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Whatever Phil’s shadow brings, in 6 weeks it will still be spring
Feb. 1-7, 2010

The beauty of a seasonal inventory is that there is never a correct number of things to find. The end of winter always appears in the eye of the beholder, and critical mass for the arrival of spring rests less on the total quantity of observations than on one crucial scent or sight or sound that tips the scales of private time.

Each person encounters that pivotal event at a different moment and in a different way. Whenever that realization does occur, then the entire scaffolding of the old year collapses and all the pieces of the new year take on meaning as they fall into place.
-Poor Will’s notebook

The Skunk Cabbage Moon enters its final quarter at 6:49 p.m. on Feb. 5. Rising in the evening and setting in the morning, this waning moon is overhead before dawn.

Lunar position this week favors the planting of root crops in flats under lights. You can bring the sprouts outside into the sun on warm days, and place directly in the garden in four to six weeks.
Fishing is expected to be best near dawn  (when the moon is above you and the fish), especially as the barometer falls in advance of cold fronts due on Feb. 3, 6 and 11.

The waning moon is relatively weak during this part of the month, creating a positive window for surgery and trips to the dentist. This is also a good time to dip your animals for parasites, finish winter worming, trim hooves and prepare for birthing. Also, vaccinate the ewes and does due to lamb in March.

Orion is still due south near 10 p.m., and in the far west, the Great Square is setting. In the east, Leo, with its brightest star, Regulus, is on the rise. The Big Dipper lies in the northeast, its pointers positioned almost exactly east-west.

Weather patterns

This week is usually a brisk one, with high temperatures in the 30s or below occurring two days in three. The likelihood of below-zero temperatures falls to half of what it was last week, however; that means the worst of winter is over.

Precipitation is generally light between Feb. 7-10. Between Feb. 11-15, however, each day carries about a 50 percent chance for rain or snow. On Feb. 6, the day’s length surpasses 10 hours and 20 minutes, making the night an hour shorter than it was when the days first started to grow on Dec. 26. The sun reaches 40 percent of the way to equinox by Feb. 12.

The 15th of winter’s 16 cold fronts usually arrives on Feb. 11. Just one more front to go until early spring!

Almanac daybook

Feb. 1: Skunks can be out during the gentle, wet nights of the Groundhog Day thaw. Sparrows are mating in the trees, and the great morning chorus that lasts deep into summer is well under way, the grackles whistling and chattering, the crows and cardinals and doves joining in.

The earliest robins and bluebirds have now arrived to eat crabapples and the last honeysuckle berries.

Feb. 2: Zeitgebers (events in nature that tell the time of year) for this week include early sightings of turkey vultures and the arrival of pollen of mountain cedar, acacia, smooth alder, bald cypress, American elm, red maple, white poplar, black willow and bluegrass from the South, carried on the winds of the Groundhog Day thaw.
Six weeks from today, the hardiest of spring cabbages and kales can be set out in most gardens. In milder winters, ragwort and dock grow back in the swamps. A few deep red peony stalks appear underneath the mulch.

Feb. 3: The first February weather system typically arrives near this date, breaking the relatively mild weather of the Groundhog Day thaw.

Feb. 4: In northern Mexico, monarch butterflies are moving toward the Texas border. They will reach the Gulf coast in small groups during mid- to late March, and their offspring will find the northern tier of states in May.

Feb. 5: Easter is only two months away; have your newly weaned lambs and kids ready for this market. Along the Ohio River, the last of the tobacco is usually sold.  Gardeners dig horseradish and comfrey root. Pull back some garden mulch to allow soil to dry out and warm up.

Feb. 6: The cold front that arrives near this date is another significant weather system, but it is the last really bad cold front until Snowdrop Winter arrives near Feb. 24. The moon’s entry into its mild fourth quarter today could soften the chill.

Feb. 7: Bees come looking for skunk cabbage when temperatures warm to 50 degrees. Deer gather throughout the month to feed in herds. Turkeys are flocking now, but they will disband and scatter into smaller family groups by April.

Living with the seasons

This is the time to get ready for maple sap time. New moon on Feb. 13 should begin the early spring “running of the sap,” building to its peak at full moon on the last day of the month.

Seasonal affective disorders remain strong this week, hovering between 67 and 65 on the S.A.D. Stress Index (which measures seasonal stress on a scale of 1-75). Even though early spring is almost here, many people begin to be overwhelmed by the gray skies and the cold weather at this time of year.

Still, there is light at the end of the tunnel: the sunniest days of gloomy February are the 23rd, 26th, 27th and 28th.

Make your garden plans. Force pussy willows. Carefully separate dahlia clumps into single roots. Get farm and garden equipment cleaned up. Build trellises.

One of the best ways to understand the quality of the year is to keep track of it with a barometer. You may have received one of those instruments for Christmas. Or, maybe there’s one up in the attic or hanging on the wall by your desk. You may think it doesn’t work, or if the needle does move, you don’t know why.
Here’s what you do: First of all, if you don’t actually have a barometer, go buy one. Then, check your local television news or go online with your computer in the morning or evening. You can find out the barometric pressure in the weather report.

Once you have that that information, then get ready to set your barometer. If it’s an old traditional one, turn it over and look on its back. There’ll be a hole in the wood with a small screw. Turn the screw to adjust the needle on your barometer to the same reading you got from the TV. If you have a digital version, you need to follow the directions for your brand.

Now you’re ready to track the seasons. You don’t need to know what all the numbers mean on the face of your barometer. The important thing is to keep the following principles in mind:
A DROPPING BAROMETER means you are entering a low pressure trough, something that almost always precedes a cold wave. If you graph this movement on a piece of paper, you’ll actually see what a “low” looks like.

Outside, expect clouds, rain or snow, and milder temperatures before the cold wave hits. The wind will be from the southwest. If it’s blowing from the east, stormy weather is right on top of you.
A RISING BAROMETER means the cold wave is coming in right now. Rain or snow should taper off and skies should clear up somewhat. Winds will shift to the west, then to the north, and temperatures will cool.

Remember that about 70 major cold waves come across this part of the country in a year’s time. If you keep track of them on your barometer, you will eventually know what to expect and when to expect it.

1/27/2010