Fencelines

[Dotch]

We're located about 25 miles due north of Albert's Leaf and nearly equidistant between Ellendale and New Richland, not far from Beaver and St. Olaf Lakes.

[Dotch]

There's a bad moon on the rise...

Some nicer days this past week as the scurs predicted, with sunshine and highs topping out near 50 for many on the 13th. This week appears to be closer to the “slightly below normal” category. Under partly cloudy skies, Wednesday’s high should be near 40 with lows dropping to near 20. Thursday partly cloudy, high of 40 and low of 20 – 25. Friday and Saturday, cloudy to mostly cloudy, chance of rain and/or snow. High of 40 and low of 25. Sunday, partly cloudy becoming cloudy. High of 40 and low of 25. Chance of a snow/sleet mix Sunday night. Monday, high of 35 with a chance for more of the snow/sleet mix. Tuesday, partly cloudy, high if 35 and low of 25. Normal high for the first day of spring, March 20th, is 43. The normal low is 23. On St. Patrick’s Day, the scurs consumed only green clovers from their Lucky Charms to improve their forecasting fortunes.

St. Patrick’s Day this past week was on Monday the 17th but at the urging of church officials and others, the day was celebrated in most places on the 15th so as not to interfere with Holy Week. Oddly enough, St. Patrick’s Day will not occur again during Holy Week until 2160 so mark your calendars and adjust your schedule accordingly.

The Full Moon for the month is on Good Friday and has many very apt names. It is known as the Full Worm Moon as when the ground begins to thaw, earthworm castings will begin to appear. Not too surprisingly so do the robins. The Indian tribes of the northern US knew this as the Full Crow Moon and the Ojibwe called this the Full Crust Moon as the snow would thaw during the day and freeze at night crusting the snow. The Sioux called this the Moon When Buffalo Drop Their Calves. Maple syrup is being tapped during this moon and so it also known as the Full Sap Moon. To settlers, this also known as the Full Lenten Moon being the last full moon of winter. And not moment too soon I’ll bet.

The Vernal Equinox officially happens March 20th. To some this means an equal length of day and night. Actually, during the equinox, we already have slightly more daylight than darkness and will have had since the 17th. A loose definition of equinox allows that the center of the sun will spend nearly an equal amount of time above and below the horizon of every location on the planet. A more technical definition involves the refraction of light, arcs, geometric horizons, etc. In other words, more complicated than we have space or attention span for.

There are signs that spring is on the way. Some of the migratory birds have begun to show up. In and around our yard last week, geese were flying around on the 11th, ducks were quacking and male red-winged blackbirds were singing “konk-a-ree!” from the tree tops on the 13th. A robin was eating leftover crabapples after chores on the morning of the 14th. Little Jerry the rooster pheasant is back crowing and drumming in the plum and sumac thicket on the edge of the yard on the 16th. While more nomadic than migratory, house finches are back at the feeders once again in numbers. The goldfinches continue their subtle color change, with the males looking less olive drab and becoming more sunny yellow. Speaking of sunny yellow, thank you to all those who brought a little sunshine to our lives last week with the American Cancer Society daffodils.

Insects in the house are also coming back to life. After being on hiatus for a month or so, the ladybugs are crawling on the ceiling and getting into the milk replacer again. The boxelder bugs along with some of those big flies are also becoming active too. When one hears something crunch underfoot on the floor, odds are when you look down, it’s another one biting the dust.

Outside, the fruit trees have been pruned and the pesky volunteer ash and boxelder saplings pruned at ground level under the pines. The mud has been much to Gus’s liking. While Lucy tends to trot around puddles, Gus blasts through them with gusto, making his big feather duster tail look more like a wet mop. Will soon be time to get the fence back up and charge it so the lambs can get outside and take advantage of the warm spring days that are surely to come.

At the Mall for Men, the little fat buddies are beginning to dream of getting their planters out to look them over and make repairs to ready them for the upcoming planting season. Fortunately, most of them have wintered well so even if they don’t have a heated shop, they’re prepared to brave the elements and head to town to see what everyone else is up to. Have a hunch it’s more likely to see if Carol S. has made any more of those excellent cinnamon rolls.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

I wanna live with a cinnamon girl...

Wow! Too bad the scurs have been banned from most local NCAA basketball pools. Last week’s forecast was deadly accurate; just as messy and chilly as advertised. This week promises slightly better although that’s a relative term. Wednesday we should see a high of 40 under partly cloudy skies. Those pesky snow showers return for the evening however with a low of 20 – 25. Thursday, cloudy with a chance of a rain/snow mix. High of 35 and low near 20. Friday, cloudy with a slight chance of snow. High around 35 and low of 20. Saturday, sun breaks out and we stay around 40 for the high. Sunday, more clouds and ugliness with a chance of rain showers. High of 40 and low of 25. Monday, partly cloudy, high of 45 to 50 with a low near 30. April Fool’s Day, partly cloudy, high of 40 to 45, low of 25 to 30 with a chance of overnight flurries. No foolin’. Normal high for March 28th is 47 and normal low is 26. The scurs are eating their chocolate bunnies while checking the tournament brackets for an obscure offshore gambling account.

The cinnamon roll fairy came through again on Good Friday at the Mall for Men. Running behind without breakfast as is my wont, was especially tickled to find the rolls were still warm when I arrived that morning. Sitting around the training table with a pan of rolls on it is almost like watching vultures sitting on a fence to see who’s going to make the next move. We’re a little concerned however that one of the little fat buddies is claiming to be on a diet. Maybe have to put him in the sick pen, give him a shot of vitamin B-12 and feed him some molasses to get him back on feed.

Migratory birds showed up in force last week. There were close to a dozen robins picking at the crabapples on the pruned branches on Tuesday. Lots of grackles (known to most in greater Bugtussle as blackbirds) and killdeers calling in the pasture below the house. Geese are setting up shop and can be seen strolling around the ice on the pond when they’re not flying overhead to the fields, where they glean them for last years crop. Pheasants were mobile too, with Little Jerry the rooster pheasant flappin’ his wings and struttin’ his stuff.

If the “three snows on the robin’s tail and then it’s spring” postulate has any validity to it, this past week and weekend should have qualified. In reality, robins migrate in loose flocks along a 37 degree average daily temperature isotherm, frequently ahead of warm fronts, traveling on average roughly 40 miles per day. While they survive on fruits upon arriving here, their favorite food is earthworms. In order for earthworms to be active and near the surface, the ground of course needs to be thawed and above 36 degrees. So keep an eye out for robins with stubby tails because this greasy skid stuff has been as wet and heavy as oatmeal. It very well might tear ‘em right off.

Had one of those strange moments Easter morning when hooking up the hose to the hydrant. Getting mentally prepared to fill water buckets, just happened to be daydreaming about the Easter Bunny. All the sudden out of a chunk of plastic tile that was lying by the hydrant, Peter Cottontail came tearing out like he’d been shot out of a cannon. Checked for Easter eggs but found none. In the house however he left me some Jr. Mints. Those can be very refreshing.

Sunday was also one of those days when lambing seemed to hit a snag. With only a handful left to lamb it shouldn’t be so bad, right? Depends on your perspective I guess. While Auntie Mar-Mar was visiting, an old ewe that somehow escaped the trip on the cull trailer last summer had lambed, producing a large buck lamb and no milk. Having more than enough bottle lambs to keep us occupied, puzzled what to do. Agnes C. seemed like a likely candidate although she already had one bottle lamb. When Mar-Mar left she took the lamb by Agnes’s place in a box, sort of a take off on the old leave the baby on the doorstep and ring the bell routine. Agnes was of course delighted and while she wanted a ewe lamb, she loved the little tyke anyway.

Much to our chagrin later that afternoon, the old ewe decided to sneak another lamb out, this time a flashy ewe lamb. Too nice to destroy, Agnes was contacted once again and bless her heart, was willing to take on one more. May have to organize a pancake benefit to keep her in milk replacer however. The positive in all this in addition to finding a loving home for them, hopefully her grandkids will wind up with a 4-H project out of the deal. One thing is for certain, at least the lamb will be tame.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

That wind's howlin' and it seems mighty like a woman's screams...

The scurs were ahead of schedule, predicting the snowfall on Sunday instead of Monday. Oh well, the way things have been going, having a day in the mid-50’s by mistake is worth it. This week, we should see the weather begin to act more spring-like. Starting Wednesday, partly cloudy becoming cloudy with a chance of rain/snow mix by late afternoon, high of 40 and low of 30. Thursday, cloudy, chance of rain. High 45 and low of 30. Friday through Sunday, partly cloudy, highs of 45 – 50 and lows around 30. As the scurs always say, when in doubt, predict clouds and rain on Monday. Monday’s high should be in the 45 - 50 range with the low dropping to 30. Tuesday, cloudy, high of 45 - 50 and low of 30 - 35. Normal high for April 4th is 51 and normal low is 29. The scurs are eating flapjacks with their recently manufactured maple syrup.

