Good read Dotch!
I also grew up sometimes running our E3 Coop-i.e. Cockshutt. Had the 4cyl. Buda mill.

Thanks MM. Wow! Another Co-Op/Cockshutt guy! Who knew? They were quite the tractors, I thought anyway, the first tractor with true live PTO. Ours would pop right off well below zero even with the puny little 6 volt system they came with. Sometimes wished it wouldn't start especially when the chicken coop needed cleaning on a Saturday morning! We also had (still do) an E-4 with the 6 cyl. Buda engine. It was the first tractor my Dad bought new back in 1950, big power in its day, and cost a whopping $1900! Dad loved both tractors but particularly the E-4. Mom found he was still carrying the receipt around in his billfold when he died in 1984. Fond memories...

It's a beautiful day...

The scurs made it look easy last forecast period with rain falling as if on cue. What’s in store for MEA week? Starting Wednesday, slight chance of showers, partly cloudy skies, high of 65 and low of 35 – 40. Mostly sunny Thursday becoming cloudy overnight with a chance of rain. High of 55 and low of 35 – 40. Partly cloudy Friday, high of 55 – 60 and low of 40. Saturday, mostly sunny, high of 60 and low of 45. Sunday may be as warm as we’ll see for awhile with a high of 60 – 65 under partly cloudy skies. Low near 40. Partly cloudy Monday becoming cloudy Monday evening with a good chance of rain. High of 60 and low of 45. Cloudy Tuesday and rainy. High of only 50 and clearing Monday night with a low of 30. Normal high for October 17th is 60 and normal low is 36. With the sun rising after 7:30 and setting before 6:30, the scurs will be curling up next to the fire with their Halloween pumpkin.

After last week’s rain, we were blessed with one of those fall days we all dream about. Gorgeous sunshine and the fall colors beginning to hit their stride. Each passing day they become more intense and even with the weekend winds, they’ve hung on fairly well. Even the white and bur oak have more color this time around than usual and am waiting to see just what shade of red the 2 red oaks in the yard will turn this year. Hard maple trees are flame orange this time around too making this one of the best for viewing Mother Nature’s tapestry in recent memory.

The only fly in the ointment so to speak has been those pesky multi-colored Asian ladybird beetles. Some were asking where they had been keeping themselves and the answer to a large degree has been in the corn. When picking Indian corn at the ranch, one notices them and also notices the remaining corn leaf aphids particularly on the husks where plants remain green. With cooler weather on the way, they will become increasingly occupied with finding a place to hole up for the winter, along with the boxelder bugs. Their numbers are down but particularly on south facing exposures, they’re a force to be reckoned with.

Also on the guest list in many homes and businesses this fall have been millipedes. We have them at the Mall for Men and also in the house at the ranch. Amazing how something with up to 400 legs can move so slowly. They really don’t hurt anything, coil up when touched and generally don’t survive the winter in the house as it becomes too dry for them. They do give off an odor when crushed however. About the best thing to do is to remove any leaves or other decaying vegetation from around the outside of the house and keep sweeping them up if they persist.

Found out the kindly neighbor had started picking corn this past weekend and was once again screening his corn. Not many people still screening corn anymore with all the rotary combines but am glad he does. The sheep are glad too as they gobble down screenings like candy. With the price of feed where it is every little bit helps so am trying to squeeze every beeswing out of it I can. Probably a movie title in there somewhere: A Scoopful of Screenings or For a Few Screenings More.

Harvest underway as it is, it’s been difficult for the little fat buddies to get their training sessions in. The rain brought some relief however and the world’s problems were solved for at least one more week anyway. Seems like it’s always a good idea to get together, figure out where people live or used to live and keep one’s Obie’s and Orly’s straight. Did you know a farm can’t be named after you until after you no longer live there? There’s been construction going on at the Mall too. Rumor has it it involves some kind of confessional. We’ve got some church pews, now all we need are kneeling pads.

Exciting news too from the little fat buddy who was named New Richland Idol this past summer. His fame and fortune has spread, so much so in fact that he’s recorded a video. It can be viewed at: http://cornandsoybeandigest.com/firstharverstreports/coey_two/
I think the guy who introduces him is his manager. Apparently the Colonel was too busy with Crazy Boyd’s Karaoke to take on any more clients.

See you next week…real good then.

