The Old Farmer's Almanac 2006 [Club Store Edition] 1571983724, 9781571983725

Citation preview

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NUMBER

TWO

HUNDRED

AND

The Old Farmer's Almanac Calculated on a new and improved plan eor the year of our Lord

2006

Being 2nd after Leap Year and (until July 4) 230th year of American Independence Fitted for Boston and the New England states, with special corrections and calculations to answer for all the United States. Containing, besides the large number of Astronomical Calculations and the Farmers Calendar for every month in the year, a variety of

New, Useful, &f Entertaining Matter. Established in 1792 by Robert B. Thomas

In the end, its not the years in your life that count. Its the life in your years. -Abraham Lincoln. 16th U.S. president (1809-1865)

Cover T.M. registered

Copyright 2005 by Yankee Publishing Incorporated

in U.S. Patent Office

ISSN 0078-4516

Library of Congress Card No. 56-29681

Original wood engraving by Randy Miller

Address all editorial correspondence to: THE Old Farmer's Almanac, Dublin, NH 03444 2006

The Old Farmer's Almanac

Content The Old Farmer's Almanac • 2006

ABOUT

THIS ALMANAC

70 To Patrons 91 How to Use This Almanac HOW WE PREDICT THE WEATHER

AMUSEMENT

194

132 Your Ambition Suits You to a T

WINTER/SUMMER WEATHER MAPS

140 Winning Essays

64 GENERAL WEATHER REPORT AND FORECAST

196 WEATHER REGIONS MAP

197 FORECASTS FOR 16 REGIONS

198-213 SPECIAL

REPORT

Climate Change: The Story Behind the Headlines

144 Toys That Have Withstood the Test of Time

IS* *

ASTRONOMY

84 Comet Watch! CALENDAR

130 Boo! Scaring Up the Ancient Traditions of Halloween FOOD

158 Eat Your Weedies 164 A Wok on the Wild Side 168 Winning Recipes GARDENING 20 Your Own Lip-smackin'-good Peaches

150 What Do You Want to Be? 242 Maddening Mind-Manglers 252 Anecdotes & Pleasantries ANNIVERSARY

214 In the Wake of a Quake

30 A Thing or Two About Onions >£! 40 Frosts and Growing Seasons 42 Put 'Em Up! 46 The Seedy Secrets of Your Garbage 48 A Kitchen Garden

222 The Roads Most Traveled

58 Symbolic Meanings of Herbs, Flowers, and Trees (continued

on page

4)

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• continued from page 2

CoiltelltS 60 Beaut) From Your Backs aid

OUTDOORS 181 Tracker's Guide

62 What's Good for the Garden

182 Worst Your Kitty's Enemy New

232 Outdoor Planting Table HEALTH/HOME

H9WT0 .USETHIS 'ALMANAC

155 Good for What Ails You

91 Aphelion Astronomical Glossary

156 How to Make a Marriage Last 50 " HUSBANDRY Years 176 How to Teach Old Chickens New Tricks

228 Best Fishing Days SPORTS 170 The Toughest Job in Sports

O

o

95 74

Calendar Pages 96-123 Conjunctions 80,96-123 Daylight Saving Time. . 107, 119 Key Letter Values 237 Length of Day 92,96-122 Meteor Showers 82 Perihelion Predicting Earthquakes Seasons Time Corrections Twilight

95 94 91 237 82

MOON

,_3L \'Mm

p 180 Gestation and Mating Table

imL

NEWS 6 Tastes & Trends

Astrology Astrological Timetable 229 Gardening b) the Moons 231 M Place in the Zodiac ( alendar. . . . 231 Secrets

An apple is an excellent thing— until you have tried a peach! -Get rge du Maurier, British writer ( 1X34-1896)

PITY

THE

PIT

Peach pits are seeds, but a peach tree grown from a pit takes

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There's no mistaking a good peach. It's one that makes you jut your chin forward as you bite it to keep the ambrosial juice from dripping all over your clothing. This peach is one that you pick from your backyard tree, a peach warmed by the sun and waiting to be plucked from its branch. You can grow luscious peaches just about anywhere, as long as you're amenable to taking extra care in site selection and possibly choosing specially adapted varieties. Planting in containers is an option, too. For a tree that will produce tasty fruit, yield a harvest the soonest, and have other desirable qualities such as pest resistance, plant a grafted tree that you purchase from a nursery. Most peach trees have flowers with both male and female parts that can pollinate each other, so you need to plant only one tree to get fruit. ZONE

IN

about five years to mature and produce fruit.

by 20

Lee

Peaches grow most successfully in Zones 6 through 9, where winter lows average from -1 0° to 30°F. The trees must be exposed to 700 to 1,000 hours of cool temperatures (less than 45°F) each winter before they can fully awaken to grow, flower, and then fruit. Reich

Gardening

It" you have mild winters (Zones 8 and L)h in which the coldest temperature is still above 10°F, choose from among "low-chill" varieties such as Bonita". 'Desert Gold', and 'Ventura'. In colder regions, these trees would awaken too early in season and then be damaged or killed by subsequent freezing temperatures. North of Zone 5 and where winters

Yellow-flesh

peach

include 'Babcock' and 'White Lady'. East of the Rockies, try 'Scarlet Pearl', 'La White', and 'Morton'. Yellow-flesh peaches have a richer flavor than white ones, but they are less sweet. (See varieties below.)

are especially cold (below -15°F), THE RIGHT SPOT most peach varieties suffer damage, even if they are fully dormant. Good The best time to plant a peach tree is in the spring. Choose a location where it bets in such climates are 'Harbrite', will receive at least six hours of 'Madison', and 'Reliance'. summer sun daily. The WHITE OR YELLOW? best site is one that stays Most people grow peaches for flavor; slightly cooler in late winter and early a deciding which flavor to go for is a delicious dilemma. spring, such as on a Supers weet white-flesh peaches taste as though they have been drenched in honey. Some good white varieties to White-flesh peach grow if you live west of the Rockies YELLOW-FLESH

PEACHES

Yellow-flesh peaches are classed as either freestone or clingstone, depending on whether the pit adheres to the flesh. Freestone peaches have a rich flavor and buttery flesh. Region Northeast Southeast West Anywhere (except in marginal

Recommended Varieties 'Harrow Diamond', Redhaven' 'Texstar', 'TexRoyal' 'Flavorcrest', 'Suncrest', Fairtime' 'Redhaven', 'Elberta', Rio Oso-Gem'

peach-growing climates) Although less flavorful than freestone peaches, clingstones hold together better during cooking and are good for making cobblers and jams.

