The scurs and Weather Eye are in line for major Christmas presents after another week of little snow and warmer weather. Will we see a white Christmas or will it be a brownout? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of snow. Highs in the mid-20’s and lows in the low single digits. Christmas Eve, mostly sunny with highs in the low teens and lows in the upper single digits. Mostly sunny Christmas Day with highs in the low 20’s and lows in the lower teens. Saturday, mostly sunny with highs in the upper 20’s and lows in the low 20’s. Mostly sunny on Sunday with highs in the upper 20’s and lows in the mid-teens. Monday, mostly cloudy with a modest chance of snow showers. Highs in the mid-20’s with lows in the mid-teens. Mostly cloudy for Tuesday with a modest chance of snow. Highs in the upper 20’s and lows in the upper teens. The normal high for Christmas Day is 24 and the normal low is 6. Since we won’t be in print until after the New Year, a sneak peek ahead looks like partly sunny with a high in the low 30’s and lows in the mid-teens. The scurs have once again resorted to the ultimate Christmas present: a donation to the Human Fund, money for people. Not as good as the Jelly of the Month Club perhaps, but close.
The Full Moon occurs on December 29th and goes by the Full Cold Moon or sometimes known as the Long Night’s Moon or The Moon before the Yule. Indeed it is The Cold Moon as it typically includes the time of year when cold sets in for good until after the middle of January. The evenings are indeed at their longest as well, with the sun rising at its latest time all year. The Ojibwe called this The Small Spirits Moon and the Sioux knew it as the Moon when Deer shed their Antlers. At the ranch we know it as The Hope Lambs are born Inside Moon.
Farming in the fields has slowed to a crawl, although, on a recent trip to Spring Valley, there were still a couple fields of corn left to be harvested on the outskirts of town. Still a wafting of manure odor occasionally, but even that hasn’t been with the frequency it was earlier in December. Of course, if you have livestock, farming is an everyday event, not just seasonally. Much of that too, unless you’re birthing animals is easier than it once was. Many don’t calve during the coldest months anymore and most of the swine operations farrow inside in nice warm conditions. Not that it’s a bowl of cherries, but compared to what was going on 60 – 70 years ago, it’s a walk in the park weather-wise.
At the ranch we put our first round bales in the ewes’ lot on December 15th. Up until then the pasture had been sustaining them adequately. They still venture forth and wander around the pasture after getting bored with eating hay mid to late morning. They’re certainly looking like they’re all bred and anybody’s guess as to when the lambs will arrive. With all their wool still on, it’s hard to tell, especially when doing chores in the dark. We got rid of the last of the spring’s buck lambs. The bottle lamb called Lynch had become pretty mean, not uncommon for buck lambs, especially when they get 8 – 9 months old. We ran the risk of getting broken arms when he’d whack us while hanging feed pans or lifting 5 gallon water buckets over the panels. The lamb born December 4th continues to grow and allows the 4-H kids someone to play with. He’s got it made with a mother who dotes on his every move and feeds him more than well. Nothing wrong with that.
Work at the home farm with the pending sale continues to consume much of the weekends. A lot of hauling stuff to a roll off this past one, which meant hauling things down the attic stairs, down the upstairs steps, then out the door and over the railing. Some of the large carpets we hauled must’ve been up there since we moved there in 1964. Some of them likely came from a house in town my Dad had purchased and remodeled. Some of them were on the floor in the house. It is amazing all the things that can accumulate over 56 years’ time, especially when time is running short to get it cleaned out. My aching body let me know about it Monday morning.
With the extended stay away from home, Ruby lets me know she missed me upon my return. It’s lucky the neighbors can’t hear it as her carrying on is almost embarrassing. The yelping and whining almost sounds as though she’s being beaten and she keeps it up for several minutes at a time. When she settles down it’s time to get her ball out and annoy us for the rest of the evening. That’s OK. She really misses us and we miss her and her antics when we’re gone. She’ll get extra treats and attention over the holidays. While not a brilliant conversationalist, she’s very non-judgmental. Now if Ruby would just learn how to drive tractor and run the skidsteer, she could finish cleaning the barns. Another Festivus miracle!
Short notice on the column deadline this time around, so perhaps a little shorter on content than some editions. Thanks for reading it for another year. It sometimes surprises me how many people actually follow my weekly ramblings and let me know about it. It’s always gratifying to know that my efforts have some value, if only to raise a smile or a remembrance of the good old days. We’ll get through this COVID thing and these will someday be the good old days, at least to someone. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
See you next week…real good then.