Among the fields of gold...

With rain holding off until Tuesday evening, the scurs were a day ahead on their rain forecast. That’s not too bad; could’ve been a day behind! What’s on tap for this forecast period? Glad you asked. Starting Wednesday, highs of 45 – 50 under cloudy skies and rain. Low of 35. Still cloudy Thursday with a slight chance of lingering showers, the high reaching 45 – 50 and low dropping to 35. Friday, partly cloudy, high of 50 and a low of 40. Slightly warmer Friday under partly cloudy skies. High of 50 and overnight low of 35. Cooler Sunday through Tuesday, skies remaining partly cloudy, highs of 45 and lows falling to 30 – 35. Normal high for October 24th is 56 and normal low is 33 so our weather will be trending cooler than normal. The scurs will be putting another log on the fire and nodding off in front of the World Serious while avoiding as many political ads as possible.

Rainfall has fallen on 10 out of 19 days as of this writing in October. Fortunately for those trying to harvest the soils and subsoils are generally dry and it hasn’t accumulated much. At the ranch in that time frame, only 1.45” has fallen and the pattern of a dab at a time continues. Some cool mornings as of late, with 28º recorded at the ranch on the morning of the 16th and 30 on the 18th. We’ve had our killing frost as the temperature on both nights was below freezing for several hours. That’s good news as Swedes from the reservation will tell you, Indian Summer does not occur before a killing frost. The gossamer strands on the morning of the 18th were particularly striking. Where do those webs come from? Thousands of recently hatched tiny spiders using the breezes to scatter them to the 4 winds across the landscape.

Cooler temperatures triggered some to apply anhydrous ammonia last week and it was plenty early. BMP’s for Nitrogen Application in South Central MN allow for fall application but it is at greater risk than applying in the spring due to increased chances for nitrogen loss. Soil temperatures should be at 50º at the 6” depth and remain there. In this area, historically this does not occur until the last week in October. With nitrogen prices being what they are (outrageous), the soils having the lowest available soil moisture in the top 5’ coming out of September since 1989, it might be prudent to wait until November. With high moistures, corn harvest is also taking some time. Coupled with the forecast of a significantly warmer than normal November by some climatologists, fall application of nitrogen at this time is probably not high on most folk’s priority list. It’ll get done; it always does.

Dark-eyed juncos were back under the feeders again this past week on the 14th, a sure sign that fall has firmly cemented its grip. Robins are moving through and have been spending quality time devouring crabapples. Saw one of those seemingly perpetual strings of blackbirds forming not far from home as I wound my way back towards home Saturday afternoon. Also saw neighbor JL north of Beaver Lake out grinding ear corn out of the crib for his cattle, something we don’t see all that often anymore. Brought back memories of all those now long gone corn cribs and the mounted ear corn pickers with flare boxes towed behind working well into the month of November to finish the harvest.

Made another journey to Spring Valley on Saturday, this time to help put Mom’s lawn and garden to bed for another year. The trip was much the same as many others this time of year, the leaves accented by the bright sunshine as the harvest activity surrounded me in those fields of gold. Some things have changed over the years though. A windmill farm by Dexter seems to have sprung up around the Pine Cone restaurant that everyone still calls the Windmill. The railroad trestle on US 16 & 63 where one comes into Spring Valley is long gone now and it’s getting harder to remember exactly where it went over the highway. Where the old drive-in movie theater once stood complete with “birth control lights” now stands the new grocery store. The A & W is still where it’s always been however, one of the few remaining that actually still has car hop service. They’re adding indoor dining however so that must mean they’re planning to stay open year-round. Good to know if you’re a little fat buddy headed that direction.

Arriving at Mom’s was welcomed by Fudgie and upon seeing the lawn, was glad I’d loaded up my mower before heading over. Mom had a big kettle of homemade soup on, perfect to take the chill off before heading out to do battle with the lawn for the afternoon. Mom got her riding mower fired up after I’d opened things up and thank goodness she did. Within a few hours we had things wrapped up for another year. The tomato plant “borrowed” from the local shop this spring after being branded a tomato thief was done for the season and along with its companions wound up in the compost heap down by the field. After finishing, we had a little lunch and as usual in return for my labor, I get the better end of the bargain. Some of that soup made its way into my cooler along with some crackers, a fresh baked loaf of banana bread and her specialty, ginger snaps.

