The scurs wasted no time getting some of the cold weather out of the way and heading us into a warmer temperature regime. Will it last? Starting Wednesday, clear skies with a high near 35 and a low around 25. Partly cloudy Thursday becoming mostly cloudy with good chance of rain in the afternoon followed by a rain/snow mix for the late evening. Friday, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of a rain/snow mix becoming all snow in the overnight hours. Highs again near 35 and lows falling to 20. Mostly cloudy for Saturday with a modest chance of snow. Highs near 20 and lows around 5. Continued mostly cloudy and colder for Sunday with a continued chance for snow. Highs of 15 and lows again near 10. Mostly sunny for Monday with highs struggling to make 15. Lows of near zero. Mostly cloudy for Tuesday and continued cold with highs of 15 and lows dropping to near zero. The normal high for January 15th is 22 and the normal low is 3. The scurs are glad they spent all that time making wood last fall. It still warms you three times.
We should be heading into what through about January 20th is typically our coldest stretch of the winter. High temperatures generally are in the low 20s and lows hover slightly above zero. We may have caught a break however with the highs this week above freezing. It hasn’t been as warm this winter as last, but few are. Still, temperatures are trending above normal and without long stretches of sustained wind it’s helped on the heating bills. Snowfall thus far in January has been limited to some flurries and that has kept snow removal to a minimum as well. Fields as of this writing are still snow covered and that has been a positive from the soil erosion standpoint. With soils as dry as they were going into the winter, the potential has been there for blowing soil to be a very distinct possibility. While it’s still there, we’ve chewed through December already with nothing major occurring.
The New Year started off on the right foot in the bird watching department at the ranch with two male cardinals making an appearance. We’ve seen one occasionally but never two at one time. They are shyer than the female who religiously appears every day under the feeders, apparently liking the safflower that was added to the black oilseed sunflower. The males were drawn to the brush on the edge of the yard, lending yet more credence to the notion that the nannyberries and other cover still has a ways to go yet before we can count on cardinals. The common redpolls continue to be a pleasant addition to the usual gang. Arriving before the sun is up and before any other feathered guests, they have taken a shine to the thistle feeders, emptying the smaller one out in a matter of a couple days.
The house sparrows continue to be aggravating however and have caused me to move the sparrow trap from the barn to under the feeders where they continue to monopolize them. One has to be watchful however that when other birds are captured accidentally that they are removed. Male house sparrows in particular are vicious and can peck other birds to death quickly if they are allowed to remain in the trap. I fished a chipping sparrow out of the trap on Sunday and let him go in the spruce tree nearby. I left the male house sparrow in it as a decoy in hopes that others would be drawn in the next day. So far trapping has been relatively unrewarding this winter. They have become wise to it and seem content to make a mess in the barn after making a mess around the feeders. If someone ever develops a foolproof method of controlling these rats with wings they will become very rich indeed.
Another Christmas celebration is in the books and I’ve lost track of how many that makes for now. We have one more and that should about do it. Fortunately we didn’t get the live tree put up until later in December so it’s still in really good shape yet. The rest of the house has remained party-ready, so to speak, so it’s not as though the house needs a major overhaul every time someone comes over; we just reload. Eventually though it’ll all need to be taken down and we can get back to weeks having seven days in them rather than being disrupted by holidays in the middle of the week. Actually when you think about it, it’s a long time between holidays now for most of us mere mortals and non-school kids. It’s refreshing to take a day off to relax once in a while and not feel guilty about it.
We’ve been busy with doggie daycare the past week while Mom undergoes some procedures in Rochester. Keeping another Border Collie is nothing new for us as for many years we’ve had two anyway. What one tends to forget however is how active these dogs are and how adding another one multiplies it by a factor of at least two. Fudgie is no exception and being activities director has refreshed my memory. Play ball, do chores, get brushed, help fill bird feeders, do more chores, all while under the strict supervision of two dogs. Plus, they’re always ready to go for a ride to Krause’s, then tear around herding each other when they get back.
What I find particularly amusing is how ingrained some of their habits become. Reputedly, very smart Border Collies can develop the mental capabilities of a 2 or 3-year-old. When Ruby and Fudgie come back in from outdoors they must have their feet wiped off so they don’t track on the floor. Some dogs will run and hide; not these two. Both of them stay on the rug, yet practically climb over the top of each other when they see the foot wiping towel so they can be first. What blows me away is they actually seem to enjoy it, standing there wagging their tail while the moisture is removed from each paw. How many 2 or 3-year-olds do you know who come in from outdoors excited about getting their feet wiped off, let alone standing still and enjoying it? Bizarre creatures, these Border Collies.
See you next week…real good then.