The scurs and the Weather Eye were on the mark with a steamy week prior. Do we see glimpses of September this week or are we stuck with the summertime blues? Starting on Thursday, partly sunny with a modest chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the low 70’s with lows in the low 50’s. Mostly sunny on Friday with highs in the low 70’s and lows in the low 50’s. Sunny on Saturday with highs in the low 70’s and lows in the mid-50’s. Sunday, mostly sunny with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid-70’s with lows in the upper 50’s. Mostly sunny on Monday with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid-70’s with lows in the mid-60’s. Tuesday, mostly cloudy with a good chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 70’s with lows in the low 60’s. Cloudy on Wednesday with a fair chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the low 80’s with lows in the low 60’s. On August 8th, our loss of daylight goes over two minutes and 30 seconds. August 14th we drop to 14 hours of daylight for the first time since April 26th. The normal high for August 14th is 79 and the normal low is 60. The scurs will open the windows, let the sweet, cool air and the good times roll. Good sleeping weather has arrived.
The heavy rain that ushered in August 1st took most of us by surprise. With forecast amounts of well under an inch, people were shocked to look in their gauge that they had received amounts up to 5”, with amounts of 2” – 3” being common. It came hard and refilled the potholes and replant areas. Much of it initially ran down the large cracks that resulted from the dry conditions prevalent after July 4th. There had been rain, but nothing widespread. That one and the encore performance Monday night came at a good time. Grain fill was well underway in corn and the soybeans were setting and filling pods. Both crops responded with minimal damage. Some of the early planted, earlier maturing soybean varieties are actually nearing the end of their flowering period, showing large clusters of blossoms on top of the plants. The intangible is what the rain will do to soybean size. Aphids entered the conversation last week with some fields near large concentrations of buckthorn requiring insecticide. Scouting should continue, but wholesale, widespread treatment is not anticipated.
As if on cue the cannas planted in mid-June suddenly began to bloom. This should be to the delight of the migrating hummingbirds as they begin their trek south. Plenty of morning glories to fill in around the edges as well. Their ascent up the power pole, slowed by drier conditions, suddenly got a boost from the recent rains. The four o’clocks have struggled mightily this year for whatever reason. They came up sporadically and after some of the volunteers from last year’s planting were transplanted to fill in the gaps, it dried up. Watering them seemed to perk them up and there were subtle signs that last week’s surprise rainfall was beginning to help them make a move. I have no doubt when September rolls around, however, that they’ll provide plenty of blooms to satisfy not only the hummers, but the nocturnal sphinx moth population. Hopefully the wet weather hasn’t put the damper on them as it has some insects this year.
With talk about school starting, it was 60 years ago that we moved from the Pleasant Grove farm to the farm near Spring Valley. Initially, we were to move into a house remodeled in Spring Valley within walking distance of Dad’s insurance office downtown. I don’t recall how, but soon there was another remodeling project underway. This time it involved a massive farmhouse east of Spring Valley. It sat on a dooryard including an old granary, a chicken coop, and a large red hip-joint roof barn. It was a kid’s paradise, big yard, oak trees, places to explore with a woods to the south and an old gravel pit to the north. I’d missed going to country school by a few years. I went to kindergarten in Chatfield. There must’ve been too many of us boomers to fit in the main school. We met in the basement of the post office, across the street east of the Tastee-Freez. When Mom took me to kindergarten orientation, they showed Bugs Bunny cartoons. If this was school, I was down with it. Imagine my shock when Bugs Bunny cartoons weren’t part of the curriculum. It was an even greater shock when we moved to Spring Valley and attended a then new elementary school full of kids. Was as if I’d been born in a basement and never brought up.
It’s one of the sheep’s favorite times of year. Recent rains have greened up the cool season grasses such as brome, red top, and reed canarygrass, especially where they have grazed them off earlier. There are also plenty of areas with native prairie grasses for them to nosh on. These warm season grasses include big bluestem, little bluestem, switchgrass, and yellow Indiangrass. They add additional forage that comes in handy during the drier summers when the cool season grasses tend to shut down until we get the fall recharge rains. Of course there is a constant supply of garden goodies such as sweet corn cobs, husks, cucumber peelings and overgrown zucchini. Recently there have been some major leafy branches and tree limbs from the yard for their dining pleasure. Once tossed over the fence, the ewes become like piranhas, making short work of the leaves. It makes the branches much easier to deal with without all that vegetative material. There’s a reason very few trees survive in a sheep pasture without tree guards.
Poppy had a week where her people time was somewhat erratic. With Mrs. Cheviot at the Freeborn Co. Fair, it left me to be primary Corgi care provider. It made me wonder how folklore ever came up with the notion that fairies used Corgis as their trusty steeds. I mean I get that there’s a darker colored patch of fur behind their shoulders where a fairy’s saddle supposedly sat. All I can say is it must’ve been one heck of a ride if they were anything like Poppy. Squirrel? Needs chasing, then climb as far up the trunk as the stubby little front legs will allow. Hang on, pilgrim! Ditto with kitties. How about a few dozen zoomies while we’re at it, there cowboy? Oops! Lost focus. Something needs sniffing over here. Hey! It’s dead and it really stinks. Better roll in it. Should perfume the house nicely once back inside. Not your scent, fairy? How about we go to the garden and rustle up some string beans? Should help keep you regular, little buddy. Even a fairy would need a nap after a ride like that. I know I sure would.
See you next week…real good then.