22

Region

Recommended Varieties

East

'Candor', 'Sunbrite'

West

'Indian Blood', 'Dixon' •White-flesh peach photo above: Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards

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OUT north-facing slope or near the north BRANCHING side of a home or garage that is shaded Peach trees need some light pruning from low winter sun but bathed in high after planting, preferably just when the summer sun. tree begins to leaf out because that is when wounds heal quickly. The goal Peach trees are not picky about soil. If your is to develop a vase shape, with three garden plants and/or lawn thrive in the soil or four main branches directed up and

you have now, peaches will, too. Make sure that the soil has moderate fertility and is near

neutral in acidity (soil conditions are easily adjusted with compost, fertilizer, and lime). If the soil stays wet long after rains, plant the trees on a wide mound of soil that raises the tree roots two feet above ground level.

SETTING

ROOTS

Peach trees are usually sold bare-root — that is, dormant and leafless, with the roots packed in wet leaves, sawdust, or shredded newspaper to keep them moist. Unpack your tree and plump up the roots by soaking them in water for about eight hours. When you're ready to plant the tree, dig a hole twice as wide as the spread of the tree's roots and only deep enough to cover them. Hold the plant upright in the hole and backfill amongst the roots the soil you took out of it, jiggling the tree and pressing the soil with your fingers to make sure that no air pockets remain. Do not add fertilizer or organic materials to the backfill soil; the roots could bum or the soil level shift as the organic material decomposes. Water thoroughly. Then, over the surface, spread a layer of organic material (compost, leaves, or straw) to help seal in moisture and combat weeds. 24

away from the trunk, each branch radiating out in a different direction and originating a few inches from its neighbor. If your tree already has well-placed branches, leave them alone unless they are spindly, in which case shorten them. During the growing season, new branches will grow off the trunk to make up any lack of well-placed branches. Avoid overcrowding branches as your tree ages by ruthlessly removing all but the eventual three or four main branches. Secondary branches will grow off these. Remove any secondary branches that originate near the bases of these main branches. After its first year and sometime between late fall and early spring when the ground is free of snow, spread a cup of 10- 10- 10 fertilizer on top of the

lustration: Dolores Santoliquido/Tne Pruning Book by Lee Reich © The Taunton Press, Inc.

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The Old Farmer's Aim w \r

25

n PLAN

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ground beneath its branches. Also, replenish the mulch beneath the tree whenever the soil starts to peek through, and spread ground limestone if the soil pH drops below

TO PRUNE

Peach trees need an annual spring pruning, and

6.5. You'll know that your peach tree is happy if you see about 20 inches of new branch growth each year.

a severe one at that, as they will bear fruit only on

EASY

branches that grew the

older branches and any that have died because of damage from winter snow and ice.

A

PEACH

___^^

Expect to bite into your first homegrown peach a year or two after you plant the tree, and to begin annual harvest of two to three bushels per tree after about four years. Harvest at peak ripeness. Pluck off individual fruits when they have lost any tint of green and are slightly soft and part easily from the stem. Close your eyes, take a bite with your chin held forward, and savor your wealth.

previous season. Remove

TRY

PICKING

IN

A

POT

A small, potted, peach tree is just right for a patio and can be easily moved indoors. Genetic dwarfs, also called patio peaches, are best for pots. With their closely spaced leaves and low, mounded form, these varieties—

'Bonfire', 'Honey Babe', 'Garden Gold', and 'Bonanza'—are particularly decorative. Use standard potting mix and a large pot with drainage holes. During the growing season, fertilize the tree regularly and keep the soil moist. Like standard peaches, potted peaches must experience winter cold each year— but they can not tolerate temperatures much below freezing. The ideal winter home for a potted peach tree is a barely heated garage, an unheated basement, or a three-season "Florida" room. The leafless tree does not need light. If the tree begins to grow indoors atthe end of winter, gradually acclimate it to the outdoors after risk of freezing has passed. Every year or two, slide the tree out of its container, cut back some roots, and then repot it in the same pot with some new soil. Prune it every spring, not only to promote new, fruiting branches but also to keep the crown proportional to the size of the pot. Left: 'Sensation' peach in a patio pot.

Gardening consultant and author Lee Reich lives in New Paltz, New York, and is the author of The Pruning Book (The Taunton Press, 1997). (continued

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Save some of your peaches for this easyto-make strudel 8 sheets phyllo dough (wrap and reserve remaining for another use) 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter 1/2 cup almond paste, diced

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Frosts and Growing Seasons ■ Dates tiiven are normal averages for a light freeze; local weather and topography may after the spring dates and cause considerable variations. The possibility of frost occurring before the fall dates is 50 percent. The classification of freeze temperatures is usually based on their effect on 32°F — tender plants killed. Moderate plants. Light freeze: 29° to freeze: 25° to 28°F — widely destructive effect on most vegetation. Severe freeze: 24°F and colder — heavy damage to most plants. -courtesy of National Climatic Data Center

Growing

State AK AL AR AZ AZ CA CA CA CO CT DE FL FL GA GA IA IA ID IL IL IN IN KS KY LA LA MA MD ME MI MI MN MN MO MS MS MT MT NC

40

City

Growing Season (days)

Juneau Mobile Pine Bluff Phoenix Tucson Eureka Sacramento San Francisco Denver Hartford Wilmington Miami Tampa Athens Savannah Atlantic Cedar Rapids Boise Chicago Springfield Indianapolis South Bend Topeka Lexington Monroe New Orleans Worcester Baltimore Portland Lansing Marquette Duluth Willmar Jefferson City Columbus Vicksburg Fort Peck Helena Fayetteville

133 272 234 308 273 324 289 * 157 167 198 * 338 224 250 141 161 153 187 185 180 169 175 190 242 288 172 231 143 140 159 122 152 173 215 250 146 122 212

Last Spring Frost

First Fall Frost

May 16 Feb. 27 Mar. 19 Feb. 5 Feb. 28 Jan. 30 Feb. 14

Sept. Nov. Nov. Dec. Nov. Dec. Dec.

