Fencelines (269)
Apparently, the scurs still have the winter Studebaker thermostat in the Weather Eye. Will they get the right one before March 1? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with highs in the upper teens and lows near 10 below zero. Mostly sunny on Thursday with highs slightly below zero and lows near -20. Friday, a slight chance of snow. Partly sunny and warmer if you can call it that. Highs in the lower single digits above zero and lows around 10 below. Saturday March 1st, partly sunny with a slight chance of an evening snow shower. Highs once again just slightly below zero and lows near 10 below. Sunday, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of daytime snow. Highs near 5 above and lows in the middle single digits below zero. Monday, another slight chance for snow. Mostly cloudy with highs near 10 above and lows near 5 above. Mostly sunny and warmer on Tuesday with highs getting back to near 20 above and lows in the lower teens above zero. The normal high for March 1st is 33 and the normal low is 16. The sun will set after 6 p.m. once again on February 28th. The scurs are banking on all that extra daylight to warm temperatures.
Thursday’s blizzard deposited plenty of precipitation as measured at the ranch. There was roughly a quarter inch of rain that fell in the a.m. along with 8.2” of snow. Melted down the wet slop was equivalent to .87” of water. For the month we stand at about 16.2 of snow at the ranch and 1.79” of precip in liquid form. It’s well above the long-term 9” average as recorded at the SROC and makes one wonder what March will do once it decides to warm up. The 30-day and 90-day temperature outlook from NOAA are indicating better than even chances of colder than normal conditions. For precip, even chances of above or below normal precip are predicted. Not going out on a limb with that one.
Last week’s blizzard brought back memories of some of the storms of old, although the winds had pretty much subsided by late Friday morning so one could begin digging out. It didn’t do a lot of good in some cases as plows wouldn’t show up until almost 6 p.m. Friday evening. Afterwards the roads were a fright as the heavy, wet snow made for a rutted surface and would pull a vehicle suddenly from side to side. Top this off with some people who were driving about 20 and some who seemed to think the speed limit was too slow as well as some like me who figured 40 would get me there in one piece. It’s amazing there aren’t more accidents than there are some days.
One always wonders what storms such as these will do to our feathered friends. At the ranch it seems to make them more actively seek the supplemental food we provide for them. The pheasants in particular numbered 20 on Saturday morning. It even pushed some chickadees our direction for the first time in several months. The day before the storm horned larks were commonplace along the roadsides. Surprisingly enough the robins were still in evidence Friday morning with one male gobbling down crabapples from the Indian Magic tree.
The alien has struck once again at the ranch. Coughing fits, chills, aches and pains have been the order of the day. Of course enough sleep is being lost already due to the annual event known as lambing season. It’s not bad if you can sit still under a blanket and shiver. Unfortunately it’s tough to get much done that way. It has served as a wonderful appetite suppressant though. Difficult to find food one is interested in making it lucky to have consumed all of those holiday goodies
Lambing season is roughly half over and but it has been a battle. We’ve had some tough luck with lambs born dead and ewes not milking to their capability. The cold weather hasn’t helped. This all adds up to some bottle lambs. Bottle lambs seem to be very popular with visitors at the ranch. I must admit they are cute if you don’t have to head out there 4 or 5 times a day to feed them. However when the milk replacer is purchased and it’s your behind out there the novelty wears off pretty fast. That and seldom do bottle lambs ever amount to much. Lambs simply do much better when Mother Nature works as it’s supposed to as opposed to human meddling. A lot of things like that in life one finds.
The dogs seem to understand. They appear to know when we’re not feeling well and tend to stay quiet. Yet they’re the first there when a ewe decides to walk through an open gate or it’s time to move ewes with lambs to their loafing area. The natural instinct and non-vocalized communication of the dogs as they move the sheep with their eye contact and posturing is uncanny. It sure makes our lives a little easier. Now, if they just had opposable thumbs we could probably stay in the house.
See you next week…real good then.
The scurs and their Gremlin X Weather Eye with the Studebaker thermostat have given them a degree of accuracy not previously achieved. After more tinkering, will the results continue on track? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with a moderate chance of snow. Highs in the mid-30’s and lows in the upper 20’s. Cloudy on Thursday with a good chance of snow. Windy conditions may cause blizzard conditions. Highs in the mid-20’s and lows in the low teens. Partly sunny and starting a cooling trend on Friday. Highs in the low 20’s and lows in the middle single digits. Cooler and mostly cloudy Saturday. Highs in the upper teens and lows near zero. Partly cloudy Sunday with a slight chance of snow. Highs near 15 with lows just below zero. Mostly sunny and cold on Monday. Highs near 10 and lows near zero. Warmer for Tuesday with highs rebounding to near 20 and lows in the upper single digits above zero. The normal high for Washington’s real birthday on the 22nd is 30 and the normal low is 12. The scurs will be shoveled out for a piece of cherry pie at Hartland’s Village Inn by then. Probably have some ice cream too while they’re at it.
The Full Moon on Valentine’s Day was as good as advertised. It was orange and huge as it rose, prompting a reader to call and ask if I’d seen it. Indeed I had as we were settling in for an evening of Gopher hockey. Quite a planet we live on and full of beauty in the skies this time of year. Venus continues to shine brightly in the morning at chore time. Mars will become a more prominent feature as the month draws to a close, rising around 10 o’clock in the east. Jupiter has been high overhead around 10 p.m., one night recently appearing to be racing with the moon. On February 25th we’ll see 11 hours of daylight for the first time since the middle of October. We have actually seen some sun too once the clouds roll out. A welcome relief from the long dark days of late December.
The lack of snow was suddenly changed, although it was amazing how much mileage we got from the dabs of snow that fell. High winds were responsible for several back-to-back driveway cleanings with the same snow. Saturday changed all that with about 3 inches of snow at the ranch followed by Monday’s encore performance of another 3+ inches. The amount of moisture in the snow has been changing as well. The snow last week was very dry with .02” of liquid in .6” of snow. This week the snow on Monday for example was .35” of liquid per 3.2” of snow. Seasonal wetlands should benefit, although it’s unlikely this latest snow will impact the fields much as the frost depth was 28” at the SROC on February 17th. Snow depth is guesstimated at about a foot at the ranch. Reports of frozen pipes are becoming more and more commonplace, particularly in areas that have been kept clear of snow. Frost has been reported as deep as 6’ in those situations.
The birds continue to respond to the cold conditions with increased amounts of snow on the ground. The pheasants in particular are becoming more numerous in and around our yard. Over a dozen at a time were spotted at the ear corn feeder recently. When you’re reading the paper and they fly by the living room window, it’s comical. Some people have automobile traffic. I guess we have pheasant traffic. Sunday morning saw the first robins of the season. They were back on Tuesday morning. One has to wonder if perhaps some were sick of trying to tough out the winter and were moving south. I think a lot of us can relate.
Shearing was accomplished once again at the ranch over the weekend. The fleeces were clean and for some reason extremely dry and light. The sheep were generally cooperative although one ram decided to demonstrate his four-wheel drive by snapping a steel T-post off at ground level. Thanks to my cat-like reflexes, he narrowly missed my knee. Our age is beginning to catch up with us though. The next day getting motivated to do much more than move from the couch to the dinner table was challenging. It doesn’t seem to faze the shearer and the catcher however. They seem to never age. We had more lambs on the ground when he came and after he left the games began in earnest. Thank goodness it warmed up, although those born in the sub-zero cold are doing just fine. It’ll be time to move them into a loafing area soon so the lambs can access the creep feeder. Must be nice to be young and able to eat as much as you want.