When picking the last of our Roma tomatoes at home on Sunday forenoon, could feel the fall chill in the air. That soup along with all the other goodies sounded pretty good about then as I disturbed some of the little native pink spotted ladybird beetles while sifting through the ash leaves, trying to find that special tomato, the last one. Upon finding it, another garden season was in the books and it was dinner time, just like it was across greater Bugtussle and environs.

See you next week…real good then.

And if the band you're in starts playing different tunes...

Aside from the minor detail of snow on Sunday, the scurs were tracking nearly on target. Good thing that will be a distant memory come midweek. Starting Wednesday, under clear skies, we’ll see a high of 55 and a low of 35. An even better Thursday will bring a high of 60 and a low of 40 under clear skies. Partly cloudy on Halloween, high of 55 – 60 and low of 40. Cooler Saturday and Sunday, high of 50 and low of 35 – 40. Warming up again for Monday and Tuesday, high of 55 – 60 and low of 40. Normal high for Halloween is 51 and normal low is 30. The scurs will be snacking on Halloween candy while basking in the afternoon sunshine. They’ll need to save their strength to get up at 2 a.m. and set their clocks back on Sunday.

This past Sunday’s snow was the warning shot we all knew was coming. More fell than was expected making the lawn at the ranch white. Prior to that, the woolly sheep were busy gobbling down the silver maple leaves the wind was ripping loose. Upon arriving home and hitting the garage door opener, equally woolly Gus and Lucy ventured forth, quickly decided it was much nicer in the garage, then turned around and went back inside.

Harvest progress has been slowed by wet corn and in some cases wet fields. The rainfall has accumulated to the point where the surface soil is greasy, making it difficult to get traction to get trucks in and out of fields. Corn moisture has been all over the board and as farmers are getting into the later maturing hybrids, it’s not unusual to see them in the mid to upper 20’s. Sunday’s high winds and snow caused down corn in areas so there will be a mad scramble to get those fields harvested before damage gets any worse. Corn dryers and bin fans pay little heed, playing a resonant tune when one pokes his head out the door.

Soil temperatures are trending downwards. Typically starting ammonia application the last week in October when average fall soil temperatures reach 50 degrees or less at 6” with a nitrification inhibitor is considered acceptable risk. Something to keep in mind however is that when 50 degrees is reached, it does not mean that conversion of ammonium to nitrate stops, merely that the rate is slowed to the point that the amount lost is acceptable, the thinking being that with ground freezing within a few weeks, the microbial conversion largely comes to a screeching halt. However, when we have some longer stretches of nice fall weather, there can be significant conversion and this is what we need to be careful of. Too many times over the past decade or so we’ve seen strange things like people baling hay around Thanksgiving.

There were many comments from farmers who found their combines, tractors, trucks, wagons, etc., covered with spider webbing so an update on all the spider activity we saw a week or so back: I wrote a paragraph or two on the process a few years ago and it’s known as ballooning. Little spider hatchlings climb up on plants, trees, leaves, etc., point their little behinds skywards and release a strand of silk. The breezes catch the strand and the little spiders become airborne, the breezes redistributing them across the countryside. Queried some of my entomologist buddies about what types they might be and it appears there may be one of several or combinations of types. Next time we see this phenomenon, will have to get the sweep net out, capture some of the spiders and send them off for identification. Nice to catch the culprits responsible for TP’ing the landscape in miniature.

On the bird front, the fall birds continue to replace their summer counterparts. The nuthatch has been faithfully picking at the sunflower seeds one at a time while the goldfinches are more interested only when the weather is threatening on days like Sunday. The huge blue jays we had last winter are back again, gulping corn and sunflower seeds like so much Halloween candy. A few mourning doves are usually around cleaning up under the feeders and with the snow, the juncos will likely become more regular visitors. There are still plenty of robins apparently migrating through. Interesting to see if the old “3 snows on the robins tail” postulate works in the fall too.

Went home once again and spent the day at Mom’s as she recovered from surgery. She’s doing very well and whipped together another great meal after we made a quick trip to the grocery store. She’s really into this election too. Mom discovered a good use for those stiff paper political ad slicks that keep clogging our mailboxes and killing our trees: They’re excellent for scraping up those pesky ladybugs and escorting them to the bathroom for a swim. Tempting to do the same with some of the politicians!

