The human body is susceptible to the same cosmic influences as the Earth…. Body processes ebb and flow with the tides, just as do the crust and the waters and the magnetic field of the Earth. – Arnold L. Lieber, M.D.

The Moon, the Sun and the Comets

The Buzzing Cicada Moon wanes throughout the week, entering its final quarter at 8:16 a.m. on July 31. It reaches apogee, its gentle position farthest from earth on Aug. 2 at 3 a.m. Rising after sundown and setting in the late morning, this Moon passes overhead before dawn, encouraging creatures to be more active at that time, especially as the cool fronts of July 28 and Aug. 4 approach.

The Sun reaches almost a fourth of the way to autumn equinox this week, and the Delta Aquarid meteor shower continues its passage from July 12-Aug. 23.

Weather Trends

After July 25, a subtle change took place in weather history statistics: the chances of a high in the 80s or 90s falls slightly from 90 percent down to 75 percent. That shift is one of the first measurable temperature signals that summer has begun to unravel.

Although the fourth high-pressure system of the month often comes through in the last days of July, temperatures and precipitation patterns usually remain unaffected. Lunar apogee and phase should contribute to stable conditions.

Zeitgebers

(Events in Nature that Tell the Time of Year)

The last week of Deep Summer arrives with the last week of July, moving in to the song of cicadas, the katydids and the new generations of crickets. 

Seedpods are fully formed on the trumpet creepers. White vervain blossoms reach the end of their spikes. Blue-winged teal start to migrate.

Ragweed heads up for August as honewort and wood nettle, mallow and tall meadow rue go to seed. Early cottonwoods are weathering. Black walnut leaves often start to yellow and fall.

Early pods of the touch-me-not burst at the slightest touch. Dogbane pods swing in the wind. Meadowlarks begin migration. August fogs appear at dawn. Grapes and pokeweed berries darken.

Mind and Body

The S.A.D. Index, which measures seasonal stress on a scale from 1 to 100, falls into the gentle 20s on July 29 and remains in those low numbers throughout the period. Even though the night is lengthening, the slight chances of cooling temperatures combine with the moon’s weak position to create favorable conditions for vacationing as well as for family and business interactions.

In the Field and Garden

The day’s length has shortened by almost three-quarters of an hour since summer solstice. Many does and ewes sense this change and may start to cycle.

Hemlock loopers assault the hemlocks. Oak skeletonizers eat the oak leaves as lily season comes to a close in the garden.

Apple pickers have usually picked half the summer apples. Farmers are making corrective lime and fertilizer applications for August and September seeding.

Across the Midwest, almost all of the corn is silking by now, and a third of the crop could be in dough. Most soybeans are flowering or setting pods. Oats and the second cut of alfalfa, running neck and neck, are ordinarily three-fourths harvested.  

Almanack Classics

Dogs and ducks don’t always mix, but – as these two stories demonstrate – the ducks may end up becoming relatively famous. 

The Duck That Had Bad Luck

By Fanny Lindsey, Greenwich, Ohio

I had a pet duck named Sue, and she almost lost her life one day. What happened was there was a bird dog that came in our yard and got inside the henhouse where Sue stayed.

We heard trouble at 7:30 in the morning, jumped up and ran outside. We pulled the dog out of the house, and poor little Sue came out with blood all over her. We called the dogcatcher and brought Sue in, put her in the sink and washed the blood off her. She had been bitten under both wings. She did really well, and now everyone comes around to see how white as snow she is.

The Duck with the Pink Wing

By Sara Beck, Louisville, Ky.

Every Easter our two girls, Annette Ruth and Barbara Sue, would receive a baby fowl. One year they found two baby ducks that the Easter Bunny had left them. Annette named her duck Ann, and Barbara named hers Sue.

One afternoon, we decided to take a ride, but when we returned we noticed that Ann (the duck) was lying on the ground. The other duck, Sue, was very agitated and quacking loudly. Our dog, Enro, had apparently attacked Ann.

My husband, Ralph, examined Ann and found she had been bitten on her wing. He quickly got a bottle of Mercurochrome and swabbed the torn places on her wing. Her wing stayed red for a long time, but finally it turned pink. Visitors would enquire about this pink-winged duck, and sometimes Ann would swim nearby and be admired.

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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 P.O. Box 431, Yellow Springs, Ohio 45387 or to wlfelker@gmail.com.

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.

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BUCH CHUB

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BUNS SNUB

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UBT TUB

NBU NUB

PUB PUB

THIS WEEK’S RHYMING SCKRAMBLER

NICLEPS

RHPINEC

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LACHTSINECI

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THAPOGENIC

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Bill Felker’s Daybook for August (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