By Bill Felker Robins are everywhere this morning. They are running over the wet March ground, in yards, among the open fields, on the swamp edge hillside. They are darting from limb to limb in the old apple orchard. Like scouts or an advance guard, a few redbreasts have come up from the south during recent days. But now the glad robin invasion is in full swing. – Edwin Way Teale The Moon and the Sun The Third Week of Early Spring Daylight-saving time begins at 2 a.m. on March 13. The Black-Capped Chickadee Moon waxed into lunar apogee (its position farthest from Earth) and its second quarter on March 10 at 5:45 a.m. It becomes full at 2:18 a.m. on March 18. Rising in the afternoon and setting after midnight, this moon passes overhead in the evening, encouraging fish to bite at that time, especially as the cold fronts of March 14 and 19 approach. The Sun reached a declination of 4 degrees, 57 minutes on March 8, 80 percent of the way to spring equinox. The Big Dipper swings deeper into the southern sky, bringing spring and better mental health along with it. Weather Trends As the March 9 weather ridge moved east, chances for highs above 50 degrees increase dramatically across the central and northern parts of the United States. The March 14 front is often accompanied by brighter skies for a day or so before it moves toward the Atlantic to make way for the much stronger and more disruptive weather system of March 19 (which will be strengthened by full moon one the 18th). Zeitgebers Events in Nature that Tell the Time of Year The most important event of this week is the start of the robin chorus before dawn. When you hear those birds calling, then box elders come into bloom, and the first mosquito is getting ready to bite you. Asian ladybeetles mate when they emerge from hibernation. When nettle tops are ready to pick for greens, then peregrine falcons lay their eggs and bald eagle chicks hatch. And when mock orange leaves appear, water striders breed in the ponds and rivers, and cherry trees will soon start to bloom in Washington, D.C. Expect an increase in bird activity prior to the arrival of a high-pressure system. Flocks often ride the high winds north. In the Farm and Garden Complete the spraying of fruit trees. Spray with dormant oil when the temperature is expected to stay above 40 for 24 hours. Do late pruning on colder afternoons. Spread fertilizer, too. Cut off tips of young black raspberry branches and remove old canes. Flower and garden shows take place in middle March; try to make time to visit one. Passover starts at sunset on April 15 and continues to April 23. The Jewish market typically is best after religious holidays come to a close. Milk-fed lambs and kids below 60 pounds are favored for this market. Lamb stew is a traditional Seder dish at Passover Seder dinners. Roman Easter takes place on April 16. Lambs and kids in the 25-45 pound range are favored for this market. Mind and Body Seasonal and lunar stress rises from the 40s to the Late Winter 60s throughout the week, peaking on full moon day, March 18. Since this is also a season transition time, people with chronic health issues should be especially careful to keep to a routine of stretching, low-impact exercise and moderate diet. Expect erratic behavior from livestock, troublesome children and relatives throughout the weekend (thanks to the moon). And the change to Daylight-saving time has been shown to contribute to a rise in accidents. Almanack Literature Guardian Angel By Dale E. Perkins, Anderson, Ind. I didn’t live on a farm when I was a kid, but my grandfather was a farmer. He bought me a John Deere tractor so I could help him. Grandma would pick me up after school when I was in the fourth and fifth grades. One spring, sunny day, I was discing and Grandpa was planting. For some unknown reason, I fell asleep at the wheel. There was a rock pile at the end of the field. My tractor hit the rock pile and threw me off and I landed between the tractor and the disc. I didn’t hit the drawbar or anything else except the ground. I remember looking up and seeing the tractor tires spinning on the rocks. My grandfather showed up and asked what had happened. I told him, and all he said was, “We won’t tell your grandmother about this.” *** Poor Will’s Almanack pays $5 for stories used in this column. Send your stories to Poor Will, P.O. Box 431, Yellow Springs, Ohio 45387. *** Poor Will’s Almanack for 2022 is still available, containing the S.A.D. Index, as well as natural history essays for each week of the year, monthly weather reports, some of the best reader stories of all time, and a monthly farm and garden calendar. Purchase your copy from Amazon or, for an autographed Almanack, order from www.poorwillsalmanack.com. Or send $22 to Poor Will, P.O. Box 431, Yellow Springs, Ohio 45387. 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. IDTS DUST SUTL LUST SUMT MUST UBTS BUST RSTU RUST CUSRT CRUST TSUJ JUST DAUJTS ADJUST SIDSUGT DISGUST SUGT GUST THIS WEEK’S RHYMING SCKRAMBLER MUBP LUCPM UDMP PUMH JPMU LUPM MUPM LUPPM RUTMP PULSM Copyright 2022 – W. L. Felker |