Yes, it’s that time of year again. The sappers, syrupers, or whatever you want to call them are out and about, tapping trees and boiling the sap. Up until recently, reports from most of the purveyors of this sweet natural treat indicated the sap was not running very well this year. Too cold and not enough variation in temperature to make the sap run as one would like.

So where did we wind up in terms of average snowfall and how far behind are we from normal on ice-out dates? At the SROC in Waseca, the average annual snowfall for the 30 year period from 1971 – 2000 is 54.7”. For the 50 year period from 1951 – 2000, the average snowfall is 47.7”. As of this writing, for the present winter season at the SROC, they have tallied 35.2”. Let’s hope we don’t catch up to the averages! Ice out dates approximate the date at which soils become free of frost. Last year, the ice-out date on Clear Lake was March 27th. While we didn’t make that, the average ice-out date through 2001 is April 3rd.

We’re starting to head the right general direction however. Saw a striped gopher running along the side of the road on March 28th, indicating that their long winter’s nap is coming to a close. Haven’t noticed any fresh pocket gopher mounds yet. Not that there couldn’t be some in areas but they are generally a good indicator that the frost is out of the ground where they’re digging. Still plenty of frost in areas and area lakes are still covered with albeit deteriorating ice.

Small, shallow wetlands have thawed however. Began noticing this the middle of last week. The numbers and variety of waterfowl they contain and temporarily attract are always fascinating and their breeding plumage simply beautiful. Saturday morning during chores there was a flock of white-fronted (speckle-bellies) geese up high with the pedal to the metal heading north. No layover apparently. On Sunday though while checking the electric fence, noted over 100 ducks on our 3 acre pond alone, primarily mallards, blue-winged teal, and ring-necked ducks. When they spooked and took off, was like a swarm of bees. Could’ve sworn I was back in North Dakota again. And of course, there is nearly constant Canada goose music to be heard almost any hour of the day as they set up nesting territories.

In the yard, the goldfinches are getting closer to yellow. In another couple weeks, they’ll make the still leafless trees look like those Easter egg trees, complete with all yellow eggs. There has been a large influx of house finches, more than we’ve seen in quite some time. Their song is pretty and so are the males, especially this time of year. They nest here at the ranch someplace and bring their young to the feeders in the summer. And, there are finally some white-breasted nuthatches back again. They nest here too, am guessing in one of several hollow boxelder trees. Aren’t they all hollow?

Mrs. Cheviot and I got all the lambs moved out of the lambing barn on Sunday and opened up their loafing area in the big barn so they could all get outside. No sooner had we done this, we created our own version of a gawker slowdown. Someone stopped on the road to watch the lambs run and play. After we went in the house, heard several other vehicles slow to a crawl as the lambs enjoyed the warm afternoon. Not sure if they were watching the lambs or trying to figure out where all the racket was coming from however. It gets loud. How loud? Imagine youngsters being cooped up for over a month then suddenly turning them loose at a playground with their doting mothers hollering at them. Times 10.

Need to blame someone for Monday’s snow? Look no further than me and one of my little fat buddies. Was decided that seeding lawn just prior to a snowstorm this time of year was just the ticket. Lots of moisture and heavy, wet snow tamps the seed into the ground ever so slightly so it will sprout when the weather warms up. Last week it was supposed to snow a bunch so we kicked it in gear to “git ‘er done” and consequently, it didn’t snow more than enough to make the ground white. Thinking we had screwed up in reverse and discovered a way to straighten out the weather, we were feeling pretty good about ourselves. Then came Monday’s mess. Not so sure everyone will be happy if our little grass seeding experiments are successful.

See you nest week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Seasons don't fear the reaper...(I know, more cow bell!)

The scurs were pleased to see the mercury rise into the 60’s on Friday and Saturday but not totally surprised. We were due. For the upcoming forecast cycle however, they’re thinking we may be in the “2 steps back” category. Wednesday, partly cloudy, with a high of 45 and a low near 30. Thursday and Friday, cloudy, precipitation likely, rain during daylight hours and rain/snow mix during the overnight hours. Highs of 45 and lows near 30. Mostly cloudy Saturday with a chance of lingering rain/snow showers, 50 degrees for the high and low around 30. Sunday, partly cloudy, highs reaching 55 - 60 and low of 35. Partly cloudy Monday becoming mostly cloudy with a chance of rain into Tuesday, highs of 55 - 60 and lows of 40. Normal high for April 11th is 55 and normal low is 32. And as of the 11th, we will have gained an hour and 6 minutes of daylight since the vernal equinox. The scurs are leaving their old aluminum snow saucer outside the door to ward off any remaining evil winter spirits.

Last week was a week of contrasts with the wet snowfall on Monday giving way to some beautiful spring weather by week’s end. Checking frost depths with a probe on Saturday, there were places where it was still about a foot down. Other places, such as on the south facing slope of the pasture, it was completely out, with robins able to find earthworms at will and striped gophers out sunning themselves. Like the ice in lakes, frost melts both from above and below this time of year. Speaking of lake ice, the St. Olaf Lake ice as of this writing is fading fast, with a ring of water surrounding it. The ice also turned darker following the weekend’s wind and warm temperatures. It will likely be history this week sometime. Even put 3 rain gauges out but dumping them all together, they wouldn’t have added up to a tenth of an inch on Sunday.

Lots of signs that spring is upon us with lawns, golf courses and pastures showing a hint of green. The first of the spring peepers (frogs) can be heard from area wetlands. Lots of human activity showing up too with motorcycles and golf carts coming out of hibernation. Even some golfers noted on Friday and who can blame them? With all the gloomy, cloudy weather, playing hooky had crossed my mind. Garden seeds arrived at the ranch this past week although I had to make a trip to Edna’s to get some of those special onion sets as well as some radish seed, the latter of which were planted upon arriving home. With a little rain on Sunday and some warmer temperatures, I figure the rabbits should have something in the flower bed to chew off in a week or two other than the red carpet of tiny lambsquarters seedlings.

Bird activity is a barometer of how spring is progressing. About the same number and variety of ducks on the pond from last week but in the sky above, have seen great blue herons in addition to tundra swans, lumbering along like the low altitude B-52 bombers I saw in my younger days in ND. Monday morning, the first meadowlarks were scoping out the pasture, dodging snowflakes while the red-winged blackbirds were feeding on the ear corn, flashing their red epaulets. Grackles are flying around the yard with beaks full of wool and other nest building material and the goldfinches continue to molt, the males’ appearing to be mottled yellow in color. Flickers are back, calling from their bug hunting expeditions in the boxelder trees behind the house. Rooster pheasants continue to crow to woo prospective mates and wild turkeys are on the move. There were turkeys by the golf course and 6 hens passed through our yard Sunday evening. They managed to pick their way through the electric fence and head off to parts unknown.

Was trying to keep my 50th birthday relatively quiet last week but someone must’ve let the cat out the bag. Got lots of cards. Even got a card and a gag gift from the Star/Eagle crack management staff, both of which were very humorous. Got to meet Dick Herfindahl and that was a treat. Always enjoy his column. Felt somewhat relieved when the paper came out to find no one had sent them any old grade school pics where I was doing my hockey player impression and missing a tooth. The little fat buddies celebrated in style at the Mall for Men with birthday cake followed by a brownie chaser. All was not so rosy last week however. Somehow, when you turn 50 that AARP mail finds you like the grim reaper, so promptly threw that away. The crowning touch though was a card from some funeral home. Good grief! I’m just old, not dead. On the other hand, maybe those turkey vultures circling overhead are trying to tell me something.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

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

Although Saturday’s high wasn’t close to what the scurs were thinking, the precipitation forecast was spot-on, complete with rain and snow. For this forecast period, we should see conditions turn more seasonal for a change. Partly cloudy Wednesday with a slight chance of rain Wednesday afternoon and a better chance Wednesday evening. High of 60 – 65 and low of 40. Thursday, mostly cloudy, with a decent chance of showers, high of 55 and lows of 40 – 45. Friday, partly cloudy, slight chance of lingering showers in the morning, high of 55 and lows of 45 – 50. Warmer Saturday, partly cloudy, high of 65 and low of 45 – 50. Sunday, partly cloudy with a chance of showers. High of 65 and low between 45 and 50. Monday, warmer, becoming cloudy with rain likely in the evening. High of 65 – 70 and lows of 45 – 50. Lingering isolated showers on Tuesday. Highs of 65 - 70 and lows of 45 - 50. Normal high for April 18th is 59 and normal low is 35. We are still gaining daylight at about 19 minutes per week. The scurs are trading in their snow shovels for garden hoes and rakes.

This month’s Full Moon will occur on April 20th and is commonly known as the Full Pink Moon because of all the wild phlox that begin to show up in the wooded areas. It’s also known as the Sprouting Grass Moon. The Ojibwe knew this as the Broken Snowshoe Moon and the Sioux knew this as the Moon of the Greening Grass, important as they kept tabs on the buffalo across the plains. With the recent showers and warmer temperatures, the grass in lawns and pastures will be greening up soon enough for gasoline-powered and four-legged lawnmowers to sample those tender shoots.

