The scurs had a near miss locally with predicted rain that didn’t happen. Fortunately the weather remaining cool helped us make the most of the previous rainfall. Will we see more rains or are we about to become the Gobi Desert? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with highs in the mid 70s and lows in the mid 50s. Thursday, mostly sunny with highs in the upper 70s and lows in the lower 60s. Partly sunny becoming cloudy by evening with a modest chance of showers and thunderstorms as the day wears on. Highs in the upper 70s and lows in the mid 50s. Mostly cloudy on Saturday with a good chance of showers or a thunderstorm. Highs near 65 and lows in the upper 40s. Sunday through Tuesday, mostly sunny with highs in the upper 60s and lows in the low to mid 40s. On September 26th we slip back to less than 12 hours of daylight and sun sets before 7 o’clock on the 29th. The normal high for September 30th is 67 and the normal low is 43. The scurs will need to ready the kerosene lanterns and the wireless for the longer nights ahead.
A trip north revealed rapidly changing crop conditions all the way to the Canadian border. Very little evidence of any corn harvest aside from the odd field here and there that had been chopped for silage. North of Blackduck, corn had been frosted so there was likely some silage harvest in their future if the cattle in the area were any indication. Soybean fields were turning and dropping leaves, but none of what I saw were harvestable yet. Still a lot of road ditch hay being baled, but for the most part alfalfa fields had probably been harvested for the last time this season. The large herds of cattle between Bemidji and International Falls contrasted nicely against the large expanses of pasture. It won’t be long though and some of those round bales will be pressed into service.
The trip north started out a little shaky as the weather turned ugly north of the Twin Cities somewhere south of Buffalo. Hail and heavy downpour made me wonder if we were going to make it to our rendezvous point in Bemidji. Luckily the pickup and I escaped unscathed and we continued our march north. A large truck loaded with red potatoes near Cushing crossed the road in front of me, reminding of those days long ago working for the U on test plots near Becker on spuds. We got to the initial meeting spot in good shape, had a burger at Slim’s in Bemidji, then worked our way to International Falls where we had some of the world renowned pizza at the Border Bar. Luckily there was plenty left for later snacking.
Thanks to my little fat buddy, part of this was written at his cabin on scenic Warner Lake near Atikokan in Ontario, Canada. It was a much needed break from the hustle and bustle of Bugtussle. Long overdue and left the impression that it needs to occur with greater frequency. The passport was broken in properly and my little fat buddy was the consummate host. I was able to catch some smallmouth, something I hadn’t done since my college days fishing in the Mississippi in downtown Minneapolis. There’s a story in that, but we’ll let that slide in this edition. It was also an opportunity to use a wood burning sauna. I was still a single lad just out of college at my bachelor pad on the Finish Reservation east of Rolla when that last occurred.
Smallmouth fishing was slow and there were only 8 – 10 caught. Luckily I’ve long since become a catch-and-release guy, if for no other reason other that it’s fun to catch them and return them so someone else can enjoy them. It was also great fun to see the flora and fauna that northwest Ontario affords. The blueberries were long gone, but the bushes served as a reminder of what had been. Some of the maples were turning, allowing for pockets of beautiful color to accent the otherwise still green largely coniferous landscape. Loons were still present and there were numerous birds moving through, including robins and warblers. The hummingbirds were probably done for the season, although we thought we caught a fleeting glimpse but couldn’t be sure.
Canada is still one of my favorite places. I learned how to drive tractor on a Co-Op E3, basically a Canadian Cockshutt 30 painted pumpkin orange. I first travelled to Canada when my Uncle Basil took my sister and my cousins on a trek across Canada to Alaska in the early 1970s. When I was a North Dakota resident just out of college, we’d often cross the border at the St. John and go to Winkie’s, then a popular Chinese restaurant in Killarney, Manitoba. It’s been too long getting back to Canada and the fact the area we were in was so peaceful and quiet makes me anxious to go back soon. Without worrying about customer phone calls or answering e-mails, I found I slept like a rock when I crawled inside that sleeping bag.
Back home again and Mrs. Cheviot had kept the home fires burning while I was away. The dogs were both glad to see me, with Ruby in particular coming unwound. The lawn had greened up since the rain, meaning there may be one more mowing in my future. The pasture had greened up appreciably too, so the ewes looked fat and sassy against a green backdrop as opposed to the drab brown one before I left. The hummingbirds weren’t present on Monday night, but when the feeders were cleaned and refilled Tuesday a.m., it didn’t take long for them to reappear. Sooner or later though they’ll be gone and we’ll have only colder temperatures to look forward to. Oh goody.
See you next week…real good then.