Astronomy

Night Sky Tonight

Venus can be found in the early morning sky climbing higher as the days go on. The planet is now in the constellation of Taurus the Bull near the star cluster: Hyades in the night sky tonight.

Jupiter rises around an hour after sunset becoming the most conspicuous object in the evening sky. If you have a telescope, you can watch the four moons of Jupiter with their shadows dancing around the clouds on Jupiter. You can download an almanac of the moons and their times going around Jupiter.

Saturn rises after Jupiter making the duo a conspicuous sight in the night sky. As we pass on the inside of Saturn, it will begin its move to the west. Maybe that is why the ancients thought the planets were gods.

Mars with its reddish hue rising after Jupiter and Saturn around midnight and getting brighter.

The familiar three stars that make the summer triangle show up now. Vega the brightest of the three followed by Deneb and Aquila. This asterism begins to rise from the east horizon gaining height each night.

Look to the north as you find the prominent Big Dipper sliding down in the Northwest like it is spilling its contents. Take the two stars marking the outer part of the bowl and draw a line till you see a star to the north. This is the North Star ((Polaris).

Real Estate (Farm & Ranch Land)

Kitchen Efficiency

There are cost-effective ideas for changing your kitchen efficiency. Start with an area like a cabinet containing bulky appliances like a coffee maker adding different types of coffees making it a coffee bar or the same with a baking/mixing station.

Built-in coffee bar.

Not enough counter space? By adding a small table with rollers and break down sides. Add a couple of chairs and you have a small kitchen eating area. It will serve as a prep table and family meals. Also, place in the wall metal hooks for your cookware.

If you do not have cabinets, add shelves (floating shelves). Store less-used items on the top shelves. Add some new cabinet knobs and handles.

A lighter-colored kitchen is more effective, so a light paint color helps. Try lighter floor coverings to brighten your kitchen. More light may make you want to stay in your kitchen longer. Pendent lighting looks nice and still allows for airflow.

Do you have that empty corner or empty space by the refrigerator? Build a hutch in that space. A backsplash around the sink or stove area creates a focal point. Also, cleanup is easier.

Little things like a lazy Susan and redesign the interior of draws will make life easier. Labeled jars of flour, sugar, cornmeal, etc. and labeled bottles of vinegar and olive oil helps organize your work.

If you are lucky enough that you have a kitchen window, add some pots with living herbs to the windowsill. The taste of fresh herbs is nothing like dried herbs.

Shade Trees and Shrubs, Tree and evergreen pests

Die-back

Trees and shrubs in South Dakota have been slow to leaf out due to the winter. A lot of woody plants are showing signs of die-back or total death. Most likely due to the winter going through warm and cold periods.

My honeylocust tree is over 10 years old and is only showing 30% growth. Guess it is time to take a chainsaw to it.

Honey locust tree showing winter die-back.
Winter die-back on a honeylocust

If your plant in showing die-back and you do not want to replace it, you can try saving it. Start a good water and fertilizer regime to keep it in good health this summer. Prune out all the dead limbs and twigs to the nearest branch and trunk to prevent a disease or insects from entering the plant.