The Canada thistles turned brown in the heat. The downy seeds blew loose from their flower heads and drifted across the old fields, a first emblem of the summer’s inevitable passing. Small, warty seed pods appeared on some milkweed plants, while others were still in flower. – David Rains Wallace

The Moon and Stars

The Buzzing Cicada Moon waxes throughout the period, entering its second quarter on July 17 at 5:11 a.m. Rising in the afternoon and setting after midnight, this moon passes overhead in the evening (its most favorable position for angling when the barometer is dropping before the July 21 cool front).

The Corona Borealis, the horseshoe-shaped configuration that moves above this region in early summer, finally shifts to the west, signaling a shift toward autumn. Lanky Hercules replaces it; Cygnus, Aquila and Lyra approach from the east.

Weather Trends

The period between July 13-15 brought cooler conditions in the 70s 25 percent of the years, with the 13th sometimes brings a high just in the 60s. Nighttime lows typically remain in the 60s, but chilly 50s occur an average of 15 percent of the time. On the other hand, highs above 100 are more likely to occur on July 15 and 16 than any other days of the Midwestern year.

Zeitgebers

(Events in Nature that Tell the Time of Year)

Leaf miners may be turning the locust leaves brown by this date.

A slight turning of the leaves is visible in some of the redbuds, Virginia creepers, box elders and buckeyes. Foliage of Japanese honeysuckle and the multiflora roses is yellowing.

Big red seedpods hang from locust branches. Throughout the whole country, more flowers are in bloom now than at any other time of year. Late summer’s white snakeroot, poisonous to livestock, is budding in the woods. Blueberries darken and sweeten.

Milkweed beetles look for milkweed flowers; giant cecropia moths emerge. The first monarch butterfly caterpillars eat the carrot tops.

Summer Countdown

Just another week until blackberry season. Two weeks until ragweed starts to flower, three weeks until fireflies stop flickering, a month until the first Judas maples turn and goldenrod comes in, five weeks to corn silage cutting and the end of the oats harvest, six weeks to tobacco cutting time and puffball mushroom time, seven weeks to grape harvest, eight weeks until acorns, buckeyes, and Osage fruits fall, nine weeks until the corn and soybean harvest and the sowing of winter wheat, 10 weeks until the beginning of Middle Fall.

Mind and Body

The S.A.D. Index, which measures seasonal stress on a scale from 1 to 100, falls into the relatively gentle 20s this week, but Dog Day weather continues to challenge those who stay indoors too much and become susceptible to summer cabin fever.

In the Field and Garden

The peak period of heat stress has usually begun now for summer crops, and high temperatures turn some pasture grasses dormant.

Although this is typically the driest time of July, sometimes rains can cause soybean root rot and leaf yellowing. San Jose scale and flathead borers are active on flowering fruit trees. In woodlots and towns, walnut caterpillars assault walnut trees.

Commercial tomato, green bean and squash harvests begin in southern counties. In average years, almost all the field corn is tasseling.

Half of the second crop of alfalfa has usually been cut by now – along with almost half the wheat. The first of the oats is typically ripe. One in twenty soybeans could be flowering. The summer potato harvest brings up the potatoes. Cucumber pickle and green pepper picking and packing peaks. Japanese beetles reach major levels in the soybeans.

Almanack Classics

A Lesson Learned from Mules

By Lois Newman, Seaman, Ohio

Mules had never been a part of my life until the summer a tractor-trailer rolled into our Ohio barnyard to bring cattle from a Montana ranch. That truck was one of a fleet that wove back and forth across the country to pick up and deliver livestock. At stops, the animals were fed, watered and rested.

A group of mules was on board one of the trucks. Although they frisked about and kicked up their heels, the driver told us they had grown old at the Grand Canyon and were on their way to be wagon mules in Georgia. It seemed unfair that those skilled, reliable animals were going to a menial job instead of being allowed to rest in a pasture their last days.

My husband and I had grown old together caring for the family, the farm and each other. Then he became sick and died. My job was gone. Family and friends checked on me and met all my needs, but I felt useless. Finally I realized that life comes in a series of stages, each with its own role to play, and although my role had changed, I could still do something.

I planted seeds in the yard and had goodies to give away. I had always read a lot but now I had time to study. My grandson helped me enroll in a college class and took me with him. I began writing items and stories and had some published.

I was asked to speak at church functions and to school groups. I wrote long letters to cousins and friends and became closer to them.

Then I made my first trip to the Grand Canyon and saw those famous mules so aptly designed with sinewy strength and tiny feet and the intelligence to trek into that great abyss and safely bring their cargo back to the rim.

I began to question. Is one task more noble than another? I’m still lonely. I miss my husband and the old busy life, but I can touch lives and perhaps make some of them better. The mules and I have grown old, but happiness seems to come from usefulness. I hope those creatures in Georgia are still sending out their raucous hee-haws and kicking up their heels. We are all in this together.

Poor Will Pays for Your Stories

Poor Will pays $4 for unusual and true farm, garden, animal and even love stories used in this almanac. Send yours to to Poor Will’s Almanack at the address below.

ANSWERS TO LAST WEEK’S SCKRAMBLER

In order to estimate your SCKRAMBLER 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.

KALNB BLANK

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KRNAF FRANK

NARCK CRANK

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THIS WEEK’S RHYMING SCKRAMBLER

SUPESOP SOPPEA

EPOSER ESPOORP

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REEPOS POSEED

Bill Felker’s Daybook for July (with extensive details for every day of the month) is now available. For your autographed copy, send $20 to Poor Will, P.O. Box 431, Yellow Springs, OH 45387. Or order from Amazon or from www.poorwillsalmanack.com.

Copyright 2021 – W. L. Felker