After the Weather Eye’s forecast last week, the scurs were glad to see the transport of mosquito repellent arrive right on schedule. Will this week add fuel to the fire or are we destined to dry out a tad? Starting Wednesday, sunny with highs in the low 70’s and lows in the mid-50’s. Partly sunny Thursday with a good chance of rain into the overnight. Highs in the mid-70’s with lows in the low 50’s. Partly sunny on Friday with a fair chance of forenoon showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid-60’s with lows in the upper 40’s. Saturday, mostly sunny with a slight chance of rain. Highs in the upper 60’s with lows in the low 50’s. Sunny on Sunday with highs in the low 70’s and lows in the low 50’s. Monday, mostly sunny with a fair chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid-70’s with lows in the low 60’s. Partly sunny on Tuesday with highs in the low 80’s and lows in the low 60’s. On May 23rd, we reach 15 hours of daylight. The normal high for May 23rd is 71 and the normal low is 51. The scurs will be ready to relax by a recreational evening fire. As soon as they can find some dry wood perhaps.

While rainfall was welcome up to a point, this was a little over the top for most. May rainfall totals suddenly jumped to over 12” in places, with amounts locally of up to 9” total being commonplace. In Bugtussle, 8.87” for the month and 5.75” at the ranch. Even though it’s somewhat drier, it’s still plenty wet regardless. With corn planting being 90 – 95% complete, many had set their sights on getting the soybeans done with the same efficiency as they did the corn. With measurable precipitation being recorded on 9 out of 10 days starting May 6th, it was not to be. The worst thing now is waiting for the ponded water to go down and the fields to dry up to the point where replanting can take place. Then the problem becomes where does one start and stop? While it’s a rule of thumb that crop that’s been under water for more than four days is likely dead, that isn’t always the case, especially when the crops are seedling stage. As several of my profs and mentors taught me over the years, there is more gray than black and white. 

At the ranch it made a mess for chores. The lot where we feed the ewes and lambs became an absolute quagmire. The early winter came back to haunt once again as the pack of waste hay was frozen to the point where putting big hunks in the spreader would’ve most likely meant shearing pins. With a spreader that size, it usually means removing the frozen hunks with a pitchfork or other means before replacing the shear pins in the freezing cold. Otherwise you’ll continue shearing and replacing pins. The area became a giant sponge with the recent rains although when walking across it, there was a bottom. The sheep were anything but white after traipsing around in the slop and it wasn’t easy to stay clean doing chores either. Step wrong and manure squirted all over your pantleg. At least it’s organic.

It finally stopped raining, so it gave me time to play catch up late afternoon Monday. The bottoms and lures in the moth traps maintained for the Boy Entomologist were changed. I then discovered the electric fence wasn’t charging. When I went to unplug the fencer, the red light was on. One of the recent stormy mornings had brought with it some intense lightning and thunder. The hair-like filament in one of the one-amp fuses was nonexistent so pretty good idea what to do. Once replaced it worked as it should. Time for the lawnmower to be addressed. It was buried behind the generator. Typical as a generator is more likely to come in handy in an ice storm than a lawnmower. Then put another round bale in the lot and move the feeder again. The lot was a mucky mess that needed attention too. It took some time, but it was markedly improved when finished. I took the mulching insert off the mower and decided since I’d gone to all the work of getting it out, I’d mow some lawn. It went quickly and before I knew it, it was well after 8 p.m. Another of what promises to be many 12+ hour days.

More new arrivals in the bird department at the ranch including orchard orioles and an indigo bunting. Usually the buntings don’t stick around while the orchard orioles set up shop for the summer. They enjoy the grape jelly as much as their Baltimore counterparts. As others have reported, the Baltimore orioles have been numerous and extremely active. At the ranch I’ve counted as many as eight of them creating an orange blur as they hop from feeder to tree and back to the feeder. They’ve been vocal too. When their jelly runs out and the orange halves are gone, you hear about it in the house. It’s not like they don’t have anything else to eat as they’re also supplied with a nectar feeder. They’ll use that as a last resort, but they’d much rather have the other goodies instead. 

Poppy soaks up as much as her puppy mind allows with the spring season unfolding. Lots of new scents, birds, and insects to chase, along with plenty of green grass to run and play in. Can definitely tell when it’s time to mow as the grass gets up to her little Corgi tummy rather quickly. Being a longtime dog owner, the spring season has me on the lookout for toads, frogs, and snakes as I mow. I purposely try to avoid hitting these small creatures. If not for their feeding on insects, mollusks, and rodents, we’d be up to our armpits in pestilence of all kinds. Sometimes, you can’t avoid running the good guys over. Once you discover you have, it’s best to clean up the mess. Otherwise, one of several things can happen: The dog can ingest them which usually leads to the dog expelling the pieces on the floor inside. Or, after a few days when the remains of the amphibian or reptile are nice and ripe, the dog will roll in them and eat them. Double your pleasure, double your fun.

See you next week…real good then.