I've been waiting long for Saturday

The scurs bid Jack Frost adieu and changed the lock on the door based on the Weather Eye's data. Are they safe or will Jack Frost pick the lock? Starting Thursday, partly sunny with a modest chance of evening rain. Highs in the upper 60's with lows in the low 40's. Partly sunny Friday with a fair chance of rain. Highs in the low 60's with lows in the mid-40's. Partly sunny on Saturday with highs in the low 70's and lows in the low 50's. Sunday, mostly sunny with a slight chance of rain. Highs in the upper 70's with lows in the low 50's. Sunny Memorial Day with a highs in the low 80's with lows in the upper 50's. Tuesday, sunny with highs in the upper 70's and lows in the upper 50's.

 

Sunny on Wednesday with highs in the upper 70's and lows in the upper 50's. On May 25th we'll see around 15 hours of daylight, gaining only about 28 minutes more before the summer solstice. The normal high for May 25th is 71 and our normal low is 51. On Memorial Day the scurs will salute those who served as well as those who have gone before.

 

Finally we made some progress in the temperature department and the crops responded. Corn that seemed stuck in suspended animation suddenly made a move. Examining it up close and personal, most found that stands, while not perfect, were very adequate. Soybeans also began poking through with more regularity. The main bodies of most corn fields have remained clean despite the lack of rain to activate pre-emerge herbicides up until recently. Some took time over the weekend to border their corn for control of giant ragweed. Timing couldn't have been better from an efficacy and minimizing crop response perspective. It only makes sense to keep weeds from working their way in from the field margins as they generally don't suddenly appear out of nowhere in the middle. Some of the earliest planted corn was V2 around building sites and sheltered areas last week. Out in the wide open spaces, V1 was the rule.

 

An effort was made at the ranch to get early garden established. Getting a bonus day Sunday without rain seemed too good to be true. It was. Since it was dry enough, the spring bulb planters were planted along with a new Hosta and coral bell. In order to do that, weeding needed to be done. Removing the weeds by the AC unit took on more importance as some Johnny Jump Ups (viola) appeared there. They are likely descendants of some planted by earlier residents. The morning glory trellis was also a mess that needed attention. After rehydrating, the tiller went to battle in the vegetable garden. By 5:30 the area was ready to plant. Alas, the sprinkles started as we headed out the door for chores. Then the sky opened up. Oh, well, the rhubarb pie still tasted good. Maybe Saturday.

 

The Studebaker has been ailing as of late. I had high hopes of cruising after firing it up and running it up the road in April. The local Studebaker mechanic thought perhaps we should get it tuned up and I agreed. It hadn't been done in 10 years. While we were at it, the oil was also changed. I didn't remember how many miles it had on the change last fall when it was parked, but I recalled the oil level dropped on the stick after a couple of short outings. It left quite a puddle just in the short trip from his shop to the office. It was tuned up and ready to go except for the oil leak. I took the car home from there and within a couple of miles it coughed and sputtered, acting like it wasn't getting fuel. I made it home but just barely. I think the backfire even scared the Dubya's horses!

 

The mechanic loaded it up and hauled it back into town a few days later. After he drove it encountering the same problem, it was diagnosed as a bad electric fuel pump. Upon fixing the oil leak, another issue arose. The carb was losing vacuum as a result of a worn throttle shaft bushing, common on many carburetors nearing 70 years old.

 

Another parts search in an attempt to find the best permanent solution. Luckily, Studebaker used a Stromberg carburetor on this model. It will take some time and sleuthing, but there are parts and options available. It's very fortunate that there is a loyal group of Studebaker collectors and vendors who gladly offer their experience and expert advice.

 

Poppy got a workout from thunderstorms this past week. They weren't particularly intense, but several days in a row was enough to set her Corgi senses into overload. The Sunday night edition started off innocently enough. Prior to the storm, Poppy had sacked out on the bed for about an hour, peaceful as could be. By about 10:30 p.m. however, thunder was moving closer and she awakened with a start. Within a few minutes she was off the bed and disappeared. I watched a little more TV and decided to see where the little dog had gone. Apparently she was convinced the walk-in closet was her safe place. No question, it's very dark in there. While you can still hear the muffled thunder, you can't see the lightning. Makes prefect sense when you think about it. There are days when the notion of sleeping in the closet sounds appealing, as long as Poppy doesn't snore.

 

See you next week..real good then.