By Bill Anderson

The V formations of Canada geese beating their way north through gloomy skies and drizzly rain, coupled with the rush of water from melting snowdrifts, muddy roads and slush filled yards, portend impending Spring in Rutland and vicinity. The hardy Canada geese, among the first of the migratory waterfowl to move north each year, are already setting up housekeeping in their usual locations, while local soybean and corn growers are marking the sites in preparation for the annual anti-depredation campaign that will soon commence. The vanguard of the snow and blue goose migration is now in Nebraska and heading this way, a point of interest to those who wish to participate in the Spring Conservation Hunting Season now open on those wily birds. Sunshine and temperatures in the 40’s on Tuesday and Wednesday brought a lift to the spirits and put some spring into feet that have been slogging through the winter bearing the weight of 5-buckle overshoes for the past several months. Mother Nature even removed some snowbanks to expose some green grass in honor of St. Patrick’s day. The forecast is calling for a relapse into winter conditions for the weekend, but Winter’s icy grip has now been broken. This is not the end, but it most assuredly is the beginning of the end.

If you have been thinking that 2010 has had some dark and gloomy days so far, you have been right. The National Weather Service for North Dakota reported last week that there was fog and overcast conditions on 54 of the first 68 days in 2010. If the old-timers’ were right about getting rain 90 days after a fog, we are in for an abundance of precipitation during the months of April, May and June. Don’t put your overshoes away just yet.

Rural mail carrier Jim Lunneborg escaped serious injury from an exploding battery on his farm on Thursday evening, March 4. Jim had the battery charger hooked up to the battery on an old tractor that had not been started for a while and, when he hit the switch to crank the engine over, the lead-acid battery blew up. He had intended to move the tractor from the shed where it had been in winter storage to make more room for calving cows. The hard plastic of the exploded battery case shattered one lens in his eyeglasses and left him with several cuts on his face and forehead. Fortunately, there were no acid burns. The incident did keep Jim off the mail route for a couple of days, though, until repairs to his eyeglasses were completed. It is expected that there will be no permanent scars on Jim’s handsome visage. No report has been received on the condition of the tractor. Jim is a collector of vintage Allis-Chalmers tractors and equipment, and some of the local aficionados are concerned about possible damage to the tractor, too.

Continue reading “The Rooster Crows – March 19, 2010” →