Oct. 15-21 “Come little leaves,” said the wind one day, “Come o’er the meadows with me and play; “Put on your dresses of red and gold, “For summer is gone and the days grow cold.” -George Cooper Lunar phase and lore
The Robin Migration Moon, new on Oct. 15 at 7:02 a.m., waxes throughout the week, entering its second quarter at 10:32 p.m. Oct. 21. Rising in the morning and setting in the night, this first-quarter crescent moon is overhead in the afternoon.
Fish and hunt after lunch with the moon above you, especially as the Oct. 17 and 23 cold fronts approach, and dieters may have considerable trouble avoiding pie at those times. Lunar position in Capricorn on Oct. 19-21 favors planting of spring bulbs, sowing of winter wheat and the setting out of trees and shrubs around the yard.
The Orionid meteors peak in and around Orion near and after midnight of Oct. 21-22. The moon will be dark and will not interfere with viewing these shooting stars.
Weather trends
Lows in the 20s or 30s are most likely to occur on the mornings of Oct. 19-20, with the latter date carrying the highest chances for a freeze so far this season.
While most afternoons are in the 50s and 60s, the weather does warm up sometimes: Oct. 15-16 each have a 40 percent chance for highs in the 70s or 80s, and the other days at least have a 30 percent chance of such temperatures. The times most likely to produce snow are Oct. 18-20 (but only 5-10 percent of all the years).
Zeitgebers for this week include rapid new growth of chickweed and the whinnying of robins as they move south. Asian ladybeetles sometimes swarm. The very last monarch butterfly flies south. Holidays for homesteaders
Oct. 16-23 – Navaratri/Navadurgara: This is a nine-day Hindu feast that honors the goddess Durga. Female animals are typically not used for this celebration.
The number of Hindu in and around urban areas of the United States is estimated to be more than five million. Lambs and kids born in the late winter and spring may be suitable for this market. Daybook
Oct. 15: The moon is new today, intensifying tides in the sea and creatures. Seed the last of the winter greens and plant winter grains under this dark moon.
Oct. 16: Be alert for poisoning in your flock and herd due to toxic changes in the chemical composition of grasses and alfalfa after frost. As cold weather settles in, be especially careful transporting your pigs. Provide plenty of bedding straw for them so they don’t get chilled, and adequate food and water.
Oct. 17: Pastures may be re-greening in some areas now, part of the second-spring process that brings resurgence in wildflower development in the woods. Provide plenty of free choice hay to livestock in order to reduce the chance they will gorge themselves on fresh growth.
Oct. 18: As foliage thins, eastern phoebes, yellow-bellied sapsuckers, catbirds and house wrens depart. Vast flocks of robins accelerate their passage through the woods, chattering, whinnying, moving south through the high trees along the river valleys. Starlings cackle and whistle in the osage orange.
Oct. 19: Make the autumn feeding transition to supplements and hay as gradual and stress-free as possible.
That includes a gradual transition at the end of Daylight Saving Time early next month.
Oct. 20: The day’s length falls below 11 hours for the first time since Feb. 21. Peak leaf coloring has begun throughout the middle and southern Appalachians, but in the lower Midwest, the best of middle fall is over.
Wild asparagus yellows by the roadsides. The final sedum blossoms are closing for the year. Wild cucumber fruits are dry and empty. Hosta seedpods crack, revealing their black contents. Oct. 21: Before you let your pastures and garden plots rest for the winter, do your soil test and add nutrients as needed. Soil tests after harvest let you plan ahead for spring fertilizer requirements. |