And finally, attended a confirmation on Sunday at the Lutheran church in the city on the east bank of Little Jerusalem. Always fun to go there, rub elbows with my little fat buddies and catch up on the latest goings as well as catch an afternoon nap upon returning home after consuming way too much food. Speaking of food as is a little fat buddies wont, discovered there is reputedly a bakery going in in the aforementioned metropolis. May need to explore establishing a donut drop point at the Mall for Men.

See you next week…real good then.

I have only come here seeking knowledge...

Ah, the scurs are waiting for the hate mail to start pouring in after saying it would cool down over the weekend. But wait, it’s early November not early September. Unfortunately all good things must come to an end. Starting with Wednesday’s forecast, we’ll see cloudy skies, highs near 60 and lows around 45. We’ll also see a good chance of rain. Cloudy Thursday, high of 45 and low near 30 with continued chances of rain. Friday, cloudy and colder, high of 40 and low of 30 with a chance of a rain and snow mix. We see some sun finally on Saturday with a high of 40 and a low of 25. More sunshine for Sunday with highs of 40 – 45 and lows of 25. 40 – 45 for highs with 20 – 25 for lows on Monday under partly cloudy skies. Colder and mostly cloudy Tuesday, highs of 35 – 40, lows of 20 – 25 with a chance of snow. Normal high for November 7th is 46 and normal low is 27. On the 7th we’ll also be under 10 hours of daylight causing the scurs to burn more of those leftover political ads and candles from the Halloween pumpkins as they glean the NRHEG Star for the latest in wisdom and knowledge.

What a week this past one was though from a temperature standpoint. With several days in the 60’s and some registering in the 70’s following a chilly start to the week, it was Indian Summer in Swedish textbook fashion. Most long-term outlooks agree too that we’re looking at an increased chance of above normal temperatures for the months of November, December and January. That would be nice although unfortunately chances we’ll see more 70 degree weather are becoming slimmer every day.

Harvest activity this past week made great strides with corn harvest getting past the halfway point. By the time this reaches print, it’ll probably be over 80% complete. Drydown was evident as the crop went from the low 20’s to the upper teens in many places. A lot of clear nights and when the dryers and holding bins can keep up, a lot of work going on into the evening. On those clear nights, it’s fun to gaze at the autumn sky at dusk where Jupiter takes its place in the S – SW sky and Venus is in the SW sky. These are the first two heavenly bodies to appear in the evening, very distinctive after shutting off the lights and heading into the house after chores.

On those nice days, one tries to think up excuses to get outside and enjoy it. Such was the case on Thursday when I decided to go down by Lake Geneva to do some soil sampling for FJ, one of the noted area farmers. While there I got to meet a couple real area jackasses, complete with 4 legs and long ears. They were most interested in my activities while enjoying the warm sunshine. Kept expecting to see Festus saddle up one of them. Then on to Harmony Park where I was greeted by the welcoming committee, two dogs, one black with a white bib and one chocolate that were apparently very friendly and very well fed. Wondered if the friendly part would change when I started the 4 wheeler to unload it but had little to worry about. The chocolate Lab was so portly that there was no way he would’ve even considered chasing me as he laid down to watch as the machine rolled down the ramp.

The last weekend in October pretty well took care of the leaves on most trees. It also revealed where all the bird nests were as well as where the fat squirrels built their winter hangouts. Birds are coming to the feeders in spite of the temperature, especially the goldfinches, house finches, downies and hairies. The blue jays and red-bellied woodpeckers have continued their corn feeding, splitting time with the fat squirrels. Had a new visitor we’ve not seen at our feeders before. Mixed in a group of house finches there was a slightly larger yet similarly colored bird with distinctive white wing bars. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a male white-winged crossbill. When startled, he flew to the nearest pine trees, perhaps closer to the habitat he was used to in the boreal forests.

Houseguests at the ranch over the weekend. My 6 year-old pal Zip from Texas was in town so Friday night we watched Gopher hockey. His eyes glazed over as I tried to explain the terms “offside” and “icing” to him. Shortly afterwards, he fell fast asleep on the couch. After cleaning up the screenings at home Saturday morning, we went for a ride to return the wagon and see the sights of greater Bugtussle, including the infamous Mall for Men and the 10 Man Dryer. Warm day and had to turn the AC on in the truck for our riding comfort. Played in the leaves in the yard when we returned as he helped me pick up some of the sticks that had blown down in the wind. After that, we went inside and I gave him a fresh bowl of water as I really didn’t want him drinking out of the toilet. Did I mention he’s a Border collie?