In between moving snow and running back and forth to the barn, we make some time to watch Gopher hoops and hockey, both men’s and women’s. All the teams have been competitive and, win or lose, the games are entertaining. The Olympics have also been a great way to relax when we get a chance. Ruby’s latest pet peeve appears to be figure skaters. She can awaken from a dead sleep and if figure skating is on TV, she’s growling. Unless the skaters fall of course. Their movement stops and true to her Border Collie roots, that’s the way she prefers it.
See you next week…real good then.
As it turned out, we were right about the Beatles
Written by Jim LutgensThe scurs continue to score forecast success with their AMC Gremlin Weather Eye powered by the Studebaker thermostat. Must still have the winter thermostat in it however. Will they switch it over this week? Starting Lincoln’s Birthday, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of snow. Highs near 25 and lows in the low teens. Yes, above zero. Mostly cloudy on Thursday with a slight chance of snow. High near the freezing mark and lows in the single digits. On Valentine’s Day, mostly sunny and colder. Highs near 15 with lows around 5 above. Partly sunny and warmer on Saturday with a modest chance of snow. Highs around 25 and lows in the lower teens. Sunday, partly sunny with a slight chance of evening sleet and snow mix. Highs in the upper 20’s and lows around 20. Monday, partly sunny and warmer with a chance of a rain and snow mix. Highs near 35 and lows close to 20. Mostly sunny for Tuesday and warmer again. Highs near 40 and lows in the lower 20’s. The normal high for Valentine’s Day is 27 and the normal low is 9. The scurs will be taking their sweetie pie out for a spin in the burnt orange Gremlin X to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Honest Abe.
Another cold week and frost continues to move down in the soil, 27” deep as measured at the SROC in Waseca on February 10th. February has been a dry month thus far with only .6” of snow as of Tuesday morning, melted down to a measly .02” of liquid. Snow cover in the fields is variable although in general not very deep on worked ground. Most of what we have remains in the ditches, fencelines and groves. The old saying that the fields aren’t fit until the snowbanks are out of the fencelines may be put to the test. We shall see.
The Full Moon happens to fall on Valentine’s Day this time around and generally goes by the name of Full Snow Moon. It was at this time of year that snows became deep and food became more scarce. It also goes by the Full Hunger Moon for that same reason. The Ojibwe called this the Sucker Moon for the suckers running in the rivers and streams this time of year. The Sioux called this the Raccoon Moon as raccoons commonly awaken from their slumber to forage about to find food. Fortunately there was not as much traffic in those days. At the ranch we can officially call this the Full Lamb Moon after this past week.
Yes, we had lambs show up during the coldest days last week. It happens every year that some hit the ground before shearing. One would think we’d learn how to use a gestation chart so that wouldn’t happen. Oh well, the main thing is that the lambs are doing well and there shouldn’t be a lot more before shearing on Saturday. After that all bets are off.
This stretch of cold weather seems to zap the energy right out of a person. Day after day of starting out below zero and then struggling to get much above that takes a toll. By nature however I am a napper and utilize cold weekend afternoons once indoors to examine the inside of my eyelids. The Winter Olympics generally make for good napping fare although Sunday one announcer became boisterous over a cross country skiing final. I might’ve murmured something about the strategic location of a ski pole. Enough of that. This is why I stick to watching golf or bowling. Not only is it boring to watch, the commentators are quiet so as not to wake anyone.
Ruby had a rough several days of TV watching. First, the Westminster Kennel Club Agility Trials were held Saturday, sending her into several barking fits. A red and white Border Collie named Kelso won so we were cheering for him while we were trying to keep Ruby quiet. Sunday, bull riding was on and again Ruby was not amused, growling at the bulls as their riders bit the dust. Then the Westminster Dog Show was on Monday night and more of the same. That’s OK. Ruby spends much of her time sleeping while we’re away and tormenting Fudgie when we’re not. Nice to see the shoe on the other foot sometimes.
The birds have been letting us know it’s cold, consuming what we’re putting out there at a rapid pace. Particularly noticeable has been the amount of suet devoured. There are a lot of woodpeckers this winter and there are usually several waiting in line to get on the two suet feeders. We did see a new bird for us anyway: a northern shrike. These are predators and shortly after it appeared, everything else disappeared. Not to worry. It didn’t stay and if it does, there are plenty of house sparrows for it to eat.
Last Sunday marked the first appearance of the Beatles in 1964 on the Ed Sullivan Show. That’s a while ago and pretty sure we weren’t watching. More likely the dial on the black and white set at the little old farmhouse was on Bonanza or some other high quality programming. As a result of their visit though, the Beatles had a major impact on me and my generation, something subsequent generations haven’t always been able to fully grasp. The Cold War world as we knew it at the time would be changed forever. Beatles lunchboxes appeared at school, crew cuts became mop tops and as the Beatles changed from their skinny ties and suits, so did clothing styles. As did the music. Gone were the days of the greasers, Elvis and rocking around the clock, replaced by a newer, more modern sound from across the pond. At least many of us thought so despite the naysayers. And as it turned out we were right.
See you next week…real good then.
The scurs are onto something. Seems their AMC Gremlin Weather Eye coupled with the Studebaker thermostat addition to their weather machine worked to perfection last week. What about this week? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of forenoon flurries. Highs near 5 above and lows around 15 below. Mostly sunny on Thursday with highs 5 above zero and lows near –5. Mostly sunny on Friday with highs near 10 above zero and lows around –5. Saturday, partly cloudy with highs again around 10 above zero and lows around 5 below zero. Mostly sunny on Sunday with highs near 10 and lows in the upper single digits below zero. Partly cloudy on Monday with highs in the lower teens above zero and lows near zero. Warmer for Tuesday with highs in the mid-teens with slowly rising temperatures. The normal high for February 8th is 26 and the normal low is 7. After seeing their shadow, the scurs are going out on a limb and predicting spring should be here by June.
What a January for weather we had. It was one of those where despite having no single large snowfall accumulation, we wound up with above normal snowfall. Normal for January at the SROC in Waseca is 9.5”. They tallied 17.2” and here at the ranch it was 16.2”. It has been difficult to measure snow accurately so it’s amazing that our readings were that close. We also recorded measurable snowfall on 12 days at the ranch and there were 13 days at the SROC. In other words, it has been nickeling and diming us. It has also been colder than normal. The average air temperature at the SROC for January 2014 was 6.4 and the normal calculated for the period 1980–2010 is 13.2. Berry!
The LP price and supply has caught our attention. Prices more than doubled in the matter of a week and are routinely north of $4 a gallon. It has some scrambling to find supplies, then wondering if they can afford it if they do. It took a higher than normal amount of LP to dry corn this fall and as mentioned, it has been cold. There are also pipeline and terminal situations that factor into the equation. I had the opportunity to lock in LP for $1.30 a gallon back in July or August. I didn’t do it, but that was my fault. Fortunately when we remodeled seven years ago, we insulated, put in new windows and installed a dual fuel heating system. The electric bill won’t be pretty, but neither are frozen pipes.
The pheasant population around the ranch is showing signs that it is very much still alive. Mrs. Cheviot saw two roosters and five hens on the north side of grove last Friday. On our way to church Sunday, there were close to 20 in the field on both sides of the road. Lots of them were hens, so if we can get to spring without too much snow and ice, we might have a fighting chance of seeing even more in the future. They must like some variety in their diet. The tracks from the corn feeder over to the birdfeeders are a clue. Cardinals apparently aren’t the only birds that enjoy safflower.
