Fencelines

[Steve Foss]

Dotch, that last one was extra fine for me. I was raised on a dairy farm not too far from where you mention (outside Eastman, Wis.), and while we were more interested in Holsteins than Merinos, on the farm it's all good.

[Steve Foss]

Post deleted by stfcatfish

[Dotch]

[Dotch]

In the road of life there are many apples...

The scurs managed to preside over a wide temperature variation last week, with a low on Sunday night/Monday morning of around 5 above with a high on Friday of over 45. This week offers much of the same with some slight chances of frozen/liquid precipitation on Thursday. Highs should stay in the mid-30’s with lows in the upper 20’s to mid-teens for the week. Look for a gradual slide into more normal to slightly below normal temps starting the second week in February. Check the third paragraph for the rationale behind that prediction. In the meantime, since the scurs may see their shadows on Ground Hog Day meaning there will be 6 more weeks of winter. There would be anyway. This is Minnesota.

This past January will go into the books as the warmest on modern record for the Greater Bugtussle area. Very few days of below normal and primarily above normal temperatures, partially due to the long stretches of cloudy weather we’ve experienced. Precipitation as snowfall was below normal, which isn’t a total surprise since January recently overtook March as our snowiest month. Is this due to global warming? There’s no simple answer to this but think we need to keep in mind that other areas of the northern hemisphere are experiencing record or near record cold. Alaska for instance has had extremely cold January temperatures, ranking 4th or 5th on their all-time records. Eastern Europe has also been very cold and as Mark Seeley points out in his Minnesota Weather Talk, parts of central Russia have been as cold as –72.

The ewes continue to add girth to their frames. The lengthening daylight has allowed a better glimpse at their “equipment” and tells me there will be lambs arriving sooner than later this year. That said, look for it to be cold starting that second week in February prior to shearing.

The weather has really raised hob with ice fishing this winter, especially with those trying to maintain permanent shelters on the lakes. Ice has been very touchy and rather than worry about getting windy and allowing the water to swirl around the houses, many have opted to remove them. Not a bad idea in light of the not too distant past when submerged fish houses helped save people lots of time drilling holes.

With the melting snow, bird activity here has dropped off some, not unlike other reports we’ve been hearing. The goldfinches are still numerous, encasing the thistle sock and occupying all the perches on their tube feeder. With the warm temperatures and grass still appearing very green where it was covered with snow, makes me wish they’d bring out their summer wardrobes.

At the Mall for Men, we ran out of rolls the other day and one of my little fat buddies resorted to eating the sunflower seeds out of the window bird feeder. The amaryllis Mrs. Cheviot gave me for Christmas continues to bloom profusely. Still not much action from the jade plant left outside since last summer despite the warm temperatures. Totally surprising as the boxelder bug that crawled out from underneath the container looked amazingly spry for a late January afternoon outdoors.

Finally a great weekend overall for Gophers sports. The men’s basketball team finally won a Big Ten game by trouncing a pretty good Indiana team and the women beat perennially tough Penn State in a close game. The highlight had to be the Gopher men’s hockey team and their sweep over Bucky Badger though. Kessel’s goal to make it 3 – 1 in the final game was sweet, especially after he had been roundly booed by the Kohl Center faithful for choosing to play for the U of M.

The weekend was a relaxing one thanks to some very kind folks who took us to Chanhassen on Friday night. Was good to get away and enjoy a very entertaining (and fitting I might add) world premiere musical called MID-LIFE! The Crisis Musical. For a lot of good laughs about those middle-age issues we all must deal with, I highly recommend it. The musical that is. As part of our overnight stay it was interesting the next morning to see how the area has grown. Row upon row of cookie-cutter condos, people living on top of each other and more and more land area covered over with big box stores and parking lots. Nothing against those who live there but sorry, just not my cup of tea.

When we returned to Bugtussle we made a trip to Hope to get Gus and Lucy food and mineral for the sheep. What struck me though was the sudden change from the urban sprawl we’d just escaped from. Large expanses of open, harvested fields as we neared the little town and interestingly enough, someone driving a dapple-gray team pulling a horse drawn New Idea manure spreader. Yes, it was loaded. When we pulled up to Krause’s we shut the engine off and watched as they drove off the road through the ditch, stopped the horses, engaged the beaters then headed out across the corn stubble with a clatter. Reminded me of the lyrics to a song Neil Young wrote in his first solo album called “Here We Are In The Years”. Pretty descriptive of what we’d just experienced I thought. The line reads: “While people planning trips to stars allow another boulevard to claim a quiet country lane. It’s insane.”

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Separating the wheat from the chaff...

The scurs forecasts were becoming repetitive after another roller coaster week for temperatures with more seasonal conditions predominating. Normal highs are in the mid 20’s and lows in the upper single digits. Alas, as predicted we’ll get a taste of below normal the latter part of the week but will continue to remain dry with only a slight chance of snow on Thursday. For Wednesday through Friday, highs should stay in the mid-20’s with lows in the mid-teens through Thursday. Friday night however will usher in the cold snap with lows around 5, dipping below zero on Saturday and Sunday with highs in the mid to upper teens. As with many cold snaps this time of year, they tend to be shorter lived and this one should be no exception. The scurs are thinking after getting the cold shoulder on Valentines Day, her temperature should rebound to normal by next weekend. Mother Nature’s that is. You’re on your own in the other department.

The Full Moon will occur this month on the 13th and as the skies will likely be clear to partly cloudy, you should be able to view the Full Snow Moon or the Full Hunger Moon, named as such because the heavy snow accumulations made hunting for the Indian tribes of the northeast difficult. The Ojibwe called this moon the Full Sucker Moon as the suckers in the streams were in the process of spawning in February. The Sioux called this the Full Raccoon Moon or the Moon of the Dark Red Calves. The coats of the prior year’s buffalo calves would be weathered to a reddish brown color much the same color as the wool on a black sheep becomes.

Heard geese again Thursday night after dusk. Sounded like they were playing in the ice water ring around the pond. They were wearing their skates on Saturday morning. As is the case across much of the state, the birds at the feeders have been fewer as of late but it has given me a chance to start getting ready for the return of the bluebirds. Need to get some predator guards on the variety of houses so we can keep the cats, raccoons, opossums, etc., from fishing the birds, babies and eggs out of the nests. Also continuing the effort to thin down the house sparrow population. These pests are capable of killing tree swallows and bluebirds on the nests in addition to breaking the eggs. One needs to even the playing field a bit to get a steady population established.

Ewes are getting ever closer to lambing. When checking them at noon on Monday wasn’t surprised to see what I thought was one laying on the south side of the shed getting ready to lamb. Nice spot I thought to myself as I let the dogs out for a run. Went back to check it out and my worries were over as when the critter stood up, it was none other than Jingles, the clean up ram. No danger of lambing that one out.

Spent a relaxing, enjoyable Sunday at the Gopher women’s basketball game with the entourage organized by Shannon Schonrock’s uncle. We were privileged to be chauffeured to the Barn by Bugtussle’s own Mr. Gopher who knew his way in and out of that madness like the back of his hand. We got an unbelievable parking place, one that even George Costanza would’ve been proud of. The seats were choice as was the company. The Gopher women’s basketball team trounced Michigan 83 – 48 and the game set an attendance record for the Big Ten this year, with 12,049 on hand cheering for Shannon on the day honoring her career there. As of this writing she needs 4 more three-pointers to set the all-time Gophers record. Go Shannon!

At the Mall for Men, several of the little fat buddies have been on vacation but we still are screening their calls while the panel of experts toil over the issues of the day. Still discussing important matters like our Valentines Day plans. Incidentally, we actually do have some ideas, well one anyway we can share, if we have to, I guess. It even involves flowers! We’ve also been keeping up on the TV shows, especially Dancing with the Stars and Skating with the Stars. We’re of the consensus there should be an Ice Fishing with the Stars show on network television, perhaps right after Bandwagon.

We’ve also been on the topic of threshing and how much “fun” that must’ve been. It was a labor intensive, dirty and somewhat dangerous job. Have several books that show the gory details from sowing the seed all the way through running it through the threshing machine itself. For the younger folk in the group, they had never seen how the big belts attached to the steam engine powered the device. A cutaway view of the threshing machine reveals how similar they were to the present day combines when it came to separating the grain from the straw, using a cylinder and straw walkers. Threshing machines were still manufactured as late as 1956 by companies such as International Harvester.

Was always a challenge I’m told to come in on the belt side of the throat on the machine especially with a young, nervous team. More than one horse got its tail caught in the belt, one of the reasons the tails were bobbed on draft horses in the day. As time wore on, steam engines were replaced by gasoline and distillate powered tractors, something the steam engine crowd took exception to. Replacing the steam engines was probably a good thing though as some took exception to the sparks generated, sometimes resulting in spectacular fires.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

2-16's don't necessarily lead to one getting plowed...