May 3

Oct. 8 Oct. 10 Oct. 29

*

Apr. 25 Apr.* 13

*

26 26 8 15 29 15 1

*

Jan. 28 Jan. 3 Mar. 28 Nov. 8 Mar. 10 Nov. 15 May 9 Sept. 28 Oct. 7 Apr. 29 May 8 Oct. 9 Oct. 26 Apr. 22 Oct. 19 Apr. 17 Oct. 20 Apr. May 22 1 Oct. 18 Oct. 14 Apr. 21 Oct. 25 Apr. Mar. 17 9 Nov. 7 Feb. 20 Dec. 5 Oct. 17 Apr. Mar. 27 26 Nov. 13 May May May May May Apr. Mar. Mar. May May Apr.

10 13 12 21 4

Sept. 30 Sept. 30 Oct. 19

Sept. Oct. 421 Oct. 16 26 27 Oct. 29 13 Nov. 18 5 Sept. 28 18 Sept. 18 Oct. 31 2

Stab ND NE NE NH NJ NM NM NV NY NY OH OH OK OK OR OR PA PA RI SC SC SD TN TN TX TX TX UT UT VA VA VT WA WA WI WI WV WY

I City Bismarck Blair North Platte Concord Newark Carlsbad Los Alamos Albany Las Vegas

Syracuse Akron Cincinnati Lawton Tulsa Pendleton Portland Carlisle Williamsport Kingston Charleston Columbia Rapid City Memphis Nashville Amarillo Denton San Antonio Cedar City Spanish Norfolk Fork Richmond Burlington Seattle Green Bay Spokane Janesville Parkersburg Casper

Season (days) 129 165 136 121 219 223 157 259 144 170 168 195 217 218 188 217 182 168 144 253 211 145 228 207 197

Frost May 14

First Fall Frost Sept. 1020 Oct.

Apr. 27 May 11 May 23 Mar. May Apr. Mar. May May Apr. Apr. Mar. Apr. Apr. Apr. Apr. May Apr. Mar.

Sept. 24 Nov. Sept. 10 22 29 Nov. 7 48 Oct. 13 7 Nov. 21 7 Sept. 16 29 Oct. 3 28 Oct. 18 Oct. 27 Nov. 5 14 30 Nov. 4 1 Oct. 21 15 Nov. 7 Oct. 20 3 Oct. 15 20 8 29 Sept. 30 11 Nov. 20

May 7 Apr. 423 Mar.

Nov. 2 Nov. Sept. 729 Oct. Oct. Nov. Nov. Oct. Oct. Nov.

29 29 12 24 2 12 17

231 265

Apr. 5 Mar. 25 Apr. 14 Mar. 3

134 156 239

May 20 May 8 Mar. 23

198 142 232 153 143

Oct. 26 10 11 Oct. 1 24 Nov. 11 4 Oct. 5 Oct. 2 May 12 Oct. 10 Apr. 28 Oct. 18 Apr. 25 May 22 Sept. 22

164 175 123

*Frosts do not occur every year.

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DILLED

BEANS

Put 'Em Up!

If you wish to make these pickles in half-pint jars, use more beans and small hot peppers, small or half garlic cloves, and 4 small heads

old-fashioned recipes while you can.

2 heads fresh dill 2 long, hot peppers 2 cloves garlic, peeled 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 pound small green beans, rinsed

rue these favorite

by Barbara Radcliffe Rogers efore the freezer made preserving the bounty of the garden easy and reliable, pickling was the best way to keep many vegetables

and fruits.

Jams and jellies were made from vegetables as well. The results were delicious. Here is a selection of recipes that have survived, carefully recorded and passed down in families and from friend to friend. We have brought them up to date with modern methods and, when possible, cut down on the amounts of sugar.

I

GREEN

/A

ttffl.

ofdill

1 1/2 cups water 1 cup cider vinegar 2 tablespoons salt

Place 1 head ofdill in each of 2 sterilized pint canning jars, along with hot pepper, garlic clove, and ]A teaspoon cayenne. Pack beans upright, dividing evenly between the jars and allowing the tops to extend out of the jars. When they are firmly packed, slice the tops off by running a sharp knife along the top of the jar. Put the remaining ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour the liquid over the beans, filling the jars to overflowing. Seal and process 1 5 minutes in boiling water. Makes 2 pints.

Gardening MELON

PICKLES

Here 's a good way to use a melon you cut open prematurely. Serve this delicately light pickle with chicken sandwiches. 1 hard, underripe, cantaloupe or honeydew melon 2 cups sugar 1/2 cup fresh lime juice 1/2 cup water 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns 1 teaspoon whole cloves 1 cinnamon stick 1 lime, thinly sliced

Cut the melon in half, remove the seeds, and, using a melon-baller, cut the entire melon into small balls (or peel the melon and cut it into 1-inch cubes). You should have about 1 quart of fruit. Combine the remaining ingredients, except the lime slices, in a large saucepan and boil gently for 5 minutes. Add the melon, turn the heat to medium, bring the contents back to a simmer, and then turn off the heat. (Don't cook the melon in the syrup.) Remove the cinnamon stick. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the melon to sterilized

jars, dividing the pepper and cloves evenly among the jars. Divide the lime slices evenly, placing them flat along the sides of each jar. (Use a table knife to hold the melon away from the jar.) Fill with hot syrup. Seal and process 10 minutes in boiling water. Makes about 3 pints. CARROT

JAM

4 cups grated carrots (just under 2 pounds) 2 lemons, ground or thinly sliced, with juice 3 1/4 cups sugar

Simmer carrots in water for about 8 minutes, until just tender. Drain, but do not squeeze or crush. Return carrots to the pot and add lemons with juice and the sugar. Place over low heat and stir gently until the sugar has dissolved. Increase heat to medium and boil, stirring frequently, until the jam is thick. Pour into KITCHEN TIP: To sterilized jars and convert these seal. Process 10 minutes in boiling recipes to metwater. Makes about ric, see the Table

3 pints.

of Measures.

(continued)

mm

Gardening SWEET RED PEPPER JELLY For extra hire, add one seeded hot red pepper. 1/2 cup cider vinegar 1 cup chopped, seeded, red bell peppers 1 cup water 2 cups apple juice or cider 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 package powdered pectin 3 1/2 cups sugar

Put the vinegar in a blender and add pepper pieces as you blend until the total measures VA cups. Combine water, juice or cider, salt, and pectin in a large pot and bring to a full boil. KEEP A JD ON IT Add the pepper mixture and sugar To ensure a good all at once and reseal on your jars, turn to a full boil. always wipe the Boil 3 to 5 minutes rim clean after and seal in sterilized jars. Process filling and just in boiling water 10 before putting minutes. Place jars the lid on. on a rack and turn them over every 5 minutes until the jelly thickens, to keep the tiny flecks of red pepper evenly distributed throughout the jelly. Makes about 3 pints. ZUCCHINI BUTTER

BREAD

AND

PICKLES

Even pickle devotees will befooled into thinking that you 've used cucumbers.