My brother and I were talking not long ago about what has been the toughest thing since Mom passed away. I was thinking it and then he said it: Not being able to call and talk to her on the phone. Countless times over the years when chores were done, a call was placed to catch up on her life and fill her in on ours. Frequently we’d share bird observations or talk about the dogs. One of the things I could’ve told her this past week was how proud I was of the Border Collie Fudgie we gave her then inherited after her passing.
Twice in the past week Fudgie was pressed into service, guarding the gates and keeping the sheep on their side of the fence while I cleaned the snow from their feed lot. I like leaving the gate open. Constantly getting on and off the tractor or skid loader is hard on these old joints. After a few run-ins, the sheep decided this was not a dog to mess with and did their best to avoid her. Several days earlier a few ewes had decided the electric fence in the pasture was fair game. It isn’t charged in winter and wearing their heavy wool coats, they are lousy conductors of electricity. Cruising the lot, I spied several ewes grazing on the south side of the house, in the lawn! They were until Fudgie came around the corner of the house, quickly putting them back where they belonged.
I kept at the snow removal project, blocking the access to the pasture with a real “snow-fence” and placed a panel across another entry point. I was thinking to myself, the sheep were happy and Fudgie was happy. Everyone was happy except me. As I finished while watching Fudgie toy with the ewe flock, it was obvious they had gained her respect. For an older dog that never had much to do with sheep other than an occasional encounter while visiting, she kept them at bay like she’d been doing it all her life. What’s more, Fudgie was doing it against a nasty little group of Cheviots, one of the fastest, most cunning breeds to herd. Now, Fudgie is not a “people-person.” She’s selective about who she likes and who she doesn’t, just as her mother Lucy was. She’s also fearless and all business when it comes to working sheep, just like her mother. Thinking about it as I wired the gate shut, Fudgie had earned my respect. I had to believe that Mom and Lucy would’ve been proud too. Suddenly I was happy.
See you next week…real good then.
The scurs still haven’t mended the thermostat and are thinking about installing a used one from the Studebaker, along with the Weather Eye climate control system from the old AMC Gremlin. Will it be closer than what they’ve been using? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with a chance of evening snow. Highs near 25 and lows around 5 above. Partly sunny and colder for Thursday with a slight chance of daytime snowfall. Highs near 10 above and lows falling to 5 below. Partly sunny on Friday with another chance for evening snow. Highs near 10 and lows in the single digits above zero. Saturday, partly sunny with a slight chance of daytime snow. Highs near 15 and lows around zero. Mostly cloudy on Sunday with a continued slight chance of daytime snow. Highs in the mid-teens and lows around 5 above. Monday, mostly sunny with a slight chance for snow. Highs near 20 and lows near 5 above. Tuesday, mostly cloudy with a chance of snow. Highs around 20 and lows near zero. The normal high for Ground Hog’s Day is 24 and the normal low is 5. The scurs will be hoping they don’t see their shadow. That will make it much easier to sleep in.
Venus is back to being a “morning star” once again. Trekking in from the barn, it is very distinct in the southeast sky before dawn. The conjunction with the waning quarter moon on the still morning of the 28th was nothing short of spectacular. On Ground Hog’s Day, the sun will actually rise at 7:30 a.m., something it hasn’t done since December 2nd. And the days keep getting longer. On February 3rd we will have gained one hour of daylight since January 1st. On February 4th, we will see 10 hours of daylight for the first time since November 5th. Time sure flies when you’re having fun, doesn’t it?
Another week on the winter weather roller coaster ride. With temps on Friday near the freezing mark, it made one wonder how we were going to see a monster develop over the weekend. The advance warning gave us time to get everything battened down just in case. The bird feeders and water tanks were filled while extra bales were put back around the well pit. That’s one of the things about this time of year that can be so dangerous: It can change in an instant. Sunday was a prime example of that. The weather was somewhat nasty when we did chores, but by noon it still hadn’t changed much. So I did what every red-blooded carnivorous male MN would do and started the grill. We had some of Morgan’s brats that were quick and easy. Within 20 minutes they were on the plate and back in the house. Staring out the window half an hour later, you couldn’t see the hand in front of your face. Visibility at times was less than 100 feet as the light pole in the yard disappeared from view. Timing is everything.
As I’ve written before, we’ve been fortunate these systems haven’t had large amounts of snow to work with. With a hair over 3” recorded at the ranch between Friday and Saturday night, it really wasn’t one of those storms of old. Those storms of the ‘60s and ‘70s were amazingly rugged. The timing of school closings due to storms with heavy snowfall when you had a test or paper due was almost magical. Roads were frequently impassible, pipes froze, feedlots were full of snow and adults were generally grumpy. About the worst thing to happen this time? The snow on Friday night was so wet it stuck to the satellite dish like mashed potatoes. We missed the second period of the Gopher hockey game against St. Cloud State, dadburnit.
The birds appreciated their feeders being full both during and after the storm. There was more variety the day after, although most of them were busy staying on the leeward side of trees and other objects. There were American tree sparrows, a mourning dove, two goldfinches, juncos, house sparrows (of course), blue jays, nuthatches downies and hairies, red-bellies and last but not least the cardinals. One always wonders how the birds survive these blasts. Apparently rather well if the amount of sunflower seed and corn consumed is any indication.
January is pretty close to over with and we can cross another month off of winter. The ewes at the ranch continue to get girthier and the dogs continue monitoring their movements. Fudgie has developed a habit of barking at them when they’re slow to come out of the barn at feeding time. With some of the wind, temperatures and early dark chore times, I can’t say as I blame them for sleeping in. Fudgie’s coat seems to get thicker by the day with the cold weather. If it keeps up, we could have her shorn in a few weeks along with the sheep. No such problem with Ruby. Her tootsies get cold and without the heavier coat, she’s more than willing to keep her trips outside brief. It still doesn’t stop her from being the hay Nazi, growling ferociously at the sheep picking through the windblown stems hung up in the fence. No hay for you! Come back one year!
See you next week…real good then.
The scurs wasted no time jumping back into the fray, only to have their thermometer stuck again on Tuesday. Will we see another invasion of woolly mammoths or are we destined for warmer days ahead? Starting Wednesday, partly sunny with a slight chance of snow. Highs in the upper single digits above zero and lows in the low teens below zero. Partly cloudy on Thursday with steadily rising temperatures. Highs near zero with rising temps in the overnight early Friday morning hours. Friday, partly sunny with a slight chance of snow. Highs in the upper 20’s and lows in the middle teens. Saturday, mostly cloudy with a possible flurry. Highs near 20 and lows near 5. Mostly cloudy Sunday with highs near 10 falling to overnight lows of near – 10. Monday, mostly cloudy and cold. Highs struggling to get above zero and lows near 5 below. Temperatures rebound for Tuesday under partly cloudy skies with a chance of flurries once again. Highs in the upper teens and lows in the middle teens, all above zero of course. The normal high for January 25th is 23 and the normal low is 4. The scurs will be desperately trying to repair their broken thermostat by March.
We continue the rollercoaster ride caused by the Alberta Clippers (Calcutta Clippers for all you Denny Green fans) as they slide through, dumping small accumulations of snow then slipping the cold air in followed by plenty of wind. This pattern shows no sign of breaking anytime soon and if anything, it seems to be bringing slightly more precipitation along with it as of late. Coming into January at the ranch we had measured 10” of snow between November and December. Since January 1st we have had 9.8” of snow, well below normal but increasing in frequency and amount per event. In liquid equivalent that snow has melted out to roughly .55”, well below the 1.25” average as measured at the SROC for January. Something that also continues to happen is the thaws every week to 10 days, melting much of the accumulations across the landscape except for the fencelines, groves and of course in front of everyone’s garage.