The scurs have found forecasting February weather a bit more of a moving target, with the more extreme cold temperatures continuing to be a no show. This week should usher in a cold snap starting Thursday and lingering on through the weekend. After Wednesday’s high of around 30 and low of around 15, look for highs on through Sunday of 15 and lows around 0 to -5. Some snow possible on Wednesday into Thursday. How cold it actually gets will depend somewhat on how much snow accumulates. Look for temperatures to claw their way back towards normal with highs in the mid 20’s and lows in the teens. Normal highs are in the upper 20’s and lows around 10. While some forecasters are gloom and doom, we need to keep in mind without a lot of snow cover, it’s difficult for cold snaps to maintain the kind of staying power they would have in say December. We’ve gained over an hour and a half of daylight since the winter solstice and the sun has some strength to it. Still, the scurs are hoping the weather stays cool awhile longer as their wax worms are beginning to pupate.

At the Mall for Men, the little fat buddies continue to trickle in from their vacation cruises to the south with tales of mystery and imagination. They will be in for a rude awakening if the scurs prognostications hold true. Still, being in good winter condition as is their wont, won’t be too difficult once they go back into hibernation. Most fascinating on one of the cruises was how they unloaded the sewage off the boat once in port, something only a farmer could relate to.

On the bird front this week, the red bellied woodpecker was back again after an extended absence. Snow cover and colder temperatures seem to be directing the birds back to the feeders. Had to restock with thistle again this weekend and refilled the corn feeder as the pheasants are back looking for handouts. Numerous in the fields and along the roads last week were small, brown birds known as horned larks, so named for the little tufts of feathers on their heads that look like little horns. Some horned larks stay year round but most migrate. These are the only true larks native to the New World, nesting in open areas with little cover. They tend to blend into their surroundings and have noticed those inhabiting the sheep pasture are very near in color to the short dead grass leftover from last year’s growth. These larks are known to begin nesting as early as February and their nests can be lost under the snowstorms not uncommon this time of year.

Under the soft glow of nature’s yard light (the full moon) one could see that most of the seeds from the green ash have been shed, most likely in the rain gutters. The leaves on the red oak are more stubborn and haven’t let go yet, despite what some naturalist types have pointed out. Apparently someone must’ve used better glue on ours.

Mixed bag for the U of M faithful this past week. The Gopher men’s hockey team won one and tied one coming out of the weekend with three points. The Gopher men’s basketball team managed to pull off two wins, coming from behind at Penn St., then coming home and beating # 11 Michigan St. Since shaking up their lineup, they’ve won two of three and were competitive in the game they lost. The Gopher women’s basketball team struggled this week, losing to Michigan St., and after keeping the game close in the first half against Purdue, failed to show up in the second half. They managed just 10 points in the final 20 minutes and shot a miserable 13.3% from the field. One can hope things only improve from here.

Under near perfect weather conditions, shearing was Saturday’s main event and the sheep looked positively fantastic after a superior job by the local shearer and the red headed 4-Her. Always an accomplishment to have the ewes shorn prior to lambing as it makes the whole process so much easier and not a moment too soon either: 1st lamb showed up Monday morning. Comforting to know that protuberance under the skirt of wool is actually an udder and not a rear differential. Wool price is still about $.25/lb so no new Porsche this year (again) but at least the company and info while shearing is still priceless. For whatever reason the brood ewes sheared especially smoothly this time. Not sure if it had something to do with the drier summer and winter they’ve experienced but nonetheless, they looked wonderful. Afterwards, had to give the shearer a ride to get his pickup over near Blooming Prairie. Turned out to be one of those trips an old farm equipment buff never minds taking. Of course the equipment is old, but I’m not.

Upon driving into the yard was fascinated to see all kinds of old International equipment. Inside the shed, there was even more. Once the conversation got started between the owner and me, the shearer quickly realized this was going to take awhile so he wisely headed off to his prior commitment. Talking about W-30’s, 22-36’s, 15-30’s, F-20’s, F-30’s, BN’s, M’s, H’s, 450’s, etc., don’t think I could’ve found a more enjoyable way to spend time after shearing. We visited on and finally decided I’d better let Ron get back to work and I needed to do the same to clean up the aftermath from the forenoon’s shearing. When I pulled out, noticed a restored 2-bottom No. 8 International plow, smaller brother of the 3-bottom I’d learned to plow with. Have a 2-16’s just like it in the pasture the sheep rub on in yet unrestored condition. Maybe someday, I thought as the Cummins diesel growled its way down the driveway to the road home.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Here to solve problems like when you can't seem to get the cork back in the bottle...

While underestimating the strength of last weekend’s cold snap, the scurs did predict it and will further predict that below normal temperatures will stubbornly stay with us through the end of the month. Wednesday will be our warm day with highs in the mid-30’s and lows near 15. Highs will cool slightly and stay in the low 20’s with lows maintaining between 5 and 0 through next Tuesday. Normal highs are near 30 and normal lows hover around 12. Little in the way of precip is expected in this timeframe but beware of March. The scurs will be taking their fish house off the lake on Feb. 28th after midnight but they shall return. The thick early March ice should hold the extra weight of all those Valentines Day goodies.

Hoping for a Gophers trifecta this weekend but it was not to be. The Gopher men’s teams both held up their end of the bargain with the hoopsters beating Iowa at the Barn and the nationally #1 ranked hockey team sweeping Denver at Mariucci. Saturday’s hockey game reminded me of our old lab Patti grabbing a woodchuck: a couple minutes and it was over. The women’s basketball team has fallen on hard times, losing 4 straight. Guard play has fallen off as turnovers have risen and free throws at critical times haven’t fallen. This team really needs to gather themselves or they will fall out of the top 25.

Have been watching bits and pieces of the Winter Olympics and it’s good to see the US performing as well as they are. Not long ago, it was a big deal when they won anything. Am starting to figure out this curling thing, too. They must be “neat-freaks”; they’re always sweeping.

This week’s cold weather brought back even more birds and in significant numbers. For the first time in weeks there were some house finches and a mourning dove. Both male and female downies and hairies were in evidence too along with nuthatches, juncos, blue jays and the female red-bellied woodpecker. The goldfinches are showing more of a yellow cast especially as the cold afternoon sun shines on them. Thought at first someone’s chickens were out too but soon realized the pheasants had made a swing through the yard once again. Their ear corn feeder was refilled as a result.

At the Mall for Men we continue to come up with new ideas for TV shows. The latest: My Favorite Swede. One of the little fat buddies also graces the cover of a national farm periodical this month. Look for little fat buddy action figures in a store near you soon.

Lambing is progressing although it’s never over soon enough it seems. One set of bottle lambs so far and a set of black twins so the area grandpa’s and grandma’s will have someplace to take the grandkids on a weekend. So far all are healthy which is always a blessing.

Speaking of blessings was sent a copy of a Lancaster Almanac that my brother found at a flea market in Pennsylvania. Always fascinated to see how our ancestors viewed agriculture. The almanac is dated 1915 and cost a whole dime when new! 1915 happens to be the same year my Dad was born. Contained in the pages amongst other things are cures for insects and plant diseases. Most of them look rather labor intensive, involving pruning, burning or use of creosote, hence the need for lots of cheap labor (read: kids). There is also a little ditty on making corks that are too large fit the bottle. The solution was to boil them for five minutes. Should’ve tried this once when ice fishing and was told my cork was too big.

Cultural practices are also somewhat different than today. Under one section, the Cultivation of Winter Grain it says: “If the winter grain and particularly rye, if it has been sown timely and is remarkably strong, should be grazed off by the sheep, otherwise it will become too rank and yield more straw than grain.” Under Autumn Seeding: “The grain should be sown as early as possible; it will notwithstanding yield but little, for during the cold weather it will grow very little, and the winter will come very early. No sheep are therefore to be left go on the grain, otherwise there will be but little or nothing left.” Wonder if I can convince my neighbors to seed rye? Won’t charge for the grazing or fertilizer. Just the kind of guy I am.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Was it Aunt Bee or Aunt Bea who made those awful pickles?

The scurs are lagging in accuracy as of late. The early week weather has turned over a new leaf and will be ushering in a warming trend. This is good or bad depending on your perspective. If you like falling on the ice it’s not good. If you’d rather slog through the mud, well this should be your big chance. Look for midweek warmth in the 40’s followed by near normal temperatures to start March out. Also look for March to start out with some mixed precip. After the 40-degree highs on Wednesday and lows of 15 – 20, highs will drop back to 30 – 35 and lows will range between 15 & 20. Scurs are readying for a March mud bog.

