much jelly. The hummingbirds too have been numerous and hungry. When they’re not at the feeders they’re after the plants and vice versa. Lots of squeaking as they chase after one another, rest a few seconds then do it all over again.

The lawn has taken off making it necessary to do some routine maintenance on the mowers. Both Howard and Whitey were up to an oil change so I obliged them. This is akin to cruel and unusual punishment for a Border Collie however. I left Ruby and Fudgie inside as I didn't want waste oil spilled all over the place. Unable to bite the tires as the machines were started to warm them up, I could hear much snarling and gnashing of teeth coming from the house. I could also see through the window a lot of commotion as Ruby ran frantically from the couch to the door and back. Now if only we could channel that energy into operating the mowers as opposed to just herding them then maybe we’d have something. Wishful thinking I’m afraid.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

There's a feeling I get when I look to the west

The parts the scurs ordered for the Weather Eye arrived and not moment too soon. Weather over the weekend was an absolute 10. Will our luck continue or will we see Jack Frost soon? Starting Wednesday, cloudy with a good chance of rain. Highs in the low 60’s and lows in the mid-40’s. Mostly cloudy and cooler with slight chance of a shower. Highs in the mid-50’s and lows in the low 40’s. Mostly sunny on Friday with continued cooler than normal temps. Highs in the mid-50’s and lows in the mid to upper 30’s. There exists the chance for patchy frost especially in low lying areas. Sunny again for Saturday with slightly warmer temperatures. Highs in the low 60’s and lows in the mid-40’s. Continued slightly warmer on Sunday under partly sunny skies. Highs in the mid-60’s and lows in the mid-40’s. Monday, rain likely under cloudy skies. Highs near 60 and lows near 40’s. Mostly sunny for Tuesday with continued below normal temperatures. Highs around 60 and lows in the mid-40’s. The sun will set before 7:30 p.m. on the 13th. The normal high for September 15th is 73 and the normal low is 50. The scurs have their blankets and tarps at the ready for Friday night just in case.

Crops are making their move toward the finish line. Corn is still R5 although the milk line is making its presence known. Some of the corn planted in the May 6-7 range has a milk line about halfway down the kernel. Silage harvest is underway in places. Soybeans continue to progress as well with some fields turning rapidly as they approach R7. Most are still in the R6 stage however. How much would a frost hurt either crop? It depends somewhat on the planting date. Some of those fields of corn with the milk line halfway down last week wouldn’t be hurt more than a few percent with a frost on Friday. Soybeans however would be a different story. Freezing them at mid R6 would probably mean a yield hit in the neighborhood of 15 – 20%. A couple websites gauging potential yield losses from an early frost:

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/efans/cropnews/2011/09/yield-and-harvest-consideratio.html

http://thesoyreport.blogspot.com/2013/09/odds-my-soybean-crop-will-mature-before.html

Let’s hope we don’t have to deal with frost just yet.

One can definitely see the change in the seasons is upon us. Looking to the northwest around 10ish when letting the dogs out or even if you don’t, one can see the Big Dipper prominently on display. Some of the trees in the yard are starting to show some color already which may have something to do with the stress they seemed to be under coming out of the winter in some cases. Speaking of fall colors, looking to the west the sun shining off the russet colored Indiangrass against the azure sky Saturday evening almost took my breath away.

This was also a good weekend to notice the number of insect species that were active. We have had a very busy crew of bumblebees working over not only the potted flowers but any remaining vine crop flowers. The striped and spotted cucumber beetles have been working over any soft tissue they can, leaving divots in some of the string bean pods. Some of their cousins, the northern corn rootworms have also joined them. Monarch butterflies sailed lazily past the windows much of the weekend and other species such as the yellow swallowtails were occasional visitors.

We were still seeing the odd Baltimore oriole as of Monday although the jelly consumption has tailed off substantially. It won’t surprise me if that was their last day with cooler conditions coming soon to the area. In the meantime the hummingbirds continue to keep us entertained. They emptied one feeder and were working on whatever the orioles decided to leave them in their feeder. Goldfinches have returned in numbers once again and the chickadees have recently discovered there are sunflower seeds here for the taking.

The garden continues to be a beast. While there have been more tomatoes than we know what to with, we’ve been fortunate to find good homes for large amounts of them. Others haven’t been so fortunate. The vines are huge. Apparently they liked the large amount of potassium applied this spring. There are plants of one variety of grape tomatoes that are ten feet wide! Once it started raining the end of August, they covered the peppers and string beans on either side and touch the snap peas and other row of tomatoes on the other. A reader asked about how we find the energy to do the fall gardening thing. It’s probably because we really had very little early spring garden at the ranch this year. There were still snow banks on the garden in April and parts of it were covered with standing water shortly afterwards. There are some radishes that are ready to harvest and the lettuce isn’t far behind. Some of the kohlrabi is slow but there is hopefully a lot of time left before the ground freezes.

In the meantime the sheep continue to enjoy the spoils (literally) from the garden. Too often the bunnies or the picnic beetles seem to locate the ripe muskmelons before we do. While that’s unfortunate it’s nice to know that nothing goes to waste. Even the cobs from the sweetcorn are devoured completely. How they perform that feat is entertaining to say the least. They somehow manage to put the entire cob in their mouth then start grinding away. Within a matter of a few seconds it’s gone and they’re looking for another one. It isn’t so amazing however after one has tried slipping a bolus down their throat. A sheep’s molars are razor sharp and your thumb making contact with them will result in it looking like a piece of hamburger. Bloody, rare hamburger.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Yeah, I know nobody knows where it comes and where it goes

The scurs got the new part installed then erred when hooking the control cables on the Weather Eye back up. Who knew the instructions for a ’74 Gremlin would be written in Chinese? Will they find a translator in time for the kindly neighbors’ 50th wedding anniversary? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with highs in the upper 60’s and lows near 50. Thursday, mostly sunny with a slight chance of an evening shower or thunderstorm. Highs again in the upper 60’s with lows in the mid-50’s. Becoming more interesting on Friday as humidity returns under cloudy skies and with it a good chance of a shower or thunderstorm as the say wears on. Highs near 70 and lows in the upper 50’s. Cloudy becoming partly sunny on Saturday with a good chance of a lingering shower or thunderstorm in the forenoon. Highs in the low 70’s and highs in the mid-50’s. Sunday, absolutely gorgeous under mostly sunny skies with highs around 70 and lows in the low 50’s. Partly cloudy on Monday with highs in the low 70’s and lows near 50. Continued sunshine for Tuesday with highs again in the low 70’s and lows around 50. The sun will rise after 7 a.m. on the 22nd. For September 23rd, the first day of autumn this year, the normal high is 70 and the normal low is 46. The scurs could get the leaf blower tuned up although it’s much easier to let the wind and lawnmower solve the problem.

The frost on the 13th was likely not technically a killing frost but it certainly caused a lot of panic once the widespread nature was discovered. While frost was noticeable as far south as Kansas and Nebraska the markets shrugged it off Monday morning as a minor event. How bad was the damage? Good question and one that won’t be answered unfortunately until combines roll. The frost injury varied so much across the landscape with elevation as well as with variety or hybrid that trying to figure it out could just about drive one batty. Much of the corn was already ½ milk line or approaching maturity on the early planting so the damage should be minimal on that. Probably the most disappointing thing about it was many of the upper pods we had great hope for on the soybeans were suddenly nipped, taking much of the top end out of the soybean crop locally. Along with that no rhyme nor reason to it. Areas of replants in the low spots were hardly touched while some soybeans in upland areas froze hard. It’s a mystery sometimes and frequently not one worth spending time on as knowing that really doesn’t matter.

The frost pattern at the ranch followed suit with what was seen in the fields. Areas and plants that should’ve been killed were spared. Impatiens in a pot in the road ditch where the frost stayed on several hours were untouched. The garden itself where it was on the west side of the trees and the frost stays on typically escaped relatively unscathed. This is also where the tomatoes reside and we covered nothing. About the only thing getting dinged by the frost was the coleus in some of the pots up by the house. The odd thing there was the lack of any frost in the grass by the house.

The orioles must’ve seen the frost coming as the last one was spotted on the 8th. There is still some jelly left in the feeder but the nuthatches and red-bellied woodpeckers seem to be cleaning it up. Won’t be long and we’ll put the suet feeder back out for them. The hummingbirds continue to be guests although their numbers may be starting to tail off after the frost. Last year we had them until the last few days in September so will keep the nectar feeders cleaned and filled for a while yet. Goldfinches are numerous both in the yard and in the CRP around the pond. There are lots of composites down there with plenty of seeds for their dining pleasure. Took a quick peek at the pond area only to find it void of ducks that a few weeks ago had been raising a ruckus. Canada geese however have zoned in on the wheat field harvested across the road at the Dubya’s so morning and evening we are treated to goose music.

The fall garden produce has started to take shape. The first of the radishes hit the table Monday night so Mrs. Cheviot insisted on a radish sandwich. The radishes have some power although they are sweeter than usual. Alas it appears the fall veggie experiment will not yield the fruit it did last season. The snap peas have yet to flower although the warmer temps may help that along. Even the winter radishes are taking their sweet time about getting rolling. Oh well, there are plenty of things to eat still to come. The carrots haven’t been touched yet and the greens are getting closer to eating size.

The show sheep came back off the circuit on Sunday as the folks who’d been showing them brought them home to us. In the meantime we had to take a few more head over to the kindly neighbors’ pasture. This has been a great summer for pasture as the ewes are generally fat and look like we’ve been feeding them shell corn. They do get some vegetable leftovers at home and at the other pasture dine on bur oak acorns. It was later afternoon when the show sheep arrived and after being champions in three different states, they were in good rig. Not much different at feeding time than the lambs that had been on full feed actually as they dove into the grain trough just like they’d never left the ranch.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

She's my sweet little thing, she's my pride and joy

The wily scurs and their Weather Eye were hitting on all cylinders once again. Will the warm temps continue to head our way or is the other shoe about to drop? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with a modest chance for showers. Highs in the low 70’s and lows in the mid-50’s. Mostly sunny on Thursday and warmer with highs in the mid-70’s and lows in the upper 50’s. Friday and Saturday, mostly sunny and warmer with highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the mid to upper 50’s. Sunny and slightly cooler Sunday and Monday with highs in the mid-70’s and lows in the mid-50’s. Tuesday sunny and a little cooler with highs in the mid-70’s and lows in the low 50’s. On September 25th we will experience our first day of less than 12 hours of daylight since March 16th. To add insult to injury the sun will also set before 7 p.m. on September 29th. Our normal high for the last day of September is 67 and the normal low is 43. The scurs are trimming the wicks on their kerosene lanterns so they can read fan mail into the wee hours of the morning.

After rains fell on the 15th it looked like it might be smooth sailing for the rest of the week as forecasters pulled their horns in until the last minute and voila! We got rain on Friday and Saturday night. Fortunately most of greater Bugtussle escaped with minor damage while crops to the north suffered severe injury from hail. In Waseca the hail actually made the Twin Cities news which is odd as usually anything south of Mankato is considered a foreign country. More corn in the area continued to reach black layer and soybeans were largely R7 where at least one pod on the main stem has reached its mature color. Sweet corn yields have been running very well with many reports of 8 – 9 ton. This usually bodes well for field corn yields.

At the ranch we saw .29” of rain both Friday and Saturday night bringing our September total to 1.76”. Last year we had 1.69” for the entire month. Our soil profile remains relatively full with some water seen standing on the edges of neighboring fields. The lawns have really taken off and given some warm weather, they will make up for lost time. As it is we’re back to mowing once a week with no letup in sight. After the frost scare the tomatoes continue to overrun everything and picking them takes until dark after the chores are done. I’ve given up on the green beans finally. After seeing the first planting is still bearing there is just a limit. They were great but enough is too much sometimes. More radishes are ready although the location this fall hasn’t agreed with them. Getting enough sunlight in areas of the garden is becoming a challenge and where to move parts of it becomes a question.

With the orioles a distant memory, under the cover of darkness, the barn swallows must’ve snuck off last week. It isn’t like there aren’t any flying insects to eat but their numbers are starting to tail off. Hummingbirds appear to be the next go with some still around on the 23rd yet. Last year the last hummingbirds at the ranch were seen on September 30th and in 2012 it was the 21st. One good thing about having all these old columns to reference, one can see when some of these phenological events took place. There are other birds moving through too. There are lots of flycatchers and a juvenile yellow-bellied sapsucker was spotted on the 19th.

Getting into the office since mid-July has become more interesting every day. Some days it’s like George Costanza trying to outwit his employer after he’s been told not to show up for work. You still find a way into the office even if they’ve rerouted the streets since the last time you were in town. Probably the biggest issue has been the lack of communication to let us know where they’ll be working next so we can plan ahead to take an alternate route. Oh well, that’s the name of the game anymore. We have all these wonderful ways and means for communicating and by golly, we’re simply horrible at using any of them unless of course it suits our purpose.