After the Friday snow it was time to fire up the snow removal equipment at the ranch. The skid loader was used on Saturday and upon freezing my tootsies in the wind, decided it was time to finally bite the bullet and put the chains on the tractor. It’s icy underneath and without them, trying to use a bucket to move snow is nearly futile with the tractor and terrain we’re dealing with anyway. There are very few flat spots in the yard and it works best to try to move the snow downhill as much as possible. Of course that means you actually have to get to the top of the hill first. Putting chains on is a time-honored tradition, one that must be done properly or they wind up in a pile shortly afterwards. Once attached though, you can go almost anywhere you want and tear up large hunks of sod rapidly even though the ground is frozen solid. Helps create more flat spots however.
Was asked recently about the presence or absence of squirrels by a reader not too far as the crow flies from the ranch. Yes, we continue to have plenty of squirrels with Fudgie and Ruby doing their level best to see that they are well exercised. The reader was concerned that their squirrel population was flagging to the point where they weren’t seeing any. Typically on any given morning at the ranch there are at least two and have seen as many as five, all fox squirrels. Of course, they have the good fortune of access to all the ear corn they could desire in addition to cleaning up sunflower and safflower seeds under the feeders. They’re fine until they get bored and tangle with the “squirrel-proof” feeder which has proven to be a slight deterrence at best. Any plastic on the poor thing has long since been chewed off. They also seem to develop an affinity for chewing the coating on wiring. It’s at those times I’d be more than happy to share them, fried or grilled.
The ear corn was put out for the benefit of the few pheasants in the area when the snow buries their food deeper than they can access it. There has been one rooster on the road cut side of the thicket on the edge of the yard when I leave almost every morning. Bunnies, squirrels and blue jays all seem to be using the feeder as well. Something I did as an experiment has been interesting: I placed one of the ears from the July planted corn in the two-cob feeder on the tree by the house. The squirrels are not fussy. They seem to be eating that late planted corn just as readily as the ear from the more typical planting date. More highly relevant scientific observations to ponder.
Auntie Mar-Mar is apparently starting to show her age. After turning down an invitation for a barbecued lamb dinner last weekend, she informed us she was content to become a hermit, stay at home and watch Wheel of Fortune. We are concerned that she may even be taping the shows for future viewing. Now, Bonanza or Gunsmoke reruns would be understandable, but Wheel of Fortune? She even mistakenly referred to Mrs. Cheviot as Vanna on the phone. I guess if we can’t get Mar Mar to come out we’ll just have to sign her up for Meals on Wheels. Maybe bring her some TV dinners.
See you next week…real good then.
The scurs were off the mark with temperatures coming in warmer than forecast. Oddly enough, no one has complained after the previous week’s brutal cold. Will our good fortune continue? Starting Wednesday, partly sunny with a slight chance of a snow and freezing drizzle mix. Temperatures rising from 20 to near 30 after midnight. Thursday, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of snow. Highs near 30 and lows falling to just below zero. Friday, mostly sunny with highs in the lower teens above zero and lows in the lower single digits. Mostly sunny on Saturday with highs near 20 and lows near 5 above. Sunday, sunny skies with highs in the upper 20’s and lows in the mid-teens. For Monday, mostly sunny with highs near 30 and lows in the mid-teens. And for Tuesday, mostly sunny with highs near 30 and lows again in the mid-teens. The normal high for January 17th is 22 and the normal low is 4. The scurs will be interviewing for the Vikings head coaching position. If they keep messing up these forecasts, they’ll need a job somewhere.
The snowfall from last week accumulated about an inch at the ranch, with another 1.5” Tuesday a.m., making roughly 3.5” for the month. We’ve measured a little more than 14” for the winter. Luckily, we haven’t had large accumulations and the snowfall has tended to melt away during the melts. Given the windy conditions we’ve experienced several times over the past couple months, we could’ve had a real mess on our hands. As it is there are plenty of little nuisance drifts that seem to appear exactly where one doesn’t want them. One also has to feel fortunate after the recent warm up. Typically when we get into the period from about January 11th to the 20th we see the coldest days of the winter. Not that we are out of the woods yet, but every day we stay above normal it makes it less likely that we’ll see another long stretch such as we went through in early January. Our daylight period is stretching out to over two minutes more per day as well. Will we see more snow in February? Stay tuned.
Venus has disappeared from view in the evening sky to the west before sundown. It will be back to its “morning star” status once again in the eastern sky by the end of the month. Jupiter is now the dominant planet in the night sky, already fairly high in the eastern sky by the mid-evening hours. Its yellowish color easily distinguishes it from the stars. The Full Moon will follow Jupiter across the sky on the 15th. Of course if it’s cloudy it won’t be visible, but you’ll have to trust me on this one. The Full Moon for this month goes by the Full Wolf Moon. Wolves could often be heard howling outside the Native American encampments of the northeast. The Ojibwe called this the Great Spirit Moon and the Sioux knew it as The Moon of Frost in the Teepee. Indeed, the teepees would’ve been nothing but frosty in those days of old.
One has to be glad we’re not into a heavy covering of snow if you’re concerned about the wildlife out here. The fields have had snow cover but it has been short-lived, making it possible for deer, turkeys and pheasants to find the food out here in the fields easily. It makes it even easier for them when people like our neighbor Mark and his son Brock plant the kind of cover they have. They were recently recognized with the Outstanding Windbreak Award in Steele County. It looks like it too from our living room window at the ranch. It has really grown over the past decade and no doubt provides shelter from storms and predators. Frequently we can see pheasants hopscotching their way across the fields from their place, to their CRP, to our yard and then to our CREP acreage. Sunday my nephew saw the first two rooster pheasants we’ve seen in several weeks. Thanks neighbors!
We continue to see cardinals daily and they have set up shop in the brushy edge areas on the east side of the lawn. One of the males is particularly red while the other has some darker color mixed in with the red. The female has probably been the most active though, appearing when the males stay behind in the thicket. Others are also noting lots of cardinal sightings. There have been large groups of American tree sparrows as of late, although the Harris sparrow may have ski-daddled when the weather was brutally cold. Smart bird.
Fudgie and Ruby continue to enjoy winter. There are times you’d swear they’re little furry kids. Once you put them outside, they like playing in the snow and running through it as fast as they can. For an old dog Fudgie can still really motor, especially when the sheep get too close to “her” gate. Ruby gets into a tizzy anytime the OMC 330 is approached and especially if it’s started. Good thing there are 8 ply tires on it or she would have bitten a hole in them a long time ago. Still smile when I feel Ruby tugging on the tires and her fierce growling before the skid loader starts. Music to my ears.
Small villages of permanent fish houses have dotted area lakes for several weeks now. Fishing appears to have slowed since the recent cold snap. That or the fishermen have. Rumor has it there are likely more hands of cards being played than fish being caught. Some are reputedly not even wasting time drilling holes. As one wise fisherman once told me, there’s no law that says you have to fish.
See you next week…real good then.
The scurs didn’t see the polar express coming down the pike for the weekend and Monday. Will they have better foresight with the upcoming week’s forecast? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with highs in the middle single digits and lows slightly below zero. Thursday, mostly cloudy with highs in the mid-teens and lows around 10. Friday, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of snow. Highs in the upper 20’s and lows in the upper teens. Mostly sunny on Saturday with highs in the upper 20’s and lows near 15. Mostly cloudy Sunday with a slight chance for snow. Highs near the freezing mark and lows in the upper teens. Mostly sunny on Monday with highs near freezing and lows in the mid-teens. Mostly sunny on Tuesday and cooler with highs in the lower 20’s and lows in the mid-teens. The normal high for January 10th is 22 and the normal low is 4. The scurs are checking into tickets for somewhere warmer the next time one of these brutal cold snaps blow through.
