Winters doorstep

The scurs and Weather Eye kept the weekend tolerable, but nothing like the weekend prior. Do we bid adieu to November on a positive note or are we in for a rude awakening? Starting with Thanksgiving Day, partly sunny with highs in the mid-20’s and lows around 10. Mostly sunny on Friday with highs in the upper teens and lows in the upper single digits. Partly sunny on Saturday with a slight chance of snow showers. Highs in the upper teens and lows in the mid-single digits. Sunday, December 1st, partly sunny with highs in the mid-teens and lows in the lower single digits. Mostly cloudy Monday with highs in the mid-teens and lows in the middle single digits. Tuesday, mostly sunny with highs in the low 20’s and lows around 10. Mostly cloudy on Wednesday with highs in the mid-20’s and lows in the low teens. The normal high for December 1st is 33 and the normal low is 18. It is definitely time for the scurs to locate their long winter gatkes.

 

After last week’s nuisance snow, it appears we may get the frozen soil surface some have been clamoring for to finish fall tillage or make that last anhydrous ammonia application. Several who tried fieldwork last week were disappointed once the ground began to thaw out after temporarily freezing up. Temperatures warming overnight turned the surface soil to absolute snot and traction was lost. Not only that, mud could be tracked all over, something no one would’ve guessed a month ago. At the ranch, as with several other operations, frozen ground to spread manure on is preferable for that reason. Lack of snow is another positive as no one enjoys battling snow in addition to the task at hand. At least the Ten Man Dryer has ceased its mighty roar.

 

Are my computer woes over? Well, it appears so for the time being. My computer guru received the new keyboard for the laptop and installed it last Wednesday. I got it back last Thursday. It felt good to switch back to a keyboard rather than diddling around with my sausage fingers trying to type things on a cell phone. I was shocked to learn that the old keyboard wasn’t full of Corgi hair as I suspected. Through the weekend, I put the laptop through its paces, followed by more text than normal due to an early column deadline. So far so good. No extra characters, no having to mash keys numerous times to get characters to register and no using the caps lock key to attempt to counter its hissy fits. No issues other than my spelling and typing are still atrocious. Can’t blame that on the confuser. It’s my own damn fault.

 

Also on the slate for replacement are the rear rims and tires on the 656. The years of calcium chloride in the tires finally caught up with them, leaving the rims rusted and potentially hazardous if traveling down the road. Talking to my tire specialist, he recommended the rear tires be replaced as well. The tread wasn’t that worn perhaps, but there was a lot of weather checking and they may not come off the rims easily when they’re that rusty. Since the fluid provided ballast for plowing and other field operations, I’d purchased enough cast iron wheel weights to make up the difference a few years back when this day came. It takes a while to pump the fluid out of the tubes, so putting on the weights will happen later. Not to worry. No plowing planned anytime soon. The main thing is getting the barns cleaned and being ready for that evil four-letter word starting with “S.”

 

We continue watching the seasons change at the ranch, watching migrating birds as they pass through. Don’t think I’ve ever seen as many robins as this fall. They’ve been attracted to the nannyberries and crabapples, but their favorite attraction was the birdbath. At times there would be a half dozen drinking from the water until one of them decided it was time to take a bath. A wide assortment used it over the course of the fall as dry as it was. My favorites were two birds that showed up on the 14th. No other birds were around, and I thought I’d heard a familiar song.  When I got the binoculars out, I’d heard correctly. There were two bluebirds perched on the edge of the birdbath, quite content. They were so pretty, even as cloudy as it was. The only thing that would’ve made them prettier was sunshine, a rare commodity most Novembers.

 

Tried to make the most of the past weekend as it appeared winter was on the doorstep. On Saturday, the bunny guards were the first order of business. After last week’s snow, it was alarming to see how many of their tracks there were. Equally alarming were the number of lower branches on the burning bush they had already trimmed off of them. After getting the Thanksgiving Day table fare purchased, I opted to meet a request for red osier dogwood from our property. I’d pruned some back intentionally last year and was pleasantly rewarded with lots of long, straight twigs, prized by those decorating for winter. I’d tried to make sure I’d get as much of the brightest red dogwood, and in my small sample, I found plenty. Can’t wait to get down into some of the low ground where I recall doing most of the pruning where the brightest red dogwood was found. Staying warm from here on out will be the key.

 

After a wet summer the algae had returned with a vengeance on the north side of the house. It looked green from the road, so, with the temps staying above freezing, Sunday was the last chance to scrub it. One can buy commercial cleaners that are supposed to work, although they’ll still likely require scrubbing. I use a bleach solution that’s inexpensive and effective. The siding stays clean for a couple years afterwards, until we’re faced with building another ark. Three plus hours later, the siding looked almost like new again. Afterwards, there was time to pick the remaining apples. I’d cleaned up the ground falls the week before, much to the sheeps’ delight. There were still quite a few in the Haralson and Honeycrisp trees yet. I was surprised at how many maintained their integrity. I’d kept quite a few ground fall Sno Sweet apples the week before and salvaged enough of the others, so we could make pies and apple crisp, plus have plenty for eating yet. Lots of cripples too for the sheep, so not to worry.

 

Thanksgiving means it’s a good day to be a dog at the ranch and Poppy is no exception. Usually the giblets are reserved for dogs that have been good over the course of the year. Just the aromas of all the food being prepared is enough to send a canine into sensory overload. Poppy will get her updated shots and another pedicure after this goes to print. She’s a handful when it comes to getting her toenails trimmed. One would think given the amount of ball, cat and squirrel chasing she does they’d get worn down more quickly. Alas, all the napping in the dog hole on the couch must take its toll.. My toenails would probably grow fast too if that was the case. Just might happen after Thanksgiving dinner.

See you next week…real good then.