Dec. 12-18, 2011 So snowflakes actually start off all alike; it is experience that makes each one just different enough to be noticed ... The final truth about snowflakes is that they become more individual as they fall; that, buffeted by wind and time, they are translated, as if by magic, into ever stranger and more complex patterns, until at last they touch earth. Then, like us, they melt. -Adam Gopnik
Lunar phase and lore The moon wanes throughout the week, entering its final quarter on Dec. 17 at 7:48 p.m. Rising at midday and setting in the middle of the night, this gibbous moon will be overhead near dawn, the hours at which fishing and hunting have the best lunar chance of bringing results.
The falling barometer in advance of the cold fronts of Dec. 15 and 20 should contribute to increased interest in food for both humans and other beasts. Seasonal stress should decline until around Dec. 18, but then it should rise sharply as the moon darkens. The new moon in two weeks favors the seeding of bedding plants from Christmas Eve all the way through New Year’s Day. Prepare seeds and soil, and set up your grow lights soon.
At bedtime, find Taurus right in front of giant Orion. Then look behind Orion for the two bright stars of Castor and Pollux, the anchors of Gemini. Behind Gemini comes Cancer. On the far eastern horizon, the largest star is Regulus, which tells you that you are looking at the constellation of Leo. In the west, Cygnus the swan leads the Milky Way down the path the sun took just five hours earlier. Summer’s Vega finally disappears into the northern horizon.
Between Dec. 17-25, the Ursid meteors will appear late at night deep in the northeast around the Big Dipper and Little Dipper, the Ursid, or Bear, constellations. The later in the month you watch, the less interference you will receive from the waning moon.
Weather patterns
The coldest December days, those with better than a 35 percent chance for highs in the 20s or below, all come at this time of the month. The bitterest day this week in weather history is Dec. 19, with a 30 percent chance for highs only in the teens. And more below-zero temperatures occur between Dec. 18-26 than on any other December mornings. Precipitation is common throughout the period, with every day this week bringing a 50 percent chance for rain or snow except Dec. 16, which is typically the driest and the sunniest day between Dec. 15-25. The Dec. 20 cold front often carries the first of the season’s “white Christmas” snows.
Zeitgebers for this week include the end of Christmas cactus blossoms (on plants kept several years), the gathering of crows for winter feeding and the collapse of the final beech foliage.
Daybook Dec. 12: Keep up weight and daily milking records for your herd and flock. An unexpected decline in either weight or milk production is often related to problems with feed or health.
Dec. 13: Make sure your bees have enough ventilation to prevent moisture condensation within the hive. Also, consider putting an entrance reducer in your hives to keep mice from coming in as the cold deepens.
Dec. 14: Skunks still wander your yard and garden when the nights are above freezing and the ground is not covered with snow. Be careful to check for them before you let your dog out after dark. Dec. 15: On your walks, look for red euonymus berries lying about the ground. Check the honeysuckle bushes: the robins will have taken almost all the berries. Moss is sometimes growing thick and sending up its delicate stalks.
Patches of thin wild onions, covered with dew or frost, glow blue-green. Hemlock could be spreading up over the sycamore leaves. Skunk cabbage is violet and green in the swamp. New aster and ragwort leaves are two inches long, and dandelions could be in bloom.
Dec. 16: Crow gathering season becomes obvious as thousands of crows congregate to spend the winter, their advent announced by beech tree leaf shedding season.
Dec. 17: Pregnant animals need to get their exercise, especially when snow and ice and bitter winds can keep a herd or flock in close quarters. Since the moon is weak today, entering its final quarter, working with all your livestock and pets is favored.
Dec. 18: Between this week and Jan. 3, normal average temperatures drop one degree every four days instead of one degree every three, signaling a slight slowdown in the chilling of most American farms and gardens. Soon the averages become steady; on Jan. 28 they start to climb toward summer.
The 2012 Poor Will’s Almanack has 300 pages of stories, essays, notes on farming and gardening, weather predictions, seasonal notes and Scrambler puzzles every month that pay $10 to the winners. Send $20 for your autographed copy to: Poor Will, P.O. Box 431, Yellow Springs, Ohio 45387. Add $3 for Priority Mail (2- to 3-day shipping). Or, order on line at www.poorwillsalmanack.com |
