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Lower pollen counts should provide relief – until spring
 
Poor Will's Almanack by Bill Felker
 
Oct. 27-Nov. 2, 2014
Now constantly there is a
Sound, quieter than rain,
Of leaves falling.
Under their loosening bright
Gold, the sycamore limbs
bleach whiter.
-Wendell Berry
Lunar phase and lore

The Frog and Toad Migration Moon waxes throughout the period, entering its second quarter at 9:48 p.m. on Oct. 30. Rising in the middle of the day and setting late at night, the crescent moon passes overhead in the late afternoon and evening.
That means suppertime should catch the most fish and game, especially before the cold fronts of Oct. 30 and Nov. 3 arrive. Lunar position in Capricorn from Oct. 27-30 and in Pisces from Nov. 1-3 is just right for the planting of winter grains, harvest and the setting in of spring bulbs.
Weather trends

Highs are usually in the 50s or 60s, with the odds for 70s near 1 in 5. Historically speaking, the danger of frost remains similar to that of the third week in October; about 1 night in 3 receives temperatures in the upper 20s or lower 30s.
But by this late in the season, the chances for a hard freeze have risen past 50 percent, and the odds get better each night for killing lows.
The natural calendar

Oct. 27: The last cabbage moths look for cabbages. At night, sluggish crickets fill in for the silent katydids. Cattails begin to break apart as the final giant jimsonweed opens in the cornfields.
Oct. 28: Crickets still sing in the milder afternoons and nights. A few butterflies hunt for flowers. Grasshoppers are still common. Small tan moths, like the first to emerge in March, play in the sun.
Oct. 29: High pollen counts are over in most of the country until next spring. Average mold counts are typically low at this time, too; usually fewer than 2,000 out of a possible 7,000 grains per cubic meter.
Oct. 30: The last raspberries of the year redden in the low October sun. After the last weather system of the month comes across the country, milder but rainier weather typically follows for the first few days of November.
Oct. 31: As the winter months approach, the percentage of available sunlight declines quickly throughout the nation, and more in the northern states than in southern areas.
Nov. 1: If major storms occur this month, weather patterns suggest they will happen in the following periods: Nov. 2-5, 14-16 and 22-27. Full moon increases the likelihood for bad weather today and tomorrow. New moon on Nov. 16 increases the chances for trouble during the mid-November storm time.
Nov. 2: Daylight Saving Time ends this morning. Set your clocks back one hour.
In field and garden

Oct. 27: Seed winter greens and plant winter grains under the new Frog and Toad Migration Moon. Half of the corn has generally been cut for grain; soybeans, three-quarters harvested most years.
Oct. 28: Forsythia often blooms again near this date. Prepare mulch for November protection of sensitive plants and shrubs.
Oct. 29: The dark of the October moon is a fine time for dividing and transplanting your perennials and bulbs. Put a little fertilizer and/or compost in with everything, and water generously through the fall.
Oct. 30: Winter wheat is usually almost all planted, and 2 out of 3 of the seeds have emerged. Fall apple picking is often complete today.
Oct. 31: Wrap new trees with burlap to help them ward off winter winds. Complete fall field and garden tillage before the November rains.
Nov. 1: Testing of stored forage soon can pay dividends by helping you prepare balanced winter rations for your flock and herd.
Nov. 2: Grazing Season draws to a close as the pasture growth slows in the cold.
Almanac literature
Great American Story Contest entry
The Pink Ash
By Pete Jones
Lynn, Ind.
My dad fixed radios, and he built the first television set in Wabash County, Ind. One of his odd jobs was helping a used car dealer take miles off his used car speedometer.
The used cars were more valuable if they appeared to be less worn out. My dad had fixed his electric drill in such a way that it would turn the numbers on the speedometer to whatever mileage the dealer want it to show.
One day the car dealer called my dad and informed him he had bought a 1939 wrecked car. “It’s not really damaged much,” the dealer said, “but the rear end is out of line and no one here can fix it. My hired help bet that you could fix it.
“And, if you can, I’ll give it to you for so many favors you have done for me!”
The Second World War was going on, and you couldn’t buy a new car during war time. But this one day, I looked up and saw a red passenger car in our driveway. It was a beauty.
My dad had a tape measure. He was inspecting the rear end of the car. The next thing I saw was my dad backing the car over and over into a big maple tree we had. After the back of the car hit the tree, he would measure the back of it.
Eventually, he said, “I got it. It is lined just as it should be.”
And what a car! It had overdrive and free-wheeling. It was a 1939 Red Nash. When my dad showed it to my 3-year-old sister, Nancy, and told her it was a red Nash, she looked at it and said, “It’s our Pink Ash.”
And we called that car the Pink Ash for as long as we owned it.

10/23/2014