After last week, the scurs are developing webbed feet. The Weather Eye has added a duck icon to its settings. Will the rinse cycle continue for another week or will we see rainfall begin to moderate? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy becoming sunny with a slight chance of forenoon showers. Highs in the low 70’s with lows in the low 50’s. Thursday mostly sunny with highs in the low 70’s and lows in the low 50’s. Partly sunny becoming mostly cloudy on Friday with a slight chance of evening showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the low 70’s with lows in the mid-50’s. Saturday, partly sunny with a slight chance of a forenoon shower. Highs in the upper 60’s with lows in the mid-50’s. Mostly sunny for Sunday with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid-70’s with lows in the upper 50’s. Monday, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid-70’s with lows in the mid-50’s. Partly cloudy Tuesday with possible morning showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 70’s with lows in the upper 50’s. On the 6th we drop back under 13 hours of daylight, about where we were at back on April 5th. September 12th the sun will set at 7:30 p.m. CDT. The normal high for the 12th is 74 and the normal low is 52. The scurs are wondering if life jackets might come as standard equipment on the new Gremlins.
Crops continue to hurtle towards the finish line although with all the rain it’s been a challenge to get very far into fields to document it up close and personal. Much of the corn moved past ½ milk line and some has a documented abscission or black layer documenting its physiological maturity. Typically when this happens, the grain is at 30 – 32% moisture. Given good drying conditions, corn can lose ¾ - 1% of moisture per day. However, given the cooler forecast with continued wet conditions, that may be wishful thinking. Maybe we’ll have to count on soybeans being ready before corn. Or not. Most of the soybeans are still somewhere in the R6 stage and some are showing a change in pod color although they haven’t yet reached the mature brown color yet which would make them R7. We’re still a good three weeks away from the early planted early maturing soybeans being ready to harvest given good drying conditions.
At the ranch we’ve finally been able to gather some of the fruits of our labor. A nice picking of green beans was rescued from the mud and actually cleaned up better than expected. There were even some to share. More zucchini of course as well as several of the regular sized tomatoes. The yellow pear tomatoes have been kicking in a handful or two so it’s best to grab them before they fall off the plant. Also noted were some vermin, namely slugs that were helping themselves to the string beans. Did my best to get them picked off of the pods as I really didn’t want any extra protein in the microwave dish. While it’s tempting to eat them like their relative the snail, alas, slugs can also carry a parasite that can lead to the development of meningitis. The slugs should also be processed, removing their head and entrails. No thanks. Think I’ll stick to burgers and lamb chops.
The orioles are still coming to the jelly feeder. I reluctantly purchased one last jar of the bargain brand grape jelly to get them through to the end of their stay. They were still here on Labor Day this year and last as well. The last one we saw at the ranch a year ago was on September 4th. Not to worry though. The hummingbirds have suddenly decided that a trip to the jelly feeder isn’t all bad. Along with the cannas, four o’clocks, salvia, petunias, morning glories and nectar feeders, they seem to have a tough time deciding what they want to eat some days. No such problem with me.
Sunday finally offered a golden opportunity to take the Stude out for a drive. I’d been looking for a good excuse for several weeks. Untimely rains hadn’t helped matters. My niece and nephew were to be in the area attending a local music fest so they’d planned on stopping in for a visit. We’d discussed the potential for a cruise earlier although the forecast wasn’t promising. In the late forenoon though we caught a break. It had rained earlier and shortly afterwards the forecast suddenly changed from a total washout to partly cloudy. Once our guests arrived to shower off some of the mire from wallowing in the muddy campground, Ruby entertained them with her ball playing talents in addition to her usual bizarre Border Collie habits.
It was still warm and somewhat muggy as I backed the car out of the garage. This meant opening the vents on the fenders and rolling the windows down before hitting the road. I set a course towards freshly resurfaced MN Hwy. 13. Having driven on it in my pickup with its stiff suspension, I was anxious to turn the Silver Hawk loose on it. It responded well and the radial whitewalls made the ride smooth as glass. My guests were quick to pick up on some of the quirky features on the car no longer part of today’s automobiles. The door handles, the little vent window latches and multiple cigarette ash trays were among the favorites. Studebaker was definitely ahead of its time. Along with innovations such as fold down front seats, the hill holder clutch and overdrive, the Silver Hawk knew exactly where the nearest DQ was. All this without GPS! We had a great time visiting and best of all they bought me lunch.
Afterwards we headed back down the road for some sightseeing. I was able to point out some of the finer features of living in rural South Central MN including Beaver Lake, several fields of sweet corn as well as the odor from hog barns and Waseca’s vegetable processing plant. We pulled into the driveway having cheated death once again. (Seatbelts were not standard equipment in 1959. When Studebaker made them standard on the Avanti in 1962, it became the first automobile in the industry to do so.) Mrs. Cheviot had arrived home in the meantime and was under the influence of the annual SFC (State Fair Crud) complete with hacking and coughing. Ruby was tending to her, so we looked at the sheep before it was time for our visitors to head back. The afternoon had flown by and the cruise had offered a great respite for everyone. It sure beat the heck out of stacking hay!
See you next week....