Frost and ice depth readings continue marching downward. Cold temperatures and windy conditions with the lack of snow cover are compounding matters. Last check at the SROC in Waseca, frost measured 21” deep on January 6th and reports from area lakes have ice nearing the 2 foot mark. If this keeps up, we may see the need for auger extensions in this part of the state before long. Have also noticed some large cracks in the ground opening up since the coldest weather with the lack of snowfall. There is some light at the end of the tunnel however. On the 10th we will experience 9 hours and 9 minutes of daylight, an increase of 10 minutes since the 1st and 16 minutes more than on the winter solstice. The sun will also set after 5 p.m. on January 14th, something it hasn’t done since November 3rd. See? Things really are looking up. Once everyone’s water pipes are thawed out and their vehicles start again we should be able to enjoy it.
Sunday ahead of the storm, additional bales were placed around the well pit at the ranch as a precautionary measure. Sunday night chores gave us a foretaste of what was to come, with winds beginning to gust over 30 mph. Temperatures fell from a high near zero to -11 within a matter of an hour then plummeted to a Monday morning low of -21. Wind chills were in the -45 range. Didn’t matter to the ewes. They came boiling out of their barn ready to chow down. Luckily we are not in lambing mode yet so chores have not become the hassle they will be in another two months. Most of the ewes are in excellent condition and with their fleeces continuing to grow, they can nearly bowl you over at feeding time.
Ruby and Fudgie continue to deal with the weather somewhat differently as we wrote last week. Fudgie’s coat is very thick and heavy, making her look somewhat like a red bear. She’s been spending more and more time outside during chores this past week and loves rolling in what little snow we have. Ruby on the other hand still has a rather slick coat although it has an undercoat that continues to thicken underneath. She stays warm by tearing around like a banshee but likes to get out and back in as quickly as possible when it’s been bitterly cold. I can relate to that although if I had a sauna or lots of fur, I might be tempted to roll in the snow some too.
The bird watching has followed the weather patterns fairly closely this winter. With the onset of colder conditions, the activity and variety tends to increase at the feeders. Some of the characters are the same as the week before with the juncos continuing to feed out of the tube feeders and the Harris sparrow remains with the group, opting to feed whatever lands on the ground. The blue jays are pushing everyone away from “their” feeders and a pair of nuthatches appeared again Sunday afternoon. The woodpeckers keep the suet occupied almost constantly with downies and hairies leading the way. There have been a couple red-bellied woodpeckers too although it’s hard to say if they’re a pair. They are male and female but they rarely appear together. The cardinals continue to grace our feeding area and have taken a shine to the safflower recently added, picking it up off the ground where the other birds toss it out of the feeders. Word must be getting out because a second male has now appeared. The cardinals are often the first to appear in the morning and the last to be seen in the evening. Looking for the beautiful red plumage of the males makes watching the birds like a game of “Where’s Waldo?”.
To keep Mrs. Cheviot from going completely stir-crazy during these periods of confinement due to the cold weather, she enjoys putting together puzzles. Apparently Mr. Cheviot doesn’t offer much of a challenge anymore in that department. She has me pretty well figured out I’m afraid. That’s OK. There are plenty of things Mr. Cheviot has to do like making sure the physical plant continues operating as it should. Then of course there are always naps upon completion of those tasks. Taking naps, putting together puzzles, it’s all the same. Everyone needs a hobby.
See you next week…real good then.
After a rousing New Year’s Eve, the scurs are chomping at the bit to manufacture our upcoming week’s forecast. Will the weather continue its 2013 hangover? Starting Wednesday, cloudy with a slight chance of snow. Highs in the lower single digits and lows near 5 below. Thursday, partly sunny and continued cold. High slightly above zero and lows near 10 below. Friday we get a slight reprieve under partly sunny skies. Highs near 15 and lows around 10 above. Warmer for Saturday and cloudy with an increasing chance of snow by evening. Highs in the mid-20’s and lows around 5. Mostly cloudy Sunday and slightly cooler with a chance of snow. Highs near 15 and lows near 5 below. Mostly cloudy becoming mostly sunny on Monday with highs near 15 and lows just below zero. Mostly sunny for Tuesday with highs near 15 and lows again sliding just below zero. The normal high for January 7th is 22 and the normal low is 4. With days getting longer (back above 9 hours of daylight on the 3rd) and the sun setting later (about a minute a day), the scurs will need to find time to nap after all their holiday toils.
The temperature roller coaster ride we’ve been on has kept everyone occupied lately it seems. We topped out somewhere around 40 at the ranch on Saturday and temperatures have fallen ever since with promises of negative teens below zero low. Frost depth moved down only slightly after the snow and warmer late week temperatures, with the promise of more to come. Ice on area lakes, while never completely safe, has been improving with the thickness well over a foot in most places. In northern MN, problems have been occurring in areas that have received ample amounts of snow, keeping the ice treacherous despite the colder temperatures. What has this done to our overwintering insects such as corn rootworms? Probably not much yet. Western corn rootworm egg mortality isn’t affected substantially until soil temperatures are in the mid-teens somewhere and while we have been cold, the soils have not reached that level.
Warmer temperatures and melting snow have meant slower bird watching at the feeders. The Harris sparrow was seen several times, hanging out with the juncos. The juncos have been exhibiting a little different behavior than what we’ve been accustomed to. Rather than spending all their time ground feeding they’ve been up on the feeders as well. Perhaps with the recent lack of goldfinches, they’re not getting as much dumped on the ground so they’re taking matters into their own hands, er, beaks. There have been some American tree sparrows as of late along with a growing group of house sparrows. A female cardinal was spotted on Sunday although she was initially harassed and discouraged from the feeder area by the blue jay troupe. She did seem to be cleaning up under the nannyberry bushes however. Apparently the starlings didn’t get all of them. Not long after seeing her, a male accompanied her. Oddly enough, some safflower had been added to the mix. Cardinals are always welcome and one of these years the cover we’ve planted will entice them to stay year around.
Seed catalogs appeared en masse this past week giving us some good evening reading in the hours after chores before bedtime. There probably won’t be a lot of seed ordered however as our garden was too wet too long last spring to allow much of it to be planted. A few things such as the winter radishes and snap peas will need to be replenished to continue the early spring and fall garden project we’ve started the past couple seasons. I have particularly liked the fall gardening as the weed control is a snap relative to the spring and summer. And the way the winter radishes have kept, there is always something homegrown and fresh to eat through the winter as a result.
Not wanting to say this too loudly, but snow removal so far this winter hasn’t been too bad. Only once have I felt compelled to move a pesky little drift out of the driveway. Even then I didn’t get out the heavy artillery, namely the tractor. The skid loader was handy and since the drift was so localized, it made relatively short work of the obstruction. Of course there is some ice underneath in places, but that’s not a bad thing especially if one is going to use a bucket to move snow. While it’s good exercise, shoveling gravel piles off the yard in the spring isn’t exactly my idea of a good time.
The dogs seem to be adapting to the winter fairly well so far, much more so than we humans. Fudgie has it figured out. If it’s cold, go outside only as long as you feel like it, then come back in. Ruby on the other hand will stay out as long as long as we do, sometimes lifting a foot if she’s getting too cold. Luckily, chores are not consuming a large block of time yet and hauling frozen buckets from the small pens into the garage to thaw saves time and effort. Yet, both dogs operate differently at potty time. Ruby, for as energetic as she is, tends to dump close to the house. One has to watch their step. Fudgie on the other hand tends to wander off the beaten path a fair distance, although I am concerned one of these days she’s going to hit my snow measuring board. Trouble is I haven’t seen a column on the data collection sheet concerning dog poo depth.
