All just prisoners here of our own device

The scurs and the Weather Eye were on the money once again as we cooled down substantially. Does Mother Nature give us a reprieve, or will we see glimpses of Jack Frost? Starting Thursday, mostly sunny with highs in the low 80’s and lows in the mid-60’s. Mostly sunny on Friday with a slight chance of an evening thunderstorm. Highs in the low 80’s with lows in the mid-60’s. Mostly sunny on Saturday with a slight chance of an evening thunderstorm. Highs in the mid-80’s with lows in the mid-60’s. Sunday, mostly sunny with highs in the low 80’s with lows in the mid-50’s. Mostly cloudy on Monday with a slight chance of an evening thunderstorm. Highs in the upper 70’s with lows in the upper 50’s. Tuesday, partly sunny with a good chance of rain showers. Highs in the low 80’s with lows in the upper 50’s. Partly sunny on Wednesday with highs in the mid-70’s and lows in the mid-50’s. The sun will set at 7:30 p.m. CDT on September 11th. On the 15th we fall below 12 hours and 30 minutes of daylight for the first time since March 26th. The normal high for September 15th is 74 and the normal low is 51. The scurs will be keeping their eyes peeled for Jack Frost. 

 

Crop progress was slowed not surprisingly by the cooler temps. Much of the corn remains at half-milk line and soybeans teeter between R6 and R7. However, as we move into this week’s warmer forecast temperatures, expect to see dramatic change result. On the corn side, fear of southern rust rekindling may or may not happen, although the crop may be far enough along that it could make economic damage less likely. Severe rust is generally confined to the low to mid-canopy, and, while some lesions exist in the upper canopy, it was held in check by the cooler temperatures. Tar spot has appeared, but like most years here in south central MN, its arrival has been late enough that it’s unlikely to be a problem in most fields. It does, however, add to the inoculum for next year and beyond. Probably the greatest worry is the amount of anthracnose top die-back occurring in some fields. Soybeans too are being nickled and dimed as they normally are this time of year. Some evidence of SDS symptoms showing up late as well as some scattered plants exhibiting white mold. Using seed treatments and fungicides help, but aren’t necessarily cure-alls either.

 

Some of the pears at the ranch were harvested last week when the forecast for high winds suddenly appeared. It was getting towards time anyway and there was rain on the radar. Roughly five gallons worth was picked and placed in a safe spot for now. Some ripened in the meantime and didn’t disappoint. We have Parker and Patten pears. The Patten serves as the pollinator for the Parker, although it’ll produce a small number of Bartlett-shaped pears some years. This year it decided to kick it up a notch and there are more than just a handful. So far, however, one can see why the Parker is favored. It’s sweeter and juicier. Not that the Patten is bad flavored; it just isn’t as good for eating as the Parker. There are several more on both trees to pick if my energy level can keep up. The sheep like them too, but that isn’t why they were planted in the first place.

 

The garden at the ranch continues to crank out cucumbers at an alarming rate. I stay in practice for any Twister tournaments picking them. I’ve lost track of how many people we’ve given vegetables and in particular cucumbers to. It’s looking as though the time to plant some fall garden is slipping away. Just keeping up with the cukes has kept me busy, and the mosquito population hasn’t helped. I finally resorted to using my mosquito net. I can tolerate wearing the long-sleeved shirts and long pants, but one can only cover up their face about so much. It’s like wearing combat gear. There appears there will be some late string beans after all. Planted mid-July, I had my doubts, so having move gear to thwart mosquitoes is never a bad idea. As expected, tomatoes have picked up the pace. Very sweet this year and tough to leave alone once they ripen.

 

The alien appeared early this year at the ranch. Usually Mrs. Cheviot brings home some crud from State Fair, and this year was no exception. Only difference this time around was she shared it with me. It’s a quick hitter and keeps you guessing. Nasty headaches, sinuses packed full of junk, coughing up a lung for a few days, then suddenly just exhaustion after losing sleep from the coughing and snuffling. We can spend billions on the dumbest stuff as a country, but we can’t cure the common cold. I’m sure AI will solve it. It’s the solution to everything else, right? It’s certainly capable of annoying the snot out of me whenever I try to write anything these days. 

 

Have changed my bedtime TV watching habits a tad. I love westerns, but some programming geniuses decided it was a good idea to put The Virginian on at 10 p.m., which simply doesn’t work. I always liked the show, but it’s an hour and a half long. Ain’t no way I’m staying awake that late. Switched over to Adam 12. A couple half hour shows and it’s over. Best of all, there are lots of the cool old cars on it that I grew up with. One night, Reed and Malloy were chasing some bad guy who climbed over a junkyard fence. He landed on top of a Studebaker and darn near broke his back! I’d believe it. Cars were actually made of heavy-duty steel in those days. Try lifting the hood on the Silver Hawk to put it on the support rod. You’d better hope you ate your Wheaties. Speaking of Studebakers, Saturday is International Drive Your Studebaker Day. Think I missed last year, so will correct the error of my ways. 

 

With Mrs. Cheviot gone for a spell, Poppy and I will be left to our own devices. Not my first rodeo, and, since I can sling hash well enough to survive, we get along just fine. Poppy knows I’m a klutz too, so there’s always a chance something will hit the floor in the process. It’s absolutely amazing what she can hear when she wants to. She can dawdle her way to and from the barn. No matter how much you yell at her, it’s the same diddling around every time. Get back in the house to make supper and I can have the tunes turned up fairly loud. A small piece of a Dorito hits the floor, and she’ll awaken from a dead sleep in the living room to track it down. That comes in handy as I can rest assured that anything that hits the floor will get cleaned up. I’ll tolerate some dawdling for that.  

 

See you next week…real good then.