Feb. 9-15, 2015

Great rumors are afloat in the air of a great and coming change. We are eager for Winter to be gone ... But he will not abdicate without a struggle. Day after day he rallies his scattered forces, and night after night pitches his white tents on the hills, and would fain regain his lost ground; but the young prince in every encounter prevails.

Slowly and reluctantly the gray old hero retreats up the mountain, until finally the south rain comes in earnest, and in a night he is dead.

-John Burroughs

Lunar phase and lore

The Skunk and Opossum Moon, entering its final phase at 10:50 on Feb. 11, darkens throughout the week until it becomes the new Flowering Moss Moon at 6:47 p.m. on Feb. 18. Rising before dawn and setting in the early afternoon, this moon passes overhead in the morning, calling fish to bite at that time, especially as the Feb. 15 cold front approaches.

Lunar position in Scorpio between Feb. 10-12 and in Capricorn Feb. 14-16, and in Pisces on Feb. 18-20 will favor planting both in flats and directly in the garden, weather permitting.

Weather trends

Although the Feb. 15 high-pressure ridge can be chilly, the aftermath of this cold wave brings increasing odds for the best thaw so far in the year. Since mild winds from the Gulf of Mexico are likely to clash with arctic air during this period, however, the days between Feb. 14-18 bring an increased likelihood of storms.

The natural calendar

Feb. 9: Doves begin mating calls before dawn, joining the titmice and the cardinals and blue jays.

Feb. 10: Monarch butterflies start migration from Mexico.

Feb. 11: Turkeys are flocking in the woods. The early-spring bird chorus grows as grackles, starlings and blackbirds increase their conversations.

Feb. 12: On this date, the day’s length is a full hour longer than it was on Dec. 26 along the 40th Parallel.

Feb. 13: Deer have gathered in small herds for feeding.

Feb. 14: Across the South, the floral cycle is now starting, and along the Canadian border the frequency of highs in the teens or below starts to drop. Under the Flowering Moss Moon, moss on old logs puts out its blooms in the sun.

Feb. 15: Budburst time begins in the most precocious maple trees, the new green barely visible in the swollen buds. If you drive deep into the South, you will see budburst gradually turning the tree line pale yellow green.

In field and garden

Feb. 9: Honeybees may emerge from their hives to look for skunk cabbage when the temperature rises into the 50s.

Feb. 10: Frustrated bees may appreciate a serving of sugar syrup and a pollen substitute.

Feb. 11: Separate dahlia clumps into single roots. Complete indoor repair and painting projects while the cold weather lasts.

Feb. 12: Pull back garden mulch to allow soil to dry out and warm up. Repair arbors and trellises. Dig horseradish, dandelion and comfrey roots before the weather begins to moderate.

Feb. 13: Most tender vegetables and flowers can be set out in the first or second week of May. Onions may be planted in the ground as soon as the soil can be properly prepared.

Feb. 14: Spray trees with dormant oil when temperatures rise into the upper 30s or 40s. The best chances of experiencing those temperatures will occur between Feb. 15-23.

Feb. 15: The moon is getting darker; seed cold frames with lettuce, chard and spinach.

Almanac literature

Great American Story Contest entry

The Case of Mistaken Identity

By Margaret Simko

Huntingdon, Tenn.

In the years of farming when hog prices hit an all-time low, we started offering the public “Whole Hog Sausage.” Most of our sales were through word of mouth. So, my mouth was going a mile a minute with my sales pitch wherever I happened to be. I would then package their orders in my cooler, and to the bank I would go.

I would come back home and wave the money in my hubby’s face.

He would just say, “Well, good for you! Go sell some more!”

Once I had an appointment to have a test performed at the big hospital, and so there I went again with my sales pitch. Aha – 25 pounds sold! This was on a Tuesday, and I would deliver Thursday morning. The order was so big it required two coolers.

I got to the hospital, parked and headed to the waiting area where the nurses said they would meet me. I was sitting there with my coolers by my side. I was dressed in white for no particular reason. Everyone in the waiting area was eyeing me and my coolers. I just smiled back and was engrossed with all the medical activity going on around me.

Then appeared a man, dressed in white, and he had a cooler.

He went right back where doctors were, we were told, because in his cooler was a heart. After his departure, everyone looked at me and said in unison: “What’s in your coolers?”

I felt my face getting flushed, and I announced very sheepishly, “Sausage.”

P.S. In case you are wondering … yes, because I am relentless, I sold seven pounds right there on the spot.

Winners of the Great American Almanac Story Contest will not be announced until all selected entries appear in this column.