The scurs and the Weather Eye continue to be tracking closely on their forecasts, even if people don’t like what they have to say. Will the fan mail continue or will the haters take over? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with highs in the mid-30’s and lows in the lower single digits above zero. Thursday, mostly sunny and cold with highs in the mid-single digits above zero and lows in the mid-single digits below zero. Partly sunny on Ground Hog’s Day with highs in the mid-teens and lows in the mid-single digits. Saturday, cloudy with a good chance of daytime snow. Highs in the low teens with lows near 5 below. Mostly sunny for Super Bowl Sunday and colder with highs near 5 above and lows in the low single digits below zero. Monday, mostly sunny and warmer with highs in the mid-teens and lows around 5 above. Mostly sunny Tuesday with highs in the low 20’s and lows in the upper single digits. On February 1st, we will have gained one full hour of daylight since the winter solstice on December 21st. On Ground Hog’s Day, the sun will rise at 7:30. On the 4th, we will see 10 full hours of daylight for the first time since last November 6th. February 5th the sun will set at 5:30 p.m. so we’re making progress. The normal high for February 5th is 25 and the normal low is 6. The scurs are tuckered after compiling all that astronomical and climatological trivia. Nap time.
Last week’s storm was in progress as I was writing the column so I didn’t include any storm totals. All told, Bugtussle (New Richland) probably received somewhere in excess of 13” of snow. I measured 13.4” at the ranch. The snow was wet, containing roughly 1.4” of moisture including the rain ahead of it and was difficult to deal with. It took most of the forenoon on the 23rd to get the yard cleaned out enough so it would pass muster. Actually our yard was a lot better than the roads. The high water content of the snow caused it to pack onto roadways and made removing it a challenge. Lots of salt was applied and within a few days given the warm temperatures and repeated blading the roads were clear again. That has been a signature of recent winters that makes them different than those I remember as a kid. A storm like this one was routinely followed by temperatures falling well below zero with winds howling out of the northwest. Think I’ll take winters such as this one.
The melting snow did leave behind plenty of ice underneath. Late Friday afternoon I decided it presented a good opportunity to scrape the slush down on the driveway as well as expending the area cleared to allow easier access for the sheep shearer. It found me scrambling to find my grit container Saturday morning. Places that had been like a slurpee were suddenly like a hockey rink. The light snow that snuck in Saturday night covered the slick spots and made it even more treacherous to walk across. Time to remember how to shuffle and remind yourself not to be in a major hurry.
Shearing was accomplished Saturday with a minimum of effort on our part. The local shearer and catcher did most of the work while we just made sure the wool got cleared away as the next contestant was positioned on the shearing board. Many years it’s been much colder than this year’s edition so we felt fortunate. Shearing this time of year though has been a family tradition. My earliest memories are of getting knocked on my rear by a ewe in the barn at Pleasant Grove when I was 4 or 5. They look a lot less formidable once the wool comes off. I became more involved once we moved to Spring Valley where my first real duties were running the wool box and making little bales out of the fleeces, tied up with paper twine. That’s all changed. Now the fleeces are just packed in a large burlap sack using a hydraulic packer.
One thing that hasn’t changed about shearing day is heading to the warm house after completing the process to a hot meal. One usually works up an appetite and the smell of food makes one even hungrier. It allows some time to unwind and visit while exchanging sheep producer news. There aren’t many of us left so that doesn’t take long. As we were finishing lunch the shearer spotted three rooster pheasants warily making their way through our backyard. I think it made the day to see them after seeing very few prior to that.
I still hear some question the rationale behind shearing at this time of year. Yes, it’s cold although it’s a necessary evil especially when lambing looms on the horizon. Keeping the ewes in good condition helps and after a few weeks they have enough wool regrowth that they stay plenty warm. Once the ewes are shorn, it makes a tremendous difference in how warm and dry the barn stays along with convincing the ewe that having lambs inside is preferable to dumping them out in a snowbank. Plus it makes it much easier for the little tykes to find the food court without hunting for it through a blanket of wool.
How close was shearing to lambing this time? After shearing Saturday there was a set of triplets on the ground Sunday morning. Another ewe lambed Monday morning followed by another ewe Monday night. Oddly enough, the ewes really didn’t look as close as they have some years when we sheared. They come when they come. Some things never change.
See you next week…real good then.