There are plenty of mosquitoes around yet so am not going to take any chances on either of our pride and joy contracting heartworm. Last Friday afternoon was heartworm shot update day so off Fudgie, Ruby and I hopped in the soccer mom van for a trip to the vet’s office. Oddly enough there was no one ahead of us so we were able to get right in. Dr. Dennis was on duty and while he towers over them, it’s easy to see our Border Collies love and respect him. Ruby was first and after a few minutes Dr. Dennis came in, cooing to her on the end of her leash. She looked up at him submissively with just the tip of her tail wagging. Within a few seconds, he calmly leaned down and slipped her the injection. She winced briefly but the tail kept wagging resulting in more praise. Fudgie was next after returning Ruby to the van. Fudgie can be cantankerous around strangers but she walked right over to him as he spoke softly to her. Without me holding her she too allowed him to give her the update sans growling or snapping. She even got a treat for her behavior. One doesn’t have to say the word “treat” twice to let them know they’re being rewarded for being good. I think I know how Mom felt sometimes when she took us to the dentist then afterwards to Berg’s Drug in Stewartville for a soda. She knew it wouldn’t last so she had to savor the moment.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

I've done no harm, I keep to myself

There's nothing wrong with my state of mental health

The scurs are keeping their options open this week hoping their good weather fortunes continue although they can’t remember which thermostat is in the Gremlin controlling the Weather Eye. What does the first week in October portend? Starting Wednesday mostly cloudy with a good chance of rain in the forenoon with decreasing chances into the afternoon. Highs in the upper 60’s and lows in the mid-50’s. Mostly cloudy Thursday with a good chance of a shower or even a thunderstorm. Highs in the upper 60’s and lows in the mid-40’s. Friday, much cooler and mostly sunny with a slight chance for showers. Highs in the mid-50’s and lows in the upper 30’s. Continued cool under sunny skies on Saturday with highs again in the mid-70’s and lows in the mid-40’s. Sunday, mostly sunny and warmer with highs in the mid-60’s and lows in the mid-40’s. Mostly sunny for Monday and Tuesday with highs in the low to mid 60’s and lows in the mid-40’s. The normal high for October 5th is 65 and the normal low is 41.The scurs will be awaiting the total lunar eclipse at 5:25 a.m. on the 8th.

Some harvest activity this past week and results so far have been encouraging. Warm temps pushed crops to maturity rapidly. Soybeans that looked like they may have been underachievers from a cool and in some cases a frosty finish to the season came through with early returns of 40 – 50+ bu./acre yields. And this from early maturing beans with in some cases hail damage on them. Corn hasn’t been touched in general yet but there will be some early contracts to be filled so we should know soon. Odds are it too may be a positive surprise.

Wrote some of this from my little fat buddy’s most excellent camp near Atikokan Ontario. It was time again to get away and relax for a spell. It truly is a great place to let your hair down and forget about the hustle and bustle of greater Bugtussle. The leaves were coming on although they weren’t close to peak yet. The Sunday rain and wind took many of the leaves off in the coming prime areas. The birch trees had been a pretty yellow and some of the maples had been right on their heels. The tamarack had not yet turned although some were noticeably paler on our return home. The temperatures were very palatable and because fishing was slow, soaking up the sun was the order of the day Friday and Saturday. Lounging on a dock in shorts having late September refreshments in the Great White North is truly something to savor. We did travel around some too and observed a spectacular stair-step waterfall not unlike others common to the area. A few smallmouth were caught so we could say we were fishing. Food was superb with local produce from the ranch making up some of the fare. Of course some extremely cutthroat cribbage was played. The board got a workout even if we forgot which leg we were on. Oh well, that way the games last longer.

We also watched and listened to the birds. One knew it would be a good time when upon going outside for the last time in the evening, a barred owl was busy with its patented “who cooks for you?” call. In the daytime, some robins were moving through the area. A few gray jays or camp robbers as they're known locally were checking us out for any potential handouts. Chickadees were occasional visitors and the juncos were still around yet. Last year it wasn’t long after we were home and they showed up at the ranch so we’ll have to see if they repeat that behavior.

It’s always good to see home show up again though. Ruby will just about come unglued after one is gone for an extended length of time. Of course that happens when you’re gone from morning until noon sometimes. Fudgie is less animated but glad to see you nonetheless. It’s interesting to see if anything has changed while we were away. Typically the garden requires attention and the lawn needs another mowing. That much is a given. It’s always a question too when the hummingbirds are ready to depart. (There were still two at the ranch yet Tuesday the 30th) Some may question how one can take off this time of year for a few days when everything is starting to happen in the fields. Sometimes you just need a change of scenery if only for a brief stay. There was no TV or internet. Just breathtaking scenery, three guys telling stories (all true by the way), listening to old rock and roll while sharing a lot of laughs. It’s necessary to take a breather sometimes not to mention crucial for one’s state of mental health.

I may have to hold off on the one year anniversary card I’d planned on sending to the phone company. If you’ll recall, last year about this time the road construction crew contracted by the Peoples’ Republic of Steele Co. hit our phone line, interrupting our phone and internet service. The line was replaced by the phone company and left laying on top of the ground for a subcontractor to bury later or so we were told. In spite of our numerous requests and subsequent work orders over the past year for its burial, it has remained above ground. It sounds like this may be about to change. While I was gone, the phone service and internet service were disrupted again. After several attempts to get through the maze of button pressing options that corporate America likes to call “customer service”, Mrs. Cheviot was finally able to get someone from the phone company out to look at it. When he looked at the situation, he couldn’t believe that the matter hadn't been resolved. This time it turned out the neighbors must’ve accidentally hit the phone line when they were mowing hay by the road ditch. If I’d known that’s what it would take to get action, I would’ve run the cable through the lawnmower myself last fall!

See you next week...real good then.

[Dotch]

Don’t it make my brown eyes blue…

The scurs slipped up on the temperature control lever on the Weather Eye. Must’ve thought they’d slid it left and instead slid it right resulting in colder conditions over the weekend. Will the scurs memory be tested once again? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with a slight chance of an overnight shower. Highs in the mid-60’s and lows in the upper 30’s. Partly sunny on Thursday and Friday with highs in the mid-50’s and lows in the mid-30’s both days. Partly sunny and slightly warmer on Saturday with a slight chance of a shower by evening. Highs in the upper 50’s and lows in the low 40’s. Mostly cloudy on Sunday with an increasing chance for showers by evening. Highs in the upper 50’s and lows in the low 40’s. Mostly cloudy for Columbus Day and Tuesday with a good chance of showers Monday lingering into Tuesday a.m. Highs in the mid-50’s and lows in the mid-30’s. The normal low for October 13th is 61 and the normal low is 38. In their spare time, the scurs will be watching to see how many people grab the Post Office door Monday by mistake.

As mentioned last week, the total Lunar Eclipse will appear at 5:25 a.m., several hours ahead of the Star Eagle being in your mailbox so if you’re reading this now, you missed it. The 8th also brings us the Full Moon for the month. It goes by several names including the Full Hunter’s Moon and the Full Blood Moon. It was at this time the settlers and Native Americans were busy packing their larders with wild game for the long winter ahead. The Ojibwe knew this as the Falling Leaves Moon and the Sioux called it the Moon of Falling Leaves. At the ranch it is known primarily as the “Burn Electricity to do Chores Moon”.

Harvest was at a standstill for much of last week with rainfall dampening the opportunity for soybean combining. Cool, cloudy early November-like conditions following the precipitation slowed drying with soybean harvest very hit and miss late week through the weekend. Soybeans were still in many cases uneven and while the weekend frost helped some, there are still a lot of fields with green soybeans and leaves on in places as of this writing. Corn remains wet and again while some picking has been done, most are waiting to get their beans out first before running the dryer on corn that tests in the upper 20 and low 30 percent moisture range. The good news is the rainfall last week wasn’t a real game changer. The bad news is stalk rot rearing its ugly head in many fields and several forecasters are predicting a wetter second half to the month. Oh goody.

Luckily at the ranch we were able to harvest much of the remaining garden produce ahead of the frost both Sunday and Monday morning. It has been a harvest likely to mirror what will be found in the fields. There is plenty and enough that we could share the abundant portions such as the tomatoes with lots of people. It was not without its disappointments however. For the number of hills of vine crops, one would’ve expected better production. In a cool summer though, it’s probably unrealistic to expect a bumper crop of squash and pumpkins. Ditto with the Indian corn. Planted late with standing water on it in June, it struggled to produce the number of big, showy ears we would’ve liked. That’s one of the reasons we maintain our diversity however. When something bombs, at least there are other vegetable crops that come through with flying colors. Sometimes that’s a lesson we tend to forget in this day and age.

Phenologically speaking this was a banner week. During the rainy weather this past week, salamanders were crossing the road. I found one by a water bucket in the barn and just for laughs decided to see how well they can swim. Very well I discovered. Monday after the frost there were still monarch butterflies floating past. Somehow it appears that word of their demise appears to be greatly exaggerated. Bluebirds are frequently passing through at the ranch as well as at the kindly neighbors’. The last hummingbird at the ranch was spotted on Saturday the 4th and that same day, there were still some barn swallows at Krause’s in Hope. On my way home from there, more were seen flying alongside the road. Robins are feasting on the nannyberries. I still enjoy snacking on the berries as well. The leathery black skins sometimes get stuck in your teeth so you can do a pretty good hockey player impression. Last but not least the juncos are back again. They’ve been seen under the four o’clocks and in several of the conifers in the yard. See? They did follow me back from Canada!

Alas, this past weekend found me battling an early season edition of the alien. The cool temps didn’t help matters as I decided it was time to find the flannel sheets and turn the floor heat on in order to stay warm. As mentioned, we had gathered most of the garden so Saturday was a good day to enjoy some of the college football upsets. I thought perhaps I was the only one who was ailing Sunday as we left for church having coughed and strained my vocal chords. When we started the first hymn, I realized my vocal range was suddenly more like Bill Medley’s rather than Bobby Hatfield’s. After we sat down, I couldn’t believe the amount of coughing from the rest of the congregation. I hadn’t witnessed that much barking since the last time Ruby and Fudgie heard the Schwan’s man pull into the driveway. After church it was quiet time. My voice was about shot and I’m sure that made Mrs. Cheviot’s day. Until I started a couple hours’ worth of snoring that is. Just my version of blue-eyed soul.

See you next week...real good then.

[Dotch]

Heavenly shades of night are falling, it's twilight time

With the scurs memory slipping, the Weather Eye from the ‘74 Gremlin continues to make them ponder: Would the heater control cable benefit from a shot of PB Blaster to help warm the temperatures up? Starting Wednesday, sunny with highs in the low 60’s and lows in the mid-40’s. Mostly sunny Thursday with highs in the mid-60’s and lows in the mid-40’s. Mostly sunny for Friday and slightly cooler with highs in the upper 50’s and lows in the upper 30’s. Saturday, slightly cooler and mostly sunny becoming partly cloudy towards evening. Highs in the low 50’s and lows in the mid-40’s. Partly cloudy Sunday with a slight chance of a passing shower. Highs in the low 50’s with lows around 35. Monday, sunny with highs near 55 and lows in the upper 30’s. Warmer for Tuesday under continued sunny skies. Highs in the low 60’s with lows in the low 40’s. The normal high for October 16th is 60 and the normal low is 37, much the same as we see around April 20th. With daylight disappearing at roughly 2 ½ minutes per day, twilight comes a little earlier each night. We dip below 11 hours of daylight on October 16th, something we haven’t experienced since February 24th. The scurs suspect they should be looking for their ice scraper soon.

Progress was made in the fields although it continues to be slow going. Some corn has been harvested but it will be a while especially with soybeans still in the field. While yields have generally been a pleasant surprise, continued heavy dews and frosty mornings made for several later than wanted starts to the day for soybean combining. Add to that the general unevenness and it has been a frustrating soybean harvest thus far for many. The hard frosts of the past week should help in that department but it still takes warmer temperatures to help that come to fruition. Unfortunately our calendar is heading the wrong direction. As Mark Seeley, Extension Climatologist from the U of M points out, we have a wider range of temperatures this time of year. Sure it warms up in the daytime but it takes a while to get there. With the longer nights, the landscape tends to cool down more. Also, our high temperature for the day tends to occur earlier on a relative basis. For instance, our maximum daytime temperature occurs from 5 – 6 p.m. in July. In October that happens from 4 – 5 p.m. and in December, it slides up to 3 – 4 p.m. Let’s not go there just yet.