Sprinkle the zucchini, onions, and garlic with salt and cover with ice water. Let stand 2 hours. Drain, rinse in fresh cold water, and drain again. Combine the remaining ingredients in a large pot and boil 5 minutes. Add vegetables, remove the pot from the heat, and let stand 3 hours. Return the pot to a boil and cook 5 minutes. Pack pickles in sterilized jars. Seal and process 10 minutes in boiling water. Makes about 3 pints. TOO SWEET? Although sugar plays its role as a preservative, the vinegar in pickles does most of the work, so you can safely reduce the sugar in an old recipe if you find it too sweet. To adjust the sweetness of a pickle recipe, use these general proportions: ■ Very tart: 2 parts vinegar to 1 part sugar ■ Moderately sweet: equal parts sugar and vinegar ■ Very sweet: 2 parts sugar to 1 part vinegar While you can not change the amounts of sugar used in jellies (both commercial pectin and the natural pectin in fruit need the correct proportion of sugar in order to jell properly), you can reduce sugar in old

1 quart thinly sliced, unpeeled, small fresh zucchini

jam and marmalade recipes. The rule of

2 small to medium onions, thinly sliced 2 cloves garlic, sliced 1/4 cup salt 1 1/4 cups cider vinegar 1 1/4 cups sugar 1 teaspoon celery seed 2 teaspoons mustard seed 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

one-half and two-thirds of the measure-

44

thumb is that sugar should equal between ment ofthe fruit or vegetable.

MORE

JARRING

D D

IDEAS

Got a fat pumpkin? Had a heavy tomato harvest? Then pickle the pumpkin and turn the tomatoes into jam. For recipes and tips, go to Almanac.com/extras.

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45

Gardening

The Seedy Secrets of Your Garbage Take the seeds and pits that you usually throw in the compost pile and turn them into fruitful houseplants. GET

YOUR

VITAMIN

C-EEDS

Citrus plants can be grown from seeds removed from oranges,

Scrape off the excess flesh from the husk, gently pry it open with a dull knife, and remove the pit. Fill a small plastic bag with dampened peat moss or sphagnum. Put the pit into the bag and surround it completely with moss. Seal the bag. Check every day to make sure that the pit is not too dry or too moist. When the roots are four inches long, transplant to a pot that is at least one inch wider than the pit. ISLAND

grapefruits, lemons, and tangerines. Soak the seeds overnight in water. Plant them Vi inch deep in moist potting soil. Cover the pot with a plastic bag or a piece of plastic wrap, and put it in a warm spot. Keep the soil moist. When the seeds start to grow (in a few weeks), remove the plastic. Keep the pot in a warm, sunny window. A TASTE TROPICS

OF

THE

In the center of the mango, there is a large, hairy husk with a pit in it. 46

FLAVOR

The pineapple requires a serious time commitment— at least three and a half years from start to

bloom. To get one growing, hold the crown of leaves with one hand and the fruit with the other. Twist until the crown comes apart from the fruit, and then peel the bottom leaves away. The resulting stump holds the roots. Put the stump in a glass of water with activated charcoal, leaves up. Keep it in indirect light, and roots should appear in a few weeks. Then transplant itto a pot and put the pot in a window that gets a lot of sun. Keep the soil moist. Go on about your other business for three years. Then put the whole pot in a black plastic bag with a rotted apple cut in half, one half in the crown and one half in the 'soil. Seal, and open two weeks later. If you see growth in the crown, give it lots of sun. If not, seal for two more weeks. Flowers should appear six months after the first sign of growth. □ □ -The Rare Pit & Plant Council and Meg Mitchell Moore

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Yes, in the poor mans garden grow Far more than herbs and flowers — ind thoughts, contentment, peace of mind, And joy for many hours. -Mary Howitt, poet (1799-188

In

ten Kj-arueri | A garden plan to bring fresh herbs from your (back) doorstep into your kitchen, by Nancy J. Ondra

(text begins on page 50)

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Fettuccine

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fresh pesto. Baby greens drizzled with tarragon vinaigrette. Creamy sherbet garnished with lemon verbena and alpine strawberries. Restaurant menu offerings? No — simply delicious dishes you can whip up right at home with just-picked ingredients from your own kitchen herb garden! Growing herbs to complement your cooking is far easier than you might expect, and it takes very little space to get an abundant harvest from spring to frost. PT.ANT WHF.RR YOU CAN PICK ■ Location

is

far

-■:

-*~ /

. ,'

'm^.r

* *"

' *-

'

r s*y.

"* ' ~ *

more

important than looks when it comes to creating akitchen herb garden that's practical and productive. Ideally, you want it to be close to the house, so that it's convenient for you to step out and harvest a handful of herbs whenever you want them. However, you also need to make sure that your plants will get plenty of sunlight. Most herbs prefer eight or more hours of sun per day; though they can survive with less, they won't produce nearly as much growth and may be less flavorful.

Rosemary helpeth the brain,

/\

strengthened the memorie, and is very medicinable for the head. -Roger Hacket, doctor of divinity (c. 1607)

Generally, it's best to choose a location that will provide adequate sunlight first and then consider convenience. Even though these versatile plants can adapt to a wide range of soil conditions (including poor, dry sites), most will grow even better if you set them into improved soil. Prepare the site just as you would for a flower bed — remove any existing grass and weeds, loosen the top 8 to 12 inches of soil, and dig

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The Old Farmer's Almanac

51

or till a 1- to 2-inch-deep layer of compost into the ground before planting. The resulting loose, enriched soil will support good growth from a wide variety of tasty herbs.

oregano — deserves a place in every kitchen herb garden. These five herbs will complement just about any kind of savory dish.

