The Weather Eye’s current thermostat settings seem to agree with most, including the scurs. Despite the wind, no complaints in the temp dept. last week. Can we count on one more week or has our luck run its course? Starting Turkey Day, partly sunny with highs in the mid-30’s and lows in the mid-teens. Partly sunny Black Friday with highs in the low 30’s and lows in the mid-teens. Partly sunny on Saturday with highs in the mid-30’s and lows in the low 20’s. Sunday, partly sunny with an outside chance of a few flurries. Highs in the mid-30’s with lows in the low 20’s. Mostly sunny on Monday with highs in the mid-30’s and lows in the upper 20’s. Tuesday, sunny with highs in the low 40’s and lows in the upper teens. Sunny on Wednesday with highs in the low 40’s and lows in the mid-teens. The normal high for this year’s Thanksgiving Day, the 23rd, is 37 and the normal low is 21. Having roasted their turkey to perfection, the scurs can enjoy their after-dinner nap while visions of leftovers dance in their heads.
The Full Moon for the month falls on the 27th and goes by the Full Beaver Moon, named for the large rodents that, after finishing their lodges for winter, were harvested for their valuable fur. During the days of the European fur trade, their pelts were used for coats and hats. When dealing with outfits such as the Hudson Bay Company in 1733, trappers could buy necessities and other supplies with the pelts. What were the pelts worth? With one pelt, trappers could buy either one brass kettle, one and a half pounds of gunpowder, a pair of shoes, two shirts, a blanket, eight knives, two pounds of sugar or a gallon of brandy. It took 4 pelts to purchase a pistol and ten to twelve pelts for a long gun. The Ojibwe called this the Freezing Moon, while the Lakota Sioux knew it as the Deer Rutting Moon. At the ranch, it’s known as the Do Chores Twice in the Dark Moon.
Field operations are wrapping up in area fields. Most of the last fields of corn have been harvested and anhydrous ammonia should be about finished by Thanksgiving. While the rains that fell in September and October delayed harvest and tillage slightly, it also made anhydrous application and primary tillage go much smoother than anticipated in late August. If conditions had remained as dry as they were, no doubt ripper points would’ve been burned up more quickly and anhydrous ammonia might not have sealed up as well as it did. November rainfall has been very short, so we’ve gained virtually no soil moisture. Only .03” has fallen at the ranch and likewise in Bugtussle as measured Tuesday morning. Not to fear. We had very little precip last September and October, although we had 10” – 11” of snow in November. Think most would rather have the dry November with the warmer temperatures and take our chances.
At the ranch, operations are still transitioning into winter mode. Still things that need to happen, although they don’t happen as quickly or with as much enthusiasm as they once did. There still needs to be more bedding and small squares of hay procured and stored. The well pit has to be covered. The pumpkins and corn shock have to make their way down the hill into the sheep pasture on Thanksgiving and barns should be cleaned yet. The small barn skipped a year, so it’s likely to contain an extra load or two. Round bales will be plopped in their feeders and the group of ewes and lambs that spent their summer at the kindly neighbors’ will be coming home. All the breeding animals will have had the good fortune to enjoy pumpkins for their own version of a Thanksgiving feast.
Whittled off the “to-do” list this past weekend included grinding up the remaining leaves the wind knocked off. The obnoxious river birch branches that were my nemesis over the summer were dealt with severely. The remainder of the bunny guards were installed, and another crop of sticks was deposited on the brush pile. The first batch of leftover gourds and pumpkins made their way to the sheep at home while their water tank filled after being cleaned. About that time, I decided to check the electric fence. Grounded out. Our wonderful deer overpopulation had shredded it after checking it the week before. They broke off over a dozen fiberglass posts, popped the insulators off another half dozen steel posts and strung wire halfway across the pasture. Two hours, a bunch of “by gollies” and “gosh darns” later I had it up and running. Deer have been crossed off my Christmas card list.
The birds are more appreciative and less destructive. They’ve continued their transition into winter as well. Been a while since we’ve seen many robins, although there’s lots of evidence of their passing through. Many of the crabapples are picked bare as are the nannyberries. The American cranberry have also been heavily picked over. The fruit clusters diminished to a large extent since I picked some a few weeks ago for decorative purposes. Aronia berries are still holding on in places, their fruit drying down and becoming slightly sweeter. Still pucker you up and would take a lot of sugar to make jam. In the yard, a loyal contingent of goldfinches has returned as have most of our winter birds. Chickadees scold when filling the feeders as nuthatches, house finches, downies, hairies, red-bellies, blue jays and juncos wait more patiently. At least one male cardinal is back helping the juncos clean up after the fox squirrels selectively eat the germ out of the ear corn kernels.
Poppy comes along during my bird feeding excursions, although she’s preoccupied with retracing the squirrels’ steps from tree to tree. Since there are at lest a half dozen squirrel nests visible, there are lots of trails to sniff out. It gives her plenty of exercise, something we’re concerned about. Corgis can develop back problems if they’re lethargic and overweight, so exercise and diet are critical. We were relieved to hear the breeders comment that Poppy was in excellent physical condition upon seeing pictures of her. She is a very physically active dog, although one of our favorite times is when her batteries wear down and she curls up on your lap. More often than not, the ensuing naps are contagious.
See you next week…real good then.