The scurs pegged the rainfall about right as well as the nice days following. Will our good fortune continue or are we destined for a wet October? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny becoming mostly cloudy with a moderate chance of an evening shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the upper 70s and lows in the upper 50s. Thursday, mostly cloudy with a good chance of showers or a passing thunderstorm. Highs in the mid 60s and lows in the low 50s. Mostly cloudy for Friday with a good chance of continued showers. Highs in the low 60s and lows in the lower 40s. Saturday, partly cloudy with a slight chance of a lingering morning shower. Cooler with highs in the upper 50s with a low around 40. Mostly sunny on Sunday with highs in the low 60s and a low near 35. Mostly sunny on Monday with highs in the mid 60s and lows in the low 40s. Partly cloudy for Tuesday with highs in the upper 60s and lows in the low 40s. The normal high for October 5th is 65 and the normal low is 41, about the same as we see in late April or early May. We continue losing daylight at nearly 3 minutes per day, however. The scurs will be readying their Hobo Stew recipe for the chilly evenings ahead.
Crops made some major changes as warm temperatures and sunshine prevailed for much of this past week. Much of the corn planted in mid-May has black layered and even some of that planted the third week in June will make corn of one sort or another. Soybeans also made tremendous strides towards getting away from frost danger, although in some cases the maturity was brought on prematurely by lack of treatment for soybean aphids. This week should see some harvest activity in both crops, barring an off the wall weather event. Rainfall for the month of September totaled 1.69” at the ranch and about 1.45” in town at the Mall for Men. While it hasn’t recharged the soils as of this writing, several forecasts point to more rain and generally cooler temps. Along with the shortening days it should help replace some of what we used up in the upper several feet. The pastures and lawns are definitely showing the effects.
Alas it appears we may have seen the last of the hummingbirds at the ranch over the weekend. That’s O.K.; we saw our first one on the 13th of May. In 2012 our last sighting was September 21st. A former pygmy goat farmer claimed he still had hummingbirds as of Tuesday morning. During the cold rain on Saturday the 28th, I spied one still working over the nectar feeder that hadn’t been emptied by the wind so I refilled the other one just in case. Sunday they were not in evidence so that may or may not have been a waste of time. There still may be a straggler or two and, contrary to some folklore, leaving the feeders out won’t keep them here until they starve or freeze to death. Just looking at the flowers around the yard one can tell they’re starting to wane a little and the hummers can tell that too. One look at the little hand grenade shaped seeds littering the ground under the 4 o’clocks is a clue. There are still some white-lined sphinx moths working the remaining blooms over though. Unfortunately for them, they can’t hitch a ride on the hummingbirds riding on the Canada geese’s backs. Would I lie to you?
Millipedes have been common in the garage at the ranch thus far this fall. While they really don’t hurt anything they crawl all over the place and have an unpleasant odor to them when they’re crushed. Household fly spray is largely ineffective and some of the insecticides tend to be more toxic than what I want to spray in an attached garage. Eliminating leaves around the building as well as sealing up areas where they can get in is probably the best option. Also noted while working in the garden over the weekend was the appearance of numerous ladybugs. With much of their food source largely gone in both the corn and soybeans, they’re looking for alternatives to survive on before looking for a place to hole up for the winter. There may be more than what we saw last year due to the number of soybean fields not sprayed mentioned above. Like rats and carp, they are survivors.
The garden has continued to bless us with an abundance of produce not only to eat but to share. The tomatoes perhaps could’ve done better as they have had a tendency to develop blossom end rot. We are not alone in that department. Probably the most gratifying surprise has been the fall snap pea crop. The vines are as healthy as any we’ve ever had and while not yielding perhaps as well as a spring crop, have produced more than we could eat hence the sharing. The emergence of the last seeding of lettuce was spotty but with the warm temps and a little more rain, it’ll be ready for consumption soon. The spring-type radishes are starting to produce just as we’re about to finish the last of the late summer planting. And the winter radishes have been a good. A little like playing Russian roulette perhaps as some are displaying firepower but tasty nonetheless.
Ruby and Fudgie displayed some of their athletic prowess the other night. Seems a stray kitty had decided it was a good time to perch on the gas grill outside the garage. Before bedtime, it’s routine to let the doggies out for their last potty of the night. No sooner was the door open and the chase was on. The panic from the cat upon seeing two red and white rockets in hot pursuit made for a good laugh. Canines and felines behaving normally as they disappeared around the corner into the night. Had to be impressed with Fudgie’s wheels for a 10-year-old Border Collie. Like me, for an old-timer she’s still got it.
See you next week…real good then.