May 24-30, 2010
Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles today
Tomorrow will be dying.
-Robert Herrick
Lunar phase and lore The Duckling and Gosling Moon, full at 6:07 p.m. May 27, wanes throughout the remainder of the period, entering its final quarter on June 4 at 5:13 p.m.
This gibbous moon will be overhead after midnight through most of the week, making the middle of the night or the early-early morning the best time for angling, especially as the cool fronts of May 24 and 29 approach.
Of course, if you are dieting, the temptation to sneak a sweet glazed doughnut will wake you up about 3 a.m. Be prepared by eating up all the doughnuts before you go to bed.
The fat moon can be expected to bring out the worst in goats, sheep, children and criminals. Be ready for trouble through the weekend. Squirrels may be especially ruthless at your bird feeder.
On the other hand, root crops and nursery plants will slip easily into the ground as the moon wanes during the upcoming weekend. Get the last of the turnips, beets and carrots planted for August and September. And if you haven’t put in your beans, don’t wait for new moon; plant them now.
Jupiter remains in Pisces as the morning star, but Venus moves retrograde into Gemini, lost in the morning light. Mars stays in Leo in the far west after sunset. Saturn, in Virgo, continues to pursue Mars into the Pacific Ocean.
Weather patterns Cool fronts are due to cross the Mississippi on or about June 2, 6, 10, 15, 23 and 29. Major storms are most likely to occur on the days between June 5-8, June 13-16 and June 24-28. The cool front of June 10 and new moon on June 12 increase the chances for freezing temperatures along the Canadian border. Full moon on June 26 could also contribute to unstable meteorological conditions.
Daybook May 24: May’s heat promotes the growth of bacteria on the farm and in the city kitchen. Warm temperature challenges dairy equipment and milking areas with the threat of disease-causing organisms.
May 25: When the first day lily opens, you should have all your corn and soybeans in the ground, and they should have sprouted. If you don’t have day lilies, the first thistles bloom around the same time.
May 26: After cool temperatures that should follow tomorrow’s full moon, look for a decided warm-up. Heat stress can slow the rate of gain in your livestock. Protection from the weather, plenty of water and adequate supplements may help to reduce weight loss.
If possible, shade the chicken house from direct sunlight. Use fans to cool down the birds. (Be sure to have fans for the hogs, as well.) Keep the coops clean: chicken litter can contribute to heat buildup. Try to keep everyone’s water fresh and cool.
May 27: Today is full moon day, bringing the last major chance for light freeze in the North. As the frost melts, sunburn time spreads toward the Canadian border, and sunburn is sometimes caused by more than just overexposure.
Some goatherds believe that when goats browse lush clover or buckwheat, their susceptibility to reacting to sunlight increases. Horses get sunburned, too, especially those with white faces.
May 28: After full moon, plant carrots, beets and turnips. Gather cherries, mulberries and black raspberries. Fertilize asparagus and rhubarb as their seasons end. Sidedress the corn.
May 29: As heat builds up in the hen house, gather eggs frequently to reduce spoilage. Give your horse a shower if it is sweating a lot in the heat. Consider installing water misters for your hogs (and children).
Rain is often heavy as the May 29 cool front approaches. When this high moves away, however, it usually leaves sunny, dry conditions, favorable for the cutting of fresh timothy, alfalfa and brome grass.
May 30: A tetanus antitoxin can help guard your goats against infections from summer cuts on udders, feet and legs caused by plants as well as by sharp objects in grazing areas.
Heat can contribute to split hooves in your horses. Check their feet regularly throughout the summer. And be sure a salt block is available for them.
Almanac literature
One True Love
(A Romantic Sheep Story)
By Leah McAllister
Oldhome Farm, Ark.
My husband of 30 years and I attended high school together. He arrived during our sophomore year. I had never dated anyone, even though I was asked out lots of times. But I was very picky, and had an ideal in my head that none of the boys I knew could measure up to.
Not long after meeting Greg, I realized I had met my one true love. It took him until our senior year to ask me out, but once he did, there was never anyone else for either of us. A little over a year after our first date, we were married.
Thirteen years ago, we got into the sheep business on a small scale. Our good friends and neighbors were the original owners of our first flock of mixed breeds comprised of Romney, Marino and Suffolk.
In that first flock we had a Romney ewe named Hilza, who was the lead sheep. She had a very stately air about her, and she refused to breed with any of our rams. Greg wanted to get rid of her, saying she was just a “dud” and a drain on the grain. But I loved Hilza and told him she was just like I used to be: She had yet to meet her ideal mate.
Eight years later, we were building our Suffolk flock and culling our other breeds. I still refused to sell my Hilza. Then one day a friend of ours asked if we could keep her Jacob ram for a while. We agreed, and Jeffery the ram came to live with our boys for a while.
One evening, as we were putting the girls into the barn lot for the night, Hilza refused to come. She stood by the gate to the boys’ paddock and pawed at the fence. She would look at us, bleat and paw at the fence.
I told Greg, “I think Hilza wants in there.” Laughing, Greg opened the gate for her, and she charged in and ran right up to Jeffery.
They became constant companions, and she mourned his leaving when he went back to his home. That spring Hilza gave birth to her first lambs, one an exact duplicate of Jeffery.
Some of us girls just know what we want, and refuse to settle for anything less. |
