Fencelines (269)
The scurs had it goin’ on again last week, although the rain predicted for Monday took a day off until Tuesday. What’s in store for this go round? Starting Wednesday, cloudy with a chance of rain and snow. Highs of 35 and lows around 20. Partly cloudy Thursday and Friday with highs of 30 – 35 and lows of 20. Partly cloudy becoming mostly cloudy on Saturday with a chance of rain changing to snow. Highs of 35 and lows around 20. Mostly cloudy on Sunday with a slight chance of snow. Highs once again of 35 and lows near 25. Monday, partly cloudy with a high around 40 and lows of 30. Mostly cloudy on Tuesday with another possible round of a rain/snow mix. Highs around 35 and lows near 25. The normal high for March 26th is 46 and the normal low is 26. The scurs will be patching their five-buckle overshoes to prepare for whatever the weather throws at us.
Spring finally showed its face last week and, as predicted, the fields largely cleared once again. Local rivers and streams are up, yet perhaps not as much as they might’ve been had we not experienced the thaw back in February. The snow that’s left is in the fencelines and around building sites. Frost depth was quite variable around the yard at the ranch already on Friday. Had wondered why the birds had taken a shine to the south facing slope south of the house. Took the divining rod out to check and sure enough, the frost was out there! Around the rest of the yard it was more variable, ranging from 2” – 4” down on the north facing slopes yet. After Sunday’s .28” rain, it was down to 4” – 6” deep. It won’t be long now and it will leave. The frost is officially out at the SROC in Waseca as of this past Monday. One thing that is a little curious is the amount of ice yet on some of the small, shallow wetlands such as ours. In the February thaw, some of those same wetlands were full of water yet largely free of ice.
What a week of wondering for seeing signs of spring in the bird department! Killdeers were present on Tuesday the 15th shortly after chores were done. So were flocks of grackles winging their way north to points unknown. Wonder where they all wind up? While the frost is out of the hillside at home, there apparently aren’t many earthworms yet with the cool temperatures. The crabapples were picked clean in a matter of a couple days by the robins and red-winged blackbirds. Wonder why they like the one tree so much better than the other one? Juncos appeared in large numbers, making me wonder if we weren’t seeing them begin moving through to the north. House finches and chipping sparrows were back in force, making me wonder if perhaps they are the summer residents at the ranch. Bald eagles have been common this spring east of Bugtussle with some reporting numbers as high as 18. There were two right down the road from the ranch feasting on a road kill deer left over from January. Made me wonder if they’d pick off a small lamb given the opportunity. Good thing perhaps that the snow hasn’t melted off the fence. Over the weekend, rooster pheasants were being seen in full breeding plumage, their red wattles making them easy to pick out from a brown background. Wonder if the rooster who has set up shop on the edge of the yard is one of Little Jerry’s grandsons? Sandhill cranes were in the neighborhood too. They were heard on Saturday morning, but their dull gray color made seeing them against a drab landscape difficult. Sunday night they were seen on the wing, setting down somewhere near the wetland and continuing their telltale call. Makes me wonder if they were the same two that were seen near the pond last fall. Monday afternoon on the way home to bottle lamb patrol, two great blue herons were spotted over the golf course. Made me wonder where they’d go if the weather took the sudden turn-for-the-worse forecast.
Took a nature walk to see how the trees and shrubs around the place had survived the winter. There was surprisingly little rabbit damage this time around and even the black chokeberries escaped relatively unscathed. While the arborvitae had been singed a little, there were only two out of the new planting that needed to be replaced. Everything else survived very well. Time will tell on the peach tree. Some new crabapples are on the slate for this spring and that’s good news after seeing how many birds used them over the course of winter and early spring, including the pheasants.
It is good to look around the yard and see the shrunken snow banks under the apple trees that were pruned a few weeks ago. There’s no way they could be pruned without a ladder and pole saw now. Seeing a little green grass reminds me that it won’t be long or at least not long enough and the lawnmower will have to be dealt with. Gazing at it in the garage the other day it appeared to be listing to one side. Indeed it was. One of the rear tires had decided to go flat as a pancake over the course of the winter. Another project to add to an already overloaded fixit schedule.
Doing it all the other day while muttering epithets under my breath, it amazes me how everyone, including my little fat buddies, suddenly desert me when I utter the words “unload hay.” About the only help I got was from Ruby and it’s pretty hard to qualify that as help. Maybe she will be more help with the straw that needs to be hauled to sop up some of the weather in store for us. I doubt it. It’s much more fun to get as wet and muddy as possible before going to the house. She’s pretty easy to clean up though. Let her dry off for a little bit first, tell her to jump in the tub, which she does without hesitation, and rinse her off with the handheld shower while she stands there. This time of year, many moms would probably like to know my secret for use on their kids. All I can say is speak softly but firmly, reward them with lots of praise when they stand still for you, towel them off well, then give ‘em a hug and a dog biscuit when you’re done. Works for me.