Last week’s rain varied somewhat across the area but amounts tended to range from 1” – 2”. While there’s no question the rain did help take some of the remaining frost out of the ground, the weather during the first 2 weeks of April has been like thawing the Thanksgiving turkey out in the refrigerator. As of this writing Monday morning, there was still time to ice fish on St. Olaf Lake or to do some shallow trolling in the water encircling around the deceptively white, frost-covered ice sheet. In the fields, the soil is generally saturated and there are areas of the country that are starting to get behind. In a weekend phone call from an acquaintance in IN and a visit with some friends in IA, nary a wheel has turned there yet. The strong winds this week and warmer temperatures should help. We’re still in the running for a relatively normal start here yet but any major rain event will push planting dates back a few more days.

With last weekend’s cold conditions, the ground froze up again and frozen ground yields few earthworms. That sent the robins scrambling back into the crabapple tree, feasting on the fruit. The black-capped chickadees have disappeared again after coming to stay last fall and while the dark-eyed juncos are still around, they’re likely to move on soon. A brown creeper was busy checking out the tree trunks for insects on Sunday morning. Activity on the pond has become a mallard and Canada goose show as of late with the residents feeding in the untilled cornstalks surrounding it. The goldfinches were more yellow again this week and by next week, they should be back at full color. Between them and the house finches, they’re keeping area sunflower and thistle seed merchants in business. Bluebird houses are ready anytime the bluebirds are ready to use them.

Frozen ground in the morning means a fast track for the lambs who were eager to get out and tear around after being cooped up inside for several days. Sounds like some kids I used to know. We’re down to only one more ewe left to lamb at the ranch. The most recent ewe to lamb telegraphed the blessed event for several days including during the nasty gray, windy day that was Thursday. Going home to check on her during lunchtime, my back side got drenched by the horizontal rain on the 20 foot walk from the truck. As I peeked in the door, she looked up at me from the shelter of the lambing barn as if to say “What are you doing here?” and went back to chewing her cud. I shook my head, muttered something unintelligible, turned and got my other side soaking wet on the trip back to the vehicle. Fortunately, she waited until after my Sunday afternoon nap. While they’ve been one black, muddy, stinky mess for much of the spring, Gus and Lucy helped us move them. It’s tough for a farm dog to stay clean and dry this time of year.

Had a little get together at the ranch on Saturday night and it turned out more like a little fat buddy convention. With representation from many of the precincts including Ellendale, Geneva, Waldorf and Bugtussle we could’ve conducted a straw poll. Actually, there was hay to unload so was tempting to make it a hay poll but Mrs. Cheviot nixed that idea. There were many who came bearing gifts, including a marble rye from Schnitzer’s. Can you say Rueben sandwiches boys and girls? I knew you could. Oddly enough the bread was still there in the morning although there was a window open and on one end of the loaf, it looked like it had been impaled on a sharp object, perhaps a fishhook. Strange.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

But you did, but you did and I thank you...

After basking in the afterglow of last week’s forecasting accuracy, the scurs are ready for another week of spring prognostications. Wednesday might be our nicest day of the upcoming forecast period. Should be sunny then becoming partly cloudy, high of 65 – 70 and low of 45. Thursday, back in the soup again. Cloudy with a good chance of rain, high near 65 and low of 45. Friday, cloudy and cooler, with possible rain lingering into the morning and afternoon. High of 55- 60 and low near 35. Saturday and Sunday, partly cloudy, high of 60 and low of 40. Monday and Tuesday, cooler and cloudy with rain likely. Highs of 60 - 65 and lows of 50. Normal high for April 25th is 60 and normal low is 38. On the 27th we will have exceeded 14 hours of daylight here in Bugtussle. With all the recent rainfall, the scurs are buying up old reel mowers to get a corner on the market in anticipation of more high gas prices for the summer.

The past week’s rainfall illustrated exactly what we said about a full soil moisture profile slowing down progress in the fields. Apparently there is still frost in the ground in places according to those who have been doing some tiling. However, witnessed my first fresh pocket gopher mound of the season on the 15th. The ice went out on St. Olaf Lake on the 16th. A little field work was done last week as some small grain was put in. Some anhydrous ammonia also went on with varying reports on the success of the applications. According to little fat buddy law, if you were putting it on, it went on great. If you’re not, it couldn’t have gone on too well. Rainfall at the ranch was about .9” for the Thursday/Friday rainfall event. Soil temperatures have not been real conducive to growing much of anything either, save some early cool season weeds such as lambsquarters and giant ragweed, not to mention the wheat that fell out of some straw bales in my pickup box. At the SCROC in Waseca, the average soil temp at 2” was in the mid-40’s much of the week, and slightly cooler than that at the 4” depth. As many are saying, once this thing breaks, it will likely break quickly so one will need to be ready to take advantage of a narrowing window of opportunity.

The last ewe finally lambed Wednesday when it was nice and warm so that process is over for another year. Sunday was a good afternoon to get some of the crushed rock and sod picked up from the lawn, piled from the winter we had. Didn’t realize there was that much rock left on the driveway in the first place. Under those piles, there was still some ice. The lawn is greening up however and the ewes managed to find their way out to the pasture to gobble up those first blades of green grass. Can’t say as I blame them. Being able to traipse around on the firm hillside versus being stuck in a muddy lot sounds much more appealing. The radishes planted two weeks ago have not emerged yet so may have to file a disaster claim. As damp and cloudy as it’s been, probably should’ve planted mushrooms.

Birds are moving at a frantic pace to get their nests constructed. Robins and blackbirds have developed an affinity for using leftover nasturtium vines as nesting material. Saw my first tree swallow of the season on the 16th and heard the first brown thrasher on the 17th in the dogwood. Little Jerry the rooster pheasant has been busy hanging out by the house. His incessant crowing and drumming almost rattles the windows since he’s so close. I tell Mrs. Cheviot that just like me, Little Jerry has the “kavorka”. She’s not convinced.

Waterfowl continues to pass on through. Some bluebills recently and there may be activity in the wood duck house. Not sure how the waterfowl can stand the racket from the little spring peepers and western chorus frogs however. These are a few of several small frogs and tree frogs that inhabit our area wetlands. When we get warm spring days and nights, the decibel level on ponds such as ours can be almost deafening especially if you’re not used to it. Watching the tiny inch-long creatures is a treat also. Only the males call and they have a large air sac they inflate like a bubble when calling, reputedly to help attract a mate. If you’re quiet, move slowly and watch carefully, you can get quite a show.

At Mrs. Cheviot’s behest, got most of my “Thank-you” cards mailed last week. Don’t know about you, but especially as I’ve gotten older, always appreciate getting them. Sure they could’ve e-mailed me or said so in person or on the phone but there’s something special about getting a card or note of appreciation. Maybe some of it’s the fact that it’s not a bill or a piece of junk mail. Think mostly though it’s that someone took the time and effort to let us know what was done or given was remembered. Every time I open a thank you note, it always makes me think back to Bruzek’s Hardware and hearing Tom say after the transaction was complete, “Thank-you!”. If I haven’t said it enough, “Thank-you!” for reading and hope you’ve enjoyed the column. If you didn’t, thanks anyway for trying to unravel the twisted ramblings of a warped mind.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Still the rain kept pourin'...

After late in the week, the scurs forecasting acclaim was called into question. With cooler than normal highs and some snow on the ground Saturday morning, spring seems to want to add insult to injury. This week doesn’t look like much of an improvement but on the bright side, no snow in the forecast. Wednesday is our token nice day, partly cloudy with a high of 65 and a low of 45. Slight chance of rain Wednesday overnight. Thursday, cloudy with a chance of rain. High of 60 – 65 and low of 45. Friday, cooler and cloudy with a chance of rain. 55 degrees for a high and 40 for a low. Saturday, cloudy, chance of rain, high of 55 and low of 35. Cloudy Sunday, high of 55 – 60 and low of 40 – 45. Cloudy with rain Monday, 50 – 55 for a high and low of 40. Tuesday partly cloudy and high of 60 and low of 40. Normal high for May 2 is 66 and low is 40. The scurs are drawing up plans for an ark complete with solar heating panels.

It has been a cold damp spring so far if you haven’t noticed. Fortunately we were spared the brunt of what is hopefully winter’s last gasp. With up to 15” of sloppy wet snow to the north, we can consider ourselves fortunate. The 1” – 2” of rain was plenty. What was a little disarming was Friday night traveling out to the barn to feed bottle lambs while it was snowing and hearing the frogs down on the pond croaking away. The grass sticking out of the snow the next morning looked like a 3 day beard growth. The radishes planted 3 weeks ago emerged last week just after press time but haven’t grown more than a quarter inch since then. Still, the yearling ewes can get out to pasture and apparently they’re finding plenty to eat, leaving some of their usual ration of hay behind in the bunk.

While the weather has been ugly, there have been a few nice days between rains and one needs to take the time to smell the roses. The junco’s have headed for points north where they’ll spend their summers, only to return again in October. On the 21st, saw my first yellow-rumped warbler of the season. On the 23rd, saw the first mating dragonflies rising up out of the alfalfa fields. The horned larks flying out of those fields reminded me that they actually think this is nice weather. However, when I got home and a pair of mallards was parading around the yard (we live on top of a hill) that was not a good omen.