Monday morning started off with a bang with the barber shop operating in full swing. Somehow, it doesn’t take as long to cut hair nowadays as there’s less on top of a lot of these melons than there used to be. As Leo pointed out, there’s no extra charge for polishing. Still takes awhile though for coffee and all the conversation to take place prior to the haircut as waiting customers discuss such heady topics as genealogy and geography. Eventually we will know who everyone is related to and where they used to live. All takes time.

See you next week…real good then.

And I ran - I ran so far away...

The scurs thermostat got stuck on the weekend temperatures but the high of 76 at the ranch back on November 3rd met with everyone’s approval. The 17 degree low on the 10th did not. This forecast period promises more of the typical November weather we’re accustomed to. Wednesday’s cloudy sky brings with it the chance for freezing rain. Highs should reach 40 with a low of 30. Thursday looks to be the warmest day of the bunch with partly cloudy skies becoming cloudy. High of 45 and low of 35 with a chance of rain changing to snow. Friday, cloudy becoming partly cloudy as the day wears on, high of 40 and low of 25 with a slight chance of snow. Mostly sunny Saturday, highs of 35 and lows of 20 – 25. Sunny again Sunday, high of 40, low 20. Slightly warmer Monday under cloudy skies with a chance of rain changing to snow. High 45 and low of 25. Cooler Tuesday with cloudy skies and a chance of snow. High of 35 and low bottoming out near 25. Normal high for November 14th is 42 and normal low is 23. We’re losing daylight at the rate of approximately 3 minutes per day. The scurs are pondering why as we were supposed to get the hour back we lost last spring, weren’t we?

November 13th marks the date of the Full Moon for the month and it is known as the Full Beaver Moon, as beaver traps were set this time of year before freeze up to ensure a good supply of warm fur for the long winter ahead. The Ojibwe knew this as the Freezing Moon and the Sioux as the Moon of Falling Leaves. The last of the leaves did fall this past week from trees such as elms and a few hard maples that were stubbornly clinging to their clothing, until the midweek wind and rain stripped them bare.

Progress in the fields largely came to a screeching halt last week as about 1.5” of rain fell across most of the greater Bugtussle area. That probably wasn’t as much of an issue as the snow that coated the cornstalks, daring farmers to see how far they could get before their sieves would plug. Most avoided that temptation due to past experience. Corn harvest is somewhere in the 80 – 85% complete. As we move east, there is still more left to harvest. Some tillage was still able to be accomplished over the weekend as the ground surface was beginning to freeze, allowing for improved traction. With the subsoils being so dry, following a few days of moisture moving downward into the soil profile, conditions should become suitable for more field operations.

The rain was welcome however even though tile are not running and wetlands remain as low we’ve seen in decades. Our own wetland has a trough the little muskrats dug connected to their burrows into the bank of the basin but there is no water for them to even get a drink. Likewise for the deer and other wildlife. It could shape up to be a long winter for them, especially if the above normal snowfall predictions turn out to be true.

Around the yard there is still plenty of work to be done yet although it appears the lawn may have to forego its final shave for the season. That’s alright, the leaves I was concerned about grinding up largely blew into the thickets and the garden atop the septic tank. The petunias still haven’t thrown in the towel yet which is amazing. About time to get the manure spreader limbered up and clean the barns out for the season again. Lucy gives Gus an assist making sure neighbor David’s big white kitty doesn’t set up a permanent residence in the granary while Gus with his superior speed keeps the squirrels well exercised. Observing them this weekend, between the squirrels and blue jays, there seems to be a lot of corn being buried in the lawn. Was wondering who the culprits were. The weather that set in on Thursday and Friday caused a feeding frenzy, bringing out even larger numbers of goldfinches and house finches. No chickadees but more nuthatches, downies and hairies hitting the sunflower and suet feeders. The heated birdbath needs to go out too. Never enough time seems like.