The birds are certainly telling us at the ranch that winter will be here before we know it. The hummingbirds haven’t been back since the 4th although we’ve left some sugar water in one feeder for the benefit of any stragglers. While the frosts have done in much of the flora, there are still lots of salvia that escaped relatively unscathed. On the 10th, some of our migrating spring visitors, namely the white throated and Harris’s sparrows were heard and seen. One wonders if they’re the same individuals we saw in the spring but there is really no way for us to tell. The birds are transitioning from summer to fall as well. Lots of blue jays calling and flying from one feeder to the next. A red-bellied woodpecker appears daily on the ear corn and a white-breasted nuthatch frequents the sunflower feeder as I eat my cereal each morning. A handful of goldfinches still visits occasionally, the brilliant yellow summer color of the males already a distant memory. Large flocks of robins continue to make their way through, having picked the nannyberries nearly clean in just a few weeks’ time.

Gardening continues as we dug the potatoes under Ruby’s close supervision. She must think I’m going to unearth more play balls as she tenses up, ready to pounce should one of the tubers make a false move. Fudgie would rather do what most kids do this time of year and that’s roll in the leaves. The ash leaves are starting to accumulate in areas and while there are no real piles, they’re crispy and make lots of noise so it doesn’t seem to matter. Like many in the area, we’ve also picked lots of apples, mostly to give away and/or trade. The Haralson and Firesides are enormous this year and the Haralson tree in particular is loaded. Sunday we had some beekeeper customers from Eagle Bend who bought a ram and some ewes from us. Mrs. Cheviot wound up swapping some gourds, Indian corn, carrots, squash and apples for a copious amount of honey, both regular and the spun variety. Heavenly!

Sometimes a sense of nostalgia comes over me. 40 years ago I distinctly remember the fall of ’74 when it froze early. Dad decided it was a good idea to borrow the neighbor’s single row McCormick corn binder and shock a small field. Corn shocks add a pastoral view to the land but as anyone who has performed the task of shocking can tell you, it’s a lot of work. IH made its last corn binder in 1953 marking the end of an era. Few missed carrying the heavy bundles or were sad to see the corn binders gone. The neighbor’s model was a horse-drawn model that had been converted so it could be pulled by a tractor. It also had a bundle carrier. The bundle carrier was a nice feature allowing bundles to accumulate as one drove across the field. A rope was pulled engaging the conveyor on the carrier and dumping the bundles off in piles for more efficient shocking. Many of the binders of the day had made the next step to being PTO powered. Oddly enough, most farmers didn’t retro fit those models for horses. Apparently there was no place on the horse to attach the PTO shaft.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Sleep pretty darling do not cry

And I will sing a lullaby

Last week’s judicious use of PB Blaster on the Weather Eye heat control cable apparently paid big dividends for the scurs. Weather this past week was absolutely gorgeous. Will their new found remedy continue to yield results? Starting Wednesday, sunny becoming cloudy with a good chance of a shower developing after midnight. Highs in the upper 50’s and lows in the upper 40’s. Mostly cloudy on Thursday with a good chance of morning showers. Highs in the upper 50’s and lows in the mid-40’s. Then the beautiful weather comes back. Mostly sunny on Friday with highs in the upper 60’s and lows in the mid-40’s. Sunny on Saturday with highs in the mid-60’s and lows in the mid-40’s. Sunday, mostly sunny becoming mostly cloudy with a slight chance for an evening shower. Highs again in the upper 60’s with lows in the upper 40’s. Partly cloudy and cooler on Monday with a modest chance of a shower. Highs in the upper 50’s with lows in the low 40’s. Tuesday, mostly sunny with highs in the low 50’s and lows in the mid-30’s. The normal high for October 25th is 55 and the normal low is 34. In a month the normal high will be the same as the normal low for October 25th. With corn harvest upon us the scurs anxiously await the roar of Bugtussle’s very own ten-man dryer.

How our weather fortunes have improved! Progress in the fields picked up steam as the week wore on. Soybean harvest is now nearing completion in most of the area including the replants. Corn harvest has begun in earnest with moistures running in the low to mid- 20’s. Test weights have been a little on the light side with many reports of 52 – 53 lbs. Several potential reasons for this given the loss of nitrogen following the heavy June rains, an early frost in some areas and stalk rot, also catalyzed by the wet June weather. Standability has become an issue in some fields and as was mentioned in previous editions, one will want to stay on top of corn harvest and not be waiting for corn dry enough to put it in the bin. Travels over the weekend also revealed a potential major problem over much of southern MN. It appears we could be one 40 – 50 mph windstorm away from a lot more down corn.

On Saturday, with corn harvest commencing it meant getting the screening wagon back to its rightful owner for a refill. This is almost always more difficult than it should be. First the tractor wanted to be persnickety about starting. Seems the solenoid is going and it takes some finesse to get it started. Of course the skid steer that I had repaired the week before was dead as a stone. Again, after getting nothing from putting the battery charger on it and some head scratching I remembered a 30 amp fuse on it had blown 10 years ago. It exhibited the same symptoms so after fishing around the odds and ends drawer I located a 10 year old package of 30 amp fuses. Replaced the fuse and voila! Back in business and able to move the wagon out of the space it was cramped into. The trip to beautiful downtown Matawan was all that it could’ve been and more. The wagon trailed well and actually made it to the destination in one piece. Well almost. The piece of electric fence wire holding the chute up had broken. Luckily I always carry a spare. It’s an unwritten rule that if you borrow something and it breaks you’re obligated to fix it. The former mayor of Waldorf and his sidekick seemed pleased to see it was restored with factory original parts.

Bird migration continues to roll along. There are still lots of robins and now that it’s warmed up a little, they’ve focused their attention to the earthworms that have become more willing to some above ground. Oh sure they’re still feeding on chokeberries but they do enjoy their earthworms. Bluebirds aren’t as plentiful of course but their softly spoken call lakes one aware of their presence. It also reminds me of the broods that were fledged both at the ranch and the kindly neighbors. Hopefully next year will bring even more. The fox squirrels continue to give Ruby and Fudgie something to occupy their spare time. With a little help from the blue jays the little rodents have cleaned up all the acorns under our trees, eating some but probably distributing them to points unknown. Finding the flat cap from one of the red oak acorns on the patio, one can only imagine where the seedlings might turn up.

Gardening has slowed primarily due to lack of daylight hours after work. The snap peas have disappointed with only a couple rubbery pods resulting after the heavy frosts. There are still carrots to dig and they look promising. The longer they are left in the ground the sweeter they seem to be. Soil conditions are such that one of these weekend afternoons we’ll need to take advantage of that. And we’re still enjoying the last of the tomatoes while sampling more of the new spuds. One softball sized red Pontiac is enough for a whole pan of fried potatoes. Combined with onions and some fried eggs on the side, it’s a combination that always qualifies as comfort food when one runs out of ideas for a quick supper. There are still lots of apples remaining to pick too so there can be some pies and baked apples. Did manage a trade of some apples for some excellent pears. While small they were very sweet. Even after the trade it still didn’t look like we had picked any apples.

Sunday meant a whirlwind tour to SE MN, the land of rolling hills and limestone bluffs. Taking MN 30 to Stewartville, US 63 to Spring Valley and the back road to Chatfield via Fillmore is about as good as it gets. The return route west out of Chatfield on MN 30 made for an encore performance as we wound our way along the Root River valley and climbed up the Cummingsville hill. The entire journey colors were at their peak and with every turn and bend in the road, a new panorama unfolded. The red oaks combined with the flame orange maples and yellow basswood were breathtaking with contrasting green pockets of white pines interspersed. Our return to the ranch coincided with the firing up of the corn dryer at neighbor David’s. Some say that it seems awfully loud but it’s just part of the furniture. Actually it qualifies as a sleeping aid. Upon my head hitting the pillow and hearing the hum of the dryer, it’s like singing a lullaby to a baby. The evidence: Sunday evening within a matter of minutes I was out like a light. The perfect end to a perfect day.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Time goes by so slowly and time can do so much

With another bonus week the scurs are convinced that the well-lubed heat control cable continues to produce warm temps from the Weather Eye. Nash-Rambler had it right! Will our good weather fortunes continue another week is the other shoe about to drop? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with highs near 50 and lows in the mid-30’s. Mostly sunny and warmer with a slight chance of an overnight shower on Thursday. Highs in the upper 50’s and lows in the upper 20’s. For Halloween’s ghosts and goblins, sunny and cooler with highs in the low 40’s and lows in the upper 20’s. Saturday, sunny and slightly warmer with highs in the upper 40’s and lows in the upper 30’s. On Sunday, mostly cloudy and warmer with a slight chance of a shower. Highs in the low 50’s and lows in the low 40’s. Monday and Tuesday, partly sunny and continued mild. Highs in the low 50’s and lows in the upper 20’s. The normal high for October 31st is 51 and the normal low is 32. The scurs are tuning up the 3.8 liter six in the pumpkin orange ’74 Gremlin X, the perfect vehicle for collecting Halloween treats. Good thing there is no clock in it to set back at precisely 2 a.m. on Sunday morning.

Luckily Mother Nature gave us a treat in the way of a warmer than normal last half of October. Corn that everyone feared would never dry down was suddenly at very acceptable moisture levels. Even waxy corn, renowned for hanging onto its moisture and drying hard has come down into the upper teens. Corn yields however have been fickle. Much of the corn on corn has been disappointing with yield in many cases in the mid-150 range when drown outs are factored in. Not surprisingly corn on prevent plant acres has yielded very respectably. The bias has also been towards corn yielding better as one goes east, partially because of the number of prevented plant acres but equally as important, rolling topography that allowed the heavy June rains to run off and not pond on those fields. Soybeans harvest is for all practical purposes complete but again, showed the same east-west bias as the corn yields.

The Indian summer had everyone feeling rather giddy in spite of the fact the breezes had largely taken our fall color and plopped it on the ground. Case in point being the bright yellow Norway maple leaves cascading down the road cut. The sheep are happy to see one more category of treat however in addition to the usual apple cores, peelings and misfit vegetables. There’s a distinct line where the fence divides the lawn and pasture. On the lawn: Leaves. In the pasture: No leaves. The mower will make short work of the leaves soon enough on our side of the fence, turning them to confetti for the earthworms and other soil dwelling invertebrates.

The last of the apples were harvested Sunday afternoon. After giving away a few bushels earlier, there were still 3 – 4 bushels of Haralson’s, a couple bushel of Fireside’s and about a dozen remaining SnowSweet’s. All have their fit and while some like their tart taste for eating raw, the Haralson is still a tough to beat cooking apple. They don’t turn to mush while the complex flavor comes through. The variety has been around a long time, released by the U of M in 1922. Fireside was released in in 1943 and is primarily an eating apple although it is not real crisp. It makes up for that with its sweetness and also works well for baked apples. SnowSweet is a 2006 release and is generally an eating apple that oxidizes slowly. It maintains the white flesh color as someone observed as I gnawed on one the other day. The apple can also be made into sauce but with caramel, some say they are better than (fill in the blank).

The fall birds are taking center stage more and more. More activity on the suet from downy and hairy woodpeckers as well as the red bellies. A nuthatch seems to always be on one of the sunflower feeders during daylight hours and the jays get their fair share not only of sunflowers but corn from the ear corn feeder. There are a few pine siskins hanging around too. Not sure why but they pick at the thistle seed and leave, only to return again from parts unknown.

The time change is upon us and not a minute too soon. I mentioned a few weeks back that the alien had struck and turns out it never left. I’ve been through numerous cycles of starting to feel better for a few days only to be dragged back down into feeling like crud for a few more. The coughing as Mrs. Cheviot mentioned was coming from down around my toenails. If that weren’t bad enough, no matter how much I’d sleep, I was still tired. After about a month of this nonsense, Monday I’d had enough and consulted the local doctor. As luck would have it the diagnosis was about what I figured: Walking pneumonia. Now, it sounds worse than it really is. There’s no high temp as one would have with regular pneumonia but as the name suggests, you just sort of keep going through the paces and the stuff keeps nagging you. With some wicked antibiotics and other tincture, I’m taking the gloves off so I can get back in the game. This seems to have gone on forever but there is no alternative. There are dozens of tasks to be accomplished before the snow flies. In the meantime, we get our stolen hour back for some precious extra sleep. I was beginning to think that day would never come.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Oh oh, telephone line, give me some time, I'm living in twilight

The scurs were glad to get a few more days of warmer temps through early week but some strange noises emanating from the Weather Eye have them worried. Is the other shoe about to drop or will our charmed weather lives continue? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with a good chance of rain changing to snow by evening. Highs in the mid-50’s and lows in the mid-30’s. Partly sunny for Thursday with highs in the low 40’s and lows in the mid-20’s. Friday, partly sunny becoming cloudy with a slight chance of rain changing to snow in the evening. Highs in the low 40’s and lows in the low 30’s. Saturday, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of snow. Highs in the mid-30’s with lows in the low 20’s. Partly sunny on Sunday with highs in the mid-30’s and lows in the mid- 20’s. Monday, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of snow. Highs in the mid-30’s and lows in the upper teens. Tuesday mostly sunny and slightly warmer. Highs in the upper 30’s and lows in in the mid-teens. On the 7th we slip below 10 hours of daylight again for the first time since February 3rd. The normal high for November 11th is 44 and the normal low is 27. The scurs will be flying Old Glory in honor of all those who have served.