One thing this weather has been good for is planting and transplanting trees. Got some replacement arborvitae for those the rabbits ruined or the lawnmower amputated at ground level. Was hoping with his excavating prowess that Gus could help me dig the holes but he and Lucy were busy watching the sheep as I toiled. In some holes, there was water 8” down, one reason that area is a windbreak. Also started a new horseradish patch as one of the missing shrubs was smack dab in the old patch. All the planting went well and decided to move a couple spruce where they’d been doubled up and a few spare nanny berries to fill in some gaps left when septic system was replaced. As I was putting the tools back in the shed, the first raindrops hit my cheek. Once in the house, had a little lunch and upon hearing the pitter patter of rain on the roof, was out like a light on yet another patented power nap. Mission accomplished.

With all the cold, wet weather, the little fat buddies have been putting in overtime at the training table and holding regular therapy sessions. Locally baked rolls and bars are in much shorter supply than smart talk so needless to say, there has been some suffering. This is a resilient bunch however. They know it’s only a matter of time before someone takes pity and whips up a pan of bars or makes a trip to Casey’s for donuts.

Someone was wondering how one goes about achieving little fat buddy status. It’s rather nebulous but there are some indications: You might be a little fat buddy if you hang out at the Mall for Men, drink coffee and/or eat donuts there in the morning. You might be a little fat buddy if your favorite TV programs are on TV Land. You might be a little fat buddy if you know which area Dairy Queens have the cheapest malt prices. You might be a little fat buddy if you used to work or do business at Huntting Elevator. You might be a little fat buddy if you drive a company truck. You might be a little fat buddy if your kids show sheep. You might be a little fat buddy if you know what scurs are. And, you might be a little fat buddy if this is the first column you read when you pick up the NRHEG Star.

See you next week…real good then.

[Steve Foss]

Good read as always, Dotch.

I've always wondered about those scurs, too. Urban Dictionary says the word describes someone "too scared to fight." Is that it?

[Dotch]

Thanks Steve. Wow! Never heard that definition. Actually these are based on the real McCoy, plucked from some of our show bucks over the years, stuffed in the show box only to later take on an existence of their own. Ya, one too many refreshments after one too many shows I guess. Saw a bluebird today north of Cleveland (MN). Oh yeah, you might be a little fat buddy if you read Fencelines in the Birdwatching threads on FM!

[Dotch]

Running over the same old ground. What have we found?

The scurs calling for late week rain came true once again although the dire predictions of a Monday rainout didn’t come to fruition. This week’s forecast period will likely see us start to turn the corner with more nice days than what we’re accustomed to. Wednesday starts us out with mostly cloudy and a slight chance of a shower in the morning. High of 65 and low of 40 – 45. Thursday, partly cloudy, high of 60 – 65 with a low of 40 – 45. Friday, partly cloudy, high near 60 and low of 40. Chance of rain Friday evening. Saturday, cloudy, chance of rain, high of 60 and low of 40. Cloudy Sunday with a chance of showers, high of 60 – 65, low of 40 – 45. Partly cloudy Monday, 60 – 65 for the high with lows of 45 – 50. Tuesday clouds return with a chance of rain, high of 60 and low of 50. Normal high for May 9 is 69 and normal low is 43. We gained 17 minutes of daylight in the past week, with the sun rising shortly before 6 a.m. and setting shortly before 8:30 p.m. The scurs are readying for their maiden voyage on the lawnmower for the season.

What a difference a few days makes. Coming out of the weekend before last, the ground was frozen solid a couple of mornings. On April 29th was heading towards some farmers fields near Madison Lake and encountered snow banks in the road ditches. Cool days at the beginning of the week made us begin to wonder if it was ever going to warm up and dry out. By Wednesday, things had changed and planters began to roll in places. Thursday’s clouds threatened rain and kept ground conditions sticky after working but the rain fell to the west that evening. That gave us hope that maybe it would hold off Friday morning but it was not to be. The spring’s weather has been trying our patience to be sure. Let’s hope the forecasters are right and this week gets us back into the fields once again.

The flora has been slow coming too. Usually by corn planting time we see the plum thickets spreading their sweet perfume across the landscape, followed close on their heels by the crabapples and apple trees. If the oak leaves are supposed to be the size of squirrels’ ears for corn planting, this year they must be midget squirrels. There are signs however we are making some progress. There are dandelions blooming on the south side of the house and the violas or Johnny Jump Ups are also flowering. My radishes grew almost ½” this past week. I figure by August at this rate we may actually have some ready.

While the spring has been moving in slow motion, the birds are still coming through very close to what we generally see. This past week, saw bluebirds on Tuesday and was disappointed they hadn’t appeared yet at home. The next night they were here checking out the nesting boxes. May 1st brought the 1st rose-breasted grosbeak, actually a little ahead of when I’ve seen them here in years past. After talking to my Mom she had also seen a grosbeak and an oriole as well. Put the oriole feeder out here and sure enough on Saturday after the rain, there he was. Sometimes wish I had some photographic talents as by the brush pile, along with the male oriole there was a white-crowned sparrow and a brown thrasher all within 3 feet of each other.

Not a big fan of brush piles because of the bunnies and woodchucks they seem to attract but the birds seem to like them for shelter during certain times of the year. Was going to burn the small pile this spring but seeing the bird activity in and around it over the weekend, decided it could wait. Besides, there will no doubt be another small one out here someplace for them next spring. If you have trees like silver maple, boxelder and ash trees on your property seems like brush piles are perpetual.

Pastures continue to grow and after a winter of inactivity and getting chubby, the yearling ewes have been relegated to pasture as their main source of roughage. Gus and Lucy keep an eye on them from their side of the fence when they’re in sight. All critters were happy to get leftovers from the most recent Lions Pancake breakfast. Leftover bread crusts are fought over by the sheep. Cold, soggy French toast keeps both of the border collies happy although their favorites were the sausages fished out of the garbage with coffee grounds on them. Just what a Border collie needs I thought; caffeine. Was hoping to find a chocolate éclair with a bite out of it myself.

At the Mall for Men, the cold weather led to several early week decompression (sometimes decomposing) sessions. The little fat buddies had a wonderful start with a large pan of leftover bars. Once we got busy in the field, there was little demand for bars and therapy sessions. However, Friday we were blessed with more rain and lo and behold, an angel from the east showed up with a freshly from the oven, still warm pan of bars. At lunchtime, out of the blue 2 pizzas showed up and were devoured immediately. The slightly dampish but undaunted little fat buddies could not believe their sudden good fortune. Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

That's how it goes 'cause part of me knows what you're thinkin'...

If being close counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, the scurs were definitely in the ballpark last week. They’re going out on a limb here and predicting this forecast period should give us close to normal temps and keeps us slightly drier than the recent past. Little sunshine however. Wednesday partly cloudy, highs of 60 – 65 and lows of 40 – 45. Thursday starts off cloudy with a small chance of rain by afternoon. High of 60 – 65 and low near 40. Cloudy Friday, highs of 65 and low of 45, a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Saturday, cloudy, slight chance of rain, highs near 65 and lows of 45. Cloudy Sunday, slight chance of showers, high of 60 – 65 and low of 45. Monday and Tuesday, partly cloudy, highs of 60 – 65 and lows 45. Normal high for May 16 is 71 and normal low is 46. We will have gained 16 more minutes of daylight in the past week and that trend is slowing slightly as we near the summer solstice. The scurs are readying their hammock for future reference.

Monday the 19th ushers in the Full Moon for the month, known by many appropriate names. Most call it the Full Flower Moon for obvious reasons, others call it the Full Corn Planting Moon for equally obvious reasons. The Ojibwe called this the Full Blossom Moon and the Sioux called it The Moon When Ponies Shed. At the ranch, we call it the Moon When Gus and Lucy Need Much Brushing.

Corn planting has been on everyone’s mind, what with the showers we seem to receive every 3 – 4 days. Conditions approach fair to marginal allowing for a day or two of planting at best, only to be followed by more rainfall. Fortunately, the amounts have generally been on the lighter side, avoiding the 3” – 4” gushers. Corn planted on April 30th had a ½” radicle on it as of May 7th. Mrs. Cheviot recently returned from Ohio and saw very few fields where corn was up. Similar tales of woe have been heard from other parts of the Midwest as well. Misery loves company.

The weather has been cool but has been warm enough to get area lawnmowers cranked up including yours truly. Has been the wettest start since 1993 when I registered my riding mower as a watercraft. Mowed up nice where the ground was dry but there were areas where the grass was still pretty short. With the cool weather, the amount of nitrogen mineralized has been slowed as evidenced by the nice green doggie spots. There have been some plum and cherries in bloom, especially in area burgs and other sheltered areas. This week should make for an explosion of flowering trees across the greater Bugtussle viewing area.