See you next week…real good then.
The Moon when Border Collies are caked with mud
Written by Jim Lutgens
The scurs were overly pessimistic about last week’s forecast. Although there was snow most days, it was forecast except Monday. Are we headed toward spring this week? The scurs tell all. Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny becoming cloudy overnight with a chance of showers. Highs of 50 – 55 and lows around 40. Thursday, mostly cloudy with a chance of showers. Highs once again of 50 – 55 and lows of 25 – 30. Partly cloudy on Friday and cooler. Highs around 45 and lows of 25 – 30. Partly cloudy on Saturday becoming cloudy overnight with a chance of showers. Highs near 50 with lows near 35. Mostly cloudy on Sunday with a chance of showers. Highs near 50 and lows around 35. Cloudy on Monday with a chance of rain. Highs 45 – 50 and lows near 25. Partly cloudy for Tuesday and cooler. Highs of 40 – 45 with lows near 20. The normal high for St. Patty’s Day is 41 and the normal low is 22. The scurs will be seeing leprechauns after consuming mass quantities of green malted barley beverages.
The Full Moon is upon us on the 19th. This is known as the Full Worm Moon as the worms come to the soil surface, leaving their castings while enriching Mother Earth. It is also commonly known as the Full Sap Moon and the Full Lenten Moon, the last full moon of the winter. This was also known as the Snow Crust Moon by the Ojibwe as the snow that was thawed during the day became crusted and frozen at night. The Sioux called it the Moon When Buffalo Drop Their Calves, same as many farmers in the area. At the ranch we know it as the Moon When Border Collies Are Caked with Mud.
Up to this point, Old Man Winter has done his level best to make sure the landscape is white. After giving us a thaw on Friday, the weather was anything but spring-like for much of the weekend. Water buckets in the lambing barn froze and there were times on Saturday one would’ve sworn it was January with the snow blowing so hard that visibility was greatly reduced in areas. On the way to Owatonna, there were times I wondered if it was a wise decision to attempt the journey. By the time I returned however, the snow squalls had subsided and travel was safe once again. Such is March. It may be like a lamb one day but the next day the lamb grows fangs and takes a hunk out of your behind. Even though the weather is supposed to warm up this next week, most of us have lived through enough March snowstorms to know that just about anything goes this month in the precip department.
There are some glimmers of hope though. On the 18th we are back over 12 hours of daylight once again. Spring officially begins on March 20th with the vernal equinox occurring on March 20th. This of course means lots of irate chickens when their eggs all stand on end. In the house at the ranch, the ladybugs are also coming to life, although their numbers appear to be diminished over some years. Other signs outside this past Monday that indicate we are about to see some change include a red-winged blackbird as well as more robins. There have also been more hen pheasants showing up and that’s a good sign. The snow piles are shrinking and, unless something drastic changes in the forecast, the fields should become bare once again as they basically were during the thaw back in February. The horned larks will appreciate that on their short grass nesting area. Tough to hatch eggs on top of the snow.
The ewes are nearly done lambing. There are only a couple left to lamb now and the crop has been bountiful. The loafing barn is at capacity and we need the weather to melt the snow so the fence can be charged again. Some of the lambs that were born a month ago are about 25 lbs. already, so they really can use the exercise. The snowmelt thus far has created a huge lake in front of the barn, so that needs to melt a channel through the snow banks. Otherwise Ruby gets extra filthy, especially when her first official act each night at choretime creates a rooster tail of water behind her as she zooms into the barn.
The seeds have been ordered for the garden once again before the selection gets picked over. It’s always a great little surprise to find that package in the mailbox, partially because it covers up all the bills. In the early garden, we’re trying several varieties of snap peas this year. The prairie winds always seem to raise heck with some of the taller types, defeating the purpose of putting up trellises for them to climb on. In the late garden department, we’re always heavy on the vine crops as some of the varieties we like are tough to find without ordering through a catalog. Thanks to Betsy’s dad’s cousin, we’re going to give the winter radishes a whirl this year. They were welcome table fare about the time much of the garden produce was done for the season last fall. Kindled thoughts of what to look forward to in the next garden.
See you next week…real good then.
