The scurs are thinking their Weather Eye was tracking on target last week. Will they continue to have complete faith in it or will that faith waver? Starting Wednesday, sunny with highs in the low 50s and lows in the low 30s. Thursday, mostly sunny with a good chance of evening rain showers. Highs in the low 50s with lows in the low 30s. Mostly cloudy on Friday with a slight chance of showers. Highs in the low 40s with lows in the low 30s. Saturday, partly sunny with a good chance of afternoon and evening rain showers. Highs in the upper 40s with lows in the upper 30s. Mostly cloudy for Sunday with a fair chance of forenoon rain. Highs in the upper 40s with lows in the low 30s. Monday, mostly cloudy with a modest chance of rain and/or snow showers. Highs in the upper 40s with lows in the mid-30s. Mostly cloudy Tuesday with highs in the mid-40s and lows in the upper 20s. On November 3rd we will see the sun set at 6:01 p.m. and on the 4th it will set at 5 p.m. You guessed it: as per government mandate the scurs will dutifully awaken at 2 a.m. to set their clocks back an hour.
Farmers may not be thrilled but it doesn’t make any actual difference in the day length. Awakening to daylight on the front end isn’t all bad. Since soybean harvest is largely completed dew or frost in the morning isn’t the factor it was a month ago. The corn picking is coming down the home stretch on many operations. Yields on the tail end have tended to be more variable as farmers move into those fields that were perhaps planted later for a reason last spring and harvested in many cases for that same reason: they were wet. Corn moisture has continued to drop with many of the full season hybrids actually being in the upper teens for moisture. Some have reported moistures as low as 15% in some fields. Anhydrous ammonia applications continue as more fields have been harvested and they become more fit.
We still had a few Haralson apples to harvest on the tree so Sunday a.m. I decided to remove them. The poor tree outdid itself and it was time to get the weight off before another strong wind came through and broke some of the limbs off. Oddly enough some of the apples were just fine so I placed those in a five gallon bucket for future reference. The remainder that had splits, frost damage or bird picking wound up on the ground. Some of those made their way over the pasture fence where the group at home looked at them and moseyed off elsewhere. Obviously not hurting for things to eat. The sheep at the kindly neighbors were more receptive, devouring most of the pail full before I had a chance to feed them their screenings.
Our full complement of fall birds has reappeared. Chickadees back now they’ve figured out the sunflower feeder was being maintained again. Likewise with the nuthatches. The red-bellied woodpeckers are after kernels of corn or a turn on the suet feeder. Even the cardinals are back, both male and female. Juncos frequent the driveway in small groups before moving under the feeders in the backyard. Blue jays are constantly on the go having picked up any corn the squirrels leave for them. Goldfinches in their olive drab attire occupy the thistle feeders and small flocks of cedar waxwings snack on the numerous crabapples as they move through daily. It all points to autumn.
One fox squirrel has built a nest in the silver maple outside the oval office. I saw him/her gathering more maple leaves in an effort to shore it up before the next wind decided to whisk it out of the tree. Apparently no one bothered to tell them that oak leaves are more durable than silver maple leaves. They turn into Kleenex when wet or confetti once run through a lawnmower. Not to worry. Plenty of cavities in some of the silver maple and boxelders for them to hole up in along with oak leaves to line their nests.
I’d never known the sheep to be nighttime grazers. That was disproven during last week’s Full Moon. I’d stumbled into the oval office after midnight and happened to gaze out the window. In my half asleep state I couldn’t figure out what the objects were moving around the pasture. The moonlight shining off their frosty wool provided an eerie sight until it dawned on me it was just the sheep picking up leaves that had fallen from the trees. I mentioned the sheep grazing on the hillside last week and the Big Dubya sent me an “aerial” photo claiming it cost $350 but he’d be happy to put it in a cheap frame. Upon closer examination it appeared to have been taken from the top of their grain leg! One can never be too careful these days. At least most of our junk was hidden.
A pocket gopher decided it was a good time to set up winter camp right next to the walk in door on the garage. As frequently happens this time of year, the young ones are on the move to set up new territory to raise havoc. After evening chores I’d noticed some odd holes right by the door itself. The next morning behind the planter I spotted a telltale mound. Since it was such a small hole, past experience with traps has been unrewarding. For just such an occasion I maintain a supply of gopher poison. When I got home from work I applied it according to the label. Since then: no more digging. Playing with the leas again.
And finally I can’t wait for this election to be over with. I am so sick of these TV ads with sappy, syrupy music extolling the virtues of some candidate who’s always “fighting” I could puke. Why not be honest and admit you want our tax dollars because you’re convinced you can spend them better than we can or better yet, need it to buy votes to stay in office? I can spot a phony a mile away. Just ask any peddler I’ve booted off my yard after they’ve been told where the road is and they’d better be on it. When the politicians attempt to reassure me by telling me they’ve approved this message that’s the last straw! Seriously? You think anybody really cares? This is one of the advantages of ditching local network TV and watching Gunsmoke and Bonanza reruns. There are no annoying political ads only CPAP machine cleaners and ambulance chasers. At this point, I’d vote for either one. And oh by the way, I approved this message!
See you next week...real good then.