By Bill Felker

We propose that the world, all of Nature, is engaged in a sacred conversation, speaking about everything there is, everything there was, and everything there will be, leaving nothing out. — Peter London

The Moon and Stars and Planets

The Restless Billy Goat Moon wanes throughout the first week of September, becoming the Hickory, Black Walnut and Pecan Nutting Moon on September 6 at 9:52 a.m. Rising after midnight and setting in the evening, this moon passes overhead in the morning, encouraging all creatures to be more active at that time, especially as the cool fronts of September 2, 8 and 12 approach.

At midnight, the Milky Way runs from east to west across the sky. The stars of the Summer Triangle are setting in the far west, and Orion is climbing from the eastern horizon. Hercules, which was overhead at 12:00 a.m. in the first week of June, is now setting in the northwest, and Castor and Pollux, the twins of Gemini, are appearing above the tree line in the northeast.

Venus remains in Virgo this month, setting near sunset throughout the month. Mars moves retrograde from Leo into Virgo, joining Venus in the far west, barely visible near sundown. Jupiter travels retrograde into Capricorn, and together with Saturn, becomes visible at dusk in the south and travels across the southern horizon through the night. 

Weather Trends

Between September 3 and 6 there is an increased chance for an afternoon in the 90s. But the second high-pressure system of September, which arrives between the 5th and 11th, pushes lows into the 30s one year in 20. Chances for highs in the 90s hold at less than ten percent, the first time that has happened since the last days of May. Cold highs in the 60s occur another ten percent of the time, with 70s and 80s sharing the remaining 80 percent.

New moon on the September 6 will bring the first chance of frost in the northern tier of states. Lunar perigee on the 11th brings the second chance, and full moon on September 20 is likely to threaten light frost all the way to the 40th Parallel.

Zeitgebers

(Events in Nature that Tell the Time of Year)

This week is the final week of late summer, and the final tier of wildflowers starts opening throughout the country. White and violet asters, orange beggarticks, bur marigolds, field goldenrod and zigzag goldenrod come into bloom, blending with the last of the purple ironweed, yellow sundrops, blue chicory, golden touch-me-nots, showy coneflowers, and great blue lobelias.

Squirrels are shredding Osage fruits in the woods. Rose of Sharon, which was bright from Missouri to Connecticut a few weeks ago, has suddenly lost most of its blossoms. Japanese knotweed flowers darken and fall. False boneset begins to lose its brightness along the freeways.

As the day moves to within a few degrees of equinox, sycamores, tulip trees, slippery elms, poplars, locust, elms, box elders, buckeyes, dogwoods, chinquapin oaks, lindens, and redbuds may begin to show their autumn colors. Some ash, black walnuts and cottonwoods are almost bare. Streaks of gold have appeared on the silver olive bushes.

Bees are awkward and stiff in the cool mornings. Sometimes on sunny days, woolly bear caterpillars hurry across the warm blacktop of country roads. 

Kingbirds, finches, ruddy ducks, herring gulls and yellow-bellied sapsuckers move south.

Mind and Body

The S.A.D. Index, which measures seasonal stress on a scale from 1 to 100, rises into the 40s as the moon turns new, but most of that rise has to do with lunar influence. In fact, September’s relatively pleasant temperatures and clear skies keep Seasonal Affective Disorder at bay throughout most of the month. 

In addition, hormonal energy may increase at this time of year, creating an “autumn surge” that combats S.A.D. In addition, numerous signals from fauna and flora (observed and named or not) alert the observer to coming changes in the season. The resulting anticipation at the approach of a landscape entirely transformed in shape and color and sound often reverses any negative effects of the shortening day, frost and the moon. 

In the Field and Garden 

Late summer and early fall are the prime times for gathering nuts. Walk the parks and woods now to identify the trees and their fruit.

Grapes are ready to be picked as the first asters bloom in the pasture. In a typical year, nearly half of the tobacco has been cut.

Farmers and gardeners have gathered about half the summer’s tomatoes and potatoes. Almost all of the soybeans are setting pods, and some plants are beginning to shed.

As the moon waxes, plant your fall peas. Put out cabbage, kale and collard sets. Seed the lawn. Prepare cold frames, and then seed your late-autumn greens for October, November and December salads.

In September, an average of one major cold wave per week crosses the nation from west to east. Have protection for your tender garden crops as each front approaches.

Complete autumn culling now before supplements become necessary. Animals that can be kept at relatively low cost in the summer turn out to be much more expensive as pastures become dormant.

ALMANACK CLASSICS

An Angel in Need: An Angel in Deed

by Wilma Osborn, Toledo Ohio

Do you believe in Angels? No, not the ones with wings and floats, but HUMAN angels with two legs, arms and one head? If not, maybe my true story will help you.

More years ago than I care to remember, my husband, two little kids and myself were lucky enough to buy a farm. We were so thrilled to be able to have a garden, chickens, and a lot of fresh air.

What we didn’t know was we had also bought a house full of bed bugs, fields of nasty snakes and a barn full of rats.

Now the house wasn’t a problem. After we fumigated and cleaned, the bedbugs moved on out. The snakes weren’t bad either. My husband had a fellow come in and plow up every inch he could and seed it down. No more snakes.

 But now the rats. They had eminent domain. We tried traps, poison, and even a gun. Nothing helped.

I was terrified of those rats. When I wanted something from the barn, I’d kick the door, yell and make as much noise as I could. Then I’d run in and grab whatever I wanted and get out.

One day, I was going through this routine when a beat-up old truck pulled into our driveway. A little, beat-up old man got out.

He asked me: “Little lady, do you have a problem?”

I told him my sad tale of woe. He said he’d go in and get what I wanted.

I thought: “Oh no! The rats are bigger than he is!”

But he went in, and then he asked me: “Can you be here at exactly the same time tomorrow?”

 “Yes,” was my answer. 

So the following morning, I was out there on time. In he came. He brought three gunny sacks full of snarling, yelling, mad cats. He took them into the barn and let them go. He said: “Don’t open the door for a week and a half. Your rats will be gone, and so will the cats.”

“He was right, only we had one daddy cat left. He brought home many mamma cats, and we had plenty of beautiful kittens.

I asked all the neighbors who that man might have been. No one knew!

***

Poor Will Wants Your Stories!

Poor Will pays $5.00 for unusual and true farm, garden, animal and even love stories used in this almanack! 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.

WROT TROW

EWO WOE

LOWF FLOW

EJO JOE

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WES SEW

OHWS SHOW

AOVRB BRAVO

DEBORAXU BORDEAUX

UUAEBR BUREAU

THIS WEEK’S RHYMING SCKRAMBLER 

NEGARELISMISO

SUMCATOIH

TONIRAO

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REVGITO

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Bill Felker’s Daybook for September (with extensive details for every day of the month) is now available. For your autographed copy, send $20.00 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