Come on, I just want you to lie to me

The scurs had the Weather Eye focused for more decent fall harvest weather until last Thursday's rain. Are we in for more dry conditions or did we just prime the pump? Starting Thursday, sunny with highs in the low 70's and lows in the low 50's. Mostly sunny Friday with highs in the low 70's and lows in the mid-50's. Mostly cloudy on Saturday with a modest chance of rain by evening. Highs in the low 70's with lows in the low 50's. Sunday, mostly sunny with a slight chance of rain. Highs in the mid-60's with lows in the low 40's. Mostly sunny on Monday with highs in the low 60's and lows in the mid-40's. Tuesday, partly sunny with highs in the mid-60's and lows in the upper 40's.

 

Partly sunny Wednesday with highs in the mid-50's and lows in the low 40's. Our Full Moon for October is on the 25th, and on the 26th our daylight falls to 10 hours and 30 minutes. The normal high for October 25th is 54, and the normal low is 33. The scurs will enjoy the warmest weather we'll see for a while. No recreational fire required.

 

As mentioned, the Full Moon for the month will occur on October 25th, even though most calendars say it's on the 26th. The calendars are on Eastern Daylight Time and since the Full Moon is at 12:12 a.m. Eastern Time, which makes it 11:12 p.m. Central Daylight Time. Regardless, this Full Moon goes by The Hunter's Moon. It was at this time that the settlers and Native tribes were well into stocking their larders with protein for the long winter. Much of the meat was canned, smoked or dried to keep until spring. The Ojibwe knew this as the Falling Leaves Moon as did the Sioux, who also called it the Moon of Changing Season. At the ranch we're inclined to call it the Moon of Draining Hoses. All the fun suddenly goes out of watering livestock at chore time.

 

Harvest progressed rapidly once the rain stopped on Friday. By Saturday forenoon there were already some combines back at it, although trucks were picking their spots in some fields. Warm temps and breezy conditions changed soil conditions in a hurry by Monday. Semis were able to at least get turned towards the road without getting stuck. Corn moisture has been extremely dry with reports of anywhere from the low to upper teens. Surprisingly enough, there were a still a few fields of soybeans scattered around the countryside. They disappeared quickly. Now the focus is on getting this corn out before Mother Nature changes her mind. Harvest is taking a little longer than anticipated.

 

Getting all the bushels hauled away and stored is taking extra time.

 

Sunday was a great day for the big bird feeder changeover at the ranch. A week earlier, we'd noticed at least one hummingbird. Having seen none this past week, it was time. There were still plenty of flowers blooming in case some stragglers happened by. Cleaning the feeders for storage isn't a hard job, but it's tedious and time consuming.

 

Our hot water weighs in around 130°F, so with some soap and a cleaning brush, the feeders are nice and clean after drying before storing for the winter. In the meantime they were replaced with suet feeders. Not a lot of takers so far, but that can change at the drop of a hat. Plenty of activity on the sunflower feeders as our winter guests return.

 

How severe was the Saturday a.m. frost? At the ranch, it certainly wouldn't qualify as a killing frost. Some of the canna leaves show signs of being singed, but are still flowering like mad as temperatures have warmed up. Even the impatiens that wilt when you say the word frost were still fairly turgid. Odds are it wasn't at or below freezing very long according to other weather stations recording that kind of data. At the ranch, being on a hill has its advantages.

 

The pumpkin and squash pile was covered in case, and some of the tender vegetation that we may try to nurse through the winter was brought inside. Maybe we wouldn't have needed to, but we might've regretted it otherwise.

 

The trees at the ranch continue to baffle us. Some have yet to really show much color, let alone drop their leaves.

 

Others are completely bare and the ground under them is covered. The sheep keep their side of the fence relatively leaf-free. They have a preference though. The still supple newly fallen maple leaves are among their favorites. They like apple and grape leaves too. This is why some orchards and vineyards have sheep to tidy them up. They pick off lower leaves as well as fallen leaves. This allows more air movement underneath, lessening the chance for diseases like scab and powdery mildew to develop. With apples, they eat the ground fall fruit. If not removed, ground fall apples help apple maggots complete their life cycle. The sheep are a non-chemical method of pest control.

 

Our "talking" Corgi is a constant source of amusement. If not for Poppy somedays, there wouldn't be a lot to smile about given some of the tech issues with the confuser and cell phone recently. Lately she's been chasing chipmunks, recent newcomers to our backyard. Even though they technically don't hibernate, it's unlikely they'll benefit from her giving them daily exercise this winter. Chipmunks undergo torpor, a period of time where their respiration, heart rate and body temperature fall. They awaken periodically to feed on the cache of food, primarily seeds and nuts, stashed in several locations for the winter. My guess is there is at least one holed up under the silver maple tree if Poppy's regular sniffing and pawing are any indication. Corgi's may fib a little, but their nose never lies.

 

See you next week. Real good then.