Nov. 20-26, 2017

The stars are down close to the trees,

The air crisp, no wind, no cricket or bird.

-August Derleth

Almanac horoscope

Moon time: The Paperwhite Moon, reaching apogee, its gentle position farthest from Earth on Nov. 21, enters its second quarter at 12:03 p.m. Nov. 26. Rising in the afternoon and setting in the middle of the night, this moon travels overhead in the evening.

Sun time: On Nov. 23, the sun enters the early winter sign of Sagittarius and reaches within 2 degrees of solstice at the same time. At the end of November, sunset has reached to within just a few minutes of its earliest time throughout the nation. The latest sunrise, however, is still about half an hour away.

Planet time: Jupiter and Mars are the morning stars, but Venus is not visible at all, and Saturn fades from view as well.

Star time: In the dark, Orion becomes unmistakable now as early winter approaches, and Sirius and Procyon follow him out of the southeast after midnight. Aries is high in the center of the sky this week, a little west of Perseus.

And the summer stars have almost disappeared. August's Vega is setting. Cygnus, the swan of the Northern Cross and the gauge of autumn's progress, is disappearing south. October's Pegasus and Andromeda fall away behind it.

Weather time

This year the Nov. 24 front coincides with a weak moon (entering its fourth phase and close to apogee), a coincidence that suggests this second-last front of the month could be less disruptive than usual during the Thanksgiving period. Nevertheless, chances for an afternoon in the 70s are now only 1 in 100. On March 2, they rise again.

Nov. 25 is the date of the latest recorded killing frost above the Ohio River.

The Nov. 28 front is almost always strong, and it typically brings rain and gloom to the South and snow to the North. It also brings a strong chance of freezing temperatures into the Gulf States and the Carolinas.

Zeitgebers: In a moderate autumn, a few snapdragons and yarrows can still be budding. The dead nettle still has blossoms. Basal leaf clusters grow back on carnations, sweet rockets, chickweed, henbit, celandine, garlic mustard, poppies, lamb’s ear and daisies.

Until the hardest frost, St. John’s wort, lavender, butterfly bush, euonymus and Japanese honeysuckle keep their leaves. The mint is still fragrant. Parsley and thyme are still green and firm for seasoning.

Farm and garden time

All the major harvest is complete; fall seeding should be finished; the garden's pretty well picked clean and the cover crops have sprouted. The Christmas tree harvest has begun, and the last poinsettias have come north.

On the farm, it’s time to plug in the electric bucket heaters and try to keep the water near 50 degrees for pregnant livestock. Maintain good ventilation in the barn, and watch for stress from overcrowding. Keep on the lookout for pneumonia in your animals.

Around the yard, stake young shrubs and trees. Wrap young transplants to protect them against frost cracking. Parsley and thyme should be brought inside pots for winter seasonings.

Marketing time: Hanukkah takes place Dec. 12-20. Consider adding to your Christmas marketing by making Hanukkah baskets that include items such as fruit or baked goods.

Mind and body time

Thanksgiving opens the six-week holiday season in the United States, a difficult time for some and a festive family period for others. Adding to the complexity of late November through December, leaf fall is virtually complete, and temperatures, which may have moderated in an “Indian summer,” become much colder.

In most years, clouds become more frequent, and increasing wind speed approaches winter levels. All these factors mean S.A.D., or seasonal affective disorder.

Creature time (for fishing, hunting, feeding, bird-watching): Fishing should be most productive in the afternoon this week, as the barometer falls at the approach of the Nov. 24 and 28 cold fronts.

A secondary rutting period for deer begins near the end of November and lasts until early to mid-December. Early-sprouting winter wheat could bring deer to those tender green shoots. Staghorn sumac fruit clusters can also be attractive to game.

A wreath for spring

Twelve weeks from now, late winter cedes to early spring throughout the East and lower Midwest. Pussy willow catkins are cracking by then, and white tips of snowdrops have emerged from the mulch, and skunk cabbage has opened.

Purple cress has budded along the river, cardinals sing before sunrise. Sandhill cranes fly north. Flocks of robins arrive to begin their mating chorus.

And if I place a cluster of 12 candles on the dining room table, lighting one each week, I keep a semblance of my childhood Advent ritual while creating another procession toward the end of the cold. By the time the last candle is burning, the sky is no longer dark when I have supper at 6 o’clock.

Bedding plant seeding started with new moon on Nov. 18, and I planted a few seeds then. My sprouting place is near the furnace in the attic. I set up two grow lights and hang them low, leaving space for flats above them, maybe 3-4 inches.

I am partial to geraniums and banana seeds this early in the season. Outriders of aconites and crocus, the new sprouts pace the lengthening day, replacing candles in February, opening the door to March and April.

Almanac literature

Rugs of Stone

By Mike Beard

Shelby, Ohio

Back in the 1960s, my wife and I were looking for a new vacuum for our recently built new home that had a lot of carpeting.

Now at that time there were not many outlets that sold vacuums. So we decided to call a door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesperson. Now some salespeople had a terrible reputation for being high-pressure, but we found a farmer/sweeper salesperson in our area, Wayne Bell, the Electrolux salesman.

He came to the house one evening, bringing his wares. He put on his demonstration with this grotesque-looking tank-type vacuum that looked like a power-driven anteater. After Wayne cleaned numerous piles of grimy dirt from our new carpet, we decided to purchase the rather expensive machine.

Then one day my wife commented that the vacuum was not picking up like it used to. Man, I am on the phone in a flash with the salesman, demanding a replacement immediately.

Well, Wayne showed up and examined the unit, and after about five minutes he sort of smiled and said, “Well it looks to me that this is being run on cement.” I assured him in no short terms that this was not the case. This vacuum was only used on our new carpet.

Then I heard this “ummm” behind me. It was is my wife, who sheepishly said, “Well, as a matter of fact, I do vacuum the garage floor and the driveway too. It really picks up the stones!”