While watching a basketball game Sunday afternoon, got a glimpse of a small, brown hawk that had taken a keen interest in the sparrows that had collected in the sparrow trap. Had wondered why there hadn’t been more sparrows caught and may have gotten my answer. The sharp-shinned hawk was fascinating to watch, as it was no more than 25’ away. It may be named a sharp-shinned hawk but the black talons were needle-sharp as viewed through the binoculars when he was sitting atop the hardware cloth trap, glaring at the sparrows. All the birds gave him a wide berth as he’d take a perch on a tree branch, then back to the top of the enclosure holding what he hoped would be dinner. Have found some suspicious “explosions” of feathers around the yard and in the barn so this could explain some of them. We have no cats; don’t want any either. With this hungry little hawk’s appetite for sparrows, am hopeful the bluebirds will have a banner year and there will be fewer sparrow droppings to deal with in the barn.

The hawk was definitely more fun to watch than the Gopher men’s basketball game. The Badgers haven’t lost to the Gophers at Kohl Center for 10 years and Sunday’s result was no different. The Gopher women righted the ship however pulling off two wins to close out their season. The Gopher men’s hockey team won two over the weekend in Anchorage so they won the WCHA Championship outright. Wisconsin lost two to Mankato so the Gophers owe Stomper one.

After a quick 7 ewes lambed there has been a lull in the action as of late. However, still a bunch of ewes very close to lambing so no rest for the wicked. Am beginning to think 10 is about the perfect number of ewes. By the time one’s starting to get tired, you’re done. Amazing how the little ones handle the cold. Once they get dried off and get that thermostat set, the – 15-degree weather really didn’t impact them much. Took me a lot longer to get my thermostat set after the warm January, to be sure.

By the time you read this in the Bugtussle Bugle, the little ice shelter villages dotting the late winter ice on the lakes will be history. One can still put the houses out during daylight hours but have to pull them off the ice if they are to remain unoccupied after midnight. Also time to re-up for both the fishing licenses and the shelter licenses should the mood strike you. Sounds as romantic as a Handsome cab ride, doesn’t it?

At the Mall for Men the spring bulb planter provide by Mrs. Cheviot has burst into bloom in a south window, revealing purple crocuses and a yellow daffodil thus far. In a true sign of spring, the little fat buddies are rejoicing once again as the Girl Scout cookies have arrived so it can’t be too far off.

Was sad to hear of the passing of two favorite TV stars this past week namely Don Knotts and Dennis Weaver. I don’t recall Dennis Weaver’s role on Gunsmoke as Chester as well as I did his days playing McCloud on Sunday nights. Managed to skip doing some (OK, a lot of) homework Sunday nights watching the Taos New Mexico lawman cope with New York’s criminal element and a chief who didn’t understand him. And who could forget Don Knotts as deputy Barney Fife? Can still remember the reruns of the Andy Griffith Show already in the Cold War early-60’s on the old Columbia black and white TV. Even though I was probably 4 or 5 at the time, the bumbling deputy was a lovable character, and Andy was smart enough to make him keep his bullet in his pocket. Didn’t need gratuitous sex or violence to hold our interest; still don’t. They played on our sense of family, loyalty and fair play. The programs and characters reflected the innocence of who we were and perhaps deep down, those of us who lived through those times, still are.

See you next week…real good then.

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[Dotch]

Kirrrrrbbyyyy Puckett!

The scurs are continuing to find March weather predictably unpredictable after early Sunday AM’s power hiccup followed by the snowy forenoon mess. Look for more of the same this week with most of the precip falling as rain however. Highs for the week should range between 40 and 45 with lows in the low to mid-30’s. Chances of precipitation Wednesday through Saturday. If it falls in the evening, it will likely be snow and daytime will likely mean rain. The scurs will need to be above the clouds to see next Tuesday’s Full Moon.

The Full Moon falls this month on the 14th and is widely known as the Full Worm Moon. The days when the worms will become active are drawing near and the birds will be pulling them from the thawed soil once again. The Indian tribes of the Northeastern US knew this moon as the Full Crow Moon, as the cawing of crows was a sign that spring would soon be here. Some also referred to it as the Full Sap Moon as the sap in the maples will run. The Ojibwe called this the Snow Crust Moon as the freezing and thawing typical of this time of year would cause a crust to form on the snow. The Sioux called this the Moon Where Buffalo Cows Drop Their Calves, something very critical to their survival on the plains.

Speaking of dropping baby animals on the plains, after Saturday night’s Pheasants Forever banquet, was out for the 10 PM bottle lamb feeding. Thought I’d best check outside to see if any of the ewes had snuck off out back of the barn. Was dark as a pocket out but thought I saw a little white blob lying on the mound of chaff I’d cleaned out of the shed earlier in the winter. Walked out there and as my eyes adjusted to the darkness, could tell there was not only one white lamb but a little black one along with her black mother. Along about that time it began to get nasty and sleet so I grabbed the babies with the ewe following along, bleating like I’d stolen her prize possessions. Got them into the barn and in the jug out of the elements. Good thing I’d seen the white one because with no light, the other two were practically invisible.

There was lots of activity this past week indicating spring is once again coming. Heard red-winged blackbirds flying through over the weekend but haven’t seen any migrating robins yet. The crows were out in force and ring-necked pheasant roosters are crowing around the neighborhood. Lots of hawks to look at too, from red-tails, kestrels and the little resident sharp-shinned hawk. The goldfinches continue to show gradual change and have figured out that the hawk is an afternoon visitor. They fill up in the morning and stay away after lunch. Got some old well pipe around for a mallard nesting platform project Uncle Den had decided to go with. The Delta Waterfowl pattern when followed correctly should improve nesting success on the prairie potholes such as ours by keeping 4-legged predators from attacking the nests. Will probably try to get one more wood duck nest box up yet too. Hopefully a series of well maintained live traps will help protect the teal this year.

Still some time to prune those fruit trees yet. Was looking out the window the other day at one of those face snapping while lawn mowing lower limbs on the crabapple trees. They’re toast. Afraid the cherry tree in the yard is probably done after last year. It looked tough. Wouldn’t mind replacing it with one of those Honeycrisp apple trees though. Jonquils and hyacinths blooming in the Mall for Men planter this week.

Border collies Gus and Lucy made their annual pilgrimage to the vet to get their vaccinations up to date. They get so excited when they get to go for a ride in the truck and enjoy the scenery. People on the freeway always gawk when they see them sitting on the seats like human passengers. Once at the vet, both were declared to be in good rig and Gus has continued to thrive despite his swallowing problem. He weighed in at 51 lbs and is still growing. While Lucy is more timid, Gus is more gregarious, wagging his tail when Dennis approached to check him over. Both patients were model citizens and acted better than we did when we were allowed to go places as kids. Imagine that being a vet and getting bitten a few times would get old. Not shot, dog bite. No danger with these two and they were told based on their behavior, they were welcome back anytime. Felt good as a parent that at least they behaved in public.

While there some good sports happenings this past week such as the Gopher men’s hockey sweep of Duluth, most were overshadowed by the sudden death of Kirby Puckett. None of us MN sports fans will ever forget this smiling player who always seemed to be having fun while playing the game. The ’87 and ’91 World Series both rank among the best ever and Puck played a crucial role in bringing home both championships. Even when the Twins weren’t winning, could tell he always gave it his best and that’s something anyone who has ever competed athletically or otherwise can appreciate. Thanks for the special memories Kirby; we’ll always treasure them.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Closed captioning sponsored by...

The scurs called it close last week with precipitation falling several days but then getting a break Friday and Saturday, the kind of weather we live for this time of year. This next week promises to be a step back however after getting a taste of spring. Starting Wednesday, we should see highs around 30 – 35 continuing on through next Tuesday. Lows will remain consistent also, between 15 and 20. Good chance of snow once again on Wednesday. The scurs have put away the swim fins and donned their snowshoes once again.

At the Mall for Men, one of the little fat buddy alumni made a surprise return visit. Oddly enough, he remembered the rest of the little fat buddies visiting him last fall in Alexandria. After a trip like that one, who could forget? We’re making some headway on the Girl Scout cookie supply but apparently it was a good year for cookie production. Need something to celebrate Monday’s vernal equinox.

Spring was fun while it lasted, but it’s a little like dialing in an AM radio in the morning. Comes in a little fuzzy at first but once the sun comes up, the signal gets stronger and the volume becomes louder. Not unlike spring in the morning. Come outside for chores and hear geese calling, pheasants crowing and robins chirping, knowing that the sounds will only become more intense and numerous as spring wears on.

Birds in numbers this past week. The same day as I submitted last week’s column, saw my first robin so it didn’t make the printing. This week there have been herds of them, many stopping to sample the crabapples that the pheasants and starlings didn’t eat. Large groups of red-winged blackbirds were in the trees then gone in a flash, a few staying behind to stake out their territory in the small sloughs nearby. Grackles are back too and eating out of the sunflower feeder. Chipping sparrows played in the shrubbery surrounding the house and picked at some of the screenings with the juncos.

