The scurs were sure precipitation would continue only they weren’t sure what form it would take. All they knew is most of it would be a four letter word. Will April go out like a lamb or a lion? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with an increasing chance of rain in the afternoon. Highs in the middle 40s and lows in the upper 20s. Mostly sunny on Thursday with the highs in the upper 40’s and lows in the middle 30s. Partly cloudy Friday with highs in the upper 60s and lows in the lower 40s. Partly cloudy and warmer on Saturday with a slight chance of an evening shower. Highs in the upper 60s and lows in the upper 40s. Partly cloudy again for Sunday with a chance of an evening shower or thunderstorm. Highs near 70 and lows in the low 50s. Partly cloudy Monday with a chance of a morning shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the upper 60s and lows in the upper 40s. Mostly sunny with a chance of rain on Tuesday. Highs in the upper 60’s and lows near 50. The normal high for April 30th is 64 and the normal low is 42. We will see over 14 hours of daylight on the 27th, roughly the same as we’ll see on August 4th. The scurs are thinking Old Man Winter’s days may be numbered.
The Full Moon for the month falls on the 25th and goes by several names. The most common is the Full Pink Moon, named for the pinks that flower in the forests and woodlands. It also is known as the Full Sprouting Grass Moon and the Full Egg Moon. The Ojibwe knew this as the Broken Snowshoe Moon and by the Sioux as The Moon of Greening Grass. At the ranch we’re going by The Shedding Border Collie or Change the Vacuum Cleaner Bag Moon.
This past week was another wet cold one. I’m convinced that snowpack in Canada is actually a glacier. Winter has worn out its welcome to be sure. We have however recharged our soils to the point that we are at or above our normal levels for April 15 in the top 5’ of soil, which is around 10”. The April 15th measurement was 9.2” in the top 5’ at the SROC. Since that time we’ve accumulated over 1.5” of precipitation so we actually should be getting close to field capacity. That seemed to be borne out by the puddling that was starting to be evident before the snow covered the fields back up once again on Monday night. For the month at the ranch, we have recorded 5.94” of precipitation. We have been fortunate that the rains have generally come in smallish, measured amounts, minimizing the amount of runoff. All things considered, we should have adequate moisture to run for a couple months without substantial rainfall.
The slow green-up on area pastures means more pressure on an already tight hay supply. The hay is also coming to life slowly and there are few signs that alfalfa has broken dormancy yet. That’s probably a good thing as last Saturday’s low of 19 degrees probably wouldn’t have done it any favors. The lateness of the spring has added an additional burden in that some who were considering planting small grains are looking at the calendar and deciding to forego that option. That will add to the present shortage of bedding and press livestock producers to look for alternatives such as corn stalks or soybean stubble.
Around the ranch, spring has been struggling to show its face. There are still some signs it will eventually get here. During the middle of the week, a wood thrush appeared in the yard. Due to the rusty brown color at first glance the thought was brown thrasher. The tail however wasn’t long and the bird simply wasn’t big enough. For whatever reason, other birds in the yard were very rude to the lone stranger and within a few minutes it was gone. More newcomers to the trees included yellow-bellied sapsuckers. These woodpeckers were much maligned in the old days, with many of them being shot on sight by orchard owners. Their habit of drilling holes in parallel groupings in trees, eating the sap and the insects attracted to it makes them unique. One can understand why their activity didn’t set well while further research has since indicated they do little actual harm to the tree.
The weather being too ugly for much of anything else gave me time to clean out the bluebird houses. Have seen no bluebirds yet or any tree swallows yet for that matter. Last year by this time the tree swallows had been here nearly a month. The first planted corn had emerged too. Of course, in order for swallows to survive they need insects, primarily of the flying type. There are reports of an occasional mosquito so hopefully they will soon be on the way. The presence of mosquitoes is a signal it’s time to start the heartworm medications for Fudgie and Ruby. The robins also continue to struggle. There are earthworms on the pasture’s south facing slope, when it warm enough and not covered with snow. They continue to subsist on the crabapples that are becoming shorter and shorter in supply.
It’s tough to think about mowing lawn or gardening this year after being covered with snow every few days or the ground freezing solid. Still, there are signs that we may eventually be able to salvage something. The rhubarb made it through in spite of the drought, helped by some watering before it was put to bed last fall. While their first leaves looking like clenched fists are just below the surface yet, they’re posed to explode when we see those forecast 70-degree temperatures. The slope south of the house is greening up even in the cold weather so when it warms up, it won’t take long with the rain we have until mowing becomes a reality. Of course that part of the lawn always dries up first when the rain stops so it all evens out.
See you next week…real good then.