The scurs had the Weather Eye tuned in as we got tuned up by Old Man Winter last week. Will he lay into us one more time before spring or go lay by his dish? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with highs in the low 30’s and lows in the upper teens. Partly sunny on Thursday with highs in the upper 20’s and lows in the mid-teens. Mostly sunny on Friday with highs in the low 30’s and lows around 20. Saturday, partly sunny with highs in the low 30’s and lows in the mid-teens. Mostly sunny on Sun- day with a modest chance of an evening rain shower. Highs in the upper 30’s with lows in the low 30’s. Monday, partly sunny with a slight chance of a rain/snow mix. Highs in the low 40’s with lows in the low 20’s. Cloudy on Tuesday March 7th for the Full Moon. Highs in the low 30’s with lows in the mid-teens. The normal high for March 7th is 34 and the normal low is 18. With seasonal temperatures on tap, the scurs will be taking sea- sonal naps, hoping this long winter will soon be over.
The Full Moon arrives on the 7th and generally is known as the Full Worm Moon as the earthworms begin to be active in this timeframe across much of North America. They provide protein for the robins and other birds as they return to their nesting grounds. This was called the Full Crow Moon by the northern tribes as the cawing crows heralded the end of winter. It has also been known as the Full Sap Moon as maple trees are tapped during this month. Another varia- tion is the Full Lenten Moon as it was the last moon of the winter. The Ojibwe called this the Full Crust Moon as the snow surface became crusted and crystalline with the warming daytime tem- peratures. In tune with their way of life, the Sioux knew this as the Moon when Buffalo drop their Calves. At the ranch, it’s the Corgi with a Wet Tummy Moon. Low clearance will do that to a little dog.
Some lively discussions last week about the blizzard with some indicating disappointment that it had been overhyped. My personal feeling was I was just thankful we were warned it was coming well in advance. As a small livestock pro- ducer without many of the nice toys and facilities the big boys have, I don’t need to prove how tough I am by being out in nasty weather. Been there, done that. Since I don’t want to wind up on the 10 o’clock news as someone charged with animal abuse, I have no choice. It was a major storm and, while perhaps not as brutal as some, it was still a pain in the butt just the same. The one-two punch was a new twist. I don’t recall a storm where I needed to blow a path to the barn three consecutive chore sessions. Plenty of wind and snow to make life miserable enough.
As if on cue, the ewes started lambing with reckless abandon. We lambed roughly a third of the flock in the day leading up to the blizzard and during its duration. It got to the point where I really didn’t even want to look in the barn. There was generally good news though as the temperatures didn’t really plummet until the storm had moved through. That caused more issues than the storm itself. We had moved one lit- tle buck lamb and his elderly mother down to the loafing area ahead of the storm as we needed pen space. They got along OK until the storm and when the tempera- ture tanked, so did the lamb’s mother. He was smart though and probably the most capable little
milk thief I’ve ever seen. He resis- ted our attempts to bottle feed him at first. We got him started, ho- wever, and on that coldest night, he’d reached the point where he’d come up to the panel for his bottle. He also snuggled with other lambs, so he stayed warm. Sandwiched between two black lambs, he looked like the filling on an Oreo.
The next morning he was crum- pled up along the panel, likely a victim of one of the ewes that took exception to his thievery. He was still alive, but barely. Took him in- side and tried to warm him up, but as badly injured as he was, to no avail. Another lamb had been struck by what appeared to be a quick pneumonia. Fine when last checked, but by that same morning, he was hardly moving. Still alive, but same result. A few stillborn lambs later, what started out as a miraculous lambing season had taken a demoralizing turn for the worse. Monday night at chore time when I opened the door, one of the unplanned pregnancy ewe lambs had a lamb at side. After the recent spate of bad luck I wasn’t expect- ing anything except trouble. In- stead, everything was very routine. While the ewe wasn’t keen on the idea of being penned up, it liked the lamb and it had been nursing already. The lamb was a normal, healthy, natural-colored ewe lamb and cuter than a bug’s ear. Realiz- ing there were only a few more ewes left to lamb, catching a lucky break after the recent spate of bad luck suddenly made it tolerable again.
Poppy is almost back to full ca- pacity again. Still don’t let her rip and tear like she did pre-spaying, but we’ve gradually loosened the reins. It’s been tough to give her as much exercise as she’d like up until recently. I’ve let her off the leash a few times and the results are about as expected. She runs at full speed and doesn’t show any sign of slowing down. She still has quirks as well. We got used to Bor- der Collie quirks, so it’s just a matter of figuring out the trigger mechanism. Some of the towels that we’d used in the birthing pro- cess from the lambing barn were piled on the utility room floor. Every time Poppy looked in the room she’d have a barking-growl- ing hissy fit. Mrs. Cheviot figured out that the pile of towels was the culprit and promptly closed the door. So much for that source of entertainment/annoyance.
Speaking of annoyance, the icy conditions that have followed the blizzard have made it a challenge for everyone. Mrs. Cheviot, while her ankle has almost healed, needs to be extra cautious, so as not to undo what the surgeons magically repaired. Likewise with Moi. Icy spots are hidden all over the yard, and one false step, down you go. Fortunately, I’m not exactly Zach Edey, so I don’t have far to fall. Re- gardless, I need to be extra careful. I’m fully capable of going on the IR list, as ice doesn’t give much. Both of us find ourselves con- stantly looking for handles, levers, steering wheels, or anything else to hang onto, especially at chore time. Just snow is one thing, but when it melts and refreezes, any port in a storm when it comes to staying up- right. Presently the slush has frozen very unevenly, so landing wrong while hauling water buckets could mean a twisted ankle or worse. Oh, well, as long as we can drag our- selves back to the house across the ice for the next batch. Some days you gotta play with pain.
See you next week...real good then.