On Saturday, while making my way through the wetland to install Uncle Den’s mallard nesting platform, scared off over 20 mallards and 30+ Canada geese. Even during the storm on Monday, the geese were calling from the pond and small groups that were flying over the barnyard responded to their noisy beacon from that protected area. The robins took shelter in the brush on the road cut where there are rosehips to dine upon and the chippers stayed close to the juncos. All the birds were in an absolute feeding frenzy, including the goldfinches. The nomads were back in full force.

Lambing season is over halfway done but it has been a struggle. Luck has not been with us and neither has the weather. Consistently cold or warm is fine as long as it’s dry but changeable, wet conditions like we’ve had are any shepherd’s nightmare. In addition to fighting chilled lambs, one has to constantly be on guard for pneumonia. Takes lots of bedding and lots of bedding equals lots of manure.

Monday’s snowstorm episode made matters worse. In addition to being cold and damp, the snow was glued to the thawed ground making it a real mess to push, usually taking hunks of mud, sod, and gravel with it. That and I found out one of my chore boots has a leak in it. And yada, yada, yada, still have to clean the feedlot out before Wednesday’s snow. Thank goodness Bernice and Kris made sure there were some daffodils at the bank for me. At least one can look at them and know that warmer days lie ahead.

As kids we used to look forward to the March snowstorms that seemed to come almost every year. Loved to play on the big snow piles Dad would push up with the E-4, then in turn play in the resulting puddles when the piles began to melt. Boots leaked in those days too only we’d patch ‘em rather than toss ‘em like we do nowadays. Some of the storms would close school for a couple days, something that had to drive Mom absolutely nuts. When we’d push her over the edge what would she tell us? The same thing all good moms at that time did: Go outside, play with the dog and burn off some of that energy! Pretty good advice in retrospect. Pretty good advice in general. Rather than blame our obesity problems on high fructose corn syrup, TV, video games, etc., burning it off as we once did proves once again that your mom was right.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Thundering down the home stretch...

After last week’s snowy weather, the scurs have been hunkered down awaiting the onslaught of the annual spring mudfest. With the high moisture content of the approximately 12” of snow in greater Bugtussle, spring could be a long, drawn out affair. Take heart, it is still March and anyone who has lived here long enough knows better than to count on March weather to be cooperative. As the snow pack melts, a gradual warming should be in the offing for the week. Starting Wednesday & Thursday we should see highs of 35 – 40 and lows near 20. Friday and Saturday should give us highs of around 40 and lows of 20 – 25. Sunday through Tuesday will be a little warmer, with highs of 45 and lows around 30. Aside from a chance of rain on Monday next week, the week should generally be dry. Normal highs are 44 and lows are about 25. The scurs are boiling the sap collected from their maple trees.

Wondered after picking up that last batch of ear corn for the pheasants if they’d use it and after the snow, am glad to say they did. Thanks to Kevin and Carol for keeping it under the roof so those of us who maintain feeders can stock them. I see the house sparrows have started looking at bluebird houses already. Fortunately the one I saw them in will be moved shortly. It’s not close enough to trees for the bluebirds to perch in and also needs a predator guard attached yet. Still a lot of the winter birds here yet although once can still hear the odd small flock of geese here and there. The red-bellied woodpecker continues to remind me of Curly with its n’yuk, n’yuk, n’yuk call. Who are these Stooges you speak of?

A fairly poor week in Gopher sports as the women’s basketball team fell in round 1 of the NCAA Tournament. All in all though, they were entertaining and great to watch on TV relative to most of the garbage that’s on. The Gopher men’s hockey team also went down in flames in the WCHA tournament although one could say they really didn’t have much to play for after winning the WCHA. It didn’t affect their seeding in the NCAA Frozen Four. Did they peak too early? Time will tell. The men’s basketball team managed to win their opening NIT game against Wake Forest. Wonder if Dan Monson regrets playing Vincent Grier and getting him hurt against NDSU when the game was well in hand? No biggy as the Big Ten in the NCAA’s is already done after the first weekend. Gettin’ itchy for Twinkies baseball soon.

At the Mall for Men, we continue to tackle the tough issues once we figure out what they are. Solved the identities of some individuals in some mystery photos. That was Ben Yerhot at the wheel on an M Farmall pulling an ear corn picker. Appears we’ve finally run through the Girl Scout cookies and the daffodils are done for another year. Thinking we need drought resistant, Round Up Ready flowers for the planters this year.

Discovered that ladybugs in the house have some redeeming qualities after all. In an old farmhouse like we live in, one can tell what direction the wind is by which room happens to have the most ladybugs in it. If the wind is NW, the bugs are worst in the SE corner of the house. Also have determined that the stupid paperclip on Microsoft Office actually was patterned after the boxelder bug. It shows up out of nowhere, gets in the way at inopportune times and is generally annoying. One can get rid of it when one remembers what window to open, but unfortunately like the boxelder bug, there is nothing shown to be effective in controlling the dumb thing long term.

Saturday was one of those multi-tasking days. Only three ewes to go! After morning chores, getting supplies and feeding bottle lambs, settled into getting the snow moved that the northeast wind had left right where it put it. Nice day so not surprising to see a ewe seek shelter on the south side of a building and start the birthing process. Kept an eye on her as I got the driveway and yard finished up. Checked on her again to see that matters were progressing normally and got the area in front of the big barn opened up so the yearlings could get outside again. By this time it was starting to cool off slightly and she’d moved inside where it was easy to get her in a pen and watch the miracle of birth unfold once again. Was done moving snow anyway and was bumping up against choretime. Just another day on the farm many of us once knew.

See you next week…real good then.

[Tom Wilson]

thanks for the update Dotch

[Dotch]

Daylight Wasting Time: Nothing worth losing sleep over

The scurs dialed in a near perfect forecast last week with a few light flurries being the only fly in the ointment. This week, we get a taste of spring again with near normal to slightly above normal temperatures. Also included however are some spring showers for Thursday and Friday. Highs for the remainder of this week will range from 45 – 50 and lows will run from 40 on Wednesday night and Thursday then drop to between 35 and 40 through early next week. Highs for Monday and Tuesday should reach the middle 50’s and maybe even lower 60’s. Normal highs are near 48 and lows near 28. The scurs sense that the extra carrots they bought for those snowmen should be consumed soon lest they become Easter Bunny food.

Speaking of the Easter Bunny, did anyone and everyone hear about the occurrence in St. Paul where the Easter Bunny and Easter eggs was banned from the City Hall for fear they might offend someone? Wait till Larry the Cable Guy gets ahold of this one! What’s next, no Festivus pole or feats of strength? The Easter bunny was borrowed from the pagans for whom the hare was a sign of fertility and the brightly colored eggs were a sign of renewal in many cultures. Upon last check, I have yet to find any Biblical references to fake colored grass, Peeps, or Jesus taking the disciples out in the deep weeds hunting for hard-boiled eggs.

Spring continues to progress with or without the Easter bunny. Big Government cannot stop it although it remains foolish enough to believe it can change it in a positive fashion by playing with the clock. Set your clock ahead early Sunday AM or Saturday night before you retire for the 2006 edition of Daylight Wasting Time. For those who are always an hour late anyway, set yours ahead 2 hours if you really want to live on the edge.

In the meantime, large wedges of Canada geese are making their way with greater frequency as we complete our morning chores. There are also some pairs that appear to be the locals that are hanging around. Larger flocks of red-winged blackbirds and grackles are arriving en masse as the robins appear to have set up camp around the yard. The rooster pheasants continue to court their prospective mistresses and there are plenty of little warblers amongst other things in the thickets that I simply don’t have time to gaze at to figure out who they are. Horned larks are everywhere as I noticed the other day while talking to a farmer near Blooming Prairie in his yard. The goldfinches are nearly yellow too. Always look forward to their appearance about mid-April when they’ve reached full color in contrast to the still barren trees.

March Madness continues. The Gopher men’s hockey season ended on a whimper in OT against Holy Cross. Still they were a welcome diversion when we’d come in after chores on a cold Friday or Saturday night all season. Gopher men basketballers were overmatched against Cincinnati but there again, were fun to watch at least part of the time. The NCAA’s have been exciting. So many last minute shots, underdogs playing deep into the tournament and OT games one rally gets their cable bill’s worth out of it. Sure glad I didn’t participate in any pools this year.

One more ewe to go and lambing season will officially be over. Won’t be long and we can shift the ewes with lambs to the lot by the road and cause the annual gawker slowdown. Warmer weather is needed though to melt the snow off the pastures so they can once again get at those first green blades of grass.