Despite the cool conditions, the birds continue their migration north. This past week saw many newcomers. The first house wren of the season at the ranch arrived on May 7th along with a black and white warbler and some barn swallows. As if on cue, when Mrs. Cheviot took off for a sheep show in Ohio on May 8th, Harris’ Sparrows showed up again this year along with their buddies the white-throated sparrow and white-crowned sparrows. They must read the show and sale catalog. After reports of hummingbirds several days earlier at Mom’s, one lone male made his way to one of the oriole feeders on the 10th. While not in the yard, a yellow-headed blackbird flew across the road by a slough a few miles up the road to the north. These striking birds are not as common as they once were but have been seeing more the past few years. Some goslings are already showing up on area ponds. Wetland restorations are having a positive impact on wildlife.

Male goldfinches are now the color of dandelions and it still amuses me when what appear to be dandelions from a distance suddenly take flight and perch in the trees. 2 male orioles were tangling over the nectar feeder so decided to put out another spare one we had lying around on the other side of the house. All went well until we discovered there were 3 orioles not just the 2. Not planning on putting out any more feeders though. Enough chores the way it is. Little Jerry, the rooster pheasant continues to court the ladies in the wild plum thicket in our yard. Picked the corn in the food plot a few weeks back and placed it where it was easily accessible for him in case he needed some extra energy.

The night before Mrs. Cheviot took off for Ohio, saw her writing down chore instructions so it came as news to me that she was going. Apparently my mind reading capabilities have been compromised or the scurs must have failed to apprise me of this event. Another surprise the morning she left was the high pitched squeal being emitted by the elderly living room TV. After spending copious amounts of time looking for resets, punching buttons and turning small knobs on the back, I pronounced it dead. Luckily the TV in the bedroom still sort of works when you pound on it several times until the picture comes on. Unfortunately it’s not hooked up to the satellite so no Twinkies games for me while she was gone.

After Mrs. Cheviot arrived home and we came in from chores the other morning, couldn’t figure out where she’d disappeared to. Needed to get to work so I ran through a shower quickly. Upon heading into the bedroom to grab some clothes, found her napping in a big wad of covers on the end of the bed with the TV blaring away. No doubt about it, we need to get a new TV to once again receive 100 channels with absolutely nothing worth watching and so Mrs. Cheviot can get her beauty sleep.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

What a gorgeous morning! First time we've seen the sun since I don't know when and to top it off, got to see the first indigo bunting of the season at the thistle feeder. When the sun rays catch them, there's no mistaking who they are.

[Dotch]

Summer breeze makes me feel fine...

The scurs were right about the rain but we got far more sunshine and warmer temperatures than what they expected. This week, more of the same seasonal weather. Wednesday, partly cloudy, high of 70 and low of 45 – 50. Thursday, partly cloudy and slightly cooler, slight chance of showers in the afternoon and evening. High of 65 – 70 and low of 50. Friday and Saturday, partly cloudy, highs of 70 – 75 and lows near 50. Sunday, partly cloudy, slight chance of afternoon and evening showers. Monday and Tuesday, partly cloudy, highs of 70 – 75 and lows of 50 – 55. Normal high for May 23rd is 74 and normal low is 48 and as of the 23rd, we experience over 15 hours of daylight. We will only gain about 26 more minutes before the summer solstice. The scurs will be staying up well past their bedtime and enjoying every minute of it.

Warm temperatures and breezes this past week made for some fantastic planting progress in area fields. Corn planting is nearing completion and a large portion of the soybeans are in the ground. Early planted corn has emerged despite coming up through some crusted conditions. Many fields were dragged and rotary hoed as a result. Small grains are progressing nicely and most should be tillering as of this week. Weed pressure in all fields has been generally light due to the cool early season weather. However, with warmer temps, they will be making up for lost time. That’s why they’re weeds!

Bird watching this past week added more newcomers to the already long list of travelers. Saw the first indigo bunting of the season on the 14th and had our first catbird hanging out in the brush pile. There has been a red-headed woodpecker hanging out between the ranch and the neighbors. Can hear him but haven’t made eye contact yet. On the 16th, caught up with my little pals the cliff swallows under a Freeborn Co. bridge where they return every year. Spied a bobolink near Pemberton that day and over the weekend, they were in our CRP as well. At the pond, no wood ducks thus far but there are several mallards and blue-winged teal nesting there. There is also a pair of Canada geese that seem to be regulars so wouldn’t be surprised if some goslings suddenly appeared.

In the bluebird houses, we seem to be collecting lots of tree swallows this season but no bluebirds. That’s okay, can always use more bug eaters. There is still time and in the past, we seem to get a pair of bluebirds showing up relatively late at home. At the kindly neighbors pasture, there seems to be a waiting list so more houses properly placed there would probably be the ticket. The wrens at home have set up shop in their usual places and provide the background soundtrack for summer. Hummingbirds are more numerous but quickly hustle out of the way when the orioles show up. Speaking of orioles, Sunday morning caught a brief glimpse of an orchard oriole at the feeder. He didn’t stay long but the almost chestnut coloration was definitely not that of the northern oriole. Common yellowthroats are common in the fenceline between us and neighbor David. Not so common was the scarlet tanager my keen eyed sheepshearing friend and neighbor spotted on 5/19 in the lot at the Mall for Men. This is only the second one I've ever seen.

A lot of lawns being mowed for the 2nd and 3rd times. With the warmer temps, the dandelions have made several lawns and pastures a blaze of yellow. Flowering crabs have been beautiful but one wonders if the lilacs are going to make it by Memorial Day. Starting to notice a few toads down by the barn again although they’re apparently coming off a long winter. Pretty skinny just yet but given a few weeks of warm weather and catching insects, they’ll fatten up.

Speaking of fattening up, at the Mall for Men, activity has begun to wind down somewhat from the hectic spring and with the rains tailing off, not as many baked goods being consumed at one sitting. However, whenever someone does leave something edible on the table, its days are numbered, or usually hours are numbered. Sometimes we have to go out looking for goodies such as at the recent meatball dinner in the Geneva Lutheran church. Found several little fat buddies there feasting on real mashed potatoes, gravy and of course meatballs. Conspicuously absent from the table fare though were the Jell-O salads but there were lots of other salads to make up for it. Best not complain as experience taught me long ago, not unlike poking at a beehive with a stick, messing with church basement ladies is asking for trouble.

See you next week…real good then.

[Steve Foss]

Best not complain as experience taught me long ago, not unlike poking at a beehive with a stick, messing with church basement ladies is asking for trouble.

OMG!

Wherever you find church basement ladies, this is good advice!

[Dotch]

Without a doubt. Should've seen what happened once when I dared to offer the quilting ladies wool from our sheep, processed, washed, cleaned and delivered to them as batting for free as our donation to their cause. I was only slightly more popular than Osama bin Laden. Of course, this is the same group who decided we should ban red Kool Aid in the church basement because it stained the carpet. Upon closer inspection when I was on church council, the number of coffee stains outnumbered the red Kool Aid stains by about a 10:1 margin. Ban coffee instead? Hmmmmm... but as I said, ya don't mess with the church basement ladies!

[Steve Foss]

Yeah, it's the pastor who tends the flock, but like sergeants in the military it's the church basement ladies who keep it all running. If you anger the pastor he has to forgive you, but the ladies neither forgive nor forget!

[Dotch]

ROFLMAO! Amen, brother!

[Dotch]

Don't think me unkind, words are hard to find...

A cooler than expected beginning to last week for the scurs but they bounced back on the weekend with some warmer temps. This week promises some warmer weather and believe me we need it. Starting with Wednesday, partly cloudy, high of 65 – 70, low of 50. Warmer Thursday, partly cloudy, high of 75 and low of 55 with a chance of thundershowers Thursday evening. Friday, mostly cloudy with a good chance of rain. High of 75 – 80 and low of 55. Saturday, partly cloudy, 75 – 80 for the high with a low of 55. Sunday, partly cloudy, 65 – 70 degree high and low near 50. Partly cloudy Monday, becoming cloudy in the afternoon with a chance of showers developing. High of 70 and low of 50. Rain Tuesday with a high of 70 and low of 55. Normal high for May 30 is 76 and normal low is 51. The scurs have their flip-flops out and parrothead T-shirts on in anticipation of the first 80 degree high of the season.

Dry conditions have made many area farmers nervous, partially about some of the corn struggling to emerge through a crusty, cloddy seedbed and partially due to soybeans lying in dry dirt. As one sage observer pointed out, rain is one of those things you curse when you need and also when you don’t. Overall, crops are coming but the season has been drawn out and progress has sometimes seemed to be in slow motion. And with good reason. U of M Extension Climatologist Mark Seeley points out in his Minnesota Weather Talk that this has been the coldest May thus far since 1997 and the coldest March through May period since 1996. Even the mosquitoes are slow coming. Big disappointment there, huh?

Some have asked about the purpose of the big drum-type rollers that some farmers are pulling around their fields. These rollers are used primarily in this area on fields planted to soybeans. They shmush the stalks, rocks and corn root balls back into the soil surface so it makes for a cleaner grain sample in the fall. That’s particularly important for those raising seed beans and growing food grade beans for things such as tofu or soy milk. With the drier soil conditions we’ve suddenly experienced, it makes for better seed to soil contact allowing the soybeans to emerge more quickly. In addition, mashing the residue back into the soil helps keep it from blowing, something we can all appreciate when the wind blows. By the way, when doesn’t the wind blow around here?

