The Weather Eye was tracking right again as the scurs delivered more harvest weather. Do we make it through before more rain slows us again, or will it be snow this time? Starting Thursday, a good chance of rain. Highs in the upper 50’s with lows in the low 40’s. Mostly cloudy Friday with a slight chance of lingering forenoon showers. Highs in the upper 40’s with lows in the upper 20’s. Mostly cloudy on Saturday with a fair chance of a rain/snow mix. Highs in the upper 30’s and lows in the upper 20’s. Sunday, partly sunny with a good chance of a rain/snow mix in the forenoon. Highs in the upper 30’s with lows in the low 20’s. Mostly cloudy on Monday with highs in the mid-30’s and lows in the low 20’s. Halloween Tuesday, mostly cloudy with highs in the low 30’s with lows in the low 20’s. Mostly sunny on Wednesday with highs in the mid-30’s and lows in the low 20’s. The normal high for Halloween is 50 and the normal low is 31. The scurs emptied their Halloween contractor-sized trick-or-treat bag. Bigger is definitely better once you got past people’s recycling.
The Full Moon for the month falls on October 28th and is known as the Full Hunter’s Moon. Some years the October Full Moon is the Full Harvest Moon as it’s the Full Moon closest to the autumnal equinox. Not this time. It’s known as the Hunter’s Moon as this was the time when the pioneers and native Americans alike were busy stocking their larders and pantries with wild game fattened up to go through winter. The Ojibwe knew this as the Falling Leaves Moon or the Freezing Moon. The Sioux called it the Moon of Drying Rice or the Moon of Falling Leaves. At the ranch we refer to it as the Freezing Water Pail Moon or the Moon of Frozen Corgi Poop.
More harvest progress as many crossed the finish line beginning their fall tillage and fertilizer applications. Even with recent rains, soils seem to be working up nicely. Anhydrous is sealing well with soil temps cooling down more as we head into the upcoming week. There is the promise of more significant rainfall on tap, something we haven’t seen much of the past several fall seasons. It would be nice to go into winter and spring with a soil profile containing substantial amounts of moisture, rather than wondering where it will come from. The only issue may be Old Man Winter firing a warning shot over the weekend. Yep, that swear word starting with “S” is back in the forecasts already without much promise of significantly warmer temps. Most aren’t ready for it and, aside from some snowbirds, few are truly ready for it in late October.
Since last Thursday, I’ve been in Canada for an attitude adjustment. At the camp near Flanders, we’ve been cutting and splitting wood as well as cleaning up, so everything will be ready for the first campers of the season next spring. Leaf drop is nearing completion with some scattered pockets of color remaining. The tamaracks are edging closer to dropping their yellow needles. They’re pretty, but are at their very best when the sun peeks through the clouds, placing them in the spotlight. Mother Nature was a little stingy with the sunshine this trip, yet generous with the rain as is sometimes the case this time of year. Just as with our farming area in southern MN, however, rain is welcomed by most. Lake levels are lower than in several years, so adding to the lakes and groundwater is usually a good thing.
Looking at the upcoming forecast, once I touch down at home, it’ll be full bore towards prepping for winter. Lots of projects to complete before facing the glacier once again. Oil to change on the tractor and skidsteer on a warmer afternoon. Scraping up the screenings that accumulated and changing over to barn cleaning mode once crop is off around the building site. That doesn’t usually take long given the size of today’s equipment, and is usually long gone before I get at it. Hoping there’ll be time and suitable conditions to grind up all the leaves and do some strategic tree pruning. Never fails, about the time I think I’ve got all the face slappers and headphone grabbers under control, a new batch shows up. Mowing lawn is enough fun without that.
The weekend in Canada by the lake was interrupted from time to time by lots of dog barking. Sunday afternoon when everyone left for home, they took their dogs with them. It was almost eerily quiet. While I’m not necessarily fond of barking dogs, I couldn’t help but think about Poppy and wonder what she was up to. Like most Corgis, she’s capable of doing her share of barking. She’s getting better about it as long as there aren’t a lot of changes made to her yard since the last time she looked. That may be tough for a while with our upcoming fall season preparations in anticipation of our least favorite season. No matter. Poppy should be ready for winter. Her coat was already getting pretty thick and shiny before I left. I’d expect it to be even denser upon my return. The best thing about that is her shedding has slowed to a minimum and that’s makes everyone happy. If forecasts are right, she’ll need every hair she can get for a while.
See you next week…real good then.