THOOSF. WHAT

you have a little extra room, "sweet" herbs such as mints, lemon balm, and lemon verbena are a treat to grow and cook with. Besides complementing some savory dishes (as with mint for lamb and lemon herbs for fish), these

■ What's

the

YOIJ'I.T. IJSF. number

one

rule for a successful kitchen herb garden? Grow herbs you will cook with! Growing dozens of different herbs can be fun and educational, but it isn't very practical if you'll harvest only a few of them regularly. Of course, the more space you have available, the greater the variety of herbs with which you can experiment. Here are some pointers to help you decide what to plant. ■ Fresh comes first. If space is limited, concentrate on growing herbs that taste best when picked fresh. These include basil, chives, cilantro, dill, fennel, and French tarragon. ■ Choose

the

classics. The

traditional quartet of parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme — along with Greek

The smell of basil is fit for a kings house. -John Parkinson, apothecary and herbalist 1 1567-1650)

■ Don't forget the sweets.

fragrant and flavorful plants are a delight for desserts, punches, and hot and iced teas, too. ■ Be adventurous. If you have ample gardening space, consider trying different flavors of your favorite herbs (lemon and caraway thymes in addition to common thyme, for example), as well as less commonly used herbs, such as bay (grow it as a tender perennial in the garden or in a pot), borage, chervil, and summer savory. Other good candidates include arugula, mustard, and other salad greens, as well as garlic (grow it for its greens as well as the bulbs) and red and yellow alpine strawberries. (continued) lemon verbena

52

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53

_

Mosl culinary herbs grow quickly, and because you'll be picking only a tew leaves or sprigs at a time, a single clump of each type is usually enough. Basil is one exception: If you plan to make lots of pesto during the summer, figure on growing five to ten plants per person. Basil is easy to start from seed (dill is, too), so pick up a pack in the spring and you can grow all you need. For other herbs, buying transplants is usually the most practical approach. CARE AND SNIPPING I Working

compost

into

the soil before planting and adding another 1-inch layer of compost as mulch after planting provides enough nutrients to keep most herbs happy and healthy without extra fertilizer. Mulching will also help prevent soil from splashing onto the plants from heavy rain or watering, so you'll spend less time washing them after harvest.

GROW

YOUR

Why should a man die, when he can go to his garden for sage? -10th-century saying

Give your herbs a week or so to settle in after transplanting, and then you can start picking them. Regular, light harvesting acts just like pruning and encourages bushy new growth, so don't hesitate to pick from your plants regularly. It's generally best to use scissors or garden shears to snip off the leaves and shoots you need, because pulling or tearing them off can damage the remaining stems or roots. (Turn to page 56 for a kitchen garden planting plan.)

OWN

Most garden centers carry a range of common culinary herb plants and seeds. If you can't find what you need there, or if you're seeking some of the more unusual herbs, go to Almanac.com/extras for a list of mail-order sources. For additional gardening resources, including the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, visit Almanac.toin/garden/charts.

dill

. 2c n o

1 2 3

a 3

D

□

□

time syarej given in Eastern Stanaard Time, * Length Sun 1 Rises h. m.

a:

Sets h. m.

p ac

of Day h.

m.

1 A 7 14 i: 4 23 i* 9 2 M. 7 14 i 4 24 /v 9 3 Tu. 7 14 i: 4 24 ;v 9

09 10 10

Fast m.

12 12 11

□

□

D

m- Bold = p.m. AsVLight = a.mS.

tion of DeclinaSun O

□

1

High Tide Times Boston

h.Risesm.

r Sets 3

*:

22S.58 8 56 i 22 53 12 i 121 9 33 ii 1 i -11 10 03 i) 22 47 113

h.

,:

\ Place

a

D Age

m.

6 09 [J 7 31 (: 8 51 (:

SAG CAP AQU

2 3 4

The Left-Hand Calendar Pages (detail above) contain daily Sun and Moon rise and set times, the length of day, high tide times, the Moon's place and age, and more for Boston. Examples of how to calculate astronomical times are shown below. DTo calculate the sunrise/sunset times for your locale: Each sunrise/sunset time is assigned a Key Letter whose value is given in minutes in the Time Corrections table on page 237. Find your city in the table, or the city nearest you, and add or subtract those minutes to/from Boston's sunrise or sunset time given. EXAMPLE:

■ To find the time of sunrise in Denver, Colorado, on the first day of the month:

ter values for your city on page 237. Add or subtract the sunset value to/from Boston's length of day. Then simply reverse the sunrise sign (from minus to plus, or plus to minus) and add or subtract this value to/from the result of the first step. EXAMPLE:

■ To find the length of day in Richmond, Virginia: Length of day, Boston (above)

9h. 09m.

Sunset Key Letter A for Richmond (p. 241)

+

Sunrise, Boston, with Key Letter E (above)

7:14 a.m. EST

Richmond (p. 241, +11 to -11)

Value of Key Letter E for Denver (p. 237) Sunrise, Denver

+

7 minutes

7:21 a.m. MST

BTo determine your city's length of day, find the sunrise/sunset Key LetATTENTION, READERS: All times given in this edition ofthe Almanac are for Boston, Massachusetts, and are in Eastern Standard Time (EST), except from 2:00 a.m., April 2, until 2:00 a.m., October 29, when Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) is given. Key Letters (A-E) are provided so that you can calculate times for other localities.

92

Reverse sunrise Key Letter E for

41m.

-9h. 50m. 11m.

Length of day, Richmond

9h. 39m.

the Sun Fast column to change BUse sundial time to clock time in Boston. A sundial reads natural time, or Sun time, which is neither Standard nor Daylight time except by coincidence. Subtract the minutes given in the Sun Fast column (except where the number is preceded by an asterisk [*], in which case add the minutes) to get Boston clock time, and use Key Letter C in the table on page 237 to convert the time to your city.

Get local rise, set, and tide times arAlmanac.com/astronomy.

2006

i3

How

EXAMPLE:

Longitude of city

■ To change sundial time to clock time in Boston, or Salem, Oregon: Sundial reading (Boston or Salem) Subtract Sun Fast (p. 92)

12:00 noon - 12 minutes

Clock time, Boston

11:48 a.m. EST

Use Key Letter C for Salem (p. 240) Clock time, Salem

27 minutes 12:15 p.m. PST

□

This column gives the degrees and minutes of the Sun from the celestial equator at noon EST or EDT. OThis column gives the times of high tides in Boston. For example, the first high tide occurs at 11:45 a.m. and the second occurs at 12:30 a.m. the next day. (A dash indicates that high tide occurs on or after midnight and so is recorded on the next day.) Figures for calculating high tide times and heights for localities other than Boston are given in the Tide Corrections table on page 234.