November 6th brings the Full Moon for the month, known as the Full Beaver Moon. The time of year to trap beaver and other furbearers was important as it meant a plentiful supply of warm fur for the long winter ahead. The moon also goes by the Full Frosty Moon. The Ojibwe knew this as the Freezing Moon and the Sioux called this the Moon of Falling Leaves. At the ranch we’re content to call it the Moon to Plug in Water Tank Heaters.

Harvest is nearing completion in most quarters. Corn yields continue to be generally disappointing with occasional blips over 200 but yields largely in the 160 – 170 range. Simply too much water in June, nitrogen loss, poor root systems, stalk rot, and a mid-September frost that caught some of the same areas that were already in trouble due to the other factors. Add it all up and it’s a season most of us are glad to be done with and got on to another one. Heading into next season, conditions for fall application of anhydrous ammonia have been nearly ideal locally. The relatively light precipitation for the past two months has led to very friable soils. Fall tillage is also progressing well and despite the fact the corn started out wet, the relatively quick end to harvest was a pleasant surprise.

Some lows in the low 20’s did indeed bring out the water tank heater in the main barn as the water would’ve been frozen solid otherwise. It also meant draining hoses in order to avoid hauling water buckets around. Luckily that was short-lived although we know full well that won’t last. Banking the well pit with fresh bales will need to happen too before too long. The old ones make good cover for sensitive plants and decompose into the garden, enhancing the soil for upcoming seasons.

At the ranch, fall has also progressed rapidly. Carrots were harvested and being left in the ground this late they’re almost ridiculously sweet. Some of the small trees were wrapped as well as the bunnies don’t seem to care that there is still plenty of green grass they could eat. The leaves were ground up ahead of Monday night’s rain. Strong breezes allowed a few stragglers to sneak across the yard behind me. Fudgie and Ruby were both tuckered out after following the mower back and forth for much of the day. They enjoyed it as it will likely be their last tire biting and lawnmower herding session of the season.

The dense canopy of leaves suddenly being down revealed the typical large number of bird nests left behind every fall. As we’ve mentioned before it’s no wonder it gets noisy during the spring and summer months. There is the usual collection of robin, mourning dove, chipping sparrow and grackle nests along with some that after weathering it’s really hard to tell. Probably the most interesting among all the nests is likely one belonging to a catbird. It all makes sense now. Between the dense bushes and the 40 billion mosquitoes contained in them I could never locate the reason for all the scolding. Thanks Mike for the nice photos of the catbird nest from your place this summer to help cement that one!

Probably the biggest news coming out of the ranch though is the trenching in of the phone line that was residing on top of the ground for over 13 months. Not exactly sure what triggered the sudden recent activity by the phone company. Could’ve been the irate phone call from Mrs. Cheviot. Might’ve been the scathing complaint I filed with the MN Public Utilities Commission. Or perhaps it was my less than complimentary letter including the picture of Eddie Albert talking on the phone on the telephone pole. Whatever. I could go on about the actions or inactions of the phone company but somehow we are just relieved the debacle is over. Being able to mow the lawn straight through without moving the line or concern about chopping it up for the first time all year was a moral victory. And, seeing the cable lying alongside the road less than a week ago, having it buried again meant one less thing to worry about with winter closing in.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Keep your eyes on the road, your hands upon the wheel

The scurs were right to be concerned about the Weather Eye’s unusual noises last week. It meant a major cool down was on the way. Will the thermostat stay stuck open or will we catch a break? Starting Wednesday, partly sunny with a slight chance of snow. Highs in the mid-20’s and lows in the low teens. Thursday, mostly cloudy with highs in the mid-20’s and lows in the mid-single digits. Mostly sunny Friday with highs in the low 20’s and lows around 10. Saturday, mostly cloudy and warmer with a moderate chance of snow. Highs in the upper 20’s with lows around 5. Partly sunny for Sunday and colder. Highs in the upper teens and lows in the upper single digits. Monday, mostly sunny and slightly warmer. Highs near 20 with lows in the upper single digits. Mostly sunny on Tuesday with highs in the mid-20’s and lows in the low teens. The normal high for November 15th is 42 and the normal low is 25. The scurs are thinking they should flush the Bar’s Stop Leak out of the heater core.

With an increased sense of urgency, farming largely shifted gears last week with fall tillage and anhydrous ammonia being applied in most quarters. Manure applicators were also busy as witnessed by the pungent aroma clearing nostrils across much of the area if the wind direction happened to be right. If weather forecasts are correct some of this activity will come to a screeching halt once the ground freezes up for the season. Tiling will continue for a while longer but again there are limits even though the equipment nowadays can pull tile plows and trench through some formidable frost. There are still some fields of corn left to harvest here and there though. Luckily we dodged the bullet of the snowstorm that went to the north. The ten-man dryer continues to roar in Bugtussle although the days of that too are numbered. One of the cool days last week when snow was predicted, there were what appeared to be flakes floating as I opened the pickup door. False alarm: Just pink bees wings from Bugtussle’s own ten-man dryer.

It looks like gardening is officially done at the ranch. Monday night a quick foray into the garden led to grabbing the winter radishes as well as the last of the spring types planted in late summer. While the quantity wasn’t what we’ve come to expect the quality was superb. Like the carrots, the radishes are sweet yet they pack a subtle punch to complement the sweetness. All in all the garden and small orchard were a success. Even though we don’t can, in addition to carrots and radishes there are plenty of squash, potatoes and apples to savor over the upcoming months.

The day is drawing nigh when barn cleaning at the ranch will commence. First though the tractor needed some work. The solenoid, the starter button and the ground cable were replaced. By the appearance of the red paint on the parts they were original. Once replaced the International 263 six took off like a champ. After 43 years I could only shake my head and marvel. They just don’t make stuff like they used to.

In the yard at the ranch we’ve pretty much given up on mowing the road cut one last time. That’s fine as there just weren’t enough good days to allow it to happen. The little solar lights that have graced our patio all summer are reflecting the shortening days and the cloudy November weather. Seldom do they stay lit much past 8 o’clock.

The birds and squirrels really don’t seem to care. The squirrels are content to munch the hearts out of the corn kernels and clean up under the sunflower feeders. Some goldfinches have returned and expect if snowfall begins to mount, we’ll see more of them. Colder weather meant the nectar feeders needed to be taken in and replaced by an additional suet feeder. The cold has brought additional activity from the woodpeckers. The most faithful of our feathered friends though have been the blue jays. Some don’t like them as they can be mean to the other birds. Here however they seem to just do their own thing in addition to adding color to a suddenly gray landscape.

Road construction in Bugtussle seems to have lasted an eternity. Actually it’s only been since mid-July but it just never seems to be completed. We haven’t had to worry about communication because it’s been nonexistent. Luckily, if there were any assassins after me they’d have a rough time as it’s seldom that I’ve been able to get into the Mall for Men the same way two days in a row. The daily shell game of cones, barricades and construction equipment parked willy-nilly on the streets has taken its toll. Oh well, just as the fieldwork is coming to an end due to the cold weather, pouring concrete and laying asphalt that should’ve been done over a month ago has ceased.

The icy roads and snowfall issued a wakeup call across all of MN on Monday and Tuesday. Mrs. Cheviot found that out on US 14 the other day. Luckily she was paying attention to the rapidly deteriorating conditions on the bridge deck and made a nice recovery when the car began to fishtail. Not surprised particularly with all the diddling around people do on their cell phones while driving that there were as many accidents as there were though. Regardless of the reason for the accidents it’s winter and driving accordingly is on order. Time to listen to Roadhouse Blues methinks. Using hands free of course.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Memories seem like yesterday

The scurs were beginning to think that someone flipped the calendar ahead a couple months. Obviously the part they received in the Kelvinator box was not meant for the Weather Eye. Will or will they get the wrong part again? Starting Wednesday, partly sunny with a small chance of snow. Highs near 20 and lows in the low single digits. Mostly sunny on Thursday with highs around 15 and lows near zero. Mostly sunny again for Friday only warmer. Highs near 25 and lows around 10. Partly sunny becoming cloudy on Saturday with a slight chance of overnight freezing rain. Highs in the mid-30’s and lows in the low 30’s. Sunday, mostly cloudy with a modest chance of snow and rain. Highs in the upper 30’s and lows in the upper 20’s. Mostly cloudy with a modest chance of snow on Monday. Highs around freezing and lows in the mid-teens. Tuesday, mostly sunny with a slight chance of morning flurries. Highs in the mid-20’s with lows near 10. The normal high for November 21st is 38 and the normal low is 21. On the 23rd we’ll see 9 hours and 30 minutes of daylight, the first time since back on January 21st. The scurs are hoping their new part for the Weather Eye arrives before then.

The weather took a turn for the worse last week as we saw temperatures plunge far below normal. How far? The daily highs have been below the normal lows for this time of year. In fact, the highs have been well below normal for the coldest part of winter which typically is January 8th – 22nd. The normal high in that timeframe is 22 and the normal low is around 3 above. Many lakes froze over on the weekend including St. Olaf and Beaver. So far at the ranch we’ve recorded 3.8” of snow. Enough bad news. Now for the good news: The weather according to some longer range forecasts indicate a warmer than normal December. That would be a welcome respite from the November that has largely been disappointing from a temperature standpoint.

There are still those battling to get the last of their corn in the bin. As one might expect, combining in the snow is not always pretty. Viewing some of the fields, seeing the snow on husks and leaves then watching the snow covering the snouts appear one could only imagine that plugged sieves might ensue. There were reports of some machines needing to find heated shops to thaw out. Also some reports claiming air filters were plugging with ice crystals from the fine snow. It’s just been one of those years when the fun never stops for some.

The birds at the feeders in the yard have kicked it up a notch with the extreme cold. As if on cue a male cardinal appeared after the snow began to fall Saturday. We’re blessed to see one this early and look forward to seeing more of him. Lots of woodpeckers and nuthatches focusing on higher density energy foodstuffs like sunflower seed and suet. Four fox squirrels are monopolizing the ear corn while keeping the dogs on alert. The bunnies are back as well, taking the night shift to clean up after the squirrels. And we’re seeing an occasional rooster pheasant sail through the back yard. We’ve heard them occasionally but this is the first we’ve seen of them.

At the ranch we were glad to get the sheep at the kindly neighbors’ back home on Saturday before the weather went completely in the tank. Nothing fun about getting stuck in the snow with a pickup and trailer either. Most had been there since mid-May so it was time. The ewes and ram loaded easily after some trickery on my part. Like the little fat buddies, food is a tremendous incentive when it comes to getting them to do what you want. I had the dogs at the ready ready back at the ranch but they wouldn’t be pressed into action until we came home. I must’ve been rather stealthy as the kindly neighbor came out in time to help me load up the last of the equipment. He had earlier in the week loaded up the corn screenings so the sheep and I were very grateful for all his efforts. We’ve pastured the sheep there now for at least 20 years. Seems like only yesterday.

Getting in the yard as the snow was starting to fall more heavily the ewes all unloaded off the trailer quickly except one of the three black ewes. As I was trying to hold the ram back I was becoming increasingly frustrated with her bleating and hesitance to follow the other eight that practically flew out of the back. Finally I was able to use the divider in the trailer as a pinch gate on the ram that was becoming annoyed with his inability to move. Finally the ewe got the hint and out the door she went. I let the ram out of the sleeper hold and proceeded to back the trailer up to the barn for his accommodations. Fudgie and Ruby were glad to see him as he rumbled off the trailer, nipping at his side to make sure he went straight into the pen. He should’ve been happy after a long stint wandering up and down the hills at the pasture. To make sure he enjoys his stay at the Cheviot Sheraton I left a mint on his pillow.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Taking care of business and working overtime

The new part for the Weather Eye arrived just in the nick of time. The warmer weekend conditions were welcome. Will we see them continue or head back into January again? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of snow. Highs in the upper 20’s and lows in the upper single digits. Mostly sunny and much colder for Turkey Day. Highs in the low teens and lows in the upper single digits. Partly sunny and warmer on Friday. Highs in the low 20’s with lows near 10. Saturday, partly sunny with a high near 20 and lows around 10. Mostly sunny with the start of a warming trend on Sunday. Highs in the mid-20’s with lows around 10. Monday, mostly sunny and warmer. Highs in the upper 20’s with lows in the mid-20’s. Mostly sunny Tuesday and much warmer. Highs in the low 40’s and lows in the mid 20’s. The normal high for November 27th is 34 and the normal low is 18, the same as we might expect on March 5th. The scurs will be keeping a drumstick in reserve so they can gnaw on it while all the Black Friday bargain hunters are out and about.