It was a banner week for bird watching. . Near Mankato in the fenceline, saw an Eastern kingbird first hovering and finally landing. Watching the maple tree outside the reading room in the morning, it has been crawling with several different warblers, including yellow and yellow-rumped warblers. A phoebe has been hanging around the bur oak tree near the small pasture. Finally figured out why the robins kept flying in and out of the barn; a nest on top of the window frame made a nice spot. Even Border collie Gus does his part to help the birds. Cleaned some big wads of his fur out of the garage the other day and moments later, a chipping sparrow in nest building mode began picking it up. Wonder if the hatchlings will tear around incessantly, panting, with their tongues hanging out?

Maybe it’s just the cold weather but the bird migration also seems to be more spread out than some years. Looking back in the Fenceline archives however, one sees some of the same birds mentioned on close to the same calendar dates. Of course, most of your hardcopy columns have long since been used as bird cage liners but what the heck. Have you noticed your birds getting any smarter while talking to their little fat buddies?

At the Mall for Men, soybean planting must be winding down as the training table was back in use again. At first, there were a handful of participants having morning coffee but when a fresh pan of CS’s caramel rolls showed up, there were little fat buddies coming out of the woodwork. Was almost like someone had blown one of those silent dog whistles. We were messy of course, invoking the “5 second rule” when necessary. Probably could’ve used some of Grandma Memma’s napkins.

If I seem a little out of sorts, it’s been one of those weeks and Friday started out to be “one of those days” after I got out of bed. Got down to the barn to find rams in every pen except where they were supposed to be. Few things tick me off more than critters out of their enclosures. Made a trek to Mankato and points beyond which was an improvement. Even though people were driving like idiots with the holiday weekend, got to see some country I rarely see. After riding the range until 2 p.m., stopped at Mac and Don’s Steakhouse for a little sustenance. While I was there, my phone rang and it was one of the crack management staff wondering with the Memorial Day holiday, if I could get my column in yet that day. Managed to beg off until Saturday but felt a little like a pitcher on a baseball team being asked to pitch on 3 days rest! Not exactly a rubber-armed writer, especially when there are chores to do once I get home from work. Oh well, sometimes you gotta take one for the team I guess.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Rainy days and Mondays always get me down...

Some very timely and indeed welcome rain as the scurs predicted last week with an additional bonus shower or two over the weekend. Was also time it warmed up. This forecast period, expect very typical June weather, including good chances of rain. Starting with Wednesday, cloudy, high of 75 and low of 60. Good chance of rain starting Wednesday night. Thursday, cloudy, rain continuing, high of 80 and low of 60. Cloudy Friday with a chance of showers. High of 75 and low near 55. Partly cloudy Saturday, high of 80 and low of 60 with a slight chance of an isolated shower or thunderstorm. Clouding up on Sunday with a better chance of showers and thunderstorms, high of 80 and low of 60. Monday, partly cloudy, high of 80 and low around 60. Cooler Tuesday, partly cloudy, high of 85 and low of 60. Normal high for June 6th is 78 and normal low is 53. Our sunrise on June 6th occurs at 5:31 a.m. and will continue to rise at that time until the 21st. The sun will continue to set later until the summer solstice on the 20th. In the meantime, the scurs have invested heavily into umbrella and raincoat stocks.

After last Tuesday’s high of 55, who would’ve thunk it would straighten out and fly right? Was one of those days when one wished they had left their ice fishing clothes in the pickup because if you were out in the wind that day, it was downright piercing. With rainfall amounts generally totaling 1.5” – 2” for the week, we could consider ourselves extremely lucky. Areas to the south are suffering from excess moisture and are running out of time to replant corn. For now, we’re sitting just about where we’d like to be. Warmer temperatures really made the crop jump over the weekend but also really made the weeds pop too. If ground conditions allow, expect to see weed control operations take center stage in area fields. If not, expect to hear some snarling and gnashing of teeth.

Area bird watching had its privileges this past week. On the 23rd, saw the first of the new hatch of baby robins scattered around the yard with the parents frantically trying to locate everyone. While checking the fence at the kindly neighbors, noticed something had been working on a nest in the nesting box on the east side of the pasture. Returning over the weekend to control the weeds in the fence, spotted Mr. Bluebird there. There were more bluebirds looking at the ranch this week but a pair of tree swallows staked a claim to the house they were gravitating to. Moved another unoccupied house into the area and doubled up on the one they were looking at but to no avail thus far. Something has hollowed out a bowl in the wood duck house cedar chips but as of press time haven’t been able to discern exactly who it is. No question about who the 6 mallard ducklings are swimming with their mom though. The hen sees me and it’s everyone out of the pool.

On the 29th, the orchard oriole was seen at the nectar feeder. They’ve been here awhile but this was the first one seen at our feeder. Apparently the Baltimore orioles were napping or busy building a nest somewhere. With the warmer temps, the hummingbirds have become much more numerous. Most of what I’m seeing right now appear to be females. There are still a few goldfinches here but nothing like the horde that stuck around for about a month, blowing through thistle seed like it was water. Robins continue to sing about 4:30 a.m. at the ranch making me pull a pillow over my head to deaden the racket. I don’t care if it is supposed to be the best part of the day, there’s no reason to start singing about it that early.

This week should find us seeing a lot of the fruit and berry trees and bushes the birds love flowering including species such as chokecherry, dogwood, honeysuckle and nannyberry. Even though they don’t have much in the way of food value, the lilacs lent their sweet aroma to the warm Sunday air as lawnmowers did their best to make yards presentable for those going to and from graduations. The lilacs do serve as a home to the wrens and catbirds who scold when getting too near their turf.

Ah, but there is always a fly or bug of some kind in the ointment so it seems. Found a couple wood ticks this past week while doing battle with the weeds on the electric fence. Why is it once you find one, there’s this phantom feeling that there are several crawling on you somewhere? After last weeks rain, the mosquitoes are beginning to be more numerous out here in the country. It has been so windy up until now that if they were around, they had little chance to catch up with you and auger that nasty beak into your skin. You’ve probably noticed the June bugs too, especially if you’ve opened a window in the evening and had the pleasure of hearing them go sprong! as they bumble into the screen. Annoying, yes, but much less painful than one bumbling into your face while riding motorcycle.

And finally, it’s that time of year the little fat buddies always fantasize about: Graduation time. As long as you’re not real busy and you’re not actually hosting one while trying to avoid getting into hot water with the spousal unit, it’s a great excuse to go from place to place and sample the local cuisine. Of course, timing is everything. If you work it right, you can have a main course at one stop, lean more heavily on fruits and vegetables at the next one and then focus your attention on desserts at the last one. If you have more than 3 stops, by then it’s mealtime anyway so the cycle just repeats itself.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Yore daddy runs sheep and mah uncle runs cattle…

After dumping the rainwater out of the laptop and changing the font to 10 point, the scurs are ready for another action packed week of weather forecasting. This one promises to be a repeat of the last one with somewhat warmer temperatures. Starting with Wednesday, cloudy becoming cloudier by afternoon with an increasing chance for showers and thunderstorms. High of 80 and low of 65. Mostly cloudy Thursday with a good chance for rain. High of 80, low of 60. Friday, partly cloudy with a good chance of morning and afternoon thundershowers. High of 80 and low of 60. Saturday and Sunday, cloudy with a moderate chance of showers and thunderstorms, with highs near 80 and lows near 60. Monday and Tuesday, just in time for the work week, partly cloudy with highs of 80 and lows of 60. Normal high for June 13th is 80 and normal low is 55. Essentially from the 15th until the Summer Solstice, we gain little more daylight, with our day length topping out at 15 hours and 28 minutes. Meanwhile, the scurs will be consulting Sorenson’s in Geneva to see if they know how to fix the weather machine suddenly stuck on the rinse cycle.

Since the paper comes out on Wednesday in town and arrives in rural mailboxes generally on Thursday, we’ll discuss the Full Moon on the 18th almost a week early. As well we should. It’s the Full Strawberry Moon, unanimously among the Indian tribes of the northeast as well as the Ojibwe and Sioux, not to mention little fat buddies. The Sioux also knew this is as the Moon of Making Fat and the Moon When the Grass is Green. That certainly is the case. Now if the little fat buddies could just get their lawns mowed between snacks, naps and showers.

Speaking of green grass, the grass seeding experiment prior to one of the spring snowfall events has been a mixed success. Think in my case, roughing the surface up slightly, then seeding and packing the ground with the lawnmower tires or 4 wheeler might’ve improved my success. When in a hurry however, one does what one has time for. It has come better than initially thought with all the recent rains. The radishes planted April 10th weren’t exactly a homerun either. In a new garden bed, am still getting used to the position of the sun. When the radishes were planted, they were in the sun. As the days became longer however, the sun rose farther to the north, the trees leafed out and the area was shaded too much. My bad. The radishes we did get were hotter than a pistol though.