See you next week…real good them.
The scurs are ready to close out the New Year once again. Seems like it was only about a year ago. What will the reaper leave on our doorstep this year? Starting Wednesday, a slight chance of snow with partly sunny skies. Highs in the mid 20’s and lows near zero. Mostly sunny for Thursday, highs in the middle single digits and lows between -5 and – 8. Friday, partly sunny with highs in the upper teens and lows of 10 to 15. Partly sunny again for Saturday and warmer with highs in the upper 20’s and lows near 10. Mostly cloudy Sunday with highs of 10 to 15 and lows near zero. Mostly cloudy for Monday with highs in the mid-teens and lows in the upper single digits. Partly cloudy with a slight chance of snow for Tuesday. Highs in the mid-teens and lows in the upper single digits. The normal high for New Year’s Eve Day is 23 and the normal low is 5. The scurs will be breaking out the noisemakers and filling themselves with good cheer.
Permanent fish houses have begun to appear on area lakes. There are a few people driving out, but they are tending to park their vehicles on shore and walk out to the houses. Frost depth in the ground somewhat mirrors the ice thickness on area lakes. Reports of a foot or so of ice on area lakes are not uncommon. As of last Monday there was 15” of frost in the ground as measured at the SROC in Waseca on bare ground. This week’s cold temperatures and relatively light snow cover will promise to drive that frost and make the ice even deeper.
The trees are silhouetted against the sky now, with the exception of the evergreens of course. Those deciduous trees, however, serve as a reminder of all the birds that nested over the summer. The hard maple tree had three nests in it. As dense as its canopy of leaves were this past year, there was no telling what might’ve been nesting in it. There are many other bird nests scattered in the trees throughout the yard, another reason sleeping with the windows closed in June is a good idea if you don’t want to wake up at 4 a.m. Numerous squirrel nests have also appeared scattered throughout the trees. The squirrels seem to have it figured out. They come down out of the nest when they feel like it. Otherwise they stay in bed. The pin oak tree is bitterly clinging to last summer’s leaves. With each blustery winter day a few more are loosened up and by spring, they’ll be history as well.
With the snow melt this past week, snow cover has become patchy. As a result, the bird activity has slowed once again at the ranch. Out here it almost seems that we need to have pretty good cover to bring out the best variety. Sure we still have our faithful downies, hairies, blue jays, and juncos, but it seems the more exotic things like the cardinals are less apt to be seen without snow here. We have had a Harris sparrow that seems to be hanging around with the juncos, but that’s about as exotic as it gets for the winter so far.
Staying inside once we get in from chores seems to be the order of the day. I have learned one thing though: You have to be careful with all the static electricity in the house right now. Ruby loves to play with her ball and hence generates a lot of it. When her tail happened to bump against the laptop, I heard a spark and immediately the screen turned to snow. I couldn’t get back what I was working on without rebooting the confuser and then parts of it that weren’t saved were gone. I’m sure what I was working on wasn’t literary award winning material. Still, wouldn’t want to have that happen too many times.
The cold winter temperatures also have us watching TV when there is actually something fit to watch. Sunday night The Sound of Music was on, so we decided to watch it after not seeing it for a long time. The dogs sometimes like to come in and watch too, although Fudgie is indifferent about television, usually opting to stay in her room and sleep. Typically that’s a good call. Ruby and I were all curled up with our popcorn. All was going well until Julie Andrews made her appearance. Ruby saw her and started one of her patented growling fits that escalated into loud barking. First Clint Eastwood and now Julie Andrews. What on earth is the world coming to?
And with the advent of the smartphone, I’ve become lazy in my gift buying decisions for the staff at the Star Eagle. These days, since we can just point the phone at anything and our problems are magically solved without having to think or work, I figured I’d find them some apps as gifts. Can’t wait to see this stuff show up on my bill. Here’s what we found:
Let’s see for Jim, a hair growing app. Point the phone at your melon; you grow hair. Simple. If it stays this cold he’s going to need it. For Mark, an app that makes your voice sound like Jules Perlt so you’re ready for the Barn when they call. For Al, a bird ID app. Oops! He wrote it. O.K., a hat app instead. Careful, Jim may steal it. For Kathy, a column writing app. Hey, that’s what I use. For Kugie, a sports trivia and prognostication app. The scurs use the weather version. Guaranteed to increase your predictive capabilities or your money back. Did I mention it’s a free app? For Sara, a hair and makeup application app. Should save time on those rushed mornings when you’re late to work. My sheep shearer uses a similar version. Hopefully I got the right one. For Nicole, a copy correction app. Won’t work on Fencelines columns. They are beyond repair. And for Reed, a little fat buddy secret decoder app. It reveals those hidden messages in Fencelines columns. Paul is dead…Paul is dead. See? It really works. Truly a one of a kind, just like Reed.
Merry Christmas! See you next week…real good then.
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The way things are going, the scurs are contemplating just reusing last week’s forecast. They are, after all, noted re-gifters. What kind of present will they have wrapped up for this week? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with a high near freezing and lows in the upper teens. Thursday, cloudy with a moderate chance of accumulating snow. Highs in the upper 20’s and lows in the mid-single digits. Friday, colder under partly sunny skies. Highs near 10 above and lows slightly below zero. Partly sunny for Sunday with highs near 15 and lows around 5 above. Monday, mostly sunny with highs in the lower 20’s and lows in the mid-single digits. Tuesday, Christmas Eve Day, partly sunny with highs in the mid-20’s and lows in the upper single digits. A sneak peek at Christmas Day calls for partly sunny with highs in the mid-20’s and lows near 10. The normal high for Christmas Eve Day is 24 and the normal for the night when Santa arrives is 7. After retrieving the Festivus pole from the crawlspace the day before, the scurs will be thinking it may be time to start thinking about shopping.
The winter solstice will be upon us on December 21st at 11:11 a.m. According to Deanne Morrison from the U of M Institute for Astrophysics, the sun reaches its southernmost point over the Tropic of Capricorn. Due to irregularities in the earth’s orbit, the sun will already be setting later by then and has been since the 14th. Other astronomical happenings include Venus being at its brightest and Jupiter rising earlier as the month wears on, appearing a mere 20 minutes after sunset by months end. We may or may not be treated to an appearance of the comet ISON as it passes closest to the earth on December 26th. As she quoted famed comet hunter David H. Levy, "Comets are like cats; they have tails, and they do precisely what they want."
Dogs also have tails and Ruby and Fudgie seem to be wagging theirs extra hard with the holidays approaching. The snow adds to their playtime fun. Along with that, it’s easier to figure out what they’ve been up to. Like a couple kids, it’s time to worry when they’re out of sight and the noise stops. The old-style Weber used to grill the Thanksgiving turkey is still on the brick patio. Not too long ago both dogs began showing up with sticky stuff stuck in their fur, smelling like they’d attended a barbecue. Following the tracks in the snow it was obvious they’d been cleaning out the ash pan on the Weber, getting basted by the barbecue sauce that had dribbled through the vents. Busted!
