Who Let the (Sun) Dogs Out?

 

Who let the "dogs" out?

 

As I turned onto the highway toward Stafford for my Recently Read Book group at the library last evening, the sunset colors had some competition. A vertical rainbow added some additional color to the evening sky. Of course, I had to pull over and take some photos. 

 

I had seen sundogs during a cold patch back in 2019, but those looked a little different. (I wrote about them at this link.)

 

So I wasn't positive that my singular "rainbow" was the same thing. But after some research today, I think it, too, was a sundog or sun pillar.

 

Here's what the AI Overview said:   

 

A vertical rainbow in winter is typically a sundog (parhelion) or a sun pillar, created when sunlight refracts or reflects off ice crystals in the cold air, often appearing as vertical, colorful streaks or bright spots on either side of the low sun. These phenomena occur when plate-shaped ice crystals align as they fall, acting like millions of tiny prisms. 

 

Key Details About Vertical Winter Rainbows:

• Cause: They are formed when sunlight passes through ice crystals in the atmosphere, often from high cirrus clouds or low-level lake effect snow. The ice crystals in the upper atmosphere act as prisms. 
• Appearance:
  They can appear as colored, vertical pillars of light (sun pillars) or bright, rainbow-colored spots (sundogs/parhelia)
  .
Timing: These are most common during sunrise or sunset when the sun is low on the horizon.
Terminology: They are sometimes referred to as "mock suns," "phantom suns," or colloquially as a "snowbow". 

These optical phenomena are not actually rainbows, which require liquid water drops, but rather a form of atmospheric ice halo.

Some interpretations view a winter rainbow as a symbol of the loyalty of friends and family ... or so says one source.

OK ... that's a nice thought.

Writing for the Old Farmer's Almanac, James Garriss said this: 

In medieval times, the three bright lights were sometimes interpreted as the sign of the trinity, a sign of great fortune. Nowadays, they are a sign that you were lucky to be looking at the sky at just the right time.  

I like being at the right place at the right time. And then I got to hear about some favorite reads at my local library? That's a pretty great evening in my "book." (A little library humor for you!)

 

Cold "Snaps:" Wordless Wednesday

We've been having a cold snap for weeks, so on this Wordless Wednesday, I thought I'd share my own cold "snaps" - aka cold snapshots.

Today, flurries are on the meteorologist's weather map, but, later this week, we may have temperatures in the 50s. It will seem like a heat wave.

The ice on Peace Creek will be only a memory after the warm up. We'd better enjoy it while it lasts. I'm guessing this is only a brief reprieve from Old Man Winter.

Cold With a Chance of Babies

The County Line is proud to announce its first baby of 2014. 

The bouncing baby girl arrived January 22, 
weighing in at about 75 pounds,
ahead of its projected January 28 due date.

Baby is the spitting image of its mother.

Both mama and baby are doing fine.

Wouldn't you know that calving would begin as winter returns with a vengeance? With a temperature of 0 and wind gusts up to 36 mph, wind chill values could fall to -10 to -15 across central Kansas, according to the National Weather Service. Randy loaded new batteries into his high-powered flashlight yesterday, so he was ready for his late night and early morning checks of our maternity ward. (As of 6 this morning, no more new babies.)

The first baby of 2014 arrived from a heifer, a first-time mama. It got a 400 tag number, with the "4" signifying its birth year. The next one born will get the 401 tag, and so on. We have 23 heifers to calve this year. Last year, Randy opted not to calve out heifers. Because of the drought, he sold cattle early. Plus, with his back surgery in November 2012, he knew he couldn't help Jake with pulling any calves when a mother had a difficult delivery. 

Our 87 cows should start calving around February 10.

Last evening, the little calf bawled for its mama. 

Two heifers came running to little 400's call. It reminded me of the children's book, Are You My Mother?

But only one was able to provide the "chuckwagon" the little calf wanted. (There might be just a little family resemblance, too.)

One down, 109 to go! Here's hoping that some will opt for temperatures in the 50s this weekend instead of the bitter cold of today.

Breaking the Ice

In awkward social settings, it's often left to some brave soul to be the one who breaks the ice.  Back when I was a middle school Stuco sponsor, I was always thankful for those one or two brave preteen boys who were the first to venture from the self-segregated boys' side of the room to the corner filled with the giggling girls. That's when the dance officially got started. (I also said it was a successful dance if no girls ended up crying in the bathroom by the end of the night. But that's a different story.)

We've needed an ice breaker around here the last few days, even without a middle school dance. A whirlpool of frigid, dense air known as a "polar vortex" descended Monday into much of the U.S., pummeling parts of the country with a dangerous cold that broke decades-old records with wind chill warnings stretching from Montana to Alabama. While we didn't break any records here, we did have -8 degrees Monday morning. That had me thinking, "Ice, ice, baby!" even if I don't remember any other words (or the tune, for that matter).

On these cold days, Randy literally broke the ice, swinging a mallet to break the surface on the cattle's water tanks. I think the cattle were as glad to see him as those middle school girls were to have those brave boys "break the ice."

When we arrived at the barn, the cattle were all standing around the water tank like those middle school girls. But, when we got out of the pickup, they scattered to the feed bunks in the adjoining lot. It didn't take long for a curious - and thirsty - cow to look longingly back at the water tank ...

... and come back for a long swig of water from the now-available water.

Breaking the ice is just one task that has to happen to care for cattle during inclement weather. The guys spread some hay around the feed bunks to give the cattle a dry place to lay down. During the winter, we try to have cattle in pastures and other locations with a north windbreak (like that pictured below). It gives them a little protection when the north wind is howling.

Randy & Jake also make sure the cattle have plenty of feed before snow or subzero temperatures hit.

If you look closely, you can see the cow's breath in the cold air.

I know people were digging in the closet for their warmest coats and long underwear. It's good the cattle have already "put on" their winter coats.We are thankful that we weren't calving during these past few days. We'll put in our "order" for a little warmer weather as we move toward the end of January and the first of February - the time when our bovine maternity ward is expected to have a pick up in business.