The scurs got the Weather Eye functioning above and beyond expectations, finally. Will our good fortunes continue or are we due for a setback? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with a modest chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the mid-60’s with lows in the upper 40’s. Thursday, mostly cloudy with a moderate chance of rain. Highs in the upper 60’s with lows in the mid-40’s. Sunny on Friday with highs in the low 70’s and lows in the mid-40’s. Saturday, mostly sunny with a modest chance of rain. Highs in the mid-60’s with lows in the low 40’s. Mostly sunny for Sunday with highs in the upper 60’s and lows in the low 40’s. Monday, mostly sunny becoming cloudy with a moderate chance of rain. Highs in the mid-60’s and lows in the low 50’s. Mostly cloudy Tuesday with possible showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the low 70’s and lows in the upper 40’s. On May 5th our sunrise is back to 6 a.m. in Fake Saving Time, about the same as it was back on July 30th of last year. The normal high for May 5th is 66 and the normal low is 44. The scurs are positive that we’ve turned the corner and are heading for a near perfect summer and fall. We deserve it after the winter we had.
And yes, what a winter it was along with an April that wasn’t very spring-like. With a low of 3 back on the 3rd, record snowfall for April and highest monthly total for the season (23” in town and 28.5” at the ranch) one began to wonder if spring would ever arrive. We finally got the ice to leave area lakes with several setting records for latest ice out including Clear Lake in Waseca on April 29th. The previous record was April 27th set in 1951. There is still lingering evidence of what we experienced. I picked up a round bale late last week, or at least the tractor did, and underneath the soil was frozen solid. The bale wrap remained glued to the ground as well. Replacing the fiberglass electric fence posts in that same timeframe, the ground was frozen solid on the north side of neighbor David’s grove in the pasture. There were still some snowbanks in our grove as well. Now that we’ve dispensed with all the bad news, on to bigger and better things.
Corn planting commenced in places as early as this past Saturday the 28th. More followed on Sunday along with fields being worked in anticipation of the warm, windy forecast for Monday. Those who had were not to be disappointed. High temperatures on Monday reached the low 80’s and the wind gusted over 40 mph midafternoon. Planters were rolling in earnest while active field prep ahead of the forecast rain paved the way. Somewhat miraculous when one thinks about it. Back on April 19th the ground was still white. Fields were still buried in a 4” blanket of snow after being pounded the previous weekend with 8–12” of snow. That snow contained over an inch of water. Amazing when one thinks about it that we aren’t off last year’s pace all that far. Yes, last year we had some corn planted from April 20th–25th but many did not plant until May 5th after a rainfall event brought progress to a halt. Monday night those with ground worked ahead toiled into the wee hours of the morning before the rain, in some cases rolling all night long.
At the ranch we continue to dry up, although it’ll be a while before the main garden becomes fit enough to plant. Still, the snow melted enough so the electric fence could be pried from the snow banks and resurrected once again. The pasture grass has greened rapidly on our south facing slope, one of the perks of its position on the landscape. It also meant being able to let the ewes with lambs out into the small lot so they were able to finally get the exercise lambs need. It also means people drive by along about dusk to see if they’re running so drive carefully if you’re one of those responsible for the gawker slowdown.
More birds arrived this past week, including a brown thrasher on the 25th and our first barn swallows on the 28th. The juncos have largely disappeared. Something else that was noticeable was the singing of not just one but two male cardinals on the 29th. Wonder if they both fly into our sliding glass door? The goldfinches continue their molt into yellow plumage and have staked their claim to the thistle feeders. After seeing a tweet by Al Batt saying he had orioles on Monday the 30th, I scurried around after chores and put out the jelly feeder. It brought back memories of the times Mom would call to relay news of the arrival of orioles at her feeders. For good measure I also put out the nectar feeder for the hummingbirds. Hopefully they’re not too far behind.
For what seemed an eternity the Studebaker had been in the garage. Last fall was not conducive to a lot of late cruising. In fact, the last run I made was October 21st to procure a Studebaker radio for the Lark. The day was dampish and there was a little road spray. I hadn’t wiped the car down, although I’d intended to. As they say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. I’d dusted it off and it looked fine in the garage. Once outside in the sunlight though, it was a different ballgame. It took a couple hours of elbow grease to get it looking respectable again. The whitewalls were especially labor intensive. Might be part of the reason their popularity waned over time.
I got the Silver Hawk presentable and made it to beautiful metropolitan Otisco in plenty of time where the car club departed for Good Thunder. Taking the backroads of course the little Studebaker 259 V8 purred like a kitten, fueled with Lukey’s magic elixir in the tank. The Borg-Warner overdrive performed flawlessly and with bleed-through from the heat control valve, it made for the perfect temp inside. One minor breakdown on a Ford product occurred on the way, although with the resourceful mechanics present, it was resolved quickly with a toenail clipper file. The food at the restaurant was fantastic. What’s not to like about all-you-can-eat ribs that fall off the bone?
The cruise home was uneventful, although the temperature dropped like a rock as the sun became low in the sky. The nylon shell I keep in the car came in handy. I’d forgotten to get cat food earlier on my feed run so tried to sneak in under the radar at Dollar General. As I grabbed the 22-lb. bag a guy says, “Hey, nice Studebaker. What year is it?” We then proceeded of course to blab about Studebakers until my shoulder nearly came out of its socket. Thanks to my diddling around it was nearly dark when I paid the bill and placed the cat food in the back seat. Definitely not the car you’d want as part of a witness protection program.
See you next week…real good then.