This past week saw the seeds of soft maple and boxelder trees helicoptering their way to the ground. Apparently was a good year for seed production. Areas of some fields near groves and fencelines were nearly covered with their winged seeds, making one wonder what kind of residue had suddenly showed up there. American high bush cranberries (viburnum) are blooming this week and will bring much of the flowering tree season to a close. The red osier dogwood do seem to bloom awhile yet which partially explains their high berry output and the resulting volunteer dogwood bushes due to the birds’ high output of their seeds.

Weeds are on many farmers’ minds right now. Fields have become saturated and while the crop looks pretty good all things considered, weed control operations have been catch as catch can. It’ll get done; it always does. Even pasture spraying has been challenging. Finally got the 4 wheeler sprayer on but needed some Teflon tape to keep the pressure gauge from leaking. I bet I have 3 or 4 rolls of the stuff somewhere but do you think I could find one of them when needed? Why does one need that many rolls of Teflon tape? Well, duh!. Did locate some in a pail of junk we had moved out of the old garage. Of course, by the time I fixed the pressure gauge and read the rain-fastness on the chemical label, stating it needed 6 hours before a rain, the thunder began to roll. This June, getting that much time thus far without rain and conditions fit to spray has been like pulling teeth.

Last week saw the first of the new hatch of pheasants, little fuzz balls zipping across the road after Momma hen had crossed. Little Jerry must’ve done his job. Always a good idea to take it a little easy when seeing a hen this time of year to avoid hitting the chicks that are frequently behind her. No bluebirds here at home although I did see a pair who were looking at the sites. At the kindly neighbors pasture, the bluebirds remain in the same house they occupied last year. Tree swallows took over the one the wrens had last year and the two new houses there were claimed by the wrens. More early morning music for the neighbors.

Music isn’t exactly what I’d call the racket being made by the recently weaned ewes. Took a load to the same kindly neighbors and luckily, the ewes’ bellering lasted about 5 minutes until they were stuffing themselves so full of lush green grass they could barely move. At home, it’s a little different story. The ewes can still see the weaned lambs who don’t seem to care when there’s food to eat. The yearlings sharing the pasture with the brood ewes want no part of it either and head to the far end to escape the noise. In a few days, the din will subside and the sheep go back to their primary function: Eating grass and keeping the weeds down.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Myrtle's got a turtle in her girdle...

After a nice weekend, the scurs are ready to dish up another helping of nice June weather. Goodness knows we can all use it. Starting Wednesday, partly cloudy, high of 80 and low of 60. Essentially, through Tuesday, skies will be partly cloudy; highs will be near 80 and lows around 60, with a slight chance of rain on Thursday, a slightly higher chance on Friday with slight chances again Saturday night into Sunday. Normal high for June 20th, the summer solstice, is 81 and normal low is 57. The scurs have their sights set on lounging on the beach at Beaver Lake for the day, and risking one eye.

The summer solstice occurs at 20:59 UTC or 6:59 p.m. CDT on June 20th as the sun reaches its northernmost extreme. With the sun rising at 5:31 a.m. and setting at 9 p.m., it is the longest day of the year. That’s the good news. The bad news is on the 21st, we already lose one minute of daylight. Of course this depends on your viewpoint. If you can’t wait for ice fishing season, it’s right up your alley.

This past week saw limited progress made across the area for those trying to get corn sprayed for weed control. However, with the weekend turning out as nice as it did, a lot of the hay that has been standing got knocked down. Sure, the quality probably won’t be what we’d like to see for dairy hay but there are a lot of small patches scattered around the countryside primarily designed to feed a few beef cows, horses and other assorted 4-legged hay burners. Even some dumb sheep guys aren’t real fussy when it comes to hay quality. Beggars can’t be choosers. At least it will still give one cause for allowing the aroma of that curing hay to waft inside an open window or two.

In Bugtussle itself, managed to get the planters in front of the Mall for Men planted with an assist from one red-haired small engine mechanic. Noticed the top had been removed from the 5-man dryer at the elevator across the road. As one astute observer pointed out, it suddenly became more like about a 3 ½ man dryer.

Out and about this past week, saw and smelled all kinds of noteworthy items. Wild grapes were in full bloom over the weekend, making me wonder at first what kind of tree the sweet odor was coming from as I was mowing lawn. Appears the birds have been doing a splendid job of spreading wild grape seeds all over the countryside. On still evenings mosquitoes have been out in force when checking on the garden before sunset. Breezy conditions do have their perks. In the garden itself this past week, striped cucumber beetles were voraciously feeding on cucumbers, squash, pumpkins and other vine crops. Timely treatment is necessary when this happens or there will be no vine crops. Rabbits developed at taste for the sugar snap pea vines so the chicken wire fence was resurrected once again. A lot of cottontails all over the countryside in my travels.

Were lots of snapping turtles and painted turtles crossing roads to get to their egg laying grounds. Spied a painted turtle on Friday night just east of St. Olaf Lake trying to lay her eggs in a frost boil in the middle of the road as I made my way to the kindly neighbors pasture. Hmmm…I thought to myself as I drove by trying to avoid hitting her. Eggs won’t survive the road grader and she’s in grave danger of being squashed if two cars meet. What to do...decided if she was still there after checking the ewes, I would put on my leather gloves and release her somewhere else but where?

Where else? At the pond at home. Should be plenty of food and there are sand and gravel pockets on the hillside where she should be able to lay her eggs in peace. She was still there when I came back, unscathed, and I was sure as I picked her up, someone would ask the “turtle soup” question if I told them about what I was doing. Immediately I thought, ‘No soup for you!” and put her in the back of the pickup where she poked her head and legs out of her armor. Walked her down the hill and placed her on the ground beside the water. Instantly she was off and in the water as I smiled as I watched the bubbles that traced her path under the water’s murky surface.

Mrs. Cheviot was less-than-amused at my nap-taking prowess the other night right before the thunderstorm hit. After eating and upon hearing thunder in the distance, it was lights out for this cowboy, er, sheepboy. When I woke up, I could smell something burning. Had lightning struck the house I thought? False alarm. Apparently the power had gone off and Mrs. Cheviot had lit a candle. Of course, when I asked what was going on I got “the look” and she muttered something under her breath. Since there’s nothing you can do about it anyway, thunderstorms, as long as they don’t involve high winds, are not only wonderful opportunities for doing your Rip Van Winkle impression, but also to get out and play with some of those rarely used around the house toys such as wind up flashlights as well as LED headlamps and lanterns. Bonus! A shame to see their use confined only to hunting and fishing seasons. Of course, after being rested up, that’s exactly what I did, amusing Mrs. Cheviot even less. In the case of thunderstorms, to quote Homer Simpson, “You snooze, you win!”

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

They give me cat scratch fever...

As anticipated, the scurs were on the money, delivering some of the nicest weather we’ve seen for this growing season. Warm days and cool nights have made it easy to open the windows at night. On tap for this forecasting period: More of the same with slightly above average trend in temperatures. Starting Wednesday, partly cloudy, high of 85 and low of 65. Slight chance of showers Wednesday evening. Thursday into Friday, partly cloudy becoming cloudy. Moderate chance of showers and thunderstorms with highs of 80 – 85 and lows near 65. Saturday, partly cloudy, warmer with a high near 85 and low of 60. Cooler Sunday, with partly cloudy skies. High of 80 and low of 60. Partly cloudy Monday and warmer, high of 85 and low of 65. The heat is on Tuesday. High near 90 and low of 70. Normal high for June 27 is 82 and normal low is 59. The scurs will be working on their suntans when they’re not napping in the hammock.

The past week was a godsend for all those who were trying to get caught up on their weed control and harvesting hay, sometimes at the same time. Forage yields have been impressive but they should be due to the later than normal harvest. Forage quality as a result may not be what the high octane dairy producer would like. However any hay at this point is better than no hay at all. Corn really took off over the weekend and from those traveling other parts of the corn belt, there aren’t too many places that look better than south central MN at this point. It’s not perfect and has some warts but we have to count our blessings and be thankful we don’t live a few hundred miles to the south this year.

Lots of deer seen out consuming corn and soybeans this past week. Several does with fawns as well. The deer look extremely well nourished and wondered a couple times whose Jersey cows were out. As mentioned last week, there are few things more pleasant than the small of curing hay. Can think of one thing that smells even better though: The smell of freshly baled hay with no rain on it stacked in your barn!

In area gardens am hearing some of the same complaints: Bunnies and lots of them. Had to fence off the string beans this past week as one of them had decided since he couldn’t eat the sugar snap peas anymore he’d adjust his diet. See he’s also been gnawing on the sweet corn and the neighbor’s soybeans. Ever notice how they never seem to eat the weeds off?

Lots of bird activity at the ranch over the prior week. The goldfinches are back with a vengeance and have their little house finch buddies with them. On Saturday, every perch on every feeder was covered with one of the aforementioned birds. The first of the new batch of tree swallows has taken wing and the robins are on brood two. There have been 3 robin nests built inside of our sheds this year, almost like they’ve become domesticated. With all the rain, they were no dummies. Hummingbird activity continues to increase and the orchard oriole was back again. Wonder if JW from the SROC is still seeing theirs?