Speaking of never enough time, once again Mrs. Cheviot dropped the “is there any way you could” line on me when some folks needed some ewes hauled back to LaCrosse so they could get them ready for Louisville. Of course, being the gullible, dumb schmuck I am, I arranged midweek to do just that on Saturday, knowing I’d reap great rewards at home.(as if) In the meantime, I was offered a chance by one of my little fat buddies to go to the Gophers/Michigan football game. It’s only been 3 years since I’ve been able to go to one of my alma mater’s football game and I’ve never seen them play Michigan at home. I even had season tickets back in ’77, the last time the Gophers defeated them at home in old Memorial Stadium. And people wonder why I avoid weddings like the plague to this day, but I digress.

Of course there was no way sheep hauling plans could be changed on the other end, short of me getting up before 3 a.m. Still would’ve cut it too close to make an 11 o’clock game. 3 a.m. for goose hunting maybe, but hauling sheep , bucking the wind on the ice and snow in the dark, it ain’t gonna happen. A word to the wise for all you young bucks out there: When you hear the words “is there any way you could” come out of your spousal unit’s mouth, that’s a clue. Run as fast as you can the other direction.

See you next week…real good then.

You're making me dizzy...

The scurs weather forecasting prowess showed once again as we experienced seasonal weather along with the expected precipitation. What’s in store this time? Let’s consult the oracles and see. Starting Wednesday, look for partly sunny skies, with a high around 40 and a low of 20. Slightly cooler under mostly sunny skies Thursday, high of 25 – 30 and low of 15. Mostly sunny Friday, high of 30 and low of 25. Warmer Saturday, high of 40 – 45 and low of 25. A tad cooler Sunday, mostly sunny, high of 35 – 40 and low near 20. Partly cloudy Monday, high of 35 and low of 25 – 30 with a slight chance of snow. Better chance for snow Tuesday under mostly cloudy skies, high of 30 – 35 and low of 15 – 20. Normal high for November 21st is 38 and normal low is 20. While November is typically our cloudiest month the scurs will be enjoying the sunshine this week as they shop for their Thanksgiving turkey at Wagner’s, then hitch a ride to Lerberg’s for the trimmings.

Rainfall and snow hampered progress for those with corn yet to pick. So far in November, we’ve tallied somewhere around 2.11” of precip at the ranch. At the Mall for Men where we have a 5-man rain gauge (no one knows who dumped it last or when) we suspect we’ve had 2.5” as that’s what it contained last week. With little major snow or rain expected, this week should help some to get closer to the finish line. Some have had problems maneuvering equipment and school buses around the fields but there is very little in the way of field tile running.

With the precipitation though, some of the wetlands have made a slight comeback. The pond by the North Plant has some water in it again as does our CREP wetland at home. No sign of any waterfowl coming through at home that I’ve noticed but with the Orange Army out in force over the weekend, that probably shouldn’t come as a surprise. Think the deer slug season is over now so can go back to wearing my Carhartts with the white hanky sticking out of the back pocket.

Lots of bird activity at the feeders especially when the weather looks like it’s going to get snowy or colder. Sunday afternoon there were 17 mourning doves under the feeders only to be outdone by the goldfinches that numbered 24. A couple rooster pheasants were in the trees Saturday morning after chores, then proceeded to glide from the treetops to heavier cover below the hill. Am thinking our blue jays must’ve gotten into some NFL players stash of steroids as we continue to see some of the largest jays we’ve ever seen. Tubby the fox squirrel looks like he’s been eating some too while his buddy Scratchy continues to remain more slender.

And speaking of slender, one would be a lot skinnier if they had to deal with a group of wild sheep at the kindly neighbors like Lucy, Gus and I did on Sunday. Lucy has slowed to the point where this will probably be her last roundup. The will is there but the speed is gone. I can relate. While Gus is a great pet he has no concept other than he’s outside tearing around. He’s still a valuable asset however if you need Bubba’s in their monster truck wannabes or airplanes barked at. To be sure, that group of ewes had their track shoes on with no intention of leaving that pasture any sooner than they had to. Was beginning to think about calling my little fat buddy over by Beaver Lake to see if he could spell us for a minute so we could catch our breath. That and the thought also crossed my mind to look around for some hunters as it might’ve expedited the process by loading the sheep with a gun. After numerous trips over hill and over dale and around in circles they finally got tired out. They must’ve been dizzy because one by one, they slowly peeled off and went in the barn.