Unfortunately one of our old favorite ewes won’t be around to enjoy that grass. Ivory, whose thumbnail photo graced the pages of the original American Cheviot Sheep Society HSOforum (http://members.aol.com/culhamef/bcheviots/cheviot.htm) died after struggling while giving birth. She was 11, which for a sheep is pretty ancient. Ivory went to Louisville along with her twin sister Ivana to compete at the NAILE as a yearling in 1996. She didn’t place well as she was too small but both of them caught the eye of Henry Kuykendall, one of the foremost Border Cheviot breed type aficionados in the country. He told me what a gorgeous headed pair of ewes we had raised and they were two to hang onto. Even though we hadn’t shown well, it made me feel proud just the same.

Apparently Henry was right as lots of people liked her offspring over the years and requested them. As recently as last year, we sold some extremely pretty buck lambs out of her to some folks in the western US. An even dispositioned critter, she was one of those ewes that was curious about what you were doing in the barn when we’d go out to check for lambs. Not in the way but always there when you’d turn around. And she liked to do silly things like come over and drink the warm water out of the bottle bucket. Could get a little annoying but at 11 years old, just mutter “ old dummy” and overlook it.

Call me a softy if you will but when I lose an animal I really cared about I always try to keep some small memento of a life that was whether it’s a collar from a dog or the tag that a ewe’s worn in her ear since I placed it there all those years ago when she was a lamb. Wonder to myself, how many miles that little plastic green ear tag traveled and how many apples, toads and chipmunks Ivory encountered on her journey. It’s a little like retiring a sports jersey I guess. We’ll never allow another ewe to wear 95-32 again.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Maresy-doats and dozy-doats,

And liddle lamzy divey,

A kiddley divey too,

Wouldn't you-oo?

The scurs homed in on last week but forgot about Sunday’s added bonus. At the ranch, rain gauge totals for the Friday rain were sketchy, as the gauge didn’t get put out until afternoon. Was about .6” but looked like about an inch judging by water buckets, etc. Sunday blessed us with another .8” so needless to say, it is wet. The good news is it will warm up. The bad news is it will likely get wetter in the near-term. Starting Wednesday we should see highs top out around 60 with lows in the mid-40’s. With the warmer temps comes more rain probable Wednesday night, Thursday and possibly lingering showers into Friday. Highs Thursday will be 60 trending down to the low to mid 50’s through early next week. Lows will remain fairly steady, around 35 in that timeframe. More rain likely for early next week. The scurs have disconnected their phone for fear of threats due to the rainy forecast.

Speaking of phones, was lamenting the fact other day that it has become much more difficult to pull prank phone calls since that advent of caller ID. Not that I’d ever do anything like that but it was always reassuring to know that one could. A couple of the little fat buddies now have their own bobbleheads and one of them recent became a proud papa recently. Poor kid shares my birthday. Congrats Rick and Jackie!

Lambing season is done as of this past Monday. (I think) Sleepless nights are at an end. (I know)

Looks like the frost is nearly out of the ground as some of the puddles in the fields are disappearing. If you’re going to ice fish on St. Olaf Lake, you’ll have to bring your own ice, as when this reaches print, the ice will be gone. Sunday morning the blacktops were strewn with night crawlers, much to the delight of the robin and blackbird population. I see the remaining house sparrows have tried to get a jump on me in the barn as I’ve noted 3 locations where they’ve started building nests. Have pellet gun, will travel. Frogs were croaking ever so slowly Monday night. Doing the math, it was cold. Pocket gophers have been digging in spots but as of yet, not on our side of the pasture fence. Frost is probably not out there yet. That or neighbor David snuck out and trapped ‘em last fall when I wasn’t looking. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Spent Saturday removing and renovating some bluebird houses that were in need of relocation. Put some purchased predator guards on and purchased some material to manufacture enough for the rest of the houses. The plan is to put them on posts that are tough for predators to climb and the additional guards on the houses themselves should keep raccoons, cats, opossums, etc., from sticking their grubby little paws in the hole and fishing out the contents.

Was also a great week and weekend for viewing the newly arrived waterfowl. What we see varies from day to day but last Thursday when the ice went out, we started off with ring-necked ducks, mallards and Canada geese. Friday saw the arrival of hooded mergansers and Sunday there were Northern shovelers added to the mix. The neighbors to the north reported seeing buffleheads on their pond in addition to some of the same ducks we had. One of the mallard pairs appears to have staked a claim on the mallard nesting platform I put up a few weeks back. The hen was sitting atop the structure on Saturday morning and Monday evening as I checked the electric fence, she was still there, her beau swimming nearby. First blue- winged teal noted Tuesday AM. Time to get the predator control program in gear.

Early spring always meant getting ready for seeding small grain as a lad. Once the field was deemed to be fit, we’d disk it down with the old no. 37 IH disk, drag it then borrow neighbor Sam’s old galvanized seed box Case drill. Since it was a mechanical lift drill and the fields were usually odd shaped, we’d seed the fields round and round without lifting, then seed the corners in after we were done. If it didn’t rain after we were done, we’d frequently drag the field lightly again to cover the alfalfa seed lying on top of the ground.

Some of the oats we used to grow included varieties such as E-70 and E-73, which were early, white-seeded, multi-line blend oats. As the name implies, they were blends of lines that had varying degrees of resistance to the predominant races of crown rust but otherwise very similar agronomic traits. Later we grew some yellow-seeded Noble oats but they never quite measured up in yield. At the Pleasant Grove farm we rented on shares, sometimes wheat was seeded. Still recall renter Ernie Klomps seeding Era semi-dwarf wheat in late March and getting a then almost unheard of 60 bushel per acre.

This was back in the mid-1970’s when I remember looking at the Minneapolis grain markets in the newspaper and marveling at the hard amber durum wheat price being over $7 per bushel. I also wondered what hard amber durum wheat actually was and why we weren’t growing it. Little did I know that my future would be impacted to some degree by folks who actually grew this crop. More on hard amber durum wheat at a later date.

Finally, a thank you to all who supported the Lions Pancake Feed benefit for Ethan Strenge either with your attendance or your donations. It was a huge success. My coat still smells like a pancake. 4-year-old Ethan has been battling a rare type of childhood cancer since last summer and it was just great to see the continued support this community gives this very deserving young man. May God continue to help him, his family and this community as he continues to make progress towards the day he is cured.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Things are just ducky...

The scurs were on the money again last week, batting much better than the Twins have so far. Starting with Wednesday this week, we should see above normal temperatures, but not necessarily drier spring weather conditions on tap for this week. Normal highs are around 55 and lows near 35. Look for highs to range from 65 – 70 through Saturday and lows to run between 40 and 45. Thursday through Monday offer the best chances for precip. As we get through the weekend and into next week a slight cool down is in store but conditions should remain dry. Highs will start on Sunday at 65 and trend downward gradually for a high of 55 by Tuesday. Lows will follow suit, with Sunday’s low at 40, Monday reading at 35 and Tuesday possibly near freezing once again. The scurs remind you to drain your hose in case of such an event.

The Full Moon will occur on Thursday and depending on who you are, it has many names. The tribes of the northeast called this moon the Full Pink Moon because of all the pinks that would bloom this month. The Ojibwe called it the Full Sap Moon as they were commonly boiling maple sap. In some locations it was also referred to as the Broken Snowshoe Moon as the hard crusted snow would tear the rawhide webbing on their snowshoes. The Sioux were more concerned about the grass that sustained the buffalo they relied on for their food. They called this the Moon of he Greening Grass. Given the ample rainfall and warmer temperatures in store, some of us may be wishing we had some buffalo around.

This daylight saving time is just the ticket for accomplishing those tasks one has been putting off the past several months. Recently spent some of the time I saved to replace the burned out light bulbs in the barn so we could see what we’re doing when we get up in the dark every morning to do chores. At the Mall for Men, discussion this week has ranged from field peas being planted to rumblings of anhydrous to be applied soon. Also musings of people getting stuck soon.

Waterfowl and other birds continue to migrate through with some staying behind to set up shop. Last Tuesday marked the first great blue heron of the season and the next day, the first tree swallows arrived. Fox sparrows became common in the CRP. Also noted was a bufflehead, a small diving duck that kept me guessing as it was under the water more than it was on top of it. Saturday AM brought in wood ducks and American wigeons, along with more blue-winged teal and their gadwall relatives. Monday a snow goose was mixed in with a group of Canada geese and stuck out like a sore thumb.

Some don’t care for them but the geese serve as a warning system for the pond. When the geese become agitated, they sound the alarm and little ducks come out of the weeds to see what’s going on not unlike the Munchkins in The Wizard of Oz. Of particular interest was a dragonfly zipping around this past Monday night. Some years on April 10th, there are still snow banks hanging around. The warmer weather has also increased the decibel level of the frogs in the area ponds and puddles. The wonderful background music of spring.

Got the majority of the predator guards on the remaining bluebird houses. At last count, think there are 9 houses total of 5 different types. There are also two kinds of predator guards making this a rather complicated experiment. The tree swallows have been surveying them but as of yet, no bluebirds. Kicked the sparrows out of one already and evicted them from the nests they started in the barn as well. See they’ve started rebuilding in the barn almost as fast as I tore them down. Serenity now!

