Mrs. Cheviot saves Chester from Gunsmoke

The scurs and their Weather Eye started receiving hate mail once again as Old Man Winter asserted himself. Is he here to stay or do we get a brief respite in the weeks leading up to Christmas? Starting with Thursday, sunny with highs in the mid-teens and lows around 5. Mostly sunny on Friday with highs in the upper 20’s and lows in the upper teens. Mostly sunny on Saturday with highs in the low 40’s and lows in the upper 20’s. Sunday, mostly sunny with highs in the upper 40’s and lows in the upper 20’s. Cloudy Monday with highs in the upper 30’s and lows in the upper teens. Tuesday, cloudy with highs in the upper 20’s and lows in the low teens. Mostly cloudy with a fair chance of snow on Wednesday. Highs in the upper 20’s with lows in the upper teens. On December 8th, our loss of daylight slows to under one minute per day. We also see our last 9 hour day until January 3rd. The normal high for December 8th is 30 and the normal low is 15. With Thanksgiving being so late this year, the scurs will be shorter on time Christmas shopping procrastination time than usual.

 

Appears that fieldwork has officially come to an end aside from the odd cornfield occasionally spotted. Our weather last week was decidedly mid-January-like after Thanksgiving, with temperatures more normal for that calendar date. While it wasn’t perhaps what we like to see, it was certainly more in line with typical winter conditions than last year was. It turned on a dime as weather frequently does here. It was noted that some anhydrous tanks that were dropped in fields in anticipation were suddenly picked up and presumably hauled back to their prospective fertilizer plants still full. The lack of snow cover thus far may play in our favor at least temporarily. Noting some of the forecast above normal temperatures in the near term, one can surmise that was probably factored into those predictions. Lack of snow also allows some to get their manure packs cleaned yet in addition to finding places in sheds for equipment still needing a place to sleep for the winter.

 

It certainly allowed me to get some additional dogwood harvested as the sudden demand dictated. I was able to get down into the heart of the CREP acreage to find some of the nicest red osier dogwood of the season. If the snowfall continues to be light, it could extend that season as well. There are also numerous large white pine cones to be had, also prized by winter decorators. Speaking of decorations, as part of our Thanksgiving tradition, the pumpkins that adorned the ranch were plopped over the pasture fence for consumption by the resident ovines. They were no-shows on Thanksgiving Day as it was late afternoon before the pumpkins were picked up. The next morning, however, the sheep found them, providing some entertainment for drivers on their way to find Black Friday bargains. I wasn’t sure the sheep would chew their way through the frozen solid pumpkins, but they surprised me.

 

We also brought the group of sheep home from the kindly neighbors’ pasture on Sunday. They had a long stay, from June 9th until December 1st. A few days prior, we found a surprise lamb that would’ve resulted from a ewe being bred around July 6th. I’d noticed the ewe bagging during my nightly stop to do chores. The daily changes were negligible, however, making me think she’d wait until after we brought the whole group home to lamb. Wrong. Must’ve decided the weather change was her signal and she lambed on Black Friday. Was just glad the two of them loaded up so easily in the dark that night. Likewise once we got them home and put them in a small pen. Both mother and daughter are doing well so far, despite the colder temperatures. One always worries, but if the ewe has plenty of milk and the lamb is smart, Mother Nature has a way of taking care of things without any help. This one was no exception. Within 24 hours of being born, the new arrival was hopping and bouncing around the pen much to our delight.

 

Bringing the rest home on Sunday went relatively smoothly up until it came time to separate the ewes from the ram that was with them. We’d moved the ewes into the rear compartment on the trailer while I hung onto the ram. We closed the divider, leaving me in the front compartment with the ram until Mrs. Cheviot got the ewes out into the lot with the rest of the ewes. I let the ram go and was looking for the latch, so I could get out of the trailer. I’d turned my back for no more than a couple seconds when wham! The ram hit the back of my thigh with his head, mashing my kneecap into the compartment divider inside the trailer. The force of the blow knocked me down on my hands and knees. I was in immense pain, but looking at the ram backing up to take another run at me, it was only gonna get worse if I didn’t get up and out of there. Luckily about that time Mrs. Cheviot unlatched the gate and let me out. I could barely walk at first, but after a while, I could walk like Chester on Gunsmoke to finish up chores.

 

When I got in the house after chores, I assessed the damage. There was a cut on my kneecap needing to be cleaned up and the knee itself was very swollen. After a shower, it was time to ice the knee down, something the cold weather outside had done up to that point. As I warmed up inside, the pain became more intense, so the ice helped reduce the swelling. After some warm food and several sessions of ice, I was able to sleep. Had already been taking some analgesics for earlier soreness, so that probably didn’t hurt. Playing a waiting game to see how it comes around. As of this writing, the knee is very stiff and sore with a lot of bruising evident externally. Internally is the part that concerns me. Playing with pain is nothing new. It’s always been part of the game. When major joints no longer function properly, Houston, we have a problem.

 

Poppy got through another update on her shots at the vet. Not necessarily her favorite thing to do, although she’s getting better at it. The staff there always treats her like a little princess, so it makes the process a little easier every time. I even got to talk to Dr. Mike who has been dealing with our canines for a long, long time. Since we’re about the same age we can relate when it comes to some of the age appropriate things like Medicare. I know I’ll sure be glad when the sign up period is over, so we can stop hearing all the ads on TV. After we got done with the shots, nail trimming, payment, and chatting with Holly, we motored home. Poppy was back in her element and by evening, back to being a snuggle bug after chores. When watching TV and there’s a warm Corgi glued on your leg fast asleep, a nap becomes contagious.

 

See you next week…real good then.