The scurs and the Weather Eye were back on people’s Christmas card lists again after bringing the high heat. Will the supply continue or will there be an adjustment? Starting Wednesday, cloudy with a good chance of rain. Highs in the mid-70’s with lows in the mid-60’s. Thursday, partly sunny with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid-80’s with lows in the mid-60’s. Partly sunny becoming mostly cloudy on Friday with a modest chance of rain. Highs in the mid-80’s with lows in the mid-60’s. Saturday, mostly sunny with highs in the low 80’s and lows in the low 60’s. Sunny for Sunday with highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the upper 50’s. Monday, Memorial Day, mostly sunny with highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the low 60’s. Partly sunny Tuesday with possible showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid-80’s with lows in the low 60’s. On the 29th we’ll see the next full moon. The normal high for May 29th is 74 and the normal low is 53. The scurs will be honoring those who have fallen protecting our freedom and way of life.
The Full Moon on the 29th goes by the Full Strawberry Moon and rightfully so. This popular delicacy is at its prime during the month of June here in MN and most of us look forward to it. Whether they’re served plain, with shortcake, angel food, with whipped cream or ice cream it doesn’t seem like one can get enough of them. Not so surprisingly, the Ojibwe and the Sioux both agreed that this month’s moon would be called the Strawberry Moon. At the ranch it is known as the Moon of much Bellering as the lambs are to finally be separated from the ewes. Almost as much fun for the neighborhood as a loud rock and roll concert.
Progress in the fields was finally made at a fairly brisk pace. Showers subsided and temperatures rose to aid in the rapid drying of area fields. This was not without its problems however as corn that was planted from May 6th – 8th developed a crust and in some fields necessitated the use of the rotary hoe. Not unprecedented although sometimes the time, machine and labor were in scarce supply as farmers drove hard for the finish line. Given warmer temperatures, after soybean planting is over there will likely be little time until spraying for weeds is upon us.
At the ranch the yard has come to life in major fashion. All the apples and crabapples were suddenly in bloom as were the lilacs. It’s a pretty time of the year around the countryside for that matter as there are flowering trees across much of the landscape. Unfortunately it doesn’t last long enough, usually only until the wind blows which it does with great frequency. Mrs. Cheviot got most of her pots and planters put together over the weekend so with a little luck and a bunch of watering, it will keep the bees, butterflies and hummingbirds occupied.
About the only berry bush in the yard left to bloom are the nannyberries. They produced well last year and there was even some fruit left when the robins were desperate for food this spring. They also provide an excellent spot for the cardinals, catbirds, orioles, wrens and the brown thrasher to conceal themselves. Looking around the yard somedays it’s not easy to find the source of the bird song. More often than not though it’s emanating from the nannyberry bushes.
The lawn grew at breakneck speed last week making it necessary to mow it for the 2nd time. It’s nice to get the ditch done the 2nd time as the grass grows rapidly in the bottom, leaving a lot of dry stuff to grind up during the next mowing. If you can get on top of it and mow when it isn’t two feet tall, it goes a lot faster too. Luckily the cooler temperatures since last weekend have slowed the grass growth somewhat.
Gardening has been back burnered for the time being. The main garden has largely been too wet and the time to make any move towards getting at the rest has been at a premium. Or it’s raining. It won’t take long once it breaks but getting it to break has been the issue. In the meantime, rhubarb has been supplying several people with its tart stems for pie and sauce making. The lilies of the valley have even been contributing. After the recent royal wedding, they’ve been in demand for some of the floral arrangements and bouquets.
Around greater Bugtussle our traffic woes continue. I had to laugh recently when reading my hometown Spring Valley newspaper as the editor extolled the virtues of all the concrete roads in Waseca Co. He was convinced this was a great deal for Fillmore Co. Obviously he hasn’t been to Bugtussle to witness our most recent outbreak in an unending string of road construction. Barricades appear, numerous hunks of concrete are cut out and replaced. It’s been rinse and repeat every year since the road was redone a few years back. Coupled with construction on MN Hwy 13, finding new routes in and out of town on a daily basis makes me feel like I’m in a spy movie. When driving through the construction zones, I recall a comment attributed to astronaut Alan Shepard who said, “Just think, the contract on this thing went to the lowest bidder.”
See you next week…real good then.