Saturday, little 3-year-old Harmon, his Mom and babysitter came up to visit the sheep and in particular the bottle lambs. Gus and Lucy were glad to have someone to herd and Gus showed his appreciation by shaking hands with master Harmon when he tried to hug him. It’s always good to see parents who are concerned that their kids are taught where their food and fiber comes from as well as allowing them to be kids. That and when they’ve also taught the kids respect. Was most impressed with Harmon’s use of “please” and “thank you’” and when he didn’t perform up to his Mom’s expectations, she followed up and made him do it right. Was fun watching him disappear, searching out new adventures as is a youngster’s wont, all the while the dogs keeping an eye on him. Look for the dogs; find the kid.

Some things haven’t changed, have they? Just ask my Mom. When visiting her last Sunday, she said all she had to do to locate me was to call the dog and head in the direction the dog came from. Am sure many times she found me watching some bugs, butterflies or playing with the little ribbon snakes that were frequent residents in the yard. Funny how those years are some of the most important in developing the interests that later define who we are. The animal companions, specifically the dogs, are also major contributors. Always there, always glad to see you and will lick your tears away when you’re down.

There are several heartworm clinics in our area over the next few weeks. If you haven’t already done so, take the time to get your family companion checked out and put them on heartworm medication. The wet spring so far promises to make for a banner early mosquito season. Help keep that 3 year old inside you alive.

See you next week…real good then. (Right, Jane?) ;-)

[fishface]

Real good, Dotch! Real good.

[Dotch]

And it burns, burns, burns...

With temperatures running well above normal last week, the scurs decided it might be time to invest in a new thermometer. This week however offers a more seasonal forecast from a temperature standpoint and a good chance of more rain on early Wednesday through Thursday. Normal highs are near 60 and lows are in he mid-30’s. Highs Wednesday and Thursday should be in the mid 50’s with lows in the mid 30’s. From Friday on through next Tuesday, expect highs in the mid-60’s and lows between 40 and 45. While the scurs are not superstitious, they continue to keep their snowshoes out in plain sight to ward off any evil snow spirits.

Good progress was made last week in local fields with peas and small grains being planted. Alfalfa fields have greened up and have over wintered extremely well. Anhydrous ammonia went on well and some corn went in the ground in places as well. Fortunately, most were wise enough not to get too carried away. While soil temps at the 4” depth were well above the magical 50 needed to germinate corn, most took their time and used the time spent to get the bugs out of the planted rather than trying to see how much they could plant. It was after all still mid-April.

April showers are definitely bringing flowers but due to the temperatures, pushing them ahead of schedule. In town where it’s more sheltered, lots of tulips and daffodils are evident whereas here in the wide-open spaces, last week brought the crocuses out as well as some snowdrops. Trees are budding out and while this week will slow things down a bit, we should see leaves sooner than later. Got all the tree guards removed early last week and the nannyberries were already starting to bud out inside the wrapping. The rabbits did a number on the small arborvitae, something they will probably regret doing. A couple large brush piles are awaiting a match after the weather dries a bit and we get a SE wind. Rabbit: That is one tough monkey!

Spring means Twins baseball and this past week’s home stand marked a turnaround in their fortunes. Most teams would take sweeping Oakland and taking 2 of 3 from the Best Team Money Can Buy. Hopefully when the Twins go back on the road they can keep the momentum going. The starting pitching has been good enough and the defense keeps them in games they would’ve other wise been out of last year. Timely hitting has brought them back in every win as of this writing and if it continues, this will be an exciting year to watch our beloved Twinkies.

Looks like the big migratory push is over for the waterfowl. Several pairs of teal, shovelers, mallards and a few ring-necked ducks are all that remain of the dozens that were there only a few weeks ago. One pair of geese seems to be on hand too but not all the time, making me wonder if they’re just visitors from one of the other area ponds. In the yard, the goldfinches are almost at full color, with a few patches of winter’s leftover drab olive still in evidence. Still no hummingbirds or orioles but it’s time to put out the feeders and see what shows up.

The mosquitoes showed up last Tuesday down by the pond. Rather large, about the size of a small crow, but bumbling in nature, yet still fully capable of biting and raising a welt after they’ve done their business.

From back in the days of living in the Little House on the Prairie near Rock Lake North Dakota, some of the first crop put in was mustard. That’s a weed you say and you’re right, but this mustard happened to be of 2 types, yellow and Oriental or brown. Grown only under contract, it was seeded with a drill at around 3 or 4 lbs. or roughly a million seeds per acre. Mustard tolerates frost very well and when it comes up, it looks just like a radish. With good reason; it’s in the same family. It was a rather simple crop to grow, didn’t require a lot of fertilizer although the herbicide options were rather limited. Pests included flea beetles, which incidentally are also a pest of radishes. There was also a little diamondback moth that generally was a novelty rather than a major problem. A greater concern usually was the potential for being sawed off in the early stages of growth by blowing soil from one of the numerous spring dust storms.

When the fields flowered they were of course a blazing yellow in contrast to the emerald green of the wheat and barley or the gentle blue of the neighboring flax fields. When the mustard crop began nearing maturity, it was swathed and laid in windrows that tended to be rather fluffy and subject to being blown around by the wind. Sometimes the windrows were rolled to flatten them somewhat. Once combined, the crop didn’t stay on the farm long and it was on its way to the processor. The locals however used to save a little back and made their own condiment/concoction. Grinding the brown mustard seed in a blender and adding a little distilled vinegar, it produced a nice burn not unlike horseradish, from start to finish.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

One good thing about corn planter plates: You don't have to wash them!

The scurs delivered on a seasonal forecast for last week. Even though rain eventually brought things to a halt late last week. Precipitation was generally light. This week also offers light precip chances on Friday but little through the end of the month into early May. Highs Wednesday through early next week should be between 65 and 70 and lows in the low to mid-40’s. Normal highs for this time of year are in the low 60’s with lows in the upper 30’s. The scurs are getting their May baskets ready for next week.

At the Mall for Men, sessions have been limited to days with those nuisance popcorn showers. Rain gauge reports were exchanged and it was unanimous at 38 degrees, it will freeze in the peats. With Tuesday’s cool morning, one of the little fat buddies sadly announced it was even too cold to go to Dairy Queen.

Getting lawnmowers ready seems to be the order of the day. Dead batteries, units that won’t start, blades to sharpen, oil to change and the usual frustrations. Gus has already started his spring yard work. With all the craters he’s dug, the backyard has taken on the appearance of a lunar landscape. Am expecting a call from NASA wanting to film more of those fake scenes from the moon landing.

Twinkies=stinkies after last week. Not pretty. After starting pitching was doing just well enough to get by it has tanked. Let’s hope they get with the program against lowly KC. Look what it did for the White Sox.

Brown thrashers and meadowlarks topped the list of birds singing this week. Nearly a dozen pair of blue-winged teal on the pond, along with 3 or 4 sets of mallards and the odd shoveler. Still a lone drake ring-necked duck. Have not seen a hen so am wondering if she’s setting in the weeds somewhere.

Matching seed up to the planter plate was always a necessary evil. Even though the seed corn bag would say which plate to use, it was always a wise idea to put some corn in the planter and try it out just to make sure the drop was adequate. Most times the best place to try this was on the driveway. Drop the planter and pull ahead, trying to drive roughly the same speed as one would travel in the field. Sometimes the plates were right on the mark and other times one would have to dig through the pile to see what might be close, be it a large flat or medium round. Many of the old plates were made of steel but as plastics were improved, they were made of colorful plastic. And as in the present day, equipment companies made sure that the only plates that would fit in their planter were their own.

As most of you who have been out in the country have seen, planters are rolling across much of the greater Bugtussle area. Fit conditions have been slow coming after Easter’s rain but at least we haven’t seen the 7 Sundays of rain. It skipped last weekend and blessed us with a gorgeous drying day. A little early perhaps to plant soybeans just yet but for corn, it’s go-time! (Mandelbaum! Mandelbaum!)

Getting the fields ready for planting was generally a good time growing up, especially if it meant getting out of school to do it. We’d often trade labor with the neighbors too if there were someone getting behind. One year Dad struck a deal with a neighbor to plant our corn and in exchange we did some spring plowing and I helped one day to get his fields ready to plant. I got to drive and un-styled John Deere A, complete with spoked rear wheels and flywheel starter. Jerry started it for me, hooked it up to a small 4-section drag and instructed me as to what he wanted done.

It was interesting to say the least. Void of creature comforts, the A was crude from the get-go but had a lot of lugging power in those relatively huge twin cylinder pistons. Up and down the hills I went, pulling the drag as fast as the tractor could pull it. When I got done with the field, I pulled the hand clutch back and to my surprise, nothing happened! I looked down to see the pin that connected the clutch linkage had fallen out. Now what, I thought. Jumping off wasn’t an option, the tractor was full of fuel, there was no key to turn it off and I wasn’t pulling an implement that really bogged it down much.