Cold conditions this past week put a damper on many folk’s activities. It was a good week to stay inside and hunker down by the fire. Cold temperatures this early while not unheard of certainly caught many of us off-guard and certainly not ready for it. How rapidly it does change however. The 50 degree high on Sunday at the ranch melted the bulk of the snow off the lawn and surrounding fields. The grass under the snow was just as green as it had been all fall. It even had me considering an attempt to finish mowing the road cut out front. There were still remnants of a few drifts but I bet I could’ve made it through them. Some tillage could still be accomplished yet in the remaining fields of freshly picked corn. The frost didn’t penetrate deeply there as snow and the insulation from the corn kept it at bay. Moisture in November has been limited as well. Roughly only .65” of liquid equivalent recorded at the ranch thus far for the month. On bare open ground it’s a little different story as you’ll read below.

Alas, there was barn cleaning to do and not a moment too soon. As I get older this activity gets a little less fun and it’s not like there was a lot of fun in it to begin with. The equipment needs to be maintained what with oil changes, hydraulic filter changes, greasing, oiling, adjusting, etc. Then of course there’s putting the forks on the skid loader. Then go grab a couple troughs and plop them over the fence since it’s easier than giving yourself a hernia. And in the main barn, taking gates and panels down consumes a fair amount of time before you get started. Almost seems like more time is spent on getting ready than actually cleaning the barn sometimes. Of course one can look at it from the standpoint that being prepared is one reason once underway, it goes pretty smoothly without a lot of surprises.

The weather was a surprise of sorts though. Warmer temperatures were expected but not to the extent that the fields thawed out entirely. It got to the point on Sunday after the first two loads that I was cutting in 6” – 8”. It was getting so bad that I wasn’t sure I was going to make it back to the yard. It’s kind of hard to hide a red tractor and spreader stuck in the field by the house from the neighbors. With discretion being the better part of valor I opted to back the spreader around by the compost pile and unload the last two loads out back in the pasture. Made for quick unloading and I was able to get the barn cleaned one more time.

Luckily before all this took place we were able to dispense with our lamb crop as well as the cull ewes. The timing couldn’t have been any better. Not only were there fewer critters to deal with during barn cleaning, it makes chores go a lot faster, not to mention using much less feed. What took 45 minutes to an hour was suddenly down to about 15 minutes. Makes one wonder what to do with all that new found free time. Not to worry I always tell myself. There’s no shortage of people who seem to think you owe them a slice of any free time you might have, especially this time of year.

Not a lot really in the way of new birds and animals to report at the feeders. On the 20th we had a female cardinal under the feeder. The male was nowhere to be seen and with no snow, it makes him more difficult to pick out. There are several mourning doves that have hung around and some of them have actually been showing up in the barn of all places. A group of grackles (blackbirds) appeared just ahead of the warm up and stuck around most of last weekend. The squirrels just keep munching the ear corn as well as digging in the yard for acorns or other goodies they may have stashed. Probably the most interesting animal though at the ranch is the frog living in the basement. I haven’t found him yet but can hear him croaking away from time to time. Just hope he’s not super large so we don’t smell him after he really does croak.

Ruby and Fudgie have been readying themselves for Thanksgiving. They got all perfumed from the barn although the exercise of following the skid loader and manure spreader back and forth wore them out. Both were down for the count Saturday night. With some of the baking Mrs. Cheviot has been doing lately both dogs noses have been getting a workout. It will reach a crescendo come Thursday. They can’t wait for that turkey to come off the Weber as their beaks will be working overtime.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

If I had a million dollars…

The scurs continue to have issues getting the Weather Eye to function properly as part of their weather forecasting equipment. They are beginning to wonder if this isn’t part of the reason AMC was in trouble. Are we in trouble with more cold or will we get a pass again soon? Starting Wednesday, sunny with highs near 20 and lows around 10. Partly sunny and warmer on Thursday. Highs in the mid-20’s and lows in the upper teens. Friday and Saturday, partly sunny with highs near the freezing mark and lows in the upper teens to low 20’s. Sunday, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of rain or snow. Highs in the mid-30’s and lows in the low 20’s. Monday, mostly cloudy with highs in the low 30’s and lows in the upper teens. Mostly cloudy on Tuesday with highs in the upper 20’s and lows in the upper teens. The normal high for December 7th is 29 and the normal low is 13. On the 9th we slip to 9 hours of daylight, the same as we saw back on January 2nd. The scurs are looking on the bright side: We only have about 6 more minutes to lose and the days will start to get longer on Christmas Day. Would Santa lie to you?

The Full Moon for the month occurs on the 7th and goes by several names including the Full Cold Moon, the Full Long Nights Moon and the Moon before the Yule. Indeed this moon includes the longest nights of the year not to mention typically some of the coldest temperatures. The Ojibwe called this the Small Spirits Moon and the Sioux called it the Moon When Deer Shed their Antlers. At the ranch it’s normally known as the Moon When Border Collies Continue to Shed. And shed. And shed.

More celestial planetary occurrences in the night sky if you’re willing to brave the cold long enough to take a peek. According to U of M’s Deane Morrison, Jupiter will be in the east and move westward as the month progresses. Mars will set about 3 hours after the sun does for the entire month. A conjunction with the crescent moon on the 24th may be interesting to see if the skies allow it. Both Saturn and Venus are visible as well, with Saturn appearing in the southeastern morning sky and Venus present in the evening sky to the southwest. Their presence will become more pronounced in January.

More snow this past week bringing the total for the month at the ranch to 8.8”. Luckily we’ve had some thaws that caused much of it to disappear. It wasn’t a month however without some severe cold with record low high temperatures set on the 17th and 18th of 14 and 12 respectively at the SROC in Waseca. We also had a bitter cold Thanksgiving Day with highs around 8 at the ranch after an overnight low of around – 8 with an encore performance the morning of the 28th. The SROC also tied the record low high temperature for that date in addition to setting a record low at -17. For the month, they also recorded a -9.1 departure from the normal average temperature. Reputedly we’re supposed to get a stretch of some 40 degree days in mid-December. We’d better see it soon if my faith in the global warming alarmists is to be reaffirmed.

Thanksgiving marked the coldest day I ever recall cooking a turkey on the grill. Of course with charcoal, one just adjusts the amount of briquettes accordingly. Luckily it was relatively calm and the 12 lb. bird was done in around two hours. In the meantime Brother Roger and his wife were busy fixing mushroom cap hors devours in the broiler. Yum! It was a great day prefaced by a card I’d discovered in my desk that Mom had written us back in 2010. In the note card, it relayed her excitement about her and Fudgie coming over for a Thanksgiving stay, thanking us for vegetables we’d dropped off, and a PS making Mrs. Cheviot know how much she loved the note cards. Simple things but it was always as if you’d given her a million dollars. While she wasn’t there physically, I have to believe Mom was watching. I know too she’d be happy Fudgie has a decent place to live and actually helps out every morning with the chores. It’s wonderful to open the gate, roll the feed cart through it and not worry about sheep coming out of it.

Ruby and Fudgie had several big days actually. The new snow Wednesday provided a perfect opportunity for them to roughhouse Thanksgiving morning. The turkey meant some giblets to be shared after sensory overload when it came in the door. There was a skid loader needing repairs (again) on Saturday during the warm up. Lots of tire biting and growling to be done once it commenced. That night after chores I came in and turned on the TV then was distracted with some errands. Ruby was barking her head off at something. I came into the living room only to discover there was a dog show on and she was lunging at the TV, upset with a black cocker spaniel. Thought about changing the channel to something I could watch. Unforgiven was on. That didn’t work. Between Clint Eastwood and horses it’s tough to tell which one Ruby hates more.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

And if I claim to be a wise man,

Well, it surely means that I don't know

The scurs borrowed a Weather Eye unit from an AMC Pacer thinking all that might make for a warmer weather scenario. There was a reason they were known as a “Greenhouse on Wheels”. Will this propel us into those warmer temperatures or just become one of those snow globes? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with highs in the low 30’s and lows around 20. Partly sunny Thursday with highs in the mid-30’s and lows in the upper 20’s. Friday, partly sunny with a chance of light sprinkles. Highs in the low 40’s and lows in the upper 30’s. Mostly cloudy on Saturday with a chance of daytime sprinkles and rain in the overnight. Highs in the mid-40’s with lows in the low 40’s. Sunday mostly cloudy beginning the start of a slight cooling trend. Highs in the low 40’s with lows in the low 20’s. Partly sunny Monday with a slight chance of rain and snow. Highs near 30 and lows falling to 13. Tuesday, mostly sunny and cooler. Highs in the mid-20’s with lows in the low 20’s. The normal high for December 15th is 26 and the normal low is 9. We begin our descent into the darkest days of winter with 8 hours and 55 minutes of daylight, with roughly only one more minute to lose before the shortest day of the year on the 21st. However the sun will have already begun setting later by the 14th. The scurs will have to draw the shades a tad earlier to reap the benefits of more sleep before starting their Christmas shopping bright and early the evening of the 24th.

Precipitation has been sparse so far in December with nothing measurable being recorded at the ranch. Not a big deal and as Mark Seeley has been fond of pointing out over the years, this is a good time of year for a drought if you’re growing corn and soybeans anyway. Something that is a little concerning however is the trend that started once again in July. We have had only one month at the ranch anyway since then where precip was above normal and that was due to a heavy rainfall event on the 31st. All the months since that time have been well below normal. With December off to a dry start and soils drier than they were last year at this time, it’s something to watch as we move into the New Year.

It has been one of the more bland winters to watch the birds at the ranch too. The relatively open meteorological winter likely is large part of that with many of the feedstuffs our usual visitors enjoy still exposed. There are still some faithful customers though. A red-bellied woodpecker makes a morning pilgrimage to the suet daily and the blue jays keep an eye on him and the ear corn. Juncos pick at the lawn in groups and congregate with the house sparrows under the feeders from time to time. They apparently are wary of the sharp-shinned hawks and kestrels that happen by looking for a little lunch.

More moderate temperatures were definitely on everyone’s pre-Christmas wish list. Spending some time in downtown Minneapolis last week, venturing out was not on my list so stayed in at the hotel to eat and write. With Mrs. Cheviot in charge back at the ranch, was hoping there were no calls about broken pipes or equipment not functioning. Fortunately some forward planning had been done and we were in good shape to settle in for the winter. The sheep devoured most of the fall decorations including such staples as pumpkins and gourds prior to my leaving. There was plenty of feed on hand so they were set. About one more short day of barn cleaning and that will be completed. Now if I could just find someone with a strong back and a weak mind.

Speaking of that, the reason I was in the Twin Cities was to attend the North Central Weed Science Society meetings. The last one I attended was back in 2001 so was curious to see what was being discussed. In 2001 the topics were largely centered on glyphosate resistant crops. In 2014, the presentations were largely addressing glyphosate resistant weeds. There were also people I hadn’t seen for a long time so it was great to catch up and dispel any rumors of my younger days. After sitting through 35 presentations in 3 days, I remembered why I was always so tired after those meetings. There was a lot of information to absorb and then there were the presentations.

Coming off the NCWSS meetings was the MN Lamb and Wool conference that Mrs. Cheviot convinced me to attend in Chaska. Back to another stay at a hotel and another set of meetings. The best part of this one though was the presentation the first night by the chef. He had raised lambs in 4-H and had some excellent ideas for cooking with various spices and techniques. We got to sample his creations along with some locally produced wine and sheep cheese. Impressive! Lamb is not something we as Americans consume very much of anymore. As sheep marketing guru Brett Oehlke pointed out in another talk, we Americans consume more pounds of garlic per capita than we do lamb. Just goes to show there’s so much to know and limited time to learn it. A lot of shepherds at this meeting and although not a lot claiming to be wise men.

See you next week...real good then.

[Dotch]

You make it hurt so good

The scurs got the most out of the Weather Eye from the Pacer last week. They were wondering if it was hooked up right however as when the lever was on cold, we got warm. Will sliding the lever the other direction make it cold? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with a high of 22 and a low in the low teens. Thursday, mostly sunny with highs in the mid-20’s and lows in the mid-teens. Partly sunny on Friday and continued warmer with highs in the upper 20’s and lows in the upper teens. Saturday, mostly cloudy with highs near the freezing mark and lows in the upper teens. Partly sunny Sunday with highs in the upper 20’s and lows in the upper teens. Monday, partly cloudy with highs again near freezing and lows in the low 20’s. Partly cloudy for Tuesday with highs in the mid-30’s and lows in the low 20’s. A sneak peek at Christmas Day looks like mostly sunny with a high in the mid-20’s and a low in the upper teens. The normal high for December 21st is 24 and the normal low is 7. Astronomical winter also begins on the 21st. We will see the shortest amount of daylight for the year at 8 hours and 54 minutes. By Christmas Day we will have already gained a minute back. The scurs will slather themselves with suntan lotion to celebrate. They may need to find a tanning booth first given the recent spate of cloudy weather.

