July 29-August 4, 2019

Take Stock in August,

Count your Days.

Measure the Harvest,

The Hours of Sunlight.

-Celtus

The Black Walnut Leafdrop Moon reaches perigee (its position closest to Earth) at 2:08 a.m. on August 2, and it waxes throughout the week, entering its second quarter at 12:31 p.m. August 7. This moon passes overhead near the middle of the day, encouraging creatures to be hungrier and more active, especially as the cool fronts of August 4 and 10 approach.

Weather trends

The Dog Days ordinarily continue this week of the year, the daily possibility of highs in the 80s and 90s remaining near July levels; however, August 3-5 are the last days of the summer for which there is a 40 percent chance of highs in the 90s, and chances of highs in the 80s are steady at around 50 percent.

Cool days do occur 15-25 percent of the years, and afternoons only in the 60s are occasionally recorded between August 2-11. Morning lows are typically in the 60s, although one-fourth of the nights carry temperatures in the middle 50s.

Lunar perigee and the new moon early this week will contribute to pulling the mercury to the 50s or below in many areas along and above the 40th Parallel.

The natural calendar

July 29: After today, the stability of deep summer begins to deteriorate throughout the whole nation. The advance of winter is seen first in lower nighttime temperatures, and then, not long after, in lower daytime highs.

July 30: Asiatic and day lilies disappear in the garden as red, white, and purple phlox time unfolds. Blueweed, white vervain, motherwort, and white sweet clover end their seasons. Petals of the hobblebush darken. Parsnip heads, honewort pods, and sweet cicely pods are dry enough to split and spill their seeds.

July 31: A few inches above last year’s layer of leaves, the foliage of spring’s ginger, waterleaf, and bloodroot lingers as a low, intermittent canopy, replacing the common chickweed that dominated the forest floor in spring.

August 1: The transition to late deep summer, like the transition from late spring to early summer, intensifies the effect of heat, humidity, and landscape on the mind and body. Those who have trouble with high temperatures often tend to stay indoors too much and experience mid-year S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder).

August 2: Now in Leo, Venus and Mars accompany bright Arcturus, rising from the east near dawn, moving west throughout the day, lying along the western horizon after sundown.

August 3: The Milky Way cradles Cygnus and its greatest star, Deneb, in the east night sky. Below Cygnus, Aquila spreads from Altair. Almost overhead, Vega is the brightest star in Lyra. Due south swims Delphinus, the Dolphin, and in the west, Virgo sets below Böotes and its most prominent star, Arcturus.

August 4: Still in Ophiuchus, Jupiter is the most reliable evening companion and can be found in the southern sky after dark. Below and a little east of Jupiter, Saturn rides Sagittarius in the center of the southern horizon at dusk and is visible as it moves toward the west throughout the night.

Allergy index

Estimated August pollen count on a scale of 0-700 grains per cubic meter (most of the pollen in the air this month comes from ragweed): August 1, 35; August 5, 40; August 10, 50; August 15, 85; August 20, 160; August 25, 200; and August 30, 300.

Estimated August mold count on a scale of 0-7,000 grains per cubic meter: August 1, 4,000; August 5, 4,800; August 10, 6,000; August 15, 4,000; August 20, 4,800; August 25, 5,100; and August 30, 5,500.

Field and garden

Make corrective lime and fertilizer applications for August and September seeding. Keep carrots, oats, bran, iodized salt, and good greens on hand to invigorate bucks as the breeding season opens.

As the moon waxes, set out cabbage, kale, and collard sets. Seed the lawn. Check the weight of animals scheduled to be bred and adjust feed as needed. Don’t let your ducklings get heat stroke; keep them in the shade and have plenty of water available. If a duck is panting, it may have heatstroke.

Many ethnic holidays occur in the autumn: think about selling lambs and kids to the following markets:

•August 6: Jamaican Independence Day – demand may increase for older lambs, rams, or ewes, up to 65 pounds at this time

•August 10: Ecuadorian Independence Day – consider reaching out to the Hispanic market at this time to provide lambs and kids for cookouts

•August 12: Eid al-Adha (Islamic Festival of Sacrifice) – lambs in the range of 55-80 pounds are favored for this market

•August 31-Sept. 28: Al Hijira Muharram – this celebration of Islamic New Year continues for 29 days; it has no religious significance, but like many New Year celebrations, it is a cultural event and a rise in halal sales could be expected during this period

Almanac literature

A Snip of Parsley

By Stephanie Cavnar

Purcell, Okla.

Our little bottle lamb, Parsley, was born No. 3 of a set of triplets on the coldest day Oklahoma had seen in a long while.

She was not even big enough to stay in the barn. She weighed 2.75 pounds. We brought her in the house, warmed her up, and tubed her when she could swallow.

“I slept in a box for the first couple of weeks,” says Parsley. “And now that I weigh a little more than three pounds, I get a laundry basket. My ‘Maaaaaa’ sounds like a chipmunk. When I get to play with my brother, Ben, he sucks on my ear because I hide under a nipple bucket.”

And how is Parsley doing now? Just fine!