The scurs seem to have forgotten that a blanket of snow keeps temperatures below what one would normally think they should be. Will their new shipment of memory pills arrive in time for the next forecast? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of an overnight snow shower. Highs 30 – 35 and lows near 20. Partly cloudy Thursday with a high of 30 and lows of 10 – 15. Mostly sunny for Friday with a high around 30 and lows of 20 -25. Partly cloudy for Saturday with an increasing chance of snow by evening. Highs of 35 with lows around 20. Mostly cloudy with a moderate chance of snow for the daylight and a better chance for the evening hours. Highs near 30 with lows around 15. Partly cloudy becoming mostly sunny for Monday with a slight chance of snow in the morning. Highs around 25 and lows near 20. Mostly sunny on Lincoln’s Birthday with highs of 30 – 35 and lows around 20. The normal high for February 12th is 27 and the normal low is 8. The scurs will be wearing their stovepipe hats in Abe’s honor.
Last week brought an end to the month of January and with it hopefully an end to extended periods of below-zero temperatures. Days are becoming noticeably longer with the sun setting now after 5:30 p.m. and rising before 7:30 a.m. This becomes particularly apparent when one has been bumbling around in the dark during chore time both morning and night. On Lincoln’s Birthday, we’ll have notched an additional hour and 29 minutes of daylight since the winter solstice December 21st. We’re gaining daylight at the rate of about 3 minutes a day and while it isn’t spring yet, one can sense it coming. January left us with sparse snow cover with most of it blowing off the fields. We tallied only 1” of snow at the ranch in January although we did get .41” of welcome moisture in the form of rain. Every little bit helps at this point. February on the other hand has started off with measurable snow on 3 of the first 4 days so at least we’re not looking at dirty, bare fields as we were. It’s nice to see some snow. After all, it’s too early to think about planting a garden or heaven forbid corn just yet.
The arrival of snow meant a return of some feathered friends we hadn’t seen since the December snow left in January. Late Monday afternoon about 5:30, there were 3 male and 3 female cardinals snacking on the cracked corn and safflower we’d put out for them. Initially on Saturday, there was a male and a female. On Sunday another male and female appeared so additional food was placed in the area they seemed to be frequenting. When the new pair was spotted on Monday I couldn’t believe my eyes. The snow must’ve had something to do with their reappearance. The stark contrast of the red males against it in the dwindling minutes of daylight was downright breathtaking.
The snow elsewhere in the dooryard hasn’t necessarily been breathtaking. It has come close to knocking the wind out of both Mrs. Cheviot and me though, courtesy of the nasty spills we’ve taken on the ice hidden beneath it. If you look around there are lots of walking wounded and horror stories of their plight. The purveyors of grit and salt must be doing land office business as a result. Reminds me, we’re nearly out of grit. Time to make a trek to that little store in Hope that carries everything the store where you go to the bathroom in the big orange silo doesn’t. That should spell warmer temps and an end to the ice. Not that I’m superstitious or anything. I just hate it when my lucky rabbit’s foot has to break my fall.
Even the brood ewes don’t like their slick feedlot. They don’t wander out of the barnyard much and tend to stay close to their hay feeders where they don’t have to worry about falling. Of course, being as fat as they are with as much wool as they have, the worst thing that can happen is they might hurt a leg. All that padding is good for something. The increased hours of daylight have meant we’ve had a better opportunity to gauge the progress of their gestation. We may see some lambs on the ground before shearing day on the 16th. Won’t be the first time, probably won’t be the last.
Yes, as was mentioned in last week’s Bugtussle Bugle, I’ve started on my 11th year of writing this column. If you kept the photo of my mug from the front page, your rodent problems should be solved. Carrie Gilbertson pointed out this was the “tin” anniversary year although I’ve never quite figured out what all that nonsense concerning anniversaries was all about. Maybe if it was a Fishing Trip or Goose Hunting anniversary I’d get it. Still, I do feel a little like the Tin Man when cranking out these column inches. In a week’s time, I get a little rusty before shifting into writing mode. I start out slowly, it takes me a little while to get limbered up and I may mutter something that could be mistaken for “oil can” especially when a surprise deadline looms near. In the end I achieve my goal and the mission is accomplished.
Thanks to the loyal column readers without whom there would be little point in writing it. Thanks to Jim and the staff for putting up with my ever increasing demands, even to the “mad paragrapher” who made me realize the passion I still have about writing. Thanks especially to Reed for the spot-on framed caricature that graces the wall above the writing desk in the basement studio. It’s almost as accurate as the scurs’ weather forecasts. And oh yeah, I got the money.
See you next week…real good then.