Looks as though we are headed for what is likely to be a brown Christmas. Early week snow didn’t amount to much so sliding on any area hills may be difficult. The November snow seems to be a distant memory with only about .2” recorded on Tuesday. Several observations were made on a recent jaunt to get the electric fence up and running as the sheep were wandering the pasture. After a rooster pheasant gave me a start right by the barn, I noted the posts were easy to push in the ground in spots already on Saturday. Poking around the yard revealed very little evidence of frost. The grass is still green enough in the lawn to make one wonder if it would need mowing again. Finally, a trip to the pond area found that unsafe to walk on especially with a leaky pair of boots. Ice fishing activity seemed to have followed suit.

The recent warm spell has awakened the raccoons and many of them find their way onto area roadways where they seem to have a death wish. Not wanting the dogs to venture forth to investigate, I got the scoop shovel out and tossed one local casualty off the road into the field. Hoping to possibly see one of the eagles reported in the area. Some of the indoor pests have awoken as well. A big noisy fly fell out of the light fixture at the Mall for Men onto the table as I was tapping away on the keyboard. I was prepared as the flyswatter was still within reach.

Saturday made a good day to finally grab a Christmas tree. We were a little concerned that they would be picked over to the point that we would get the Charlie Brown tree but our fears were unfounded. Mrs. Cheviot was drawn to a nice Frazier fir right away so who was I to argue? I was just glad I wasn’t stuck with picking it out myself. I am more than happy to carry it to the vehicle which in this case was the venerable Soccer Mom van or Gus Bus. For some reason that even behaved. Since the weather had been dry it didn’t pee on my foot and the key fob remote even started working again. Oh well, at least the defroster fan still only works on the highest setting, roaring so loudly you can’t hear a thing when driving it. Not that I can hear much anyway.

Sunday after the choir Christmas service it was time to do battle and clean the lambing barn. When we had returned from Saturday’s tree purchasing excursion, I’d hooked up the tractor and spreader, as well as opening everything up so we could get at it quickly. It wouldn’t be possible to haul it to the field as conditions were too muddy so adding to the pile in the lot was our easiest option. I’d figured a load maybe two was all that was in there. I would be wrong. After attempting to fill the skidsteer bucket and back out, it was too slimy to even get enough traction to do that. Our only alternative was to use pitchforks and load the spreader by hand. If you’ve never pitched sheep manure you really don’t know what you’re missing.

On a good day, it’ll come off in big heavy sheets so progress can be made. Sometimes and this was one of those times, it’s stubborn and the top crumbles into pieces making it frustrating to handle. This is especially true if not much bedding was used over the course of the summer months to bind it together. Even though sheep are known for their packing ability, dried out, finely ground pieces of grass simply don’t bond very tightly. In this case, it often works better if the top freezes first and a pick axe is used to bust it loose. Fun for the whole family!

Mrs. Cheviot and I weren’t waiting around for that as we wanted it cleaned before the weather decided to change its mind. We were at it from about 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and wound up grinding through three large loads for the compost pile. The sheep are always happy once the lambing barn is cleaned out. Their water tank is cleaned out and moved inside. New straw is spread for the ewes to pick through and the barn becomes a comfy place to sleep out of the elements. Seeing all the little beds where they’d nestled into the straw overnight made me glad we’d completed the task. And despite our aches and pains, we might’ve kept the snow at bay while we were at it.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Good men through the ages tryin' to find the sun.

The scurs were right in assuming they’d connected the cables for the Weather Eye incorrectly. Hot is cold and vice-versa. Sorta like those faucets some amateur plumber at a gas station hooked up. Will they switch the cables or continue to live on the edge for a white Christmas forecast? Starting Wednesday, cloudy and breezy with a modest chance of snow. Highs in the low 30’s and lows in the low 20’s. Christmas Day, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of snow. Highs near freezing and lows in the mid-20’s. Cloudy and colder with a slight chance for snow on Friday. Highs in the low 20’s and lows in the low single digits. Saturday, mostly sunny with a high in the upper teens and lows near 5. Mostly cloudy on Sunday with a chance for flurries. Highs in the upper teens and lows in the upper single digits. Monday, partly cloudy with a few flurries possible. Highs in the low 20’s and lows near 10. Continued cold on Tuesday with some occasional sunshine. Highs in the upper teens and lows in the mid-single digits. The normal high for Christmas Day is 24 and the normal low is 6. The scurs will be trying to find a sunny day so they can start Christmas shopping.

A dusting of snow last week made for a semi-white Christmas in spots if you look hard enough. Come press time however we may see enough to qualify as white although the accumulations forecast are not heavy for this area of MN. There’s time for that to change however. Just in case, several have mentioned putting snowblowers on and I may even decide to put the chains on the tractor. That usually is enough to make sure it won’t snow much. Some last minute tillage was accomplished last week in area fields following the thaw once the ground froze again allowing for better traction. A season that started with much promise is finally in the books for many.

A fellow weather freak sent me this link to a story from Science Daily detailing the activity of golden-winged warblers ahead of a major storm. Over the many years, I’ve noticed bird and animal behavior that seems to be weather related. For instance, the cardinal’s appearance at the ranch has been linked to recent precipitation events and the sheep seem to be able to detect rainfall before it arrives or is about to pass. Sometimes they’re just hungry so it doesn’t matter. While the article takes some liberty with presumptions about bird behavior related to climate change, the gist of the matter is that bird activity is indeed a harbinger of things to come, sometimes anyway.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/12/141218131413.htm

Around the yard at the ranch we continue to see sparse appearances of winter birds. A new “squirrel proof” feeder (believe it when I see it) has been employed and so far it has worked. Even the birds haven’t eaten out of it yet. It will take them a while to get used to it. It was time to make another attempt anyway after the squirrels finished off the last one by chewing through the cable. I guess if you’re a squirrel and have lots of free time that’s what you do. While watching for activity on the new feeder, we spied what is likely to be a Little Jerry progeny. This rooster pheasant was definitely one of the longest tailed models spotted in a long time. He came out of the plumb and sumac thicket then over to the brush pile. Then back to the plumb thicket. Yup, definitely a Little Jerry relative.

Was questioned by one of Al Batt’s Bruce’s the other day concerning the progress of the Studebaker restoration. Not much has happened since seeing 5 out of 6 exhaust valves stuck open back in June. A decision was made to have the engine overhauled however and a gentleman who works on flathead Fords in Mankato has been contacted. Interestingly enough, this particular Bruce was once a Studebaker salesman and mentioned the ’61 Lark VI that the dealer allowed him to use. According to him it was a well-made little car and he enjoyed driving it. I don’t doubt that a bit. The ’60 Lark VI was the same way and the ’61 should’ve been an improvement with the OHV Skybolt Six engine Studebaker put in it. The 1960 Lark VI still had a flathead six with its origins from their 1939 Champion model. If there’s been one common theme on this project though, it’s that the Studebaker folks I’ve run across loved their cars and are some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet.

Had the good fortune recently to attend not one but two Gopher women’s basketball games. Anything other than working sounded good after last weekend. Within a few minutes of each other last Friday I had two offers to go to The Barn and was able to accept both. First from friends whose company we enjoy and another from none other than Vista’s noted Swedish astronomer. It’s been cloudy so he had some free time on his hands. Can’t remember having more fun at a place that brings back memories along with people we have come to cherish. The icing on the cake was the Gophers and Carlie won both games! Gotta love it when a plan comes together.

Last but not least, presents for the NRHEG Star Eagle staff. Not sure if I’m missing anyone so don’t feel left out if I do. For Reed, a 1939 Superman comic book. Not as fun to look at as what Reed draws but worth some ching. For Jim, a discount on haircuts. I know Jim, my day is coming. Leo still likes to trick me by flipping the mirror over and showing me the back side of it when he’s done. For Tracy, memory pills and a note pad. If you write it down you’ll know when to take them. For Nicole, sweets for the sweet. Some of my signature hand-dipped pretzels, sans Ruby hair of course. For Al Batt, my old “squirrel proof” birdfeeder. I am a ‘re-gifter”. Works well especially if you don’t have any squirrels. For Kugie, my Sid Hartman bobblehead doll. I predict he and Don White will someday take over the Dave Mona and Sid Hartman show on ‘CCO.

Merry Christmas!

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

When I smile, tell me some bad news

Before I laugh and act like a fool

After getting lots of blank stares as they drove their burnt orange ’74 Gremlin X, Christmas shopping, the scurs manufactured a white Christmas for some. An encore performance more general in coverage followed on the 27th. Will we see additional snow or will the Weather Eye be blowing cold, dry air? Starting Wednesday, New Year’s Eve, mostly sunny with high temperatures around 10 and lows around 7. Thursday, New Year’s Day, mostly sunny with highs near 20 and lows around 10. Mostly cloudy on Friday with a slight chance of evening snow. Highs in the mid-20’s with lows in the low teens. Saturday, mostly cloudy and colder with a continued slight chance of snow in the forenoon. Highs around 20 with lows near 5 above. Partly sunny and colder for Sunday. Highs in the low teens with lows around 5 below. Monday, mostly sunny and continued cold. Highs of about 10 above zero and lows near zero. Mostly sunny for Tuesday with highs in the low teens above zero and lows around 5 above. The normal high for New Year’s Day is 23 and the normal low is 5 above. The scurs will be putting another log on the fire as they make their hot cocoa before settling in for a long winter’s nap.

The Full Moon will appear officially on Sunday the 4th and is generally known as the Full Wolf Moon. This was due to the wolves making their presence known near the encampments of the tribes in the northeast. The moon is also sometimes called the Old Moon or the Moon after the Yule. The Ojibwe called this the Great Spirit Moon and the Sioux knew it as The Moon of Frost in the Teepee. At the ranch, it is the Moon after Festivus. Bet you thought I forgot to celebrate it this year. The aluminum pole is already safely stashed in the crawlspace, awaiting next year’s feats of strength. Thank you to all who sent donations in my name to the Human Fund. I know they will be appreciated.

Saturday was one of those days that was good for musing as I froze my tail on the skidsteer moving snow. I mused so hard in fact that after my joints were stiff, I made a batch of soup, crawled under a blanket and took a power nap. Sometimes you’ve just gotta have one. Watching the Gophers dismantle UNC Wilmington on TV, the Kentucky-Louisville tilt looked promising. Problem was by the time I woke up, there was already another game on.

Warmed up and ready for more of the great outdoors, I decided there were some small trees still needing tree wrap. I sprang into action with massive amounts of dog help from Fudgie and Ruby. They graciously offer their help and I accept. Plus they never criticize. Can’t beat that. Oddly enough, between the crabapples, hackberries and Autumn Blaze maples, none of the trees had been bothered yet by the bunnies. Typically they’ve been chewing small trees in late October already. Has to be connected with global climate change. I did notice one of the pear trees had been used as a deer scrape although it hadn’t been damaged to the point where it should hurt it much. The other pear tree had a branch that was bothering me so I pruned it. That provided some pear wood to add to the arsenal for flavoring creations from the grill.

The trek before sundown took me into the windbreak and by the garden where I could check out the frozen vegetable crop. They don’t seem to be growing much but must be patient. There were lots of pheasant tracks and one set that were possibly from a long-tailed rooster. No pheasants were seen while I made my way from wrapping one sapling to the next. One could only gather that with twilight nearing, Little Jerry’s progeny were safely tucked away in the tall grass and cattails nearby. A good thing too as a great horned owl has been hooting away after dark recently, making me smile and chuckle each time I hear it. My guess is the cottontails don’t share my amusement.

Bird watching in the yard at the ranch has picked up a tad. It usually helps to change things up a bit or at least it helps maintain our interest. The cardinals have been steady customers and are more visible than ever with the fresh snow. A new squirrel-proof feeder is being tried out. As mentioned last week, the squirrels pretty well destroyed the last one. This is a Roller Feeder made in MN. It’s unique in that the outside of the feeders pivots to protect the contents of the feeder inside when the squirrels attempt to get into it. Not cheap but neither is feeding the squirrels. So far the feeder has indeed been squirrel proof as Mrs. Cheviot can attest. Was concerned after a week though that it was proving to be bird-proof too. Not to worry.

