Recent warm temps had the scurs adjusting the AC settings cooler on the Weather Eye. Did they overdo it or is it a Goldilocks Deja vu? Starting Wednesday, cloudy with a good chance of rain. Highs in the mid-70’s with lows in the mid-60’s. Thursday cloudy with a good chance of rain. Highs in the mid-70’s with lows in the low 50’s. Mostly sunny becoming partly cloudy on Friday with highs in the mid-60’s and lows in the upper 40’s. Saturday, mostly sunny with highs in the upper 60’s and lows in the low 50’s. Mostly sunny for Sunday becoming partly cloudy with a slight chance of evening showers. Highs in the low 70’s with lows in the low 50’s. Monday, partly sunny with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 60’s with lows in the mid-50’s. Mostly cloudy Tuesday with possible showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the low 70’s with lows in the mid-40’s. On the 21st the sun will rise at 7 a.m. and the 22nd is officially the first day of fall. The normal high for September 22nd is 70 and the normal low is 47. The scurs will be taking inventory on the wood pile. There’s a chill in the air.
The Full Moon for September falls on the 24th and since it is the Full Moon closest to the autumnal equinox, it is the Harvest Moon. It is fitting as the pioneers were able to work long into the night in the light of the moon, harvesting corn, pumpkins, squash and other staples to help them through the long winter months ahead. The Ojibwe knew this as the Rice Moon when wild rice was harvested. The Sioux had their eyes on more fruit and called this the Moon When Plums are Scarlet. At the ranch it goes by The Apple Crisp Moon.
Harvest officially kicked off in the area last week with early planted, early maturing soybeans being harvested. Yields were considered decent for early soybeans with hopes of higher yields as later maturity soybeans mature. Above normal temperatures this past week pushed maturity quickly so getting Mother Nature to cooperate with drier weather once the rainmaker leaves the area would help expedite the process. Some corn was also harvested with moistures as low as 23% reported on some of the 99 – 100 hybrids. Strong winds late Monday afternoon did blow some areas of fields flat so hopefully the wet weather forecast doesn’t include any more of that.
At the ranch we are in the middle of our fall harvest season as well. We recently completed the last cutting of hay thanks to the Dubya’s. It was some of the nicest hay we’ve put up in recent memory and will surely be appreciated by ewes in pens with lambs as well as the lambs themselves. The tomatoes have continued to bear profusely with the first BLT’s of the season under our belts. String beans need to be picked again and with the aggressive mosquito population, can’t say as I’m looking forward to it. Ate the first of the pears finally on Sunday. A subtle color change from green to light yellow tempted me to try one. It was fantastic. Not mushy or mealy, very sweet and juicy. What a pleasant surprise.
Mowing the lawn has seemed perpetual this year. Sunday I mowed to try to catch up before it decided to rain again. The number of toads was amazing along with the frogs in the road ditch. I still try my best not to hit them as they are our first line of defense for flying insect control now the barn swallows have departed. I guess we do have lots of those big barn spiders as well but they tend to stay confined to the barn as the name implies. Hummingbirds continue to move freely around the yard, finding plenty of flora to feed on in addition to their nectar feeder. The white-lined sphinx moth recently made their first appearance of the season, working over the impatiens and later to be seen enjoying the four o’clocks. Was concerned maybe we wouldn’t see them as late as it was getting but my fears were as usual unfounded.
We had a natural colored ram in need of his queen(s) and Saturday a.m. that happened. Our usual customer arrived with his small homemade trailer and we proceeded to back it in tight enough so we maybe wouldn’t have to touch the wild and odiferous beast. We must be getting wiser or at least luckier as when we opened the gate, the ram decided to bolt and ran right into the trailer. All three of us, ram included, were in a state of momentary disbelief until Gary grabbed the end gate and put it in place before the ram changed his mind. As in years past Gary had made us another treasure, this time a pillow knitted from both homespun white and natural colored Cheviot wool from his flock and filled with same. Just the time involved in creating something like that is astounding, making it a treasure.
Apples need picking as the Honeycrisp apples are at their prime. Time to get them in the refrigerator before the birds and other assorted critters decide to help themselves. With the warm weather the Haralson’s are also about ripe. Not only that but the poor tree needs some relief from its heavy burden. As luck would have it our car club picnic was last Sunday so thought I’s make an apple pie. Mrs. Cheviot was still in Massachusetts and suggested apple crisp instead. I’m sure she was concerned I might drop one of her glass pie pans on the concrete at the picnic shelter. She is wise to my ways.
I’ve made lots of apple pie but this was the first time I’d flown solo on apple crisp. Was a little distraught when it appeared the recipe made way more topping than needed for the foil pan I’d selected. Luckily I placed the apple crisp pan on an old cookie sheet before inserting it in the oven. There was all kinds of stuff that boiled out of the pan onto the cookie sheet. What a sticky mess! It smelled great although it certainly didn’t look like the apple crisp Mrs. Cheviot makes. I took it along anyway as I had no Plan B. I was convinced that I’d probably be bringing most of it back home with me. Wrong! After the picnic there was one piece in the corner of the pan and that was it. I heard Vista’s noted Swedish astronomer mutter that I could screw up like that again anytime.
See you next week…real good then.