Old friends returned to the bird feeders at the ranch and others reported the same. We had sightings of white-breasted nuthatches, an odd Harris sparrow mixed in with a bunch of juncos, a red-bellied woodpecker, lots of chickadees and last but not least a male cardinal. This prompted me to put out some corn screenings in hopes that he would continue to grace our viewing pleasure. More rooster pheasants also appeared with their numbers growing to five at last count. The ear corn feeder was filled in response to a possibility of a weather system moving through later in the week. Snowfall hasn’t buried their food deeply yet, although there was much less ear-droppage last fall, not to mention fewer acres of corn actually planted in the area this spring.
Snowfall this last week was frequent while significant accumulations were not. It snowed some almost every day at some point and managed to accumulate less than an inch. That’s O.K. by me. Shoveling snow and moving snow in general are both overrated. For now it’s just nice to look out the window and see the flakes lazily falling, making the landscape look a little more like a Currier and Ives winter scene every day.
Some have been curious how the sheep adjusted to the recent cold weather. Just fine, thanks. Realizing that they have about 10 months’ growth of wool right now, they really don’t seem to care much about the temperature unless it’s windy. The wind cools their ears down and while not the brightest bulbs on the tree, they go back inside after eating to snooze and chew their cud, not unlike my little fat buddies. Their ears get cold too.
December 23rd will mark the celebration Festivus. This holiday of course is highlighted by “Feats of Strength” and the “Airing of Grievances”. Most think this is a made up holiday. Turns out it actually was conceived by writer Daniel O’Keefe, whose son Dan went on to write the concept into an episode of Seinfeld. It’s no different in that respect than Kwanza or some of the other excuses people come up with to get off work. At this point I’ll take almost any excuse I can to get out of work, maybe even take a long winter’s nap. It’s another Festivus miracle!
See you next week…real good then.
There’s something about a real Christmas tree
Written by Jim LutgensWell, the upper teens sounded good for this past Monday. As the scurs pointed out, if you like those temperatures you can keep them. That being the case, what do we have in store for the coming week? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with a daytime high in the low single digits below zero. Temperatures rising above zero overnight into the lower single digits above zero. Thursday, partly sunny with a balmy high near 20. Becoming mostly cloudy in the overnight with a low around 10. Mostly cloudy for Friday with highs in the low 20’s. Cloudy for the overnight with a slight chance of a snow shower. Lows near 10. Saturday, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of a snow shower. Highs in the middle teens and lows in the lower single digits. Sunday brings partly sunny skies with highs again in the middle teens and a low near zero. A slight chance of snow for Monday under mostly cloudy skies with highs near 15 and lows near 5 above. Warmer for Tuesday and mostly sunny. Highs in the mid-20’s and lows near 10 above. The normal high for December 15th is 26 and the normal low is 9. After sliding below 9 hours of daylight on the 10th we’ll slide to 8 hours and 55 minutes worth on the 15th with only one more minute to go before the days get back to that length on the 25th. The scurs are still boycotting Black Friday. Plenty of time to be making a list and checking it twice.
The Full Moon will show itself once again on the 17th, commonly known as the Full Cold Moon or the Full Long Nights Moon. The nights are indeed long as mentioned above and the moon tends to shine brightly off the new fallen snow. The Ojibwe called this the Small Spirits Moon and the Sioux the Moon of Popping Trees. At the ranch we know it as the Moon of Popping Joints when it comes time to roll out of a warm bed and head outside to do morning chores.
Snowfall this past week amounted to perhaps more than what we were expecting. At the ranch we measured roughly 2 ½” and were able to melt about a quarter inch of moisture out of it. With the ground frozen, it won’t move into the soil any time soon. At the SROC under bare soil, the frost depth has reached 11” as of December 9th. However with freezing and thawing of the rough, tilled black soil, some of the moisture from the snow can make its way into the ground and be held in the upper several inches of soil for use by next year’s crop.
One good thing about feeding the birds thus far this winter: It’s been easy on the pocketbook. As Al Batt pointed out a few weeks ago, there is plenty of food out here for them to eat. Just looking out the windows here we can see all kinds of berries, not to mention the upland portion of the CRP that was full of composite flowers, complete with all the seed they produce. Still, we have lots of downies and hairies, a large contingent of blue jays and a growing number of goldfinches. There were even two big, beautiful rooster pheasants that strolled cautiously across the pasture on the slope just below the house on Monday morning. Was good to see a few of them do still exist.
The bellering the sheep do during evening chores doesn’t set well with Fudgie and she becomes very agitated, flinging herself at the gates and the ewes when they’re loud. A few buckets of screenings later however, the sheep are quiet again and she calms down. Ruby just runs with reckless abandon the whole time we’re outside so noise really doesn’t matter. Once the sun starts getting low in the sky her chore clock goes off and she pesters us incessantly until we relent and go do chores. It is nice sometimes on the weekend to do chores during daylight hours so we can actually see what kind of condition the sheep are in. So far so good, they’re all active except for those wrapped in white paper in the freezer.
Saturday was brutally cold but still allowed us to accomplish a few things. Rather than leave a thrower rack in the yard to move snow around all winter it seemed like a logical time to tow it back to its place of origin near Owatonna. The wagon trailed about like a drunken sailor on leave, so a slow rate of travel was in order. After 17 miles of listening to the bearings squeak, watching the running gear whip violently back and forth while visions of ditching it danced in my head, I was more than relieved to exhale and unhook it once we reached our destination.
While in Owatonna, it presented a golden opportunity to grab a Christmas tree before they were down to the Charlie Brown trees. There’s something about the smell of a real tree that can’t be duplicated. Sure, they’re more work and maybe someday if our health no longer allows it, we may opt for an artificial. However, even if that day comes, my guess is it’ll just add to the numerous artificial trees scattered throughout the house. Mrs. Cheviot lives for Christmas decorating. This is part of why Mr. Cheviot is willing to opt for a live tree. After putting it in the pickup, bringing it in the garage, letting it set a few days, taking it outside, making a fresh cut, hauling it back in the house and plopping it in the stand, Mr. Cheviot can go back into hiding, sure in the knowledge that his decorating “skills” won’t be needed for another year. Best of all, this year I didn’t even need to stop at the store where you go to the bathroom in the big orange silo. I went before I left home just like Mom always told me.
See you next week…real good then.
The scurs were pretty close last week in that it decided to be warmer over the weekend and even hit the snow showers for Monday correctly. Will we be so fortunate this week or has our luck run out? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with possible snow showers. Highs in the upper 20s and lows in the mid-teens. Thursday, partly sunny and colder with highs near 10 and lows falling just below zero. Partly sunny for Friday and colder. Highs in the upper single digits and lows near 5 below. Saturday, partly sunny and continued cold. Highs again in the upper single digits and lows near zero. Mostly cloudy on Sunday and warmer with possible snow shows once again. Highs in the mid-teens and lows in the mid-single digits. Monday, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of snow. Highs in the upper teens and lows near zero. Partly sunny for Tuesday with highs once again in the upper teens and lows around zero. The normal high for December 7th is 29 and the normal low is 13. The scurs will be adding those temperatures to their Christmas wish list.
There actually were some field operations taking place over the weekend in the neighborhood. Some of the prevent plant acreages were baled up and the bales hauled off the fields. One had to wonder the way November was behaving what we were going to see. All in all though it was a dry month at the ranch and across most of greater Bugtussle. We tallied .81” of precip at the ranch for November with about 1 inch of snow. Frost depth is variable according to those trying to complete some last minute projects before it’s too late. Under sod the frost depth was only a few inches. In areas where the ground is bare with high amounts of traffic, up to a foot could be found. St. Olaf Lake has been frozen over since before Thanksgiving, earlier than normal. Even the geese must’ve taken the hint. They usually spend better than a week keeping the water open. This year they were there only a week or less according to some of the resident and highly trained goose observers.
