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Views and opinions: Second 2018 blue moon set to grace the skies March 31
 

 

March 26-April 1, 2018

The Sun advances, and the Fogs retire:

The genial Spring unbinds the frozen Earth,

Dawns on Trees and gives the Primrose Birth.

-Poor Richard's Almanack, April 1742

Almanac horoscope

The moon: The Golding Goldfinch Moon is full on March 31 at 7:36 a.m. This is the second blue moon (that is, the second full moon in a single month) of 2018. Rising in the evening and setting in the morning, this moon passes overhead close to midnight.

The sun: By April 1, the sun will have reached a declination of about 4 degrees, 52 minutes, almost 60 percent of the way to summer.

The planets: Jupiter will be visible in the southwest before sunrise this month, followed by Mars and Saturn in Sagittarius along the southern horizon. Venus is the giant evening star in Aries throughout April, setting in the far west right after sundown.

The stars: Early in the month, Orion, in its middle-spring position, is setting in the far west after dark. Behind him high in the southwest come Gemini and Cancer. Directly overhead, the Big Dipper’s pointers (the “outside” wall of the Dipper that point directly to the North Star) are positioned almost exactly north-south.

The shooting stars: Put the Lyrid Meteor Shower on your April calendar; that shower peaks around April 22-23.

Weather trends

Seven major cold fronts move across the nation in an average April. Snow is possible in the region with the arrival of the first three fronts. Average dates for the weather systems to reach the lower Midwest are April 2, 6, 11, 16, 21, 24 and 28.

Although the intensity of the high-pressure systems moderate after April 22, be alert for frost at least two days after each system pushes through your area. New moon on April 15, perigee on April 20 and full moon on April 29 are expected to intensify the weather systems near those dates. In general, most precipitation usually occurs during the first two weeks of the month.

Some studies suggest that people tend to eat and sleep less as early spring changes into middle spring. That might be good for your diet, but stay away from excessive use of alcohol: the period between March and June sees the sharpest rise in alcohol-related problems.

Cincinnati physician Dr. Clarence Mills suggested in his Climate Makes the Man (1942) that children conceived in winter and spring tend to live longer and that they choose to attend college twice as often as those conceived “in midsummer heat.” He went so far as to say that one would be wiser to plan one’s children according to the time of year than to worry about saving for their education.

The natural calendar: Harbinger of spring, hepatica, bloodroot, bluebells, Dutchman's breeches, twinleaf, toothwort and spring beauties all burst into bloom. Ragweed sprouts and leaves grow on skunk cabbage. Buds form on wild raspberries. Water striders mate. May apple spears are up in the woods (forecasting morel mushrooms). The first buckeyes, apple and peach trees leaf out.

Field and garden

Along the 40th Parallel, this week marks the arrival of middle spring, a four-week period during which almost all the field crops are planted and gardeners set out onion sets, broccoli, cabbage, collards and kale. The Golding Goldfinch Moon wanes throughout the next two weeks, favoring the transplanting of trees and shrubs in the lower Midwest, and the planting of peanuts in the South and sugar beets in the North.

The moon may exert less influence on ocean tides and on human and animal behavior when it comes into its second and fourth quarters. Therefore, it might make more sense to perform routine maintenance on yourself, as well as on your flock or herd, around March 4 and 18.

On the other hand, tidal lunar influences have been shown to be greater at full moon and new moon times. You might expect more trouble with your body, your mind and livestock, therefore, on or about March 10 and 26. Be especially careful of pregnant animals at full moon (when the moon is overhead between midnight and dawn), the most likely time for abortions in weaker creatures.

Marketing notes: The first day past full moon is Roman (traditional) Easter and the start of the Graduation Cookout market.

Fish, game, livestock and birds: Flickers are calling. Gold finches – their breasts turning yellow – are chasing each other through the leafing honeysuckles. Cardinals now sing 45 minutes earlier than they sang four weeks ago. Barn swallows arrive as barred owls hatch and grape hyacinths bloom and wood frogs finally call.

As the moon wanes, it will move overhead before dawn. Try early-morning angling to take advantage of this lunar phase. As the barometer falls in advance of the March 29 and April 2 cold fronts, fish should be become more active.

Almanac classics

Weird Ben: A True Almanac Classic

My neighbors had a very unusual cat. Its gender was questionable. Upon examination it appeared to have the attributes of both male and female. Hoping it would turn out to be a tom, they named him Ben. Later, if proven otherwise, she could be called Ben Hur (Her).

The owners were leaving for a few days and asked me to feed Ben, stating his food was in the bottom of the refrigerator. The first morning when I opened the fridge, all I found was chunks of half-frozen lettuce. Ben pounced on it, gobbling it up.

I was appalled, surmising these people were starving their cat. I came home and took Ben some canned cat food and hamburger. He completely ignored it, preferring to chomp on his lettuce.

The next morning the treat I had taken was untouched, and there was Ben scratching at the refrigerator, begging for his frozen lettuce.

Needless to say, Ben did not live to a ripe old age. Surprisingly, his strange diet sustained him for a year or two before he died of malnutrition, apparently by his own choice.

3/22/2018