Hear the mighty engines roar

Despite the best efforts from the scurs and the Weather Eye, snow appeared once again last weekend. Was that it or does Old Man Winter make one more curtain call? Starting Thursday, mostly cloudy with a good chance of rain.

 

Highs in the low-70's with lows in the mid-40's. Mostly sunny Friday with highs in the upper 50's and lows in the mid-30's. Mostly sunny on Saturday with highs in the upper 50's with lows in the upper 30's. Sunday, mostly sunny with a fair chance of rain. Highs in the upper 50's with lows in the mid-30's. Cloudy Monday with a good chance of rain. Highs in the upper 50's with lows in the upper 30's. Tuesday, mostly cloudy with rain. Highs in the upper 50's with lows in the upper 30's. Mostly sunny on Wednesday with highs in the low 60's and lows in the upper 30's.

 

We'll see 14 hours of daylight on April 27'h and stay above that until August 15th. The normal high for April 27'h is 61 and the normal low is 39. The scurs are readying their May baskets. You gotta give 'em to get 'em, folks.

 

Planting progress is starting to be more noticeable as one tours the countryside. Fields that were worked over the weekend were being planted this past Monday. The mighty roar of engines became evident Monday night. There is always some obsession with soil temperature. It may stem from the "good old days" when 50 degrees was about when people started thinking about planting corn. Given the hybrids of the day and the drainage or lack thereof, that may not have been a bad idea. Times have changed. Soil conditions and calendar date are more commonly used as determining factors although some would argue that calendar date shouldn't be. I beg to differ. More than once, corn planted in late March has turned into a replant situation, particularly when some later maturing hybrids adapted to points south are brought north in an attempt to capture those extra bushels. All too often they haven't handled our yo-yo temperatures and lengthy rainy, cloudy, cold stretches.

 

This past Saturday the 18th was a miserable day to be outside. After a while though, I couldn't take it. It was time to take the chains off the tractor finally. Earlier I'd pulled up the driveway markers and one reflector on the end of the sidewalk. It was in place to keep me from cursing after hitting the sidewalk with the blower or bucket when moving snow. Removing the chains, thankfully I was able to get out of the wind. Dragging them inside and hanging them up is the hardest part. They're heavy but at least they're awkward to hang up. The main thing is to keep them straight and hang them up off the ground. Squirting a little PB Blaster on the clamp hinges afterwards doesn't hurt either. It minimizes the extra-curricular vocabulary needed to put the chains back on back in November. Luckily, they were dry, clean and shiny, helping to keep me dry, clean and shiny.

 

I was finally able to get to the grass seeding projects at the ranch. Several shaded areas needed attention first. The major area was where the well pit had been excavated when moving the pressure tank into the house. The excavation left a mark, and it took some doing to make it right. Having smoothed and landscaped the area before freeze up, the shape was where I wanted it. I ran over it with the recently resurrected drag section to lightly scratch it and create some loose soil for the grass seed to be tamped into. After double seeding for a more uniform stand, the area in question was run over with the Gator the push the seed in the ground shallow rather than bury it. One of the biggest mistakes people make when seeding grass or anything small-seeded is burying it too deep. Press it into the soil, give it some rain or good watering and it's amazing how well it catches. Almost like you planned it that way.

 

We have yet to plant any garden but that could change soon if the weather cooperates. I have plenty of radish and salad green seed that could be planted as well as some onion sets. Just because we don't have anything planted yet doesn't mean we haven't started to enjoy the garden yet. The flowers have been great in the bulb garden by the house. The hyacinths are powerful and the pollinators keep finding them. The rhubarb came through on Sunday as Mrs. Cheviot fashioned a pie from the red variety. While there's no longer any Schwan's vanilla ice cream to pair with it, the Blue Bunny Vanilla Bean makes an adequate replacement. It melds well with the tartness of the rhubarb as though they were made for each other.

 

There was a slight lull in the bird department at the ranch this past week. Male goldfinches are continuing to morph into their summer plumage. Their distinctive bright yellow color makes the easier to pick out while the foliage to conceal them is developing. Earlier, there was audio evidence of white-throated sparrows although visual contact hadn't been made yet. Their song could be heard occasionally in the EQIP planting which probably should come as no surprise. The arborvitae in that planting isn't unlike their summer stomping grounds in the boreal forests.

 

Tuesday morning they were present in the backyard again. It's coming, folks. Ready those nectar and jelly feeders.

 

Poppy has been liking the recent drier lawn conditions. So have we. It means very little foot wiping once she's completed her squirrel exercising program. Last Saturday was a good day for her to nap while the wind howled outside. It was a good day for anyone to nap while the wind howled outside. Some have seen Poppy lately including other Corgi owners and dog lovers. Relative to their Corgi's or those they're familiar with, they claimed Poppy was slender compared to those. Poppy is definitely a "foodie" though. If you have food, you're instantly her new best friend. Fortunately she's also very responsive to "Where's your squirrel? Is he out there?" at this point. Good exercise for her and the squirrels as well as entertainment for us.

 

See you next week..real good then.