The 9th of December marks the day Studebaker announced their plant in South Bend, IN was closing 50 years ago. Within 11 days the assembly lines there ground to a halt for good and Studebaker moved its operations to Hamilton Ontario. What a sad day that must’ve been for workers who were suddenly without jobs just before Christmas. Studebaker had been a part of the South Bend landscape for a long time. It was a major manufacturer of horse drawn transportation starting in the 1850s. It was one of the early automakers, initially producing electric automobiles. It was a company that had manufactured 63,000 engines for B-17 bombers during World War II. It’s also a little known fact that Studebaker was the first manufacturer to come with an entirely new lineup of automobiles for 1947 following the war, beating the Big 3 to the punch. The cars were popular and sold well. Things looked very bright for the future at that time. Poor management and labor decisions however in the early 1950s would spell what would finally be the end of the company in 1966.
Last Friday I was talking on the phone to my little fat mechanically inclined buddy who happened to be working on the Studebaker at the ranch. As he left that afternoon he’d noticed a group of sheep out in front of the barn. Having never seen them there before he mentioned it in our conversation and he was definitely right: The sheep were out! Not to worry. As long as they stayed out of the road until I could get there from town, we were fine. When I drove up, sure enough there were ewe lambs grazing away on the side hill around the well. Rather than try and chase them around myself I got Fudgie and Ruby out. Within seconds the sheep were back in their enclosure where they belonged. Dogs 1, sheep 0.
The weekend manure hauling didn’t go quite as planned. Unable to use the skid loader, the lambing barn had to be pitched out by hand; a slow 3 ½-load, 2-day process. A delay in barn cleaning had a ripple effect as it frequently does. My original plan had been to clean the lambing barn Saturday and bring the ewes home from the kindly neighbor’s on Sunday afternoon. Monday morning meant hauling a few of the aforementioned escapees to Morgan’s Meat Market so the trailer was hooked up anyway. Having shut the ewes in the night before, they were ready to load after I dropped off the slaughter lambs. Finally, something went right for a change after a weekend of frustration. The lambs unloaded easily at the market, the ewes at the kindly neighbor’s were cooperative about loading and, aside from sliding around on the greasy soil, it came off without a hitch.
With nightfall bearing down we unloaded their feeding equipment, closed up the lambing barn and took the ram out of the trailer along with a couple ewes to cull. The ram decide it was a good idea to tangle with the young buck next door, so the youngster was moved to a pen where they couldn’t get at each other. More than once I’ve seen a young buck with a snapped neck as a result of jousting against superior firepower. Climbed the ladder to change a burned out light bulb, put the tractor away and shut off the lights. It had been a long several days, but with barns cleaned and everything home I could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Winter could set in anytime and we were ready for it.
See you next week…real good then.
The scurs missed the Tuesday cold front, but otherwise were dead on. Will their forecasting skills be honed in for Thanksgiving? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with highs in the low 20’s and lows in the lower teens. Turkey Day, mostly sunny with highs in the upper 20’s and lows in the mid-teens. Mostly sunny on Friday with highs in the lower 30’s and lows in the lower 20’s. Partly sunny for Saturday becoming mostly cloudy with a slight chance of snow by evening. Highs in the lower 30’s and lows in the lower 20’s. Sunday, mostly cloudy with highs in the lower 30’s and lows in the lower 20’s. Mostly cloudy Monday with possible snow showers. Highs near 30 and lows in the mid-teens. Partly cloudy for Tuesday with highs near 30 and lows falling to about 10. The normal high for November 28th is 33 and the normal low is 17. On December 2nd we’re back to the sun rising in the morning at 7:30. Also, the loss of daylight has slowed to less than two minutes per day at that point. Enough about time or lack of it. The scurs will be celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday traditionally by boycotting all Black Friday activities. Plenty of time left to shop.
With the exception of some tiling, the cold temperatures over the weekend all but ended any remaining fieldwork. Corn has stopped appearing at the elevator in Bugtussle and the 10-man dryer has ceased its fearless roar. Some of the prevented plant acreages remain in windrows while other fields were rolled up ahead of last Thursday’s snowfall. None of those bales I’ve seen are steaming yet so that’s a good sign. Soil moisture remains in good shape in the top 5’ measured at the SROC in Waseca. There were nearly 10” available back on November 1st, slightly above the long-term average with some additional accumulation since then. Much of the moisture is deep in the profile so at least at this point, one can look optimistically at next spring’s potential planting conditions.
It will soon be time to bring the ewes home from the kindly neighbor’s. The sheep coming off both pastures are fat. At home they were treated to vegetable leftovers including daily buckets of carrots from Souba’s. At the kindly neighbor’s they consumed countless acorns as the bur oak trees there were very prolific. In the meantime, there is still the small barn left to be cleaned. The cold weekend made matters less than palatable so with a warmer forecast, it’ll happen. The main barn was finished up before the snow Wednesday afternoon last week and mostly without incident. I did, however, discover the likely cause of the tractor missing and coming to a sudden stop last weekend. Looking in the bottom of the sediment bowl I spied a familiar “object.” Not just a part, but the entire body of one of those insipid ladybugs! That it got in the tank doesn't surprise me, but how it got through an opening the size of that in the bottom of the gas tank is beyond me.
Mrs. Cheviot took off again for another weekend of action packed house decorating, so once again the dogs and I were in charge at the ranch. It was a good Saturday to run some errands and upon returning, peruse the Web for Studebaker parts. Yes, brakes are in order and my trusty mechanic keeps finding “things” needing attention. The brake drums are to the point that turning them won’t bring them into tolerance. New brake drums aren’t cheap and neither are decent used ones. Luckily the Internet has made part shopping almost fun, although looking at all the options first including hard copy always makes sense. The car doesn’t have to be on the road anytime soon and replacing the brakes is imperative. Since it’s a three on the tree, one could do a lot of downshifting I suppose. However, operating without a like new braking system given some of the hilly terrain one might encounter could be downright dangerous.
Sunday meant a little warmer temperatures so after church the dogs and I were busy doing some more winterizing. While we refilled the sheep water tank, we got the skid loader out and then removed the old hay bales from the well pit. We used them to mulch some of the perennials we’d planted previously, something that should work just about right. We replaced the partially decomposed hay bales with nice cornstalk bales, making me breathe a little easier the next time Old Man Winter decides to leave the freezer door to the north open again. Having done all this should of course cause the weather to warm up. Hey, if that’s what it takes we’ll keep doing it.
Thanksgiving this year will come as a bittersweet holiday at the ranch. It had become tradition that we’d go get Mom and Fudgie from her place and have her over to stay as long as she’d like. When we’d call to invite her you could always detect the excitement in her voice, the anticipation of the relaxation and the feast that was a part of the visit. Of course she always felt compelled to bring something and among the favorites was the cherry salad she’d make. We have a lot to be thankful for this year, including all the time we spent with Mom since last Thanksgiving and her passing in June.
Those Thanksgiving memories are still alive and well however. I was just at Krause’s the other day, recalling how impressed she had been with the little farm store off I-35 in Hope. She always asked about the store and spoke fondly of her visit there; rightfully so. Few stores exist like that anymore. The rolling of the pumpkins down our hill with the sheep chasing merrily after them was cause for much giggling on her part. And we can’t forget how she loved the way the warm house smelled, especially once the turkey came off the grill to intermingle with the wonderful aroma of everything Mrs. Cheviot had whipped up. We won’t have Mom this year, but we will have cherry salad made from her recipe. Treasured memories and we are thankful for them.
See you next week…real good then.