Then for the teeming, quietest, happiest days of all! The brooding and blissful halcyon days! — Walt Whitman
Astronomical Data and Lore The young Stell Moon (in which homesteaders provide their livestock with stells or shelters) waxes throughout the month, entering its second quarter at 6:42 p.m. on December 21. Rising in the morning and setting in the evening, this moon is overhead in the middle of the day, encouraging all creatures to be more active at that time, especialy as the cold front of December 20 approaches. The Ursid meteors will appear late at night deep in the northeast around the Big Dipper and Little Dipper, the “Ursid” or “bear” constellations, between December 17 and 25, peaking on December 21 and 22.
Weather Trends The coldest December days, those with better than a 35 percent chance for temperatures in the 20s or below, all come at this time of year: December 17, 18, 19, 25, and 26. The most bitter day this week is usually the 19th, with a 30 percent chance for highs only in the teens. And more below-zero temperatures occur between the December 18 and 26 than on any other December mornings. Notes on the Progress of the Year The Season of Double-Digit Below-Zero Temperatures spans the period between December 14 and March 22. Although such cold is relatively rare, each day in this three-month season carries up to a five-percent chance for a morning of -10 degrees or below. This week brings the Season of the Shortest Days of the Year in the Lower Midwest. The sun lies at its lowest point in the noon sky, and rises and sets at its farthest points south. Solar declination reaches 23 degrees, 26 minutes on December 21 and remains at that position on the 22nd and 23rd. The length of the night grows to 14 hours and 40 minutes (its longest time of all) on the 19th, and that amount of nightly darkness holds through Christmas. On the 26th, days begin to lengthen; they will continue to grow at the rate of seven minutes a week until January 15. After that, night recedes a little better than two minutes every day all the way to early summer. The Season of Average Highs in the 30s begins on December 15 and persists through February 20, bracketing almost exactly the three seasons of Midwestern winter. Pruning Season gets underway as average highs remain in the 30s; it continues until highs climb once again past 40. Take out suckers, dead and crossing branches. Cut fruit trees down to the right level for picking, but don’t prune what will bloom before June. The Season of Gull Migration is usually over by December 16, ending major Ohio bird migration activity. In the northern woods, White Ear Tuft Season marks the ears of red squirrels, and Wood Turtle Hibernation Season occurs along the rivers. In the Field and Garden Place measuring sticks beside a few of the garden bulbs that may have emerged. Mulch them to keep them protected. Then, track their growth as the year unfolds. Curly dock could be growing back along streams and ponds. The new spears can be used for salad or stir fry. Odds against the survival of garden vegetables rise sharply as the full force of the December 15 cold front settles across the area. In protected areas of the garden, The mint may still be fragrant. Parsley and thyme are still green and firm for seasoning. Tamp down the snow around younger fruit trees after each snow storm to protect them from mice working under the surface.
Almanack Literature We Go to the State Fair: A Life Experience By Betty J. Osborn, Covington, Indiana The advantages of youngsters participating in 4-H are well known. They gain skills and life experiences that remain with them throughout their lives. Our children joined 4-H, and the fairs we went to were always a special time, enjoyed by the entire family Our family raised Charolais cattle, big beautiful white animals. It was decided the kids would take them to the state fair. But there was a potential obstacle in getting them there. Like a lot of young farmers, we were financially challenged and did not have a pickup truck or stock trailer. “But not to worry,” says the Farmer (my husband), “We’ll figure it out.” At that time our second vehicle as a four-door 1960s Pontiac sedan. We also had a trailer that had been used as a seeder, and some old stock racks that had been used on an old pickup. Well, you want the equipment to look as good as possible, so it was decided to paint the trailer and racks a nice black color. The calves were loaded and away to the state fair we went. When we arrived, people were looking and waving. They thought we were the Clampetts of Beverly Hills. We checked in and unloaded the calves. People started to gather around looking at our animals, asking what kind of exotic breed they were. They had never seen white and black striped calves! Unfortunately, the paint on the trailer and racks had not dried fully, and the calves looked the worse for it! We didn’t place very high when show-time came but we did have a “life experience.”
The Answers To Last Week’s Sckrambler. In order to estimate your Sckrambler IQ, award yourself 15 points for each word unscrambled, adding a 50-point bonus for getting all of them correct. If you find a typo, add another 15 points to your IQ. IWEN WINE BILYNE BYLINE CNNAIE CANINE GNSSAI ASSIGN NIMEBRO BROMINE EEEIBLN BEELINE HESLOTCLENI CLOTHESLINE ENLSBEIA BASELINE ENILRAI AIRLINE NOCNFIE CONFINE
This Week’s Rhyming Sckrambler FGIT DFFNSIE WIFST WHFFDIE FTSHRU TFIRHTDNEPS LITFHSPO SPUHTHIF WONDTFSHI AIRDTF OVERNIGHT DELIVERY FOR POOR WILL’S ALMANACK FOR 2021! This year’s Almanack contains detailed descriptions of all 48 seasons of the year, the winter forecast, and 30 Almanack Literature stories. For your autographed copy, send $20.00 (includes shipping and handling) or $25.00 for overnight delivery to Poor Will, P.O. Box 431, Yellow Springs, Ohio 45387. You can also order on Amazon. Copyright 2020 - W. L. Felker |
