To finish the moment, to find the journey’s end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good hours, is wisdom. Since our office is with moments, let us husband them. Let us be poised, and wise, and our own, today. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Phases of the Moon

Nov. 10: The Deer Mating Moon is new.

Nov. 17: The Moon enters its second quarter.

Nov. 24: The Moon is full.

Dec. 1: The Moon enters its final quarter.

The Stars

As November begins, the Summer Triangle is setting in the west, and Orion is coming up in the east, the Milky Way tying them together through the Great Square. By the arrival of Deep Winter, Orion will be almost overhead at bedtime and Gemini will tower behind it.

Times for Hunting and Fishing

Fish and hunt at midday when the moon is new. Fish and hunt in the afternoon and evening when the moon is in its first quarter. Be out at night when the moon is full and in its third quarter. Be in the woods or on the water in the morning when the moon is in its fourth quarter.

The Weather in the Week Ahead

As November arrives, frost often moves into the Border States, and the odds increase for cold throughout the week ahead. The 3rd ushers in the snow season for the nation’s midsection, flurries or accumulation becoming at least a 10 percent possibility per day between that date and spring. Chances of a thunderstorm usually disappear until February in the Midwest, but all-day rains increase. If this first November cold front is a day or two late, the 1st through the 3rd or 4th can be some of the mildest days of late autumn.

The weather system that arrives around Nov. 6 usually brings the coldest days of November’s first week. It also carries Middle Fall into the Border States and the South, Late Fall to the Midwest and southern Plains, and Early Winter to farms along the Canadian border. The days immediately after the Nov. 6 front are usually much more moderate, but precipitation is the rule as the next system approaches. Beginning at this time of month, the percentage of daily sunlight drops quickly, and the wind blows a little harder, rising to its winter levels.

Farming and Gardening

The workday begins to shrink more quickly now, losing about two minutes every 24 hours: November takes almost an hour from the day’s length along the 40th Parallel. All the major migrations (except for the migration of gulls and sandhill cranes) end within the next two weeks. Throughout the month, bulbs, shrubs and dormant roses can still be set out, but November’s first week usually provides the most pleasant weather for outdoor activities.

By this stage of the autumn, soil temperatures often fall into the middle 40s, and the grazing season ends in most Midwestern pastures. Pond waters are at or below 50 degrees, and koi are reluctant to rise for their food. Sugar beets are typically more than three-fourths dug, and the pumpkin harvest nears completion. Orchids reach full bloom in conservatories throughout the country.

Late bulbs, garlic, shrubs and trees can be planted in November throughout much of the nation. The finest lunar and meteorological time of all for that activity will occur between full moon and the end of the moon’s third quarter. In northern states, it might be wise, however, to plant as soon as possible – preferably before the weather turns much nastier after Nov. 4. Trim hooves, and cut hair on goats, slaughter livestock, give vaccinations, and treat for internal and external parasites under the dark moon.

Almanack Literature

The Tale of a House Lamb

By Graham Robertson

It was many years ago, so I do not recall all the details, but we had a ewe lamb which, for one reason or another, was raised in the house. Obviously against health codes, but shepherds are flexible.

She started out in the usual cardboard box next to the heat register. As she got a little older, she graduated to Pampers with a hole for her tail. She had the run of the house, and she fell into a routine where after her bottle she would curl up in front of the TV. Perhaps waiting for Animal Planet to come on.

At around 2 in the afternoon, she would move to a spot in the living room where the sun was shining down. She also enjoyed her lap time when she would fall asleep in my lap while I worked on my laptop.

When hungry, she made it quite obvious with loud baa’s, pleading that she was all bones and wool, and asking me to hurry with the bottle before the angel of death came. This phase lasted for several weeks until she outgrew the coverage of Pampers, and much to her dismay, was banished to a 6 x 6-foot pen in the garage.

As she grew, she was allowed out daily to roam the front yard, and she seemed to enjoy having races around the house with my son. Finally, when she required less frequent feeding, she was moved to the barn with the rest of the lambs. This became something of a challenge, as if she saw me leave, she would try to follow me back up to the house. No doubt she had the understanding that “she was a house lamb.”

Copyright 2026 by William Felker