Upon unloading the sheep and dollying the trailer down, decided to take a break, have a little lunch and watch the Vikings for a bit. As bad as the Vikings have been, I can really appreciate their head coach. I mean, who else could design an offense that’s so boring to watch in the second half that I can count on getting my naps in? Although, as Jack Handey once said, before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you’re a mile away and you have their shoes.

See you next week…real good then.

I can't get no satisfaction...

The scurs got their temperatures flip-flopped over the weekend but all in all, some decent November weather, including some sun. This week? More sun starting with Wednesday, mostly clear skies, high of 40 and low near 20. Thanksgiving Day, partly cloudy, high once again near 40 and low of 20. Slightly cooler Friday through Sunday, highs around 35 and lows of 20. Monday December 1, skies will be cloudy with a chance of snow. High of 25 – 30 and low of 5 – 10. Cloudy Tuesday, high of 20 – 25 and low of 5 – 10. Normal high for November 28th is 34 and normal low is 17. After a good Thanksgiving Day snooze, the scurs will be ready to head to Edna’s Friday at the crack of dawn for those early bird bargains.

Most have managed to get their corn harvested as the weather has generally been cooperative. Soils froze pretty solid after a low of 2 recorded at the ranch shortly before sunrise on Friday morning. Suspect the petunias finally succumbed. Contrast this with the high back on the 3rd of 76 or even the 44 degrees on Sunday and one realizes just how changeable November weather can be. Frozen soils have not lent themselves anhydrous application according to those who attempted it and wound up picking up pieces of equipment as a result.

Was a great weekend to get the barn cleaned however. Worst part of it is getting prepared, greasing everything, (I know, it came greased) putting the heat houser on, taking panels down, bedding pens, moving animals around, etc. Seems like there’s a lot more time spent on those mundane things than actually loading and spreading manure. Sheep don’t appear to mind as long as they’re not the ones in the crosshairs to be moved. And they really do enjoy having new cornstalks to paw through and play in. Always a sense of satisfaction to have the manure hauled out of the main barn. Also feels good though after a weekend of climbing on and off of machines designed to jostle these aging bones to sit down on something stationary. Ground stayed frozen and I’m stiff and sore enough to prove it.

This used to be the time of year when we put things away around home for the winter. There were always some things to put away so Dad didn’t hit them when it came time to move snow. Bales were banked around houses and pump houses and snow fence was erected to stop the snow from going where it wasn’t wanted. Plowing was usually done by Thanksgiving although there were some exceptions. As most did in those days, we always greased the bottoms to keep the plow scoured for next season, then parked it out in the pasture. Only problem was over the course of the year the sheep would generally find it and lick all the grease off the moldboards. Cattle people have told me their cows would do the same thing. What ever possessed them to eat the stuff is beyond me. Must’ve had a grease deficiency back in those days, much the same as the little fat buddies on a donut run.

With Kugie gone, I feel compelled to comment on sporting matters again. This past weekend, the Gopher football team embarrassed itself losing to the archrival Iowa Hogeyes 55 – 0. Thought perhaps Saturday night, the Gopher men’s hockey team would be able to put a little salve on the wound but alas the previously undefeated maroon and gold pucksters lost too. Who should come through on Sunday? None other than the Vikings! Only managed to catch a few minutes of the game when I took a little lunch break and they were up 30 – 10 at that point. Figured even they couldn’t botch that up with less than 10 minutes to play in the game and for once, I was right. For once, no nap.

Speaking of naps, did you happen to catch the recent report about the link between heart attacks, cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure and lack of sleep? My ears pricked up when I heard the news and no question, it made sense. We won’t go into the government perpetrated sleep deprivation plan known as Daylight Saving Time but it appears the only bad nap is probably the one you didn’t take. Something to be thankful for about the time your eyelids start fluttering following all that tryptophan ingestion on Thanksgiving Day.

See you next week…real good then.

Starry, starry night...

