The scurs’ renewed faith in the Weather Eye was rewarded with some of the nicest weather of the spring thus far. Are we on a roll or about to get rolled? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with highs in the low 80’s and lows in the upper 50’s. Thursday, sunny with highs in the low 80’s and lows in the low 60’s. Mostly sunny on Friday with highs in the low 80’s and lows in the upper 50’s. Saturday, partly sunny with a modest chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid-70’s with lows in the low 60’s. Mostly cloudy on Sunday with a moderate chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid-70’s with lows in the mid-50’s. Monday, continued chances for showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the low 70’s with lows in the mid-50’s. Partly cloudy for Tuesday with a good possibility of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the low 70’s with lows in the mid-50’s. On June 10th we will see 15 hours and 24 minutes of daylight with only 4 more minutes to gain by the summer solstice. The normal high for June 10th is 78 and the normal low is 57. The scurs have their first tanker of mosquito repellent on order. One can never be too prepared.
Crops are coming along, although they aren’t without their issues. Some of the early planted corn in some fields is undergoing the ugly duckling stage. This seems to happen to some degree most seasons, although this one may be exceptional due to the cold start and continued wet conditions. The nodal root system on the first planted corn is developing and the plant is shifting its nutrient uptake from the seminal or initial root system. There is frequently a lag period when coupled with cool weather that has limited their availability such as sulfur. Several fields have plants showing sulfur deficiency symptoms, especially where residue is heavier. Fortunately, the plants grow out of it, but in the meantime everybody gawks at it and, of course, comments about it.
Not much in the gardening department at the ranch this past week. For the second year in a row, spring has been compressed. The time available has been limited by graduations and, of course, work for both of us. It has been gratifying finally to have some warmer temperatures, so the flowering plants around the yard have blossomed. The nannyberries have been in prime form as have the lilies of the valley. The odor from the latter was almost as if someone had opened a pail of perfume on their side of the garage. The breeze carried the scent into the main yard for us to enjoy. It’s getting to be peony time pretty soon as well. The warmer weather has the buds looking poised to perform once again.
There haven’t been a lot of new bird arrivals, although I did finally see a cedar waxwing. I’d thought I was hearing them, but could never quite spot any. That changed one morning as I was getting dressed for work as I spied one picking around in the spruce tree behind the house. The chipping sparrows have been busy in nest building mode. They like the fiber available around the ranch, including wool and dog hair. There was one outside the garage stuffing its beak with nesting material to the point where it looked like a miniature Wilford Brimley. Ruby so happened to have some spare dog hair, so she donated it to the cause.
Insects of the annoying variety are beginning to make their presence known. This past weekend the blackflies or buffalo gnats came online. While they do bite, they also like to fly around your face while trying to sneak in somewhere to bite. The bites itch and sometimes the insect manages to draw blood. I also bumped into my first mosquito over the weekend. It was a large one and not particularly stealthy, landing on my T-shirt sleeve right where I could see it. Didn’t take me long to decide to deal with it. I can honestly admit that I’ve never felt guilty about swatting one of the little bloodsuckers.
The ewe and lambs were finally weaned at the ranch and not a moment too soon. The process was done in shifts this time around as weather and other commitments kept forcing delays. First, we needed to get the fence operational at the kindly neighbors. The winter snows had ravaged portions of it and when electric fence wire gets snarled with barbed wire, it’s tedious work unsnarling it. One bright spot in an otherwise mundane task was the discovery of bluebirds occupying their favorite house. I don’t know how many years in a row it’s been, but they were back again busily feeding their youngsters while I tangled with the tangled fence. We dropped a group of ewes and a ram off at the pasture later that night and they buried their heads in the lush grass, making very little noise. It was as if we’d turned a whole group of Homer Simpsons out in a pasture full of doughnuts. Can’t talk. Eating.
The last group weaned Monday night was a little more problematic. There were more of them and they have the ability to see their lambs through the fence. This tends to make the post-weaning bellering more intense and prolonged. Not a bad gig if one goes in the house and keeps the windows closed. These ewes also were happy to see fresh green grass, so their protests were interrupted by sessions of eating followed by more protests. Unfortunately their route to the main pasture goes past the house. By about 5:30 a.m. their demonstration set up shop right outside the bedroom window. So much for sleeping. Still glad the ewes and lambs were weaned. Can always sleep when you’re dead, right?
See you next week…real good then.