DTo calculate the moonrise/moonset times for localities other than Boston, follow the example in the next column, making a correction for longitude (see table, above right). For the longitude of your city, see page 237. (Note: A dash in the moonrise/moonset columns indicates that rise or set times occur on or after midnight and are recorded on the next day.) 2006

t

o

Use

Correction minutes

58°-76° 77°-89° 90°-102° 103°-115° 116°-127° 128°-141° 142°-155°

0 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6

EXAMPLE:

■ To determine the time of moonrise in Lansing, Michigan: Moonrise, Boston, with Key Letter E (p. 92) Value of Key Letter E for Lansing (p. 239) Correction for Lansing longitude, 84°33' Moonrise, Lansing

8:56 a.m. EST + 54 minutes + 1 minute 9:51 a.m. EST

Use the same procedure to determine the time of moonset. BThe Moon's Place is its astronomical placement in the heavens. (This should not be confused with the Moon's astrological place in the zodiac, as explained on page 230.) All calculations in this Almanac are based on astronomy, not astrology, except for the information on pages 229-231. In addition to the 12 constellations of the zodiac, this column may indicate others: Auriga (AUR), a northern constellation between Perseus and Gemini; Cetus (CET), which lies south of the zodiac, just south of Pisces and Aries; Ophiuchus (0PH), a constellation primarily north of the zodiac but with a small corner between Scorpius and Sagittarius; Orion (0RI), a constellation whose northern limit first reaches the zodiac between Taurus and Gemini: and Sextans (SEX), which lies south of the zodiac except for a corner that just touches u near Leo.

Moon's. gives ofthedays the number since Age. the The lastiscolumn O which previous new Moon. (The average length of the lunar month is 29.53 days.)

The Old Farmer's At. max u

93

How

to

Use

The Right-Hand Calendar Pages • 97-123 SAMPLE

Weather prediction rhyme

MONTH

Ring out the old, ring in the new, Jwppy

bells, aCrOSS the SnOW. -Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Day of the month

Dates, Feasts, Fasts, Aspect Tide Heights

Day of the week. The bold letter in this column is the Dominical Letter, a traditional ecclesiastical designation for Sunday. For 2006, the Dominical Letter is A, because the first Sunday of the year falls on the first day of January.

A M. Tu.

HolyName.(IpAtTRIG..c59(X-™es{1_

,VTTT/7'- A moon of Jupiter, .t-. , f ' 0¥\L9 Elara, discovered, 1905 * Tldes { 1 / 4> rr „ Construction for Brooklyn „ „ . (3©VX#

4

W^

5 J4.

Notable celestial events appear in this typeface with these symbols. (See opposite page for an explanation of symbols.)

Fitter,

slush patter, and n.o 2 splatter,

10.1 11.5

Bridge, N.Y.C., began, 1870 * Tldes

r 10.2

1

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton • 0 at perihelion

Twelfth Night . d gN . JJjtajrj^ . Tides ^ { epWanp.GAT^.^sr^aSjS

^^•sear**

snow

men

9.3 10.2

\tt ft. af. €p. -dcf G • $%%t£r Plough Monday . Sbom^

shrink

# Tldes { M

and theTl

Sundays and special holy days generally appear in this typeface.

A favorable January brings us a good year. * \ g'^ Alabama seceded from the Union, 1861 • Tides I nV

Proverbs, poems, and adages appear in this typeface.

ou' Wash.. /1968 Winlhrop.cheer, With bounteous 11.4 lnrApri 9.6 hide the year.

d$ ,034 • T.desj9.6 86 8.1

(I lows • ->8°F- Va|ley Head- Ala- 1905 • Tides { St.Matthias.d9G«$uRs^T()i-

.„..

thaw

f 10.0

So far, so good — but here's the thing: It's 15 below. The cat halts. She shakes herself, she shakes the snow off her feet, she fluffs up her

fur. It's still 15 below. She's had enough. She returns to the kitchen then door, bangs on it. meows, is admitthat's rtlW ted. Elapsed cat time outdoors: 30 seconds. That was half a minute

CassiusClayt (later Muhammad Ali) ip, won world # ( 10.5 delightful heavyweigh boxing championsh xing championship, 1964 \ 9.2 5 7'

10.5

W. New ^ • Eclipse (•) • P STAT. • Tides { j surely arc beauty, and peerless aerod) namics ■h Ma) nay combo, 1858 ,1 Th. H. Lipman patented pencil and eraser — united with a certain lack of moral intelligence. March, wet April, and i Tides { ! Fr. AFilldryham. cellar, and bring n poking.

105

The Old Farmer's Almanac

The

Fourth

Month

•

2006

SKY WATCH t-7 This is the last hurrah for Orion and surrounding brilliant constellations as they hover in the southwest at nightfall. The brightest stars seem to vanish into the solar glare: They are setting four minutes earlier each evening, and the Sun is setting one to two minutes later. Mars moves into Gemini in midmonth, after meeting the Moon on the 3rd. The Moon has a conjunction with Saturn on the 6th and Jupiter on the 14th. Jupiter now rises by 10:00 p.m. and dominates the sky. Binoculars reveal a close conjunction ofdazzling Venus and faint Uranus from the 18th to the 20th, especially on the 19th, an hour before sunrise. The Moon joins them on the 24th. d 0 d #

First Quarter Full Moon Last Quarter New Moon

5th 13th 20th 27th

day day day day

8th 12th 23rd 15th

hour hour hour hour

1st 40th 28th 44th

minute minute minute minute

To use this page, see p. 92; for Key Letters, see p. 237; for Tide Corrections, see p. 234. After 2:00 a.m. on April 2, Eastern Daylight Time is given. v& Bold = p.m. ts- Lighta: = a.m. *

l

>> £

S^ 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120

106

a 5 3 o

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

It &i Sa. A M. Tu. W. Th. Fr. Sa. A M. Tu. W. Th. Fr. Sa. A M. Tu. W. Th. Fr. Sa. A M. Tu. W. Th. Fr. Sa. A

* Rises h. m.

5 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

27 25 24 22 20 19 17 15 13 12 10 09 07 05 04 02 00 59 57 56 54 53 51 50 48 47 45 44 43 41

^ B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

m

Sets h. m.

6 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7

of Day Length 9>

s:

h.

Sun Fast

m.