So I went over the field again hoping Jerry would show up so I could flag him down. He didn’t and I was beginning to wonder how I was ever going to get off this tractor with a mind of it’s own. Finally, I was able to get down into the far corner of the field and by turning hard with the brake and throttling it down as far as I could, the A finally went pop!…pop!……pop!………pop!……….pop! and killed as I pointed it up the hill. A few minutes later Jerry showed up and apologized for the problem and said there really wasn’t much else I could’ve done. He appreciated the job I’d done and I appreciated some of the “old junk” we farmed with at home a little bit more.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Time to plant corn. Thus sayeth the oaks.

The scurs were rather soggy after the system that visited on Friday decided to stay for the weekend. All told however, accumulations were around 1.5”. The problem is the week ahead looks to be generally cool and damp. Starting Wednesday, highs should range in the low to mid-60’s and the lows should remain between 40 and 45. Best chances of precip are Thursday and Friday then again next Monday and Tuesday. Normal highs are 65 and lows are about 43. The scurs are thinking it’s time to buy stock in an umbrella manufacturer.

Good progress was made locally in the fields until Friday and a rough guess on area corn planted would be 75%. Some soybeans are in the ground as well. The good thing there is if they don’t make it, there is plenty of time to replant. The early-planted corn has begun to emerge and small grain has greened up the landscape. Alfalfa is nearly a foot tall and very lush. Wouldn’t be a good time to have the cattle or sheep get out right about now.

Some of the little fat buddies headed north to visit a little fat buddy alumni in Alex. It was pointed out again where Bob’s sister lives on Le Homme Dieu. You’d think Ryan would get it figured out pretty soon.

One thing about the Twins this year, at least they’re consistent. After managing 2 out of 3 from KC, they absolutely stunk against Detroit, getting outscored over the weekend 33 – 1. Aside from horrible starting pitching and lousy hitting, they’re playing pretty well. Time to abandon ship? No but probably time to shake some things up. It’s obvious what they’ve been doing isn’t working. George is gettin’ upset!

At least the birds have been entertaining lately. Was checking bluebird houses last week along the fenceline and spied a pair of Hungarian partridge. Still no bluebirds yet but last year it wasn’t until May that they arrived and built nests here. Put out the oriole and hummingbird feeders and as of yet, no activity at either feeder. The barn swallows have returned although the cooler temps have slowed insect activity immensely. Robins start singing at 5:30 AM and the mourning doves coo about 5:45. Fellow bird watcher/feeder Steve reported a belted kingfisher is back again near their house on Boot Creek. These were always residents of Masonic Park north of Spring Valley when I went through there as a lad. After putting up new houses for them over the weekend between showers, Tuesday morning I heard my first house wren singing from the thicket. It’s official: Spring is here.

Took a trip down by the pond for the first time in a week on Sunday. Still plenty of blue-winged teal, mallards, ring-neck ducks and one pair of wood ducks. More reeds and sedges showing up around the pond’s edge and the tree and barn swallows skim the surface to nab whatever they can off the surface. When I returned from the area I felt something crawling on my leg and was pretty sure I knew what it was. I was mistaken however when it turned out to be none other than one of those pesky ladybugs. Was sure I’d found the first wood tick of the season but alas, just another exotic pest species.

Winding down on feeding the last bottle lambs. For some reason, I always save the measuring cups that are included in the milk replacer for Mar-Mar. They’re just too nice to let them go to waste. Have visions of going to their place to eat someday and being served beverages in them. At least the glasses would still have the mixing instructions on them. Wonder how it would taste with chocolate?

Around the countryside this past week, one could see the little wild plum thickets in bloom and some of the tulips have opened up. One of the nicer serviceberry bushes planted last year has had some very pretty white flowers on it. Am sure the birds will eat the berries as fast as they show up. They always do. Oak tree leaves are the size of a squirrels ear. Time to plant corn or it was. In the lawns, some have had questions about Creeping Charlie and violets. Even saw some wild strawberries in bloom in one lawn.

Lawn mowing has been a difficult task this past week, especially if one doesn’t get a chance to do it until after work and the chores are done. The rainfall has kept the grass wet and growing like mad, especially where Gus and Lucy have fertilized it. Since it seems to rain mainly daylight hours, a word of advice if buying a new lawnmower: Buy one with good lights on it.

Some days chores are more interesting than others. One morning I spied something floating in a water bucket. Usually it’s a drowned mouse or a sparrow but this morning there happened to be a big fat toad swimming around. Right in the middle of Monday evening chores, the dogs put up a fuss and I looked up to see what the din was about. A white mini-van had pulled up outside the barn and little Jessica was heading towards the big door with a May basket. She is the proud owner of one of our bottle lambs and judging by all the goodies in the basket, she really likes her. Jessica is lucky to have such a nice grandpa and Angel is lucky to have Jessica.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

For now I smell the rain, And with it pain, And it's headed my way. (Page/Plant)

The scurs found it difficult to dry out this past week following the prior week and weekend’s rain. While the early week promises to be damp, the end of the week and early next week should promise a little drier weather regime. Monday night’s rainfall varied anywhere from .5” – 1.8” across the Greater Bugtussle area according to official Mall for Men rain gauge reports. Also hail northwest of town. It will remain slightly cooler than normal. Normal highs for this time of year are around 68 and normal lows are close to 45. Wednesday we should witness highs near 65 and lows of 40 – 45 with our best chance of rain for the week. Thursday through Saturday will be cooler with highs near 55 - 60 and lows of around 40. Sunday through next Tuesday bring with them stable weather with highs near 65 and lows of 45. For Saturday’s fishing opener, the scurs will break out the Carhartts they wore during deer hunting season with the white hanky in the back pocket. If this doesn’t bring them luck, nothing will.

The full moon this month falls on Saturday the 13th. This full moon goes by several names including the Full Corn Planting Moon for obvious reasons and it was commonly known as the Full Milk Moon. It was common for the cows to be turned out on lush pastures after spending the winter holed up in the barnyard. As a result of consuming the lush, green grass, the cows produced milk with a more yellow color to it due to the carotenoid pigment it contained. Sometimes also known as the Don’t Stand Behind the Cow in the Stanchion Moon. The moon was called the Full Blossom Moon by the Ojibwe and the Sioux knew it as The Moon When the Ponies Shed. At our house, we know it as the Moon When the Border Collies Shed. Of course, that goes for most full moons.

It’s always interesting to watch the flowering vegetation change as spring progresses. The plum blossoms have started to fade and in their place, the flowering crabapple trees have been just waiting for it to warm up to take center stage. The regular apple trees are right there too but if all goes as usual, the wind comes up and makes their beauty all too short-lived. The dandelion crop is phenomenal once again but the ewes don’t mind eating the succulent foliage as fast as they can gobble it down.

This past week brought many new visitors to the feeders and yard in general. On the pond, it appears there are nesting pairs of mallards and teal. My hope is the predators leave them alone this year so that there are ducklings that make it to adulthood. The Harris sparrow and white-crowned sparrows both made an appearance last Wednesday. They have been regulars each of the past several years. The first northern oriole appeared the following day and proceeded to get in a singing contest with the brown thrasher. He’s stayed around and the contest continues. Cedar waxwings like to hide in the new leaves of the apple trees and peek their heads out to see what’s going on. A yellow-rumped warbler watched as I mowed near the plum trees on Tuesday night. A pair of golden plovers flew off as I was zipping across a field on the 4-wheeler west of Bugtussle. Likely heading to their summer home in Northern Canada

Field progress has been steady by jerks between rains. Conditions have been marginal in many places and have made for some interesting bomb sessions at the Mall for Men and helps keep the bakery in business. And we play local Trivial Pursuit. “That’s not “Moops” you jerk, it’s Moors!”

Happy Mother’s Day to all those Mom’s out there who put up with those of us over the years. Though like mine, they may have survived kids throwing apples at cars, kids that disappeared down behind the hay bales in the barn and kids with digits nearly severed by bean hooks, they still cared for us all the same. Make sure you make the time to spend with your Mom this Mother’s Day. Without them, we wouldn’t be here.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Duck...duck...wood duck!

The scurs dropped the ball on the weekend forecast once again leading one to believe the Force is not with them. Oh well, anything will have to be an improvement over the cold, damp weather of last week. Starting with Wednesday, highs should be near 70 and lows between 40 and 45. There is a slight chance of a shower through Friday. Temperatures should remain in that range through Tuesday next, with slight chance of showers again on Monday. Normal high is near 70 and lows around 48. Longer-term outlook appears to bring us another hint of summer the last week in May. Having recovered from the opener, the scurs will devote their full attention to weather forecasting in earnest rather than telling fish stories.