The nuthatches had been on sabbatical until hearing them on my way in from Sunday morning chores. I’d put a different seed blend in the feeder as the instructions suggested to increase our success. Wanted to see if we could coax something in for the guests to watch during Mrs. Cheviot’s family Christmas bash. Upon talking with one of our bird-loving guests before lunch, we noticed a white-breasted nuthatch routinely plucking safflower and sunflower seeds from the feeder. Not only that, it brought a friend. And so far, the sparrows have steered clear, concentrating their efforts instead on the suet feeders. Oh well, can’t win ‘em all I guess.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Wintertime wind's blue and freezin'

The scurs managed a less than stellar performance last week as the heater core controlled by the Weather Eye must’ve been plugged. No heat for you! Will they have to wait another year for temps to rebound or is the New Year the beginning of the end for global warming as we now know it? Starting Wednesday, sunny but at least it will be blustery with highs near - 5 and a low around – 15. Thursday, mostly cloudy, blusterier but warmer with a modest chance of snow. Highs in the low teens above zero and lows near – 5. Mostly sunny and colder for Friday with highs near zero and lows near – 10. Temps rebounding somewhat on Saturday under partly sunny skies. Highs near 10 above with lows near – 5. Sunday, mostly sunny mostly sunny with highs in the low teens above zero and lows around zero. Similar temps Monday with a slight chance of ice and snow under mostly cloudy skies. Highs in the low teens above zero and lows around zero. Tuesday, mostly cloudy and warmer with a slight chance of snow. Highs in the mid-teens above zero and lows near 5. Yes, that’s above zero. The normal high for January 10th is 22 and the normal low is 4. After climbing back over 9 hours of daylight on the 4th, the scurs may have to re-learn the power of positive thinking.

The days are slowly becoming longer although until about the 9th of January, sunrise is stuck at 7:48 a.m. The sun continues to set later each day and we are gaining about a minute per day of daylight as a result. That pace picks up of course as the month wears on and within a month, we will have gained over an hour of daylight. The temperature too once we get past the 20th should begin to show signs of warmth if historical averages are any indication. Typically the period from the 13th – 20th represents the coldest days of the winter. What actually happens is anyone’s guess however.

Precipitation continued to lag behind normal as we start the New Year. For 2014, our snowfall has only amounted to 14.3” at the ranch. Compared to records at the SROC in Waseca, about 6.5” below normal. At the SROC itself they are 4.8 below normal as of December 31st. For 2014, their total precip was 35.60 “, about .12” below normal. The dry month of July along with the dry autumn had an impact after the deluge experienced in June. At the ranch the precip total was very similar at 35.03”. Our dry late year pattern continues.

As pointed put by Vista’s noted Swedish astronomer, the recent clear skies in the evenings make for excellent sky watching. Many planets will be on display in January if one is away from light pollution, the moon begins to dim and one can bear the cold long enough to find them. Anti-freeze is allowed. As Dale Niedfeldt from the Steele Co. Astronomical Society wrote in his recent column, Venus is low in the western sky and can be spotted for a half hour to an hour after sunset. Mercury will be very close to it from the 10th through the 15th. Mars is above the southwest horizon in the early evening hours. Jupiter rises in the east around 8 p.m. and a half hour after sunset at the end of the month. Saturn can be spotted in the morning sky an hour or two before sunrise. Some conjunctions include the planet Jupiter and the waning full moon on both the 7th and 8th in the eastern sky.

The end of the year marked the end of an era locally in several respects. The closing of Edna’s hardware store has made an impact. There’s no longer a place to buy assorted home repair products in town along with day to day items we often rely on. It was also the place to look for funeral arrangements on the small board placed in the store window. Now the quarantine has been lifted at the Care Center, it’s time to stop in to visit Edna. I miss those phone calls from her asking me about what the weather was going to do and when. It was one of the reasons I put NOAA weather and radar on my cell phone in the first place.

The closing of the Village Inn at Hartland also meant a major change for us at the Mall for Men. Some who gazed at the large office calendar on my door were curious what was penciled in on the second Tuesday of each month. “What does that say?” I was often asked to which I responded, “Why Rib Day of course!” We motored many Tuesday’s to Hartland for those delicious ribs, served with choice of salad, bread, a vegetable, along with mashed potatoes and gravy. If we were feeling particularly flush we’d have dessert too. A real farmer meal if ever there was one. I suspect it was frequently followed by a real after dinner farmer nap. Thanks Judy!

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

When I finally get myself together, I'm going to get down in that sunny southern weather

The scurs modest chance of snow turned into more than they bargained for. After the cold temps decided to stick around, the scurs added some Ex-Lax to the radiator on the Gremlin to see if it would warm up faster. Will it be effective? Starting Wednesday, Partly sunny with highs in the upper teens and lows around 10. Mostly sunny Thursday with highs in the upper 20’s and lows in the mid-teens. Friday, mostly sunny and warmer. Highs near the freezing mark with lows around 20. Mostly sunny Saturday and slightly warmer. Highs in the mid-30’s and lows in the upper teens. Sunday, mostly cloudy. Highs near 30 with lows around 20. Mostly cloudy Monday with highs once again near freezing and lows in the upper teens. Tuesday, mostly cloudy with a chance of snow. Highs near 30 and lows in the upper teens. The sun will set after 5 p.m. on January 14th for the first time since last November 3rd. The normal high for January 15th is 22 and the normal low is 4 above. On the 19th we will have gained 30 minutes of daylight since the winter solstice. After the recent cold spell the scurs are thinking the striped gophers hibernating in the lawn may be onto something.

With a week of generally below normal temperatures and some snow, it actually looks like winter. While the fields blew clear of snow, there is plenty in the road ditches. Small fish house villages have sprung up, dotting area lakes and while fishing may be slow, one can bet there are lots of cribbage games being played. We may have dodged a bullet by getting our cold weather out of the way the first half of January. Warmer temps are on the way in the near term. As mentioned last week, typically the coldest temperatures of the winter on average are from January 12th – 20th. Old Man Winter flexed his muscles last week to show us he still means business. While it wasn’t the blizzard of the century, it still managed to dump snow anywhere it would be inconvenient. This storm was a quick hitter though, causing whiteout conditions within a matter of minutes. It made for a potentially dangerous storm from that perspective.

Watching the critters in the yard during the storm provided some entertainment. The wind caught the crest of a male cardinal from behind, causing him to do a face plant in the snow. The squirrels made sure they consumed both ears of corn put out for them, becoming snow covered on their windward side. Once the corn was gone, the last happy customer headed off across the treetops to the safety of a hollow soft maple. The domestic animals behaved similarly. Once their hay was consumed, the Cheviot ewes were more than glad to retreat out of the wind to their barn. And the dogs wasted no time when the storm was at its peak, making their trips outside brief. Much more comfortable inside sleeping on a doggie pillow or couch.

Bird watching continues to be more challenging than some years. Another male cardinal and a mourning dove were new additions this past week but it’s nothing like some of the irruption years when we’d feed a hundred redpolls and pine siskins. The birds have been slow to warm up to the Roller Feeder although it has been so far “squirrel-proof”. Watching several fox squirrels make attempts at getting into it, they’ve all been unsuccessful. Bear in mind, these squirrels are very fat after eating ear corn from their feeder all winter so there’s little incentive to get into the bird feeder in the first place. The nuthatches that had shown interest in the feeder initially were suddenly absent until recently. A downy also used the feeder on Saturday so they’re coming around. A few chickadees or goldfinches might help matters.

The house sparrows haven’t bothered the feeder either but have become a real nuisance at the other feeders as well as hanging around the out buildings. They routinely empty one sunflower feeder while dumping the safflower on the ground. One annoying habit the sparrows have picked up is eating the suet. They aren’t good at hanging upside down to eat though so some horizontal-type suet feeders may help alleviate that problem. We’ll be trying a couple of different types to see what works. Nothing goes to waste though. The cardinals like the safflower in addition to the chips of corn left behind by the sparrows and squirrels.

Seed catalogs have arrived en masse so it becomes a near daily ritual to look through them. There aren’t a lot of new items to concern ourselves with though. However some of our old favorites are no longer being carried in favor of some products we don’t plant. It always amazes me how some of the new things we’ve tried and turned out to be less than desirable are still being heavily promoted. Who eats that junk anyway? Luckily there’s the internet so if there’s a variety we really want we can probably still find it.

There have been plenty of sporting events on TV during this cold snap to whet our appetite. Still it would be nice to see temperatures warm a tad so that some of the snow could be moved. Never a “gimme” that will happen anytime soon. The ewes are becoming girthier and the calendar continues to tick off days in rapid fire fashion. It may be an earlier than usual start to the lambing season if one of my gazes from the oval office one morning was correct. Shearing can’t be far off. I need a haircut too but am loath to get it cut as there isn’t as much covering my melon as there once was. One can always dream of warmer days and more hair. In the meantime, time flies when you’re having fun.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

On the turning away from the pale and downtrodden

The scurs smiled smugly about their use of Ex- Lax in the Gremlin radiator. Cleaned the Weather Eye out big time. They’ve liked this recent weather so much they’re considering putting aground up copy of the ACA in it next. Someone told them it says if you like your weather, you can keep it. Starting Wednesday, cloudy with a modest chance of snow. Highs near 30 and lows in the upper teens. Partly sunny Thursday with highs in the upper 20’s and lows in the low 20’s. Friday, mostly cloudy. Highs in the mid-30’s and lows in the upper 20’s. Mostly cloudy Saturday with a slight chance for evening snow showers. Highs around the freezing mark with lows in the low 20’s. Sunday, cloudy with a modest chance for snow. Highs around 30 with lows in the low teens. Cloudy on Monday with highs in the upper 20’s and lows in the mid-teens. Tuesday, cloudy with a modest chance for snow. Highs in the upper 20’s with lows around 10. We’ll experience 9 ½ hours of daylight on the 23rd, the first time since November 19th. The normal high for January 25th is 23 and the normal low is 4. After a trip to Wisconsin, the scurs are thinking they may be able to heat their abode for the remainder of the season with all the foam cheese head hats they found in area dumpsters.

What a welcome change in the weather from the week before. A January thaw was just what the doctor ordered. To be on the safe side, I purchased a couple pair of new long johns at the store where you go to the bathroom in the big orange silo. I am betting it will remain warmer now for the rest of the winter. Short term forecasts are trending that direction and depending on whose longer term forecasts you read, some of those would tend to agree. At choretime Jupiter greets us in the western sky in the mornings and in the evening we’re treated to Venus getting a little higher in the sky each night. Even Mercury was visible beside it marking one of the few times one could actually pick it out.

Birds are responding to the recent changes in the weather also. The cardinals have vanished again now the snow has largely disappeared. Even the bane of the feeders at the ranch, namely the house sparrows have suddenly been decreasing in number. Perhaps it has something to do with the recent feeder changes that were made. They did figure the Roller Feeder out as I suspected they probably would. However, it’s certainly not their favorite as perhaps it takes too long to make a big mess underneath. Apparently they don’t like having to compete with the blue jays and larger woodpeckers on the other feeder either. The red-bellied woodpeckers don’t take any guff off of anyone including the blue jays.

The horizontal suet feeders arrived last week so they were pressed into service. So far so good. The sparrows haven’t touched them and the starlings that showed up were having a tough time flying up to get a beak full. The woodpeckers were quick studies though, with the downies hanging upside down on the new feeders within minutes. One type of suet feeder we’re trying is made of metal so it makes it less attractive to the squirrels. A little tough for the larger woodpeckers to navigate although they got the hang of it after watching the downies. The squirrels on the other hand just sorta burp after filling up on ear corn, then climb farther up the tree where they can nap in the sun. Way too much work as fat as they are to put a lot of effort into messing with the other feeders.

Phone books arrived the other day and was shocked to see what they’ve become. They’re certainly a pale imitation of what they used to be. Mrs. Cheviot isn’t going to be able to sit on one of those to see over the steering wheel. In the Bugtussle phone book, there are now only 4 ½ pages of phone numbers listed. In 2007, there were 9 ½ pages of listings. Granted the font size is small but it’s likely a sign of the times. Many have dumped their land lines and after some crummy and complete lack of service, there are certainly more of us considering it. Cell phones have certainly been a major factor and I fear the telemarketers will have all but sealed Ma Bell’s fate in the not too distant future.

Some have wondered what happened to the little fat buddies. Not to worry. They’re very much alive and well. While gathering more clandestinely and in an impromptu fashion, we still have our gang signs and secret decoder rings. And of course, there are the meetings themselves. Some have asked what’s accomplished at these discussions. Plenty. Always some old business to hash over and new business as well. This includes arranging humanitarian aid for friends who have become pale and downtrodden. We just try to help out in any way we can. And we discuss interior decorating; especially now that Christmas is on the wane. Betsy’s dad was excitedly looking forward to putting his newfound favorite Christmas ornament on the tree for next season. Clark, that's the gift that keeps on giving the whole year.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

In your eyes the resolution of all the fruitless searches

While happy with the recent warm weather, the scurs are curious about the sudden appearance of 12 deflated footballs in the back of the ’74 Gremlin. Curious because they didn’t know it would hold that many. Will they remain flat or will warmer temps reinflate them? Starting Wednesday, partly sunny with a chance of rain and snow mix in the overnight. Highs near 40 and lows in the upper 20’s. Colder on Thursday under mostly cloudy skies. Highs near the freezing mark and lows in the mid-teens. Friday, partly sunny becoming cloudy with a slight chance of overnight snow. Highs in the mid-20’s and lows in the mid-teens. Mostly cloudy on Saturday with a modest chance for snow. Highs in the low 30’s and lows around 10. Sunday, partly sunny and much colder with a slight chance of forenoon snow. Highs in the upper teens and lows around 5. Continued colder under sunny skies for Monday. Highs around 10 with lows around 5. Mostly sunny with temperatures rebounding for Tuesday. Highs in the low 20’s and lows around 5. The normal high for February 1st is 24 and the normal low is 5. The scurs will see their shadow meaning there are still 6 more weeks of winter, minimum.