10 C 12 43 11 C 12 46 12 c 12 48 13 c 12 51 15 D 12 55 16 D 12 57 17 D 13 00 18 D 13 03 19 D 13 06 20 D 13 08 21 D 13 11 22 D 13 13 24 D 13 17 25 D 13 20 26 13 22 27 D1) 13 25 28 D 13 28 29 D 13 30 30 D 13 33 31 D 13 35 33 D 13 39 34 I) 13 41 35 D 13 44 36 D 13 46 37 D 13 49 38 D 13 51 39 13 54 40 1)D 13 56 13 59 42 43 " 14 02 1)

m.

12 12 12 12 13 13 13 14 14 14 15 14 15 15 15 16 16 16 16 17 17 17 17 17 18 18 18 18 18 18

tion of DeclinaSun O

High Tide Times l^ Boston

1

4N.40 5 03 5 26 5 49 6 12 6 35 6 58 7 20 7 43 8 05 8 27 8 49

121

H

31 41

2

D

se

Sets h. m.

6 57

Aa>

10 39

34 20 14 15 19 24 28

A

31 33

C

34 6 37 11 121 7 41 8—* 9 11 12 8 48 9 32 121 21 9 57 9 54 121 10 15 l\ 231 11 07 — 10 36 2 4^ 10 57 12 15 21 51 1 16 11 18 61 31 11 38 A\ 7i 2 08 2 49 11 59 5i 81 12 19 6i 3 23 91 3 50 12 39 11 101 4 14 12 58 81 4 37 13 18 13 37 1093i 111 11 11 5 00 13 56 121 5 24 — 5 53 14 15 121 4J 6 27 14 34 7 09 14N.53 2 ll1:

D

3^ A\

51 6\ Ih 91 101 101 11 \

D D

Rises h. m.

8 61 9 571 10 81 11 12 1 9 2 10 10 i 3 111 4 111 5

A A A A B B

c D E E E E

-

E E E E E E D C B B B A A

—

12 1 2 3 3 4 4 5 5

50 53 44 25 57 22 44 03 21

5 38 5 56 6 17 6 7 7 8 9 10 12 1 2

41 11 49 37 38 48 05 23 42

3 5 6 7

Place

E

-

E E

ARI TAU TAU AUR

E GEM E

GEM

E

CAN LEO

E D D

LEO LEO

C

VIR

C

VIR

B

VIR

B

VIR

A

LIB

A

LIB

A

SCO

A A

OPH SAG

A

SAG

B C

CAP

c

CAP AQU

59 16 35 54

D i:

AQU PSC

E

PSC

E

ARI

9 12 10 28 11 37

E

ARI

E

TAU

E

TAU

Get local rise, set, and tide times arAlmanac.com/astronomy.

Age

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 15 14 16 17 19 18 20 21 23 22 25 24 26 28 27 0 1 2 3

2006

Farmer's Calendar

April is here! Listen, a bluebird is caroling near! -Eben Eugene Rexford ST© Sj Q>

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

■ Any house, if you have lived Weather Dates, Feasts, Fasts, Aspects, in it for a while, becomes a kind Tide Heights Foolish, of laboratory or experiment station, where the passing seasons All Fools' • Never offer to teach fish to swim. • i ,q'^ coolish, can be recorded and observed. The materials of which the house 54 *. in lent • BBSS"" ■ {'JJ Si. Rkhard of Chichester . dcfd • ™« { m f? RIDES President William Henry Harrison died of mulish. is built react to changing condiV^ HIGH pneumonia a month after inauguration, 1841 winter's tions, making the house a recordIt f> STAT • Richard J' Daley eleCted 2S • Tides { 95 ing instrument of considerable V STAT- * Chicago's 39th mayor, 1955 - lldes \ 8.2 lovely; sensitivity. How that instrument is Qn([ • Snow-melting apparatus patented, 1869 • { J ain V to be read, though, isn't obvious. r~ ■_ i>. -r r-> .. u ,nt, . Little brooks make Football sTony Dorsett born, 1954 • great rivers You have to learn it over time as X GR. ELONG. League of Nations assembled T. . V (28°WEST) # in Geneva for last time, 1946 # lldes Maine, years of residence add up. On this place, for example, we $alm &unbap • (1 fpo. • Tides {l) measure the strength of the winFirst Arbor Day celebration, held in Nebraska, 1 872 •{91 it S ter past by keeping track of a par/7ON./7 00 Rattlesnake bit shopper in tree section of ?hn\ic>]l\i\ ticular snow pile in an angle of the viEQ.»vlAT G# Okla. home-improvement store. 2004 MVVeuy. Space shuttle Columbia first launched, 1981 \ The house. That coiner faces north and President Thomas sun east and gets no direct sun at all. First day of Passover • Full Pink Q • Jefferson born, 1743 It does get, over the course of the Deadly tornado, St. (goobjfribap Cloud. Minn., 1886 Tides winter, the snow and ice slide J^rr? . Pres. Lincoln called for 75,000 f getting from off the roof. As spring gains O-HVk* Union militia volunteers, 1861 \ *5 a hold and winter melts away, a stronger; /i» vi Two giant pandas arrived at the f S ^rtSier • National Zoo, Wash., D.C., 1972 * \ days moraine of snow hangs on in that Easier Monday. fJSSSSSS ' {'8 damp) cold corner. The date on which it / /]s Q Actress Grace Kelly married Prince Rai (though at last disappears gives you a O 0 V of Monaco in civil ceremony, 1956 I42S gauge of how tough the winter has been. Most years, the snow is gone by late April, but it has Giants and Yankees played ball to # j•■ | getting sometimes raise funds for Titanic survivors, 1912 \ endured into June. / TTT fT" # When eager bites the thirsty flea. Around the same time that the Clouds and rain you sure shall see. \ 9.1 © dregs of the snow vanish, the door . Of Carter • Orthodox Easter • (5&C ^eS to the cellar stairs begins to stick. . r/ze Old Farmer's Almanac founder, buZZin'

Sa A M. Tu. W. Th. Fr. Sa. A M. Tu. W. Th. Fr. Sa. A M. Tu. W. Th. Fr. Sa. A M. O V(kw R( Tu. st. Mark . a is. . a at a . a &,I0. . {i?j &«f W. ^izzles Th. d$c • assaa i«b • Ti*s (S3 New^« Expo '67 opened, Montreal, Quebec, 1967 • | |,'g t?V Fr. There is more than one way out of the woods. • Tides | _ t tie Tex., received 2 inches Poplars leaf Sa. ofTaylor, rain in ten minutes, 1905 out about now. 11.5 A 3rb g>. of Caster shall find. cousin. 10.0 io5 ^^> A mathematician is a device for turning coffee into theorems.