Out and about on the ranch, the common yellowthroats have taken a shine to the dogwood which apparently has become thick enough to get their stamp of approval. On the pond there were 6 egrets on Saturday morning, parading along the west side in stark contrast to the green background. At the kindly neighbors, Ma and Pa bluebird are rearing brood one yet so will be keeping a close eye on that nesting box. Once the young leave the nest, will clean it out in hopes that they will start on brood number two as they did last year. Apparently the Gus fur used in chipping sparrow nest construction was a success too. The numerous baby chippers floating around the yard are proof of that.

Gus and Lucy are in full shed. Brushed them out on Sunday during the breezy afternoon and the wind was taking big hunks of fur and scattering them all over the lawn, making it look like there had been a gigantic catfight. (Yey eye ca-catfight!) It also lofted some it up over the house, some of it was stuck in the trees and some landed on the road. Passersby probably wondered what in the devil was going on. That’s okay. The neighbors all know we’re nuts anyway, so nothing surprises them anymore.

And finally, once again CS took pity on the poor starving little fat buddies and had their choice of rhubarb and apple dessert delivered to the Mall for Men. We are conferring little fat buddy auxiliary status upon her for baking over and above the call of duty. Even though it was a short crowd, the goodies didn’t see noon. We’ve learned to be prepared to take advantage of opportunities such as this. There are almost always paper plates and plastic silverware on the training table. One can never plan too far in advance for these occasions. Have to strike while the baked goods are warm.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Wooden ships on the water...

Aside from the showers on Saturday, the scurs were near perfect once again. They promise to dish up another seasonal forecast for the Independence Day weekend. Starting Wednesday, partly cloudy, high of 80 and low of 55. Moderate chance of showers for Wednesday. Thursday and Friday the 4th should be carbon copies. Mostly sunny with highs of 75 and lows of 55 – 60 both days. Slightly warmer Saturday under sunny skies, high of 80 and low of 60. Sunday, partly cloudy, slight chance of rain, warming to 80 – 85 with a low near 65. Monday and Tuesday get a little sticky. Partly cloudy, highs 85 – 90 and lows of 65 – 70 with a slight chance of rain for Tuesday. Normal high for July 4th is 83 and normal low is 60. The scurs will be trying to elude the Fireworks Police while setting off their super secret fireworks display.

Doesn’t seem possible we’re already out to the 4th of July and many folks haven’t run their air conditioning yet. Has been wonderful to open the windows at night, close them during the day and come home to a still cool house. While it has been comfortable sleeping weather, it hasn’t necessarily been great for corn and soybeans. Corn is over knee high but we continue to lag about 10% behind normal in GDU’s at the SROC and there is becoming a common muttering among farmers that we will likely need a warm September to finish this crop out. No doubt, crops have improved dramatically. However, regarding some of the sins committed both last fall and this spring due to wet field conditions, the chickens have come home to roost.

The rainfall this past Friday and Saturday was indeed welcome, with most reporting somewhere in the neighborhood of .7” – 1”+ total for the two days across most of greater Bugtussle. It was especially beneficial to those with late sweet corn plantings and should start the small grain on its way to grain fill after pollinating this past week. Should help the peas too, those that haven’t contracted root rot yet anyway.

Gardens absolutely loved the rain too. Vine crops such as pumpkins, cukes, squash and melons have begun to blossom and “run”. Once they get started, especially the squash and pumpkins, the ground coverage provides effective weed control. In addition, the ground the next year is generally very mellow as those big leaves deflect the large droplets in the pounding rains we seem to receive on an increasingly frequent basis. Even the “learning impaired” clematis we have on the east side of the house seems to be coming around. In years past, it has ignored the trellis and sprawled on the ground. Using a little determination and composted sheep manure, have managed to get the plant erect without the use of Viagra. Nothing a little bale twine and electric fence wire couldn’t cure.

The birds sure seemed to think the rain was a good deal. The little yellow goldfinches were busy bathing in the puddles at the end of the driveway. The robins were happy to see the earthworms close to the soil surface, making for easy pickin’s. As well they should be. Heading down to the barn Sunday, spied several heads, mouths wide open, above the nest on the west wall. Judging by their size, it won’t be long and the 2nd brood will be on the wing. Still doesn’t seem to stop the wrens and robins from starting to sing at 4:30 a.m. and stopping at 9:30 p.m. That’s a full days work in anybody’s book.

The sheep continue to harvest their own forage in the pastures. Generally, sheep are not considered the sharpest tools in the shed but they do have their moments. Was watching them one day placing their front legs on another’s back in order to get at the low hanging tree limbs. All trees in the pasture are trimmed to a height of about 4’ underneath, great if you’re a little person. Decided they also must have a sense of humor. Saw a ewe crowd another one into the electric fence and it zapped her as they all ran off at the snap! the spark made. Thought I might have even heard them snicker a little at the expense of the fence tester.

Once again, Mrs. Cheviot is off on another junket this week leaving Mr. Cheviot to his own devices along with all the chores and other responsibilities. One of these days, it will be Mr. Cheviot’s turn although those days seem to be becoming fewer and farther between. Maybe if I plug the culvert and run the garden hose in the road ditch overnight, I can get my boat back in the water again.

See you next week…real good then.

[Dotch]

Rescue me...

The scurs hedged their bets and sure enough, we missed the Wednesday rain. Will we have nice weather for Farm and City Days? Ask and ye shall receive. Starting Wednesday, sunny with a high of 80 and low of 60. Sunny Thursday with a high in the low 80’s and low near 65. Friday, mostly sunny with a slight chance of rain that evening. High of 85 and low around 65. Saturday, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of showers during the day and a better chance of showers Saturday night. High of 85 – 90 and low of 65 – 70. Ish! Cloudy Sunday with a slight chance of lingering showers in the morning. High of 85 and low in the mid – 60’s. Monday and Tuesday, partly cloudy, highs in the low to mid 80’s and lows in the low to mid 60’s. Normal high for July 11th is 83 and normal low is 61. Just for Ona, sunrise on the 11th occurs at 5:42 a.m. and sunset is at 8:56 p.m. We have lost 14 minutes of daylight since the summer solstice. However, the scurs are going out on a limb here and forecasting no snow for the Farm and City Days parade.

No question about the corn and soybean progress this past week: Super! While Sunday’s muggy weather wasn’t comfortable for people or livestock but it was ideal for our row crops. While considered vertically challenged, was in corn that was head high in places last week. Soybeans are blooming profusely and the yellowing from iron deficiency chlorosis has been limited in most places to small areas of fields. Soybean aphids were found last week but they’re certainly not widespread or by any means a problem just yet.

The 4th brought a welcome respite from too many days of work but as too often occurs, all it seems to wind up being time spent working on projects at home that got back-burnered. As mentioned last week, had the chores all to myself besides so was fortunate to be invited to one of my little fat buddy’s for supper and to watch evening fireworks. Way too much food but what was one to do? That’s right, relax and savor it along with realizing how lucky we are to live and enjoy the freedoms we have in this country.

Would be hard to top that evening so wasn’t about to try. After getting some food around for that gathering, discovered I was out of a lot of stuff and needed to repair some other things. So, made one of those awful trips to FF. Had charcoal but no lighter fluid so had to use the propane torch to ignite the coals. The torch ran out of LP about the time the coals decided to commence. The grate that holds the charcoal in the bottom of the Weber had just about worn through to the point of collapsing so found a replacement grate on sale even. Could’ve replaced the Weber (same size also on sale) but since I’d had it longer than Mrs. Cheviot, decided to keep it. Charcoal was just about gone so also found that on sale. And the goldfinches had run out of thistle seed so got that rectified. Just watch, they’ll go on hiatus for awhile now.

Made a trip to Mom’s on Sunday and continued feasting. Had a couple sinks to unclog so it wasn’t totally sitting around time. The experience of fishing army men out of plugged toilets in rental property came in handy. Got some gas for her lawnmowers and visited my mother-in-law at the care center in Ostrander. When we got back I washed her car and within 15 minutes, it rained. If only one had that kind of power.

All of the robins made it out of the nest in the barn by Sunday morning, save one. He was still in the nest when I left for Mom’s so didn’t think much of it. When I got home for chores could hear a baby robin but couldn’t see him. Finishing up watering, determined he was stuck behind the inside wall on the barn. Took some doing but finally managed to grab him, much to his vocal displeasure and that of nearly every robin in the yard. Let the little twerp go and within seconds, there was a parent with a hunk of night crawler feeding him.

Just like everyone else, have had to make some adjustments due to the fuel prices. Was discussing this with a guy in a little bar and grill where I’d stopped to take on some nourishment. We’d both made changes in vehicles lately and I mentioned after the crop got too large to ride 4 wheeler, I’d park the dually and start driving the mini van. I already was driving it for the short, non-hauling trips. Only problem with that was I’d started to feel like a soccer mom. His solution was priceless. “Sounds like you should buy a wig”.

See you next week…real good then.