I climbed down the face of the cliff, which would age in the freezing and thawing of another winter. I climbed past the crevice in which the ladybugs slept. I passed by the spider that had spun a bag of silk as armor against the oncoming cold. The

moisture on the surfaces of the rocks had begun to freeze, and they were slippery. I climbed down through the edge of another winter. – Paul Gruchow, Journal of a Prairie Year

The Moon: The Gourd Moon entered its second quarter on the 20th and reached perigee (its position closest to Earth) on the 21st. It waxes throughout the period, becoming full at 4:16 a.m. on Nov. 27. Rising in the afternoon and setting in the monring, this moon is overhead in the middle of the night.

The Sun: On Nov. 23, the Sun enters the Early Winter sign of Sagittarius. At the end of November, sunset has reached to within just a few minutes of its earliest time throughout the nation. The latest sunrise, however, is still about half an hour away.

 

The Planets: Venus is still the Morning Star.

The Stars: Perseus, who saved Andromeda from the monster, Cetus, lies overhead, keeping watch over Andromeda, who precedes him through the Milky Way.

Weather Trends: The fourth week of November, the third week of Late Fall, is the stark and windy week that marks the decline of average highs below 50 degrees throughout the region, and the end to any chance of a day above 70. Nights below zero even become possible now. The sixth cold front of the month usually arrives on the 24th, and full moon on the 27th will ensure that that weather system is strong. The seventh high pressure system generally arrives on Nov. 28, preceded by rain 80 percent of the time on the 27th. Nov. 28, 29 and 30 have the best odds of the month for snow. The 28th is the gloomiest day of the whole month, carrying just a 20 percent chance of a peek of the sun. Most of the other days are cloudy too!

The Natural Calendar: The fallen leaves become darker now as they gradually decay. Measure the progress of the year in their continuing changes. The breakdown of the Osage fruit through the months ahead will also time the winter. Leaves of decorative pear trees fall near this date, creating a major change in the urban landscapes that favor these hardy ornamental trees. Most of the lilac and forsythia leaves are down. Only the Japanese honeysuckle and the bamboo leaves remain green. Hydrangea flowers are pale and brittle. Remnants of garden hostas have dissolved into the mulch. Artichoke leaves are twisted and stiff. Some Osage fruit is developing dark patches, a sign of the approach of December. Throughout the weeks ahead, the landscape becomes browner as fallen foliage settles and comes apart. Compensating for the lack of blooming flowers and green leaves are the pale champagnes of the field grass and goldenrod, the russets of the Japanese knotweed, the red rose hips, the white sycamore bark and the purple raspberry stalks.

Sandhill cranes fly over the region between now and the first week of January. Listen for their shill cries high above you. Ducks and gulls complete their southern flights, marking the close of most migratory activity for the year. Overwintering robins work the honeysuckles. Juncos, and sometimes bands of flickers, work beside the robins. Once in a while, a worm gets stranded on the sidewalk in the rain or snow.

In the Field and Garden: Parsley and thyme can do well inside in pots for winter seasonings. Outside, wrap young transplants to protect them against frost cracking. Work gypsum into the soil where salt, used to melt winter’s ice, may damage plantings. Feed the lawn – fall is a better time than in the spring – the winter’s rain and snow, freezing and thawing, will gently work the fertilizer through the soil. Around the yard, stake young shrubs and trees.

Mind and Body: Even if the weather is damp outside, the humidity in your home may be excessively low, especially if you have forced air heat. Heated air, combined with low humidity, can dry out your nasal passages and lungs – increasing your susceptibility to colds and flu. Keep your home cool, consider purchasing a humidifier, and spend as much time out of doors as you can.

Almanack Classics

Fuzzy Legs and Spiked Feet

Jeff Crawford, Cedarville, Ohio

“My legs are all fuzzy and my feet are spiked.”

That’s what my 5-year-old daughter said after I carried her on my shoulders across the frozen field. And why was I doing that? Well, because of the blizzard of ’77.

We lived at the end of a half-mile long lane off Port William-Paintersville Road.  Rough weather was forecast for that Sunday and I spent the day watching NFL playoff games. As the snow started that evening, I went out to break a path down the lane with our 1965 Chrysler New Yorker. No Ohio snow could withstand that beast of a Motown car.

I got a running start and the New Yorker held its own for a bit. Then, like a whale on a beach, it came to a sudden stop. And there wasn’t going to be any backing up either, at least not until morning.

Before tackling the car, I decided to walk to Port William. I noticed that I was walking on top of the snow drifts. I could kick and jump up and down and not break through. These drifts were unlike any I’d seen: solid all the way down. I never knew snow could pack so tight you could walk on top of it. Inside light leather boots and thick wool socks my feet were dry and warm.

But the New Yorker still needed to be rescued. I popped the hood, and there was only snow, no sign of an engine at all. I dug out the engine and it started right up. In a few more hours, I got the car off the lane and out to the road through a cornfield. The cornfield had been combined and swept almost clean by the same wind that dumped all that snow on the lane. The lane didn’t thaw for a month and for most of February, we parked on the road and walked back and forth across the field. And that’s why I was carrying my daughter on my shoulders and why her legs were all fuzzy and her feet spiked.

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THIS WEEK’S RHYMING SCKRAMBLER

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