We’ll get up and do it again

The scurs replaced a cotter pin with a nail and got the Weather Eye under control again. Has summer faded for good or is there more to come? Starting Thursday, sunny with highs in the upper 70's and lows in the upper 50's. Mostly sunny Friday with a good chance of rain. Highs in the low 80's with lows in the upper 50's. Sunny on Saturday with highs in the low 70's and lows in the low 50's. Sunday, partly sunny with a good chance of showers. Highs in the upper 60's with lows in the low 50's. Cloudy on Monday with a continued good chance of rain. Highs in the low 70's with lows in the upper 40's. Tuesday, mostly sunny with highs in the upper 60's and lows in the low 50's.

 

Increasing clouds on Wednesday with highs in the low 70's and lows in the low 50's. On September 16th we'll drop below 12 hours and 30 minutes of daylight. On the 16th the sun will set before 7:30 CDT. The normal high for September 16th is 73, and the normal low is 50. The scurs predict hot cocoa in their future.

 

Crops continue to march along, although it was surprising how some of the corn seemed stuck at half milk line last week. Monday's breezy conditions should have helped change that, although the trend towards more seasonal temperatures and increased precipitation chances may temper that progress a tad. Still, this promises to be a harvest yield-wise for many to remember, although there again, it may not be that way for everyone. Some of the early season stand counts revealed that, while they were adequate, few of them were perfect. There were also some later emerging plants and, while some may call them weeds, they contribute only to a lesser degree vs. those plants that emerged at virtually the same time. Soybeans may be the Cinderella story. Some fields are revealing a crop with tremendous potential as the leaves are dropping. The only good way to know what they're made of is with the combine.

 

The garden too is beginning to show that fall is here. Many of the vine crops are revealing their age as powdery mildew causes the plants to yellow or senesce prematurely. Under that canopy is a dandy crop of squash and large pumpkins. The gourds have hung in there a little longer, but they too are showing hints that there will be plenty to harvest. The bell peppers that were lost souls for much of the season have suddenly put on their game face, thanks in large part to the cages provided to us by the local Studebaker mechanic. Ditto with Misael's hot peppers. There is one jalapeño plant that is almost chest high. It would've been flat if not for the support of the cage. Muskmelons are just coming into their own. The first Honey Rock was well worth the wait. It's time to let the string beans, cukes and zucchini go, however. The novelty of picking them every few days wears off after a while.

 

The backyard bird population continues undergoing subtle changes. Appears likely we saw the last of the orioles at the ranch on Sept. 7th. It's seldom we're the first to see them arrive and seldom we're the last to see them go. We're just happy to have them while we can. Hummingbirds continue occupying most of our yard. There are three nectar feeders and countless pots and planters drawing their attention. When coupled with the cannas, four o'clocks and morning glories, there's a reason they like to hang out here. There haven't been large numbers of house sparrows, which doesn't hurt my feelings. Hopefully some of the small hawks invited them to lunch. The cardinals that were singing so cheerfully have gone silent. Not to worry. Still hear them around dusk, and knowing that, it's very likely they'll be around the backyard when the snow flies.

 

Sheep are all home from the MN State Fair. It was another successful season, although one has to wonder how long a person can keep this up. Trying to get everything to fit schedule-wise becomes more challenging with each passing year and along with it, more aches and pains. There were a lot of people who stopped by the pens at this year's Fair who enjoyed petting our yearling ram. He loved it too, allowing them to scratch him and hoping they'd never stop.

 

Sometimes that can translate into a mean ram later on, especially if there are ewes in heat. So far so good. On Labor Day after the ewes and the ram were fed, he was sniffing around one of the natural-colored ewes. After a few minutes, mission accomplished. So far so good. He's minded his own business which is best for all concerned. No matter how good they are, animals that purposely injure humans at the ranch are short timers.

 

Poppy is glad the State Fair is over too. It means a relatively odd schedule for nearly two weeks while Mrs. Cheviot is busy there and I tend to affairs at work as well as at the ranch. It gets to be catch as catch can sometimes. We've developed an understanding though. When it's time to eat, we eat. When we work, we work. When it's time to go to bed, we go to bed. Poppy likes to jump up on the bed, but those short Corgi legs can make it a challenge. That and Corgi laziness coupled with the "sad eyes" routine indicate she'd like a boost. Oddly enough, she doesn't sleep on the bed for extended periods of time, preferring instead to crash on the closet floor or the bathroom on the plush rugs. The critical thing is that when morning comes, we'll get up and do it again.

 

See you next week...real good then.