At the Mall for Men, farmers have been awaiting the next opportunity to get back out on the tractor to finish soybean planting. As one female reader so aptly put it, we perform a public service for the local wives by providing a place for their husbands to hang out other than around the house. Have found it’s good to stay close to the little fat buddies around noon too. Sometimes they’ll even buy you lunch.

More rain and cool temperatures have hampered fieldwork and dampened spirits. Much of the corn that is emerged is showing stress from cool, cloudy weather and is pale in color. And there are some soybeans emerged in the area. Peas and small grains are doing rather well so far as well they should. It has been ideal weather thus far but eventually they too will need to see the sun. Alfalfa should be ready to cut once we get some warmer temps as well. Much of it is 18+ inches in height.

In the yards and gardens, the bleeding hearts have come into full bloom and the lilacs in sheltered areas have begun to exude their heavenly scent. The petals from the apple trees are fluttering to the ground in the breeze. Wet conditions have made lawn mowing difficult much to the chagrin of area lawn mowers and the abundant dandelion crop continues to thwart those who desire a weed free lawn.

Bird watching has taken some interesting turns lately. The first hummingbird at our feeders showed up on the morning of May 10th. That evening a female rose-breasted grosbeak made an appearance. Spotted an eastern kingbird near Trenton Lake on Thursday. While at Mom’s on the weekend we watched an orchard oriole sipping the nectar out of the yellow flowers on the spicebush. Awhile later, a northern oriole joined him, showing the contrast between the chestnut brown of the orchard oriole and the brilliant orange of the northern oriole as well as the slightly smaller size of the former. The orioles at home here have been scarce during the colder cloudy days and when they do show, looks like they have their ear lappers down.

The highlight though has been the wood ducks nesting in the nesting box by the pond. Noticed a couple wood ducks hanging around the pond occasionally and thought perhaps the pond was too open for their comfort. Apparently not. A light brown egg appeared in the nesting box last Wednesday so decided to see if there were more to come. Indeed there were and thought about putting in a reverse peephole. As of this writing there are 6 eggs resting in the cedar shavings in the bottom of a nest lined with twigs and down. Am waiting to see when the hen stops laying as one can peg hatch pretty closely from that point (29 – 30 days)

Fortunately, when I figured out they were serious about nesting, I constructed a cone-type predator guard and attached it to the stop sign post holding the nesting box. There were some telltale signs of scratching on the box likely caused by a raccoon shimmying his way up the sign post trying to get at the nest. They couldn’t quite get enough traction to get a grip but just wanted to make doubly darn sure they didn’t. Am hoping to witness “Jump Day”, the day when the little ducklings will when called by the hen, hop out of the nest and find their way to the water. Hopefully the day after finding the first hatchlings, that will occur. To check out more information about wood ducks, log onto: http://www.woodducksociety.com/

These folks have been very helpful in getting our albeit very small but very enjoyable project off the ground. Better yet become a member of the Wood Duck Society. It only costs $10 a year and I know I’ve sure spent 10 bucks on dumber things.

See you next week…real good then.

[buzzsaw]

Dotch,

I'll tell you that Stephen Straka over at the Wood duck society is a genuinly nice guy who has a passion for these Woodies! I met him a few months ago at a MN Duck banquet at the Chart House in Lakeville and spoke to him a short while back on the phone regarding Wood Ducks. I'd say for anybody thats into Wood Ducks to get in touch with him through his HSOforum, he can help get you set up with the how and wheres to put up nesting boxes and any other questions you may have.

[Dotch]

You got that right buzz. Had several excellent e-mails from Steve regarding some of the particulars of wood ducks and sounds like he'd be a great guy to meet someday. I lucked out and probably accidentally put the house where it had a decent chance to succeed given the young age of the wetland restoration. As it evolves it appears there will be more cattails & woody, shelter type vegetation, which should make it even better wood duck habitat.

This morning after chores I went down to the pond to get another egg count. I lifted the side door on the nesting box ever so slowly and the hen looked me right square in the eye so I closed it as gradually as I'd opened it. She stayed in there so will check tonite as it appears she lays her eggs in the overnite or AM. Also need to check on the live trap in case there are any predators that need to be dealt with. Hoping no skunks but we have a rope on the trap in case they want to go for a swim...

[buzzsaw]

That swim is a great option for all troubled varmints.

[Dotch]

Spring continues to be sprung...

The scurs missed a little of the light rainfall that showed on Sunday but all in all they were close. This week promises to bring with it warmer temperatures but also more potential rainfall. Look for highs in the upper 70’s to low 80’s and lows in the 50’s through early nest week. Best chances of rain are Wednesday and again on Saturday. Normal high is 73 and low is 51. Summer is on our doorstep. The scurs are searching for that long lost shaker of salt.

Bird watching last week included seeing a bobolink near some CRP near Waldorf, a male rose-breasted grosbeak came to the feeder in our yard, and a black-billed cuckoo that had the misfortune of hitting the window. These secretive birds generally are heard and not seen so it took me a few minutes to decide exactly what it was. These are very beneficial birds as one of their favorite things to eat is tent caterpillars. This bird is also sometimes referred to as the rain crow as some hear the cuckoo’s call prior to a rainfall event. The rain crows have been busy so far this spring.

Also of note, the bluebirds have returned to our place and after some house hunting, it looks like they may have decided on one of three available. Tree swallows have laid claim to a couple houses as well as I continue my war on the house sparrows. Finding dead tree female swallows in nesting boxes as a result of a male sparrow pecking them to death only strengthens my resolve. Down at the pond it appears the wood duck hen has finished laying her eggs and that puts jump day at somewhere around June 17th or 18th. All I know is it is awfully crowded in the bottom of the nesting box and it will get worse before it gets better.

Some of the new insects on the scene include the black swallowtail and a monarch seen this past Friday. Also saw a cabbage butterfly so if you have cole crops planted, get ready for little green worms. Many products available for their control including Bt, a bio-insecticide. Lamb tails continue to fall off and the dogwood chokecherry and nannyberries are blooming. I’ve got my spring cold but have been careful not to sneeze in anyone’s pasta Primavera. Did you know that primavera is Italian for spring?

A local Swedish field scout found a weather balloon with a NOAA radiosonde attached in a field NW of New Richland. The radiosonde is a small, expendable instrument package that is suspended below a 2 meter (6 feet) wide balloon filled with hydrogen or helium. As the radiosonde is carried aloft, sensors on the radiosonde measure profiles of pressure, temperature and relative humidity. The radiosonde came complete with mailer so the Swede did the proper thing and mailed it back to its rightful owner. Hopefully they will send some kind of info regarding what it was doing in our local Bugtussle airspace.

Did you catch the smell of the curing hay blowing into Bugtussle last week? Absolutely heavenly. Corn has gotten off to a rocky start in some fields much to the consternation of the Mall for Men’s little fat buddies. Some light scattered frost the morning of May 22nd got the attention of some. Emergence has been erratic and brought those rotary hoes out of the backs of sheds and out of the groves. This week’s weather will tell the tale as to how much will need to be replanted or dealt with in one manner or another. Consumption of coffee and donuts will only return to normal once this problem has been put to rest.

The rotary hoe we had as a kid was a far cry from the models being used today. Nowadays all are mounted but those of my youth were pull type, with rock boxes on top to add weight as well as hold the rocks that would otherwise smash the dickens out of the teeth. I still remember Dad going to purchase the 4-section rotary hoe from an elderly neighbor Rodenz who had a reputation for being somewhat curmudgeonly. He also had some of the most prolific ear hair I’d ever seen which might have explained some of his curmudgeonliness. He was asking $200 for the hoe that Dad thought was a horrible price. I think Dad got him to take $175 for it so at least he felt he’d gotten a deal.

It was reputedly a Minneapolis Moline model and the tongue was made from two heavy rods that hooked into holes in the front of the frame. It had no hydraulic lift or wheels on it so in order to pull it down the road, one put the rods on the backside of the rotary hoe frame and pulled it backwards. The tongue was short however so care needed to be taken on the headlands not to turn too short or one could wind up wearing the rotary hoe once it got done puncturing the rear tire. The bearings were made out of maple and after it had sat in the grove a number of years the bearings would rot. Recall making some new ones out of oak 4x4’s we happened to have on hand.

Rotary hoeing was fun as we could put the E-3 in 4th gear, low range and at 6.5 mph, we thought we were really flying. Until we’d encounter one of the numerous nests of rocks the glacier had left behind for us in the glacial till soils that is. We’d have to slow up, get off and pick up the rocks then jump back on the tractor and continue on. Picking up the rock was preferable to having it get stuck in the hoe and dumping all the rocks out of the rock boxes so we could pick them all up again. This was back in the days of widespread tractor cab use so in addition to eating a lot of dirt, we generally took on the color of the aforementioned soils. Right, Willy E.? ;-)

See you next week…real good then.