As luck would have it, the snowfall the scurs predicted last week was on the scant side. Oddly no complaints from anyone. What’s this week hold for snow chances? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with snow likely. Highs of 30 and lows of 15 – 20. Partly cloudy on Thursday, highs near 30 and lows of 15 – 20. Partly cloudy becoming mostly cloudy on Friday with a chance of a rain/snow/sleet mix during the day, becoming all snow overnight. Highs around 40 and lows of 20 – 25. Partly cloudy on Saturday with a slight chance of snow. Highs of 25 – 30 and lows around 10. Partly cloudy skies on Sunday with a chance of a snow/sleet mix overnight. Highs of 30 – 35 and lows near 30. Mostly cloudy on Monday with a continuing chance of a sleet/snow mix. Highs of 35 – 40 and lows of 25 – 30. Cloudy on Tuesday with a chance of a rain shower or two. Highs of 35 – 40 and lows around 30. The normal high for March 12th is 39 and the normal low is 20. The scurs will be emerging from their lair to set their clocks ahead one hour at precisely 2 a.m. on March 13th as per government mandate.
You knew it had to be coming and not a minute too soon. That lovely pain in the rump known as Daylight Saving Time. Even the do-gooders who support the folly go so far as to correct you if you wrongly refer to it as Daylight Savings Time. They need to go lay by their dish. It’s no secret that we are a nation known for sleeping disorders and sleep deprivation. While the debate about whether or not the practice actually saves energy or not rages on, the evidence in studies continues to mount that heart attacks, suicides and traffic accidents increase sharply following the spring time change. There are also plenty of suggestions for dealing with DST to ease the potential problems with the transition. I have a thought: Rather than putting band-aids on a self-inflicted wound caused by allowing the government to play Russian roulette with our health, let’s leave the clock alone once we get it set one of these years. Think of all the lost time at work that would save, not to mention all the emergency room visits that would be averted when people fall of their chairs while changing their clocks. It would be one way to cut health care costs and no one would lose sleep over it.
An interesting week of keeping an eye on the birds. There was a pair of bald eagles circling high above St. Olaf Lake last Thursday and that was also the morning the first robin was appeared at the ranch. Horned larks continue to be noted along the edges of roads and the pheasants are still parading around the yard. It won’t be too long and we’ll see the roosters in their full breeding plumage, something that is a sight to behold in the bright early morning sun.
It was a good weekend to take advantage of some of the weather conditions and get things tidied up a bit at the ranch. One of the first orders of business was to get the gravity box of screenings back into the slot where it belonged in the barn. After leaving it out for a couple days the beeswings had managed to swirl around the yard, giving it a pinkish hue. so it had taken up temporary residence where the tractor usually sits. Luckily the ground was frozen out front so it made it relatively easy to bend the wagon around the corned with the skid steer. Between tasks of course there were bottle lambs to feed and a quick trip to procure supplies at the store where you go to the bathroom in the big orange-roofed silo.
The second task consisted of getting the little old Electric flare box out and heading north to get some avena sativa. It first of course needed the tarp removed, the tires pumped up and to be properly attired with a SMV sign so the nice policeman wouldn’t give me a ticket. Over the years one forgets how slow one has to drive with one of these little pieces of now ancient farm equipment in order to keep them from whipping. Following an uneventful trip and a great visit with the supplier, the trip back home came off without a hitch. Upon backing the wagon back where it belonged, it was time to pen up another ewe that had lambed. Shortly after that it was choretime again and I was shot. The next day it was time to take advantage of the snow piles and prune the apple trees. The snow was so deep there was no need for a ladder and best of all, no need for the pole saw. I could stand on the snow and reach the sapwood needing trimming with the loppers! When not eating sheep afterbirth, Ruby played with the sticks as they fell to the ground. Luckily there were only four trees in need of pruning and with the wind howling out of the east, it was good to be done.
Lambing is thundering down the home stretch. We’re a tad over 80% done with only seven ewes left to lamb. Ruby got her wish to help this past week and help she did. We move ewes and lambs from the lambing barn to the main barn as space for lambing pens or jugs as they’re commonly called is limited. Once off to a good start, both the lambs and ewes do better if they’re allowed more space and are in a more social environment. When we move the ewes with lambs, we take the lamb or lambs and the ewe will generally follow based on their lamb’s scent. It helps however to have someone, human or canine tailing this miniature exodus. That’s where Ruby caught on almost immediately the first night we allowed her to assist. Mrs. Cheviot and I each grabbed one of the two twin lambs and we moved down the hill with the ewe following us. We wondered where Ruby was and looking behind us, there she was on the ewe’s tail in the little walking crouch that Border Collies are noted for. Just as pleasing was the fact she stayed on the ewe all the way up the alleyway to the main pen, keeping the ewe from doubling back. The best part though was that none of this had to be taught, it was pure instinct. Oh sure, there are things this dog needs to learn but one certainly had to be proud of her accomplishment that night. I know she was as she wiggled and whined with delight as we heaped on the praise.
See you next week…real good then.