The second full moon for the month will occur on February 3rd and generally goes by the Full Snow Moon as this is the moon when the tribes of the northeast generally experienced the most snow. It also was known as the Full Hunger Moon as the once well-stocked larders going into winter began to run short. It was for this reason the Ojibwe knew this as the Full Sucker Moon. The Sioux were very observant or observative depending on your preference. They knew this as the Raccoon Moon as the raccoons would awaken and begin to move around in the warmer temperatures. At the ranch, it is the Full Shearing Moon or at least we hope it is sometime before the next one.

We’ve sawed off a large chunk of winter. January is about shot and if historic long-term normal temperatures are any indication, we should be on the downhill slide. At any rate, the duration of the cold spells typically becomes shorter and snowfall declines somewhat in February. March will usually bring more snow although December accumulations in the most recent 30 year normal have overtaken March as the snowiest month. The reason for this being that more of our precipitation is falling in March in the form of rain. How much snow have we had this winter? Since November at the ranch we have garnered 21.6”. At the SROC in Waseca, they’ve measured a whopping 25.7”. Normal for November through January at the SROC is roughly 30.3”. Much of our snow has melted and with the possible exception of the most recent thaw thaw, much of the precipitation has stayed on the landscape. This snowmelt is important for the recharge of shallow wetlands, many of which were low going into the winter.

Birdwatching at the ranch seems to hinge on the weather. When it snows the cardinals appear. When it melts, they’re nowhere to be seen. Warm temps have meant suet and sunflower seed consumption are both down. Even the squirrels are not eating both ears of corn on the warm days. It doesn’t stop their circus act as they go up, down and around the trees in the yard in rapid fashion. We did get a glimpse of a female pileated woodpecker Saturday as she tried to get on one of the small horizontal suet feeders. Upon seeing that, we replaced one of the three horizontal feeders with a cage type feeder. No luck we’re aware of as we haven’t seen her since. As fast as pileated woodpeckers can eat suet, we’d probably notice it. The same day, a more subtle change with the appearance of a half dozen goldfinches, the largest group we’ve seen since likely sometime back in August. Perhaps they’ve marked the spot with their GPS and will come back to it if it gets cold again.

The ewes continue their gestation, getting a little plumper each day. Their full fleeces obscure a good view of their udders so it’s anybody’s guess how close they are to lambing just yet. Their feed consumption varies with the temperature too. On the coldest days, they’ll burn through four slabs of hay from a big square bale. When temps are in the 30’s and 40’s, three will generally suffice. Of course there’s always Poofy, one of the ewes that was shown many years ago by the daughter of some friends in WI. Poofy seeks out whoever is feeding grain at night and sticks her head in the bucket. Not just a little; she buries her head in the grain up to her eyeballs while stuffing as much feed in her mouth as possible. Most of the other ewes probably wouldn’t get by with that. This one is special though. She’s old yet always manages to produce nice lambs as have many of her offspring we’ve kept. A true matriarch if ever there was one.

Fudgie and Ruby continue to enjoy the winter for the most part. They’ve supervised Mrs. Cheviot’s Christmas un-decorating of the house and the live tree now provides extra cover for their squirrels. There’s been some early season mud to play in so they need to be wiped down before coming inside. The dogs continue their daily gate watching duties as well, using their eyes to convince the sheep it’s really not worth their time to mess with them. They also use their eyes on us as we’re about to leave for work. And with a Border Collie, there’s no question about what those eyes are saying.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

She thinks my tractor's sexy

The scurs were thinking the Weather Eye had lied about the modest chance of snow over the weekend. Maybe they’d best put a little more trust in it as there is still a chunk of winter left. Starting Wednesday, partly sunny with a slight chance of snow. Highs near 15 and lows near – 10. Thursday, sunny with highs in the mid-teens and lows around 10. Partly sunny and warmer on Friday with highs around 30 and lows near 20. Mostly cloudy on Saturday with a modest chance of snow, again. Highs in the mid-20’s and lows in the mid-teens. Sunday, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of lingering snow. Highs in the upper 20’s and lows in the mid-teens. Partly sunny for Monday with highs in the mid-20’s and lows near 20. Tuesday, mostly cloudy with a modest chance of snow. Highs in the upper 20’s and lows in the upper teens. As we continue to gain nearly 3 minutes of daylight per day, we’ll see over 10 hours of daylight on February 4th, something that hasn’t happened since November 6th. The sun will set after 5:30 on February 6th. The scurs suspect it may be a tad early to put their lawn furniture out just yet.

The Saturday evening snowstorm turned out to be more than first advertised. At the ranch we measured roughly 4” of snow fell although as in many building sites around the area, it seemed like most of it was in large drifts in unusual places. It was fine snow too and with the wind made for some hard drifts. One individual had left for the weekend and when he came back, made a run through one into the garage. He wound up shoveling a large portion of it back out. At the ranch it was tough to move it efficiently. Large pieces of drift were constantly breaking off leaving pieces strewn around the driveway. The good thing about it though was the layer of snow stuck to the ice so one doesn’t go for a digger anymore.

As discussed with Vista’s noted Swedish astronomer, clear, cold nights lately have made for better stargazing. In the evening sky, Venus continues to climb farther off the horizon in the west at sundown. Conversely, Jupiter is getting a little higher each night at chore time in the east, rising around sundown. So where is the Big Dipper right now? In the northern US we are fortunate to be able to see the Big Dipper year round above the horizon. Looking at 9 p.m., Monday night, the Big Dipper is high in the northeast sky and is standing on the end of its handle during the winter months. It is also part of the constellation Ursa Major or the Big Bear, where the handle of the dipper makes up the tail of the bear and the dipper itself part of the hindquarters. The star on the front bottom of the dipper (Merak) and the one on the top leading edge of the dipper (Dubhe) form a line that points nearly directly to the North Star or Polaris. Polaris is the star on the end of the handle on the Little Dipper. It in turn in part of the constellation Ursa Minor or the Little Bear. Generally we have pretty good stargazing at the ranch although it’s best to get away from the yard lights in order to see the Little Dipper. Tough to do much about the nearly full moon though especially when there are high clouds.

More snow must mean more cardinals. Another male has joined the original male and female. Activity in general at the feeders increased with the colder temps and snow. It was a surprise over the weekend to see how much corn was being plucked off the cobs by the birds as opposed to the squirrels. Several blue jays and a red-bellied woodpecker consumed almost as much as the rodents did. And one of the squirrels seems to be dominant or at least takes exception to the attempts of the others to procure any corn while he’s occupying the feeder. That typically results in the squirrels doing a high speed chase and one little red and white Border Collie getting all wound up while watching from the sliding glass door.

Another Super Bowl is in the books. Actually it was another pretty good game. When I first came in from moving snow, Mrs. Cheviot was bemoaning the fact it was a low scoring affair and the Seahawks really hadn’t done much. That changed about the time I sat down to warm up. From that point on it was interesting right up until the last play. The entire weekend provided some good sports activity with Gophers and other teams competing. The live-streaming alternative while not perfect does allow us to watch programming we wouldn’t normally see. It helps keep us off the streets on cold winter evenings anyway.

The former mayor of Waldorf was in recently to see if I’d grabbed the screenings out of his shed and dropped off a current magazine with some interesting tractor trivia. Luckily I had already pulled the screening wagon home through metropolitan Matawan on Saturday. The magazine he left was chock full of tidbits I hadn’t realized. Did you know the first commercially available PTO on a tractor was on the International Harvester 8-16? John Deere replaced the Waterloo Boy with the Model D which remained in production through 1953? It took until 1954 for the number of tractors on US farms to surpass the number of horses and mules? One I knew was the 1st production true live PTO was on a 1946 Cockshutt 30. We had the American version, a Co-op E3 growing up. Pull the lever to engage the PTO. Push in the clutch and the PTO kept running. What will they think of next?

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Games people play in the middle of the night

The scurs had the Weather Eye dialed in to perfection last week. Will that accuracy continue into mid-month? Starting Wednesday, cloudy with highs in the mid-20’s and lows just below 0. Cold sunshine for Thursday with highs near 10 and lows again around 5. Friday, partly sunny and warmer. Highs in the low 20’s with lows around 0. Partly sunny and much colder for Saturday. Highs in the mid-single digits above 0 with lows around 5 below. Sunday, mostly cloudy with temperatures rebounding and a slight chance of snow. Highs in the low 20’s and lows in the mid-teens. Cloudy and warmer on Monday with a modest chance of snow. Highs in the upper 20’s and lows in the upper teens. Partly sunny on Tuesday and cooler. Highs in the mid-teens with lows around 5. The normal high for Valentine’s Day is 27 and the normal low is 9. We’ll see over 10 hours and 30 minutes of daylight for the first time since October 25th on February 16th. The scurs can’t wait for their Valentine’s candy to show up after rationing the last of their fruitcake. They’ll have to find something else to chock the wheels on the ‘74 Gremlin now.

Last week brought about more of the roller coaster ride for temperatures. It’s tough to complain very loudly however as this winter has been a breeze compared to last year’s model. Tales of frozen pipes and hauling water buckets through deep snow much of last winter proved that enough was too much. This winter we’ve seen frost depth at the SROC at only 18” as measured most recently on February 9th. On the 5th we also experienced one of the coldest overnight lows of the season at -15 in Waseca and about -14 at the ranch. Only November 28th and January 6th were colder. Still, despite the temperature roller coaster ride, the cold snaps haven’t been prolonged and many days the temps have been well above normal. The snow as a result continues to do its disappearing act. It’s doubtful if anyone will gripe if it decides to leave entirely and take the ice in the dooryards away while it’s at it.

Lambing season officially started off on Thursday of last week at the ranch after a cold overnight. All the ewes came out to eat in the morning but by afternoon when Mrs. Cheviot arrived home, the black yearling ewe we’d been suspecting would go first had lambed. She had the lamb by herself and in spite of the fact she wasn’t shorn, she lambed inside. More than once we’ve had lambs born outside given that scenario. Frequently that means lambs with tails and ears frozen off. With those erect Cheviot ears though, apparently the windy conditions that day persuaded the ewe to seek shelter. The lamb was smart and had nursed by the time Mrs. Cheviot put them in a pen and checked the ewe for milk. On Sunday already we moved ewe and lamb to the main barn to a large pen. Of course Fudgie and Ruby were at the ready, keeping the ewe on track. The little lamb bounced around in celebration of her new found spacious accommodations.

We’ve fed some “odd” things to the sheep over the years including pumpkins, bread, cereal, carrots and squash. With a relative lack of acreage to grow much grain, we’ve focused on trying to improve the pasture and grow some hay where we can. However, it’s simply not a good idea to try to get by on forages alone especially with gestating ewes. We’ve typically fed corn screenings although this year has found us feeding some hard red spring wheat, harvested where it was underseeded with some hay. How has feeding wheat worked out? Actually quite well so far. Compared to corn, both the dry matter and TDN are very similar. While it is lower in fat, wheat is higher in protein, calcium, phosphorus and almost all the essential amino acids. Best of all, it doesn’t need to be ground or processed when fed to adult sheep. They tend to do their own processing by chewing the grain more completely than cattle do.

Bird watching continues to occupy much of the time we’re around the ranch after work and chores during the limited daylight hours. Upon taking some vegetable peelings out to toss over the fence to the sheep, 8 – 10 hen pheasants erupted from the garden area in the windbreak. The sweet corn leftovers seem to meet with their approval. Earlier in the day, a couple roosters were spotted on the way to Owatonna. It was good to see all of them especially the hens. The open winter has been a plus for pheasants. If we can get through the next six weeks or so without an ice storm, it looks optimistic for the pheasant population locally.

Last Saturday was absolutely gorgeous. It meant it was time to shovel off the patio and fire up the Weber again. Checking the grill out beforehand, it appeared the last time it had been used was at Christmas. The drip pan was still in the middle of the grill. After nearly giving up Auntie Mar Mar for dead, she and Unky Gregory made the pilgrimage to the ranch for an evening of fine dining. Lamb chops were grilled and Mrs. Cheviot had everything else covered including homegrown carrots and a delectable cherry pie for dessert. Mar Mar brought healthful cookies and fresh-baked homemade bread so there was no excuse for anyone to go hungry. Wine flowed, laughter ensued and a good time was had by all. Ruby regaled the guests with her disdain for the TV remote and astonished them with a sampling of her wide vocabulary. Next time they come up, we’ll showcase her talents at playing organized games. Only if we can get Ruby to stop messing around with her ball or on the computer long enough of course. Short attention span, that dog.

See you next week…real good then.