The scurs are puzzling over the Weather Eye’s late summer heatwave. Will the Weather Eye’s antics be short-lived or are they the tip of the iceberg? Starting Thursday, mostly sunny with a slight chance of evening rain. Highs in the mid-90’s with lows in the mid-60’s. Mostly sunny Friday with highs in the mid-80’s and lows in the upper 50’s. Mostly sunny on Saturday with highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the mid-50’s. Sunday, cloudy with a good chance of rain. Highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the upper 50’s. Sunny on Monday with highs in the low 80’s and lows in the upper 50’s. Tuesday, partly sunny with highs in the low 80’s and lows in the mid-50’s. Sunny on Wednesday with highs in the low 80’s and lows in the mid-50’s. On August 26th, the sun will rise at 6:30 a.m. CDT and set at 8 p.m. We also slide below 13 hours and 30 minutes of daylight. A second Full Moon for the month of August will be upon us Wednesday. The normal high for August 26th is 78 and the normal low is 58. The scurs are betting the Weather Eye will straighten out and fly right with threat from the three lb. hammer.
A Blue Moon occurs Aug. 30th. From the Space website, a Blue Moon occurs approximately every 2 ½ years. It connotes the third full moon in a season with four full moons or the second full moon in a single month. A season is defined as the period between solstices and equinoxes, for example the time between June 21st and September 23rd. This makes the second full moon in August a calendrical and not a seasonal blue moon. This is also categorized as a supermoon as it is as close to Earth as the moon can get, making it larger and brighter than normal. It will also cross paths closely with Saturn, so a lot of heavenly activity for late August.
With tremendous promise after the mid-August rains, the later August heat likely won’t do the corn or soybean crop any favors. Corn appeared poised to be able to keep most of the tip kernels given normal temperatures and rainfall. Ditto with the upper pods set after the recent impressive growth spurt on the soybeans. Our subsoil moisture is likely tapped for the season, so relying on late season rains is where we’re at. With heat reaching near 100, aborting more tip kernels on corn and upper pods on soybeans is almost a given. The best we can hope for is that it’s a short-term heatwave and for once, that maybe the forecasters are wrong.
Gardening has meant more bean harvesting and freezing. The heat pushed them pretty hard, with the Tendergreen variety producing more flat pods that tend to be tough and woody. The Blue Lake variety we have seems to maintain its integrity and flavor through the hot spells. We’ve had plenty of good beans and with any luck, should have enough put away after this week to last the winter. We still had a couple bags left from last year. They’re still very tasty, so will use those up first before they change their mind. The one weed on everyone’s lips this summer has been purslane. When conditions were dry, it seemed like I could stay ahead of it with the hoe, leaving it on the soil surface to dry up. Once the rains started, that’s no longer an option. It almost has to go over the fence to the sheep or get tossed in the lawn where the lawnmower grinds it up.
This version of Fencelines is coming to you on the road once again. It’s Crop Tour time and gearing up for the 2023 version. The trip out has been one that appears much the same as the previous 19. If there’s one lesson I’ve learned, it’s not to judge a book by its cover. There has been some extremely good-looking crop from the road and there’s also been some that look rather ugly. Most of the very ugly crop is from dryland areas near obviously irrigated fields. However, the only way to tell how good it really is, is to get out into it and examine the plants up close and personal. Aerial and satellite views can only measure so much. Of course the only measurement that matters is the one once it’s combined and in the bin.
Easy to miss Poppy with a road trip like this one. With no dog to look forward to last year upon our return, it’s easy to see why. Both Mrs. Cheviot and I will be gone from the ranch periodically over the next week. The interactions with people for a young animal such as this one are crucial. Fortunately, we’ll have kind friends and neighbors doing chores and caring for the little Corgi. Even though she can be more than a handful at times, it’s still nice to know she’s being well cared for. Even nicer will be to see that happy little face when we’re home again.
See you next week…real good then.