As luck would have it, the snowfall the scurs predicted last week was on the scant side. Oddly no complaints from anyone. What’s this week hold for snow chances? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with snow likely. Highs of 30 and lows of 15 – 20. Partly cloudy on Thursday, highs near 30 and lows of 15 – 20. Partly cloudy becoming mostly cloudy on Friday with a chance of a rain/snow/sleet mix during the day, becoming all snow overnight. Highs around 40 and lows of 20 – 25. Partly cloudy on Saturday with a slight chance of snow. Highs of 25 – 30 and lows around 10. Partly cloudy skies on Sunday with a chance of a snow/sleet mix overnight. Highs of 30 – 35 and lows near 30. Mostly cloudy on Monday with a continuing chance of a sleet/snow mix. Highs of 35 – 40 and lows of 25 – 30. Cloudy on Tuesday with a chance of a rain shower or two. Highs of 35 – 40 and lows around 30. The normal high for March 12th is 39 and the normal low is 20. The scurs will be emerging from their lair to set their clocks ahead one hour at precisely 2 a.m. on March 13th as per government mandate.
You knew it had to be coming and not a minute too soon. That lovely pain in the rump known as Daylight Saving Time. Even the do-gooders who support the folly go so far as to correct you if you wrongly refer to it as Daylight Savings Time. They need to go lay by their dish. It’s no secret that we are a nation known for sleeping disorders and sleep deprivation. While the debate about whether or not the practice actually saves energy or not rages on, the evidence in studies continues to mount that heart attacks, suicides and traffic accidents increase sharply following the spring time change. There are also plenty of suggestions for dealing with DST to ease the potential problems with the transition. I have a thought: Rather than putting band-aids on a self-inflicted wound caused by allowing the government to play Russian roulette with our health, let’s leave the clock alone once we get it set one of these years. Think of all the lost time at work that would save, not to mention all the emergency room visits that would be averted when people fall of their chairs while changing their clocks. It would be one way to cut health care costs and no one would lose sleep over it.
An interesting week of keeping an eye on the birds. There was a pair of bald eagles circling high above St. Olaf Lake last Thursday and that was also the morning the first robin was appeared at the ranch. Horned larks continue to be noted along the edges of roads and the pheasants are still parading around the yard. It won’t be too long and we’ll see the roosters in their full breeding plumage, something that is a sight to behold in the bright early morning sun.
It was a good weekend to take advantage of some of the weather conditions and get things tidied up a bit at the ranch. One of the first orders of business was to get the gravity box of screenings back into the slot where it belonged in the barn. After leaving it out for a couple days the beeswings had managed to swirl around the yard, giving it a pinkish hue. so it had taken up temporary residence where the tractor usually sits. Luckily the ground was frozen out front so it made it relatively easy to bend the wagon around the corned with the skid steer. Between tasks of course there were bottle lambs to feed and a quick trip to procure supplies at the store where you go to the bathroom in the big orange-roofed silo.
The second task consisted of getting the little old Electric flare box out and heading north to get some avena sativa. It first of course needed the tarp removed, the tires pumped up and to be properly attired with a SMV sign so the nice policeman wouldn’t give me a ticket. Over the years one forgets how slow one has to drive with one of these little pieces of now ancient farm equipment in order to keep them from whipping. Following an uneventful trip and a great visit with the supplier, the trip back home came off without a hitch. Upon backing the wagon back where it belonged, it was time to pen up another ewe that had lambed. Shortly after that it was choretime again and I was shot. The next day it was time to take advantage of the snow piles and prune the apple trees. The snow was so deep there was no need for a ladder and best of all, no need for the pole saw. I could stand on the snow and reach the sapwood needing trimming with the loppers! When not eating sheep afterbirth, Ruby played with the sticks as they fell to the ground. Luckily there were only four trees in need of pruning and with the wind howling out of the east, it was good to be done.
Lambing is thundering down the home stretch. We’re a tad over 80% done with only seven ewes left to lamb. Ruby got her wish to help this past week and help she did. We move ewes and lambs from the lambing barn to the main barn as space for lambing pens or jugs as they’re commonly called is limited. Once off to a good start, both the lambs and ewes do better if they’re allowed more space and are in a more social environment. When we move the ewes with lambs, we take the lamb or lambs and the ewe will generally follow based on their lamb’s scent. It helps however to have someone, human or canine tailing this miniature exodus. That’s where Ruby caught on almost immediately the first night we allowed her to assist. Mrs. Cheviot and I each grabbed one of the two twin lambs and we moved down the hill with the ewe following us. We wondered where Ruby was and looking behind us, there she was on the ewe’s tail in the little walking crouch that Border Collies are noted for. Just as pleasing was the fact she stayed on the ewe all the way up the alleyway to the main pen, keeping the ewe from doubling back. The best part though was that none of this had to be taught, it was pure instinct. Oh sure, there are things this dog needs to learn but one certainly had to be proud of her accomplishment that night. I know she was as she wiggled and whined with delight as we heaped on the praise.
See you next week…real good then.