April 3-9, 2017 My dream world today was a sunlit April woods at sunset time, beyond which were immense misty valleys. -Charles Burchfield, Journal Almanac horoscope Moon time: The Apple Blossom Moon, entering its second quarter on April 3 at 1:39 p.m., waxes throughout the week, becoming full at 1:08 a.m. on April 11. Rising late in the day and setting in the morning, this moon passes overhead in the middle of the night. Sun time: On April 10, the sun reaches a declination of 7 degrees, 53 minutes, about 65 percent of its way to summer solstice. And the field and garden day is increasing at an average rate of 2 minutes per day. Planet time: Jupiter, remaining in Virgo, lies close to the western horizon before dawn, at its brightest (and its moons most visible) on April 7. Saturn, in Sagittarius, moves above the southern horizon as the sun brightens the east. Star time: Late in the evening, Hydra fills almost the entire southern horizon. Behind Hydra, Libra has risen from the southeast, Sagittarius on its heels. Ahead of Hydra, Monoceros moves into the west below the Dog Star, and the Milky Way settles into the sunset, even as it rises with the first stars of Cygnus in the northeast. Weather time As the April 6 front approaches, the chances for frost briefly diminish and the possibility of highs in the 70s or 80s increases dramatically across the country. Precipitation, however, often puts a stop to field and garden planting. After the front passes east, the possibility of damage to flowering fruit trees increases. Although the April 11 front is usually a relatively mild “sandwich front” nestled between the April 6 system and the wet and windy April 16 front, full moon on April 11 is likely to intensify this weather system. Once this front passes through (and the moon wanes), the normal average air temperature rises at the rate of about 1 degree every three days. Zeitgebers The horoscope from nature is all-positive. This is the average week for violets to bloom from Washington, D.C., all the way across the nation to central California. When violets flower, that means that swamp buttercups, toad trillium, cowslip, trout lily, small-flowered buttercup and ground ivy will also blossom. Downy woodpeckers are mating. Baby groundhogs have come out of their dens. Water rushes and purple loosestrife, water lilies and pickerel plants have suddenly produced foliage. Water striders are courting now, and small diving water beetles hunt for food. Crab apple and cherry blossom time begins in the lower Midwest and usually lasts into the last week of the month. Columbines and bleeding hearts are bushy and nearly a foot tall. Redbud branches turn violet as their buds stretch and crack. Trillium grandiflorum are starting to flower. The first yellow trout lilies of the year come out. Star of Holland and the fritillaries bloom. Cowslip flowers appear below the ash and sugar maples in full bloom. Mind and body time There is pollen in your future this week. Allergy season is here throughout the nation. During April, trees are in full flower throughout the Central Plains, the Northeast, the Northwest and the Rocky Mountains. In the Southeast, all the grasses are coming into bloom. The April 11 high-pressure ridge typically sweeps the northern pollen across the East, and the low pressure that precedes the high pressure brings up the pollen from the South. The increase in pollen can increase the chances for colds, bronchitis and pneumonia. Creature time (for fishing, hunting, feeding, bird-watching): When the barometer falls in advance of the April 11 cold front, fishing could well be the best of the year so far (but dieting may be more difficult). Time your angling outings for the evening, when the moon is overhead or in the mornings when the moon is below the Earth. Bird migrations intensify as April deepens. Look for barn swallows, roughwinged swallows and purple martins. Often the passage of a high-pressure system will bring migrants through your yard. Farm and garden time Japanese beetle grubs now move to the surface of the ground to feed. They are fat, white and shaped like crescents. Look for them when you are working in the garden. All across the country, farmers are seeding oats and spring barley. Field corn planting is in full swing throughout the South and the central states, cotton planting along the Gulf. Mounds begin to show on your lawn as moles wake up and hunt grubs and worms. When the moles start working, flea season begins for pets and livestock. And flies are infesting the barn. Rhubarb leaves are bigger than a big man’s hand, the stalks hinting about rhubarb pie. In your yard, the grass is long enough to cut. Marketing time: This week is one of the busiest times of the marketing year as Easter (April 16) and New Year’s Day for immigrants from Cambodia, Thailand and Laos (April 13-15) approach. Almanac classics Joy Ride By Bill Wiseman Vevay, Ind. Many years ago when I was a young lad, I remember one of my favorite first cars was a Ford Model A Coupe. My buddies and I had a great time riding around in my favorite car. One day, my friend Lean Larry, his brother, Red, and I decided to take a trip to the mountains to do a little hiking. It was a beautiful, brisk fall day. After enjoying our hike, we headed back to the car, and halfway back, it started to really pour rain. We all got soaked and it turned so cold,we thought it best to shed all of our wet clothes. We all squeezed into the coupe in our birthday suits. On down we drove onto the main road and soon after, a state trooper pulled us over. When he came up to the car, I opened the window and he asked for my driver’s license. I said, “It’s in my clothes in the rumble seat,” so I opened the door to get out. He did a double-take look at me and the other two and with an odd look on his face, he said, “Never mind, get back in the car.” He got on his radio and called someone (another state trooper) and I said to Lean Larry, “We’re in real trouble. He’s calling for backup!” In a couple of minutes, another patrol car pulled up, and both state troopers came over. They looked in at us three –half wet, cold and naked. They started to laugh and said, “Go, go, drive on, now!” I took off in a hurry and made a mental note to bring extra clothes when we went to the mountains again. Last week’s Scrambler In order to estimate your Scrambler IQ, award yourself 15 points for each word unscrambled, adding a 50-point bonus for getting all of them correct. If you find a typo, add another 15 points to your IQ. UEEYBLBRR – BLUEBERRY YRREBYAB – BAYBERRY REBYRAWSRT – STRAWBERRY SAREBPRERY – RASPBERRY KCALBYRERB – BLACKBERRY BERYRULM – MULBERRY YOBNESEBRYR – BOYSENBERRY YRBRLKHCUEE – HUCKELBERRY WBEDRERY – DEWBERRY OOEEYRRBSG – GOOSEBERRY This week’s Scrambler HSIULB YIOHSB DLHHCIIS VLHSIA NABHSI HIANSV FHSMAI DADIKHS NINSAMH ERIPHS Poor Will pays $4 for your stories used in this column. Send it to Poor Will’s Almanack at P.O. Box 431, Yellow Springs, OH 45387 or to wlfelker@gmail.com Listen to Poor Will’s “Radio Almanack” on podcast anytime at www.wyso.org |
