The scurs were perplexed when the temperatures dove into the double digits below zero on Sunday night and Monday, then failed to rally on Tuesday as predicted. Will we see light at the end of the tunnel or just the train coming? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with highs of 10 – 15 and lows near 5 above. Mostly cloudy for Thursday with a modest chance of snow. Highs near 15 and lows around 5 above. Partly cloudy for Friday and colder again with a slight chance of snow. Highs around 10 and lows near 5 below. Partly cloudy on Saturday with highs of 15 - 20 and lows around 10 above. Mostly cloudy and warmer for Sunday. Highs near 30 with lows around 20. Mostly sunny and warmer for Monday with highs of 30 - 35 and lows of 15 – 20. Mostly sunny again for Tuesday with highs again of 30 - 35 and temperatures falling to 10 above for overnight lows. The normal high for January 25th is 23 and the normal low is 4. With the cold temperatures the scurs are starting to think it’s January or something. Oh wait, it still is.
The Full Moon for the month falls on the 26th and is known as the Full Wolf Moon as the wolves would set up shop near the Native American tribes as they were hunkered down for winter. It has also been known as the Old Moon and the Moon After the Yule although this year we’ve already had one of those. The Ojibwe knew this as the Great Spirit Moon and the Sioux called it the Moon of Frost in Teepee. At the ranch it has gone by several names over the years including the Full Ice Scraper Moon, replaced by the Glad the Garage is Heated Moon.
On the winter precipitation front, we continue to boast of a January that through the 20th anyway has produced no measurable snow at the ranch. At least there has been some precipitation, the majority of it falling as rain. Last week saw more rain although it was only a trace amount. Aside from some scattered flurries, snow has been hard to come by. With each thaw we experience, snow has become limited to fencelines, road ditches, groves and other sheltered areas. Frost should have moved deeper very quickly after the most recent cold snap and hourly soil temperature data info from the SROC in Waseca would tend to bear that out. Good time to be sure the well is banked with bales for the remainder of the onslaught otherwise known as winter.
Martin Luther King Day, like Columbus Day, is one of those holidays that really isn’t a holiday for most of us. As a result the daily pattern of human behavior that becomes ingrained expresses itself. It would be fun to know how many people grab the Post Office door or walk out to their mailbox on those holidays only to find that trip was for naught. Invariably I usually forget although this past MLK Day, I found myself grimacing and doing my best James Tiberius Kirk impression: “must…..not…go...to the mailbox.”
Last week saw the completion of the wetland deepening project. It almost didn’t happen except for the efforts of the Steele Co. SWCD and a contractor who was willing to give it shot with an excavator. There was about 16” of frost in the basin area where they were working and as a result there were large blocks of frozen soil to be dealt with. An additional 2’ of soil was removed in an area about one-quarter acre in size. This should allow water to remain during all but the very driest of years. It’s amazing when one starts messing with water how fast it gets the neighborhood’s attention, even if done under the cover of darkness. Within minutes of the excavator moving soil, David’s grandson was bouncing over the soybean stubble trying to get a glimpse of what was transpiring. Moments later, another neighbor text messaged, wondering if I was putting in a hog lagoon. One can’t get by with anything anymore.
Last Saturday meant we needed to travel north in the afternoon for a wedding so I called in the Dubya cavalry to deliver a round bale in the morning head of the cold spell. There was nothing mentioned about the time so after chores, I completed some small projects and went in the house for breakfast. No sooner than I had finished and Ruby began barking, with good reason: there was a round bale headed up the road in our direction. I quickly grabbed my coat and hat and was working on the frozen down gate as the forage delivery service arrived. No need for text messaging when the Border Collie alarm system is working properly. Sometimes the triggering mechanism needs adjustment though when set off by the bodily functions of said neighbors a half-mile away.
Some have lamented that they don't hear much about the little fat buddies anymore. This is their lucky day! The wedding we attended was a veritable little fat buddy reunion tour! I had the honor of riding shotgun with one of my little fat buddies (we’ll call him “Slim”) as we trekked to the church in the Twin Cities. Somehow we managed to be over an hour early which almost caused the father of the bride (also a little fat buddy) to see if we were real or just a figment of his imagination.
As early birds, we decided we should probably leave the wedding party to their toils and head somewhere for a libation. As we walked in the door of the establishment, much to our surprise: more little fat buddies and their spouses! After that, even more little fat buddies at the church and reception at Blaisdell Manor that followed, all regaling one another with tall tales and their rapier wits. Best of all we could count calories just by looking at the stains on Slim’s shirt. Talk about a reunion tour to end all reunion tours. Now if only Led Zeppelin would get back together.
See you next week…real good then.