The scurs had the Weather Eye clicking with another drier forecast. Do we maintain our status quo or are our fortunes about to change? Starting Thursday, sunny with a modest chance of evening rain. Highs in the mid-70’s with lows in the mid-50’s. Partly sunny on Friday with a good chance of rain. Highs in the mid-70’s with lows in the low 50’s. Mostly sunny on Saturday with a slight chance of rain. Highs in the upper 60’s with lows in the low 50’s. Sunday, mostly sunny with a good chance of evening rain. Highs in the mid-70’s with lows in the mid-50’s. Mostly sunny on Memorial Day Monday with a fair chance of rain. Highs in the low 70’s and lows in the low 50’s. Tuesday, sunny with highs in the mid-70’s and lows in the mid-50’s. Mostly sunny on Wednesday with highs in the low 70’s and lows in the upper 40’s. Our Full Moon will be on the 23rd. Memorial Day is the 27th. On May 29th our daily increase in daylight slows to under a minute and a half per day. The normal high for May 27th is 72 and the normal low is 53. The scurs will be celebrating Memorial Day by honoring those who served. All gave some. Some gave all.
The Full Moon as mentioned above occurs on the 23rd and generally goes by the Full Flower Moon, fitting for Mother Nature this time of year. Many of the wildflowers in wooded areas are in bloom as well as the early summer plants around the yard, including iris, lilacs and lilies of the valley. Many blooming chokecherries were noted in my travels this past week as well. Other Full Moon names for the month include the Frog Moon and the Milk Moon as farmers turned their cows out on pasture back in the days before everything was fed dry feed. Butter and milk were a characteristic yellower color as a result of the carotenoids from the green grass. Farmers avoided standing behind the cows when milking for a few days as the cows adjusted to their new diet. The Ojibwe called this the Blossom Moon, and the Sioux called it The Moon when the Ponies Shed. At the ranch, it’s definitely the Moon when Corgi’s Shed, but that’s every Full Moon.
Progress could be measured in the crop already planted and in the completion of soybean planting this past week for many. Corn really started to take off with the warmer days over the past week. Some early planted corn in sheltered fields was already V4 with four full collars showing and reaching 5” – 6” in height. Some replanting was being done in places after the areas in question dried sufficiently. It’s been surprising when out and about in the morning to see how many dark spots there still are on the sidehills. Venturing out in those same fields, it’s a good idea to pay attention or getting stuck is a distinct possibility. Soybeans are emerging right along, being able to row some of the earlier planted fields already. Weed control will be at the forefront soon, once we get this most recent rainmaker through the tile systems. Some have already made a preemptive strike around some of the field boundaries where weed pressure is generally the heaviest. A wise move given the weather uncertainty
One thing is certain, with all the moisture, the mosquitoes have seized upon the opportunity and are making up for lost ground after last year. Sure, we had some mosquitoes after the heavy rains last May, but once we made it through June, mosquitoes became more of a novelty than a nuisance. Not so this year. Head out into the long grass or outside after dark if there’s no breeze and you’re taking your life in your own hands. Not only are they numerous, they're very aggressive, particularly towards dark. Along with them during daylight hours are their little buddies the blackflies or buffalo gnats. They’ve been especially annoying along the rivers, streams and drainage ditches. They’re generally not a problem after dark, so at least there is that.
The backyard at the ranch has been busy so far with lots of grape jelly being consumed by our feathered friends. The orioles, both the Baltimore and orchard types, are the primary consumers. There are also red-belled woodpeckers, catbirds, house finches and the occasional downy. The female Baltimore orioles must be in next building mode. When filling the jelly feeder, I found some long horsehair in one of the dishes. No horses here, so it must’ve come from the Dubya’s. It also looked like there was some dog hair, very possibly of Corgi origin, perhaps to line the bottom of the nest. Better there than in windrows along the baseboards in the house.
The Silver Hawk has been on a couple outings now to stretch its wings. A couple weekends ago we ventured forth to Faribault for Mother’s Day. The weather forecast was calling for only a slight chance of afternoon showers, so we decided to risk it. Sure enough, a thundershower moved through about the time we sat down to eat. It didn’t hail, so that was a plus. It did, however, make a mess with all the black gunk from the road speckling the white car. This after I’d painstakingly cleaned it all up just prior to our excursion. Then another expedition on Friday afternoon to Thompson, IA, this time with Vista’s noted Swedish astronomer riding shotgun. It was a similar length trip, only no rain this time, just bugs. Easier to just wipe down the front of the car rather than the whole thing. A warm-ish drive down, although the combination of the fender vents and rear window vents helped keep it bearable. The ice cold beer at Mr. K’s hit the spot before crossing the street for supper at The Branding Iron. Good company and a comfortable cruise home. Works for me.
Poppy has kept her busy schedule intact. Lawnmowing needs to be part of the equation, however, for her to complete her appointed rounds. With those short little legs, it’s nice to keep the grass cut short enough, so it doesn’t tickle her tummy. Not that she has much of a tummy anyway. We’ve been careful to limit her number of treats and their size. One thing we were warned about was not allowing Poppy to get too heavy as it can lead to back problems down the road. Her activity level has a lot to do with that as well. Most say she is the most active Corgi they have ever seen. We try to give her lots of outdoor time whenever possible. Herding cats apparently is a good way to stay in shape. Oddly enough, when back in the house, she’ll often run laps around the couch for good measure. If one could only bottle that energy.
See you next week…real good then.