The scurs had a pretty good idea what would happen after a nice Thanksgiving; it would snow! Just a day ahead of schedule, again. What’s up for the first week in December? The scurs will divulge the answer. Starting Wednesday, cloudy skies with a chance of snow. High of 30 and low of 10. Colder Thursday under partly cloudy skies. High of 20 and low of 5 – 10. Mostly sunny Friday becoming partly cloudy with a chance of snow in the evening. High near 25 and low of 10 – 15. Saturday, partly cloudy, chance of snow. High of 25 low of 10. Sunday, partly cloudy. High around 25, low near 10. Monday and Tuesday, partly cloudy. Highs near 20 and lows of 10 – 15. Normal high for December 5th is 31 and the normal low is 13. On Monday the 8th, we’ll be down to 9 hours of daylight. The scurs will be eating their candlelight dinner of leftover turkey sandwiches a little earlier every evening.

November gave us some tremendous variability, from a high of 76 back on the 3rd to a low of 2 on the 21st. At the ranch, we registered 2.29” of liquid equivalent precipitation with about 5.5” of snow for the month. The most recent snow, measuring about 1”, contained .12” of water. Unfortunately, with soils frozen it won’t help recharge much. Took a walk Sunday to check out the wetland and aside from the snow, it was dry once again. The muskrats dug some tremendous trenches and bored holes into the banks. No sign of them however.

At the bird feeders, some newcomers in the form of pine siskins. While we’ve seen them a few times over the years, don’t recall seeing the numbers we’ve had so far. We tend to see them when there have been seed crop failures in the boreal forests to the north. Could hear some different bird songs in the morning after chores so they’ve probably been here for a week or so. What do they look like? They’re little brown, striped finches with some yellow at the base of their flight feathers (more on males), slightly smaller than the goldfinches with sharp little beaks designed for picking seeds out of tight places. They seem to have taken a shine to our leftover bachelor button and cosmos seeds. This weekend was the first chance to get a glimpse of the siskins during daylight hours. It may have been the last look we’ll get at the migrating geese. On Saturday afternoon, they were enjoying flying from the fields to the water they were keeping open. By late Sunday afternoon, they were booking south, not unlike the UP freighters highballing through Ellendale.

Thanksgiving was wonderful, with a good bird, good wine, good company and an all too rare day to just relax outside of chores twice a day. Lucy and Gus got to share in the festivities, gobbling down some giblets after they’d cooled. The sheep were uncooperative though after tossing them some frozen pumpkins over the pasture fence, where the large cucurbits resembled orange billiard balls scattered on the hillside. Hoping for a pastoral scene of sheep gnawing on pumpkins on the sidehill during our feast, the Cheviots largely ignored their good fortune. Maybe it was because they didn’t like the wind blowing in their pointy little ears or perhaps they just weren’t into frozen food.

On a starry night, Vista’s noted Swedish astronomer Roger Johnson reminds us to look to the SW sky where Jupiter and Venus will be in close conjunction with each other during the early part of the month and then with Mercury at the end of the month. The Big Dipper is sliding lower in the northern sky as winter approaches. You may have to get outside of the light pollution from Bugtussle to see all this action.

Parked the dually for the winter and have been driving the minivan lately. Even though the price of diesel is down, am taking advantage of the van’s mileage and lower priced gasoline. When I get in, I pull my blonde wig down over my ears, grab the red-headed mannequin out of the back and toss her in the passenger seat so people just think it’s a couple women out Christmas shopping. Suspect some maybe onto me however. Was asked the other day who the ugly blonde soccer mom with a beard was driving a white minivan that looked suspiciously like ours. They said that red-head sure looked hot though.

Which reminds me, after reading Betts story about those free samples we no longer receive in the mail, it brought back memories of one of my favorites, a Gillette Mach 3 razor. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I tried it and proceeded to slice the living bejeezus out of my face. Following that incident, I stashed the deadly weapon in a drawer, much safer than keeping a tourniquet handy every time I shaved. Wouldn’t you know, I ran out of the 10 for a dollar disposable razors I normally used a few months later and given no quick alternative, was forced to try it again.

Nervous at first, I found that with a light touch it worked exquisitely. My mug was as smooth as a baby’s bottom. Still used the disposables as everyday razors to scrape my face but for special occasions when I wanted to look pretty, kept a fresh supply of blades for my free sample model. I did that is until I discovered Mrs. Cheviot had gone on a cleaning rampage and thrown my prized possession away. After registering my displeasure decided I’d just go buy another one. How expensive could they be if they were sending them out as free samples, right? Try about $8 - $10 just for the handle, way too expensive for a tightwad like me. Asked why I quit shaving: I’m saving up to buy a new razor!

See you next week…real good then.