By Bill Felker Then blow, Winds, blow! And rave and shriek, And snarl and snow Till your breath grows weak – While here in my room I’m as snugly shut As a glad little worm In the heart of a nut! – James Whitcomb Riley The Moon and the Stars in the Third Week of Deep Winter The Tufted Titmouse Moon waxes throughout the period, reaching apogee, its position farthest from Earth, on Jan. 14 at 4 a.m. and then becoming full on Jan. 17 at 6:48 p.m. Rising in the afternoon and setting after midnight, this moon passes overhead in the evening, making that time the most promising time for hunting or fishing, especially as the cold front that precedes full moon approaches. The brightest star in the south at bedtime is Sirius in Canis Major, right behind Orion and low along the horizon. The other “canis,” or dog of Orion is Canis Minor, and its largest star, Procyon, is located just to the left of Orion, right below the twin stars of Castor and Pollux. Merak and Dubhe, the pointers of the Big Dipper which indicate the North Star, are positioned exactly east-west at 9:30 p.m. on the 15th, designating the exact center of winter. When they point north-south, it will be the middle of April. Weather Trends The low-pressure system that precedes the Jan. 15 high-pressure system sometimes brings a mild afternoon in the 50s on the 11th through the 13th. After the front comes through look for sun (there is a 60 percent chance for that). The cloudiest day of the week is usually the 14th, with only a 35 percent chance for clearing. Full moon on the 17th is likely to bring a snow storm to the North, tornadoes or heavy rains to the Southeast. Zeitgebers (Events in Nature that Tell the Time of Year) Under the cold veneer of deep winter, the natural year quickens. Nighttime excursions of skunks, an increase in opossum activity, the frolicking mating of foxes, the prophetic calls of overwintering robins, the occasional passage of bluebirds, the mating of owls and the disappearance of autumn seeds all offer counterpoint to the subdued winter silence and chill. In the Field and Garden Get ready to work outside when the January Thaw, which should come within a week after full moon. At that time, temperatures are likely to rise above 40 throughout much of the area, perfect for spraying trees for scales and mites. But don’t spray if a freeze is expected within 24 hours. Pruning can be done throughout the remainder of the month after full moon and into the first two weeks of February. Houseplants can be repotted too, and light fertilizing begun. Since this is historically the coldest week of the year, keep energy feed on hand to tide your animals and children over until the thaw. Throughout the nation, florists and grocery stores introduce flowering daffodils and tulips, either potted or as cut flowers. Plan for next year to market the flowers you have prepared, as well. Mind and Body Full moon on the 17th will have an especially strong effect on mammals (you). Expect emergency rooms and police stations to be busier than average. Be especially careful of drunk drivers. If you go to a basketball game over the weekend, expect the fans to be rowdier than they usually are. Animals (like people) tend to be more skittish as the moon waxes full. Be careful of mares, ewes and does that are coming due in February or March; full moon can be associated with stress and abortions. Aches and pains are likely to increase as the barometer drops. Expect all this as the Jan. 15 and 20 cold fronts approach. The S.A.D. Index, which measures the forces that contribute to seasonal affective disorders on a scale of 1 to 100, remains in the 70s until it surges to a disruptive 96 when the moon becomes full. Almanack Classics Hot Wire By Bob Christiansen I was about 13. I had box-trapped enough cotton-tail rabbits for 30 cents apiece to buy me a small Bakelite AM radio from the Sears-Roebuck catalog to listen to the Kansas City Blues (Yankees farm club) baseball games at night in my bedroom in the old farmhouse. The radio had a short wire about six inches long as an antenna. I figured out that if I had more antenna, I could reach more distant stations. My mother had an extensive wire clothesline that ran all around the yard from tree to tree. While iron, it was a big #9 iron wire. I rigged a connecting wire out under my window and to the clothesline. Wow! I could reach Del Rio, Texas, and listen to country music when they kicked up the power late at night as their towers were across the Rio Grande and out of the FCC’s jurisdiction. Life was great! Until next washday. Boy, did I catch it! That little radio’s antenna somehow had hot 110-volts on it, which fed onto the clothesline as Mom hung her wet wash on it. End of expanded antenna and Del Rio, Texas, after-hours. The 2022 Poor Will’s Almanack is still available. Order from www.amazon.com or visit www.poorwillsalmanack.com to look at a sample of this year’s features and to order an autographed copy of your book. You can order with PayPal or by sending a $22 check for each autographed copy (includes handling and media mail) to Poor Will at the address below. Poor Will Pays for Your Stories Poor Will pays $5 for unusual and true farm, garden, animal and even love stories used in this almanack. Send yours 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. BROWN BRNOW CLOWN NOCLW DOWN WOND HOUND DONHU SOUND DOSUN AROUND NOUDAR SURROUND SOUURRND ABOUND BUNAOD AGROUND GRANOUD FOREGROUND DNUORGEROF THIS WEEK’S RHYMING SCKRAMBLER HISF WISSH SHID TINDISHSIUG GANUISH SHIUGEXTIN HISHGUOR DISHNOUR LINGUISHER HSINELPER Copyright 2022 – W. L. Felker |