By midsummer won'twill close all, but Columbus it Day see atit 9 right. There's a picture in the sitting(9room that tilts out of straight in the spring, and the house has other mysterious leaks, creaks, and crotchets that must mean something — if I were acute enough to interpret them.

-Paul Erdos, Hungarian [ii.iiIk-iii.iiki.ii)

2006

The Old Farmer's Almanac

107

The

Fifth

Month

• 2006

SKY WATCH it Jupiter reaches opposition on the 4th. However, it is at its brightest of the year and nearest to Earth one day later, when it shines at magnitude -2.0. Retrograding inLibra, it is out all night. The Moon meets Saturn on the 3rd and Jupiter on the 11th, before coming close to Venus on the 24th. It passes just to the right of Mercury in a conjunction on the 27th and meets Saturn again on the 31st. The odd tilt of the lunar orbit keeps the Moon extremely low during the midmonth period; in the northern parts of Canada and Alaska, it simply does not rise at all. Mars, fading all the while, crosses into Cancer at the end of the month and approaches Saturn. 5th day 13th minute 1st hour D First Quarter 13th day 2nd hour 51st minute 0 Full Moon 20th day 20th minute 5th hour a Last Quarter 27th day 26th minute 1st hour New Moon

•

To use this page, see p. 92; for Key Letters, see p. 237; for Tide Corrections, see p. 234. All times are given in Eastern Daylight Time, c^ Bold = p.m. t& Light = a.m. of Day Length

5 £

121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151

108

a 5

Rises h. m.

5 5 5 5 5 5

Sun Fast

Sets h. m.

44 45

40 38 37 36 35 33

46 47 48 49 50 52 53

5 5 5 5 5 5

27 26 25 24 23 22

7 7 7 7 7 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8

54 55 56 57 58 59 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 09 10 11 12 13 14

IK

tion of DeclinaSun

15n.11 15 29 15 47 16 04 16 21 16 38 16 55 17 11 17 27 17 43 17 58 18 14 18 29 18 43 18 57 19 11 19 24 19 38 19 51 20 03 20 15 20 28 20 39 20 50 21 01 21 11 21 21 21 31 21 40 21 49 21N.58

Times High Tide Boston

2\ 3

31 Al 51

61 11 8* 109*\ 11 in \ 12

31 351 41

Rises

8 01 9 01

D

10 05 6i 1\

CAN

81 12 16

CAN LEO

43 3 26 01 21 44 47 12

111 11

li 2\

5\ 61 1\ %\ 9h 10*

in 121

12 05 12 49

5 6 7 8 91 9 10 1 111

li 12 4 21 1 1 li 2*

31 7 49 8 56

AUR GEM

11 11

91 9 HH

Age

AUR

12 34

li 8 55 21 12 1 1 10 05 1 31 11 10 41 4* 3 \

D Place

LEO LEO VIR VIR VIR LIB LIB SCO

33 31 39 55 12 12 29 1 45

3 4 5 6 8 9 10 11 11

00 15 31 49 05 17 20 12 53

Get local rise, set, and tide times arAlmanac.com/astronomy.

OPH SAG SAG CAP CAP AQU AQU PSC PSC PSC ARI ARI TAU TAU AUR AUR CAN

2006

Farmer's Calendar

e flowers in the breeze are swaying, swaying, e whole Wide WOrld is OUt a-Maying. -Genevieve Mary Irons

■a M. 2 Tu. 3 w. 4 Th. 5 Fr. 6 Sa. 7 A 8 M. 9 Tu. 10 W. 11 Th. 12 Fr. 13 Sa. 14 A 15 M. 16 Tu. 17 W. 18 Th. 19 Fr. 20 Sa. 21 A 22 M. 23 Tu. 24 W. 25 Th. 26 Fr. 27 Sa. 28 A 29 M. 30 Tu. 31 W.

Weather

Dates, Feasts, Fasts, Aspects, Tide Heights n.i 9.5

1

2006

Warm and stormy,

sutaasius . cscrc •_ sr;,isokres,n . „. ... „ . _, Washington. D.C, inInvention of the Holy Cross • corpor,«ed as „ cily , 802

bright and cheery!

Cinco de Mayo • Hawaii's Kilauea erupted, 1973 • j o' Linus Yale Jr. received patent Even the sharpest ear can for a lock and key, 185 1 not hear an ant singing.

Get outside

4t!) &. of Caster • G fto. • ™es { 8.7 World's fattest raccoon lbs.) died, 2004 8.9 9.4

St. Julian of Norwich. (1 g>5(-75

You can 7 make bricks without straw. • Tides

J"\tf7 04(L

•

10.0 9.1

~ Tornado struck _ ™.„ . f 9 • Xenia.Ohio, 1886 * Ch,l,y # { 10

dearienow —

VeSak • Full Flower Q) • Saints • Tides |

10.4 9.2

5ft*. of Caster • ffi^

dreary.

Where everyone goes, the grass never grows. • I fj RUNS . Congress approved Muppets creator Jim Cnnlinokk LOW • minting minting the the nickel, 1866 - Henson died. 1990 «-.»^enteco£(t* ™es Tides St. Boniface •d^.« (I at

Bang! IS Crash!

Lightning

8.7

Summer flash! enters

I\ 8.9 8.6 y\ r\ iq. 5c n o

182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 91? 112

Rises h. m.

5 17 18 19 L9 20 21 22 23 5 5 5 5

24 24 25 26 27

5 28 5 29

5 36

Sets h. m.

8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8

25 25 24 24 24 24 23 23 22 22 22 21 20 20 19 19 18 17 16 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05

Sun Fast

tion of DeclinaSun

23N.05 23 00 22 55 22 50 22 45 22 39 22 33 22 26

High Tide Times Boston43

D

D

Sets

Place

11 51

LEO

53 10 59 5 12 00 6i 73 83

4^ 51 63 73 83

24 3\ 4

SCO

9 22

3 06 4 21 5 08

9 57

6 41

10 10 11 11 11

25 49 12 34 57

8 03 9 22 10 39

13

58 45 23 53

49 50 50 52

CAP CAP AQU AQU PSC PSC

AUR AUR GEM CAN CAN LEO

7 46 8 9 10 11

SAG SAG

TAU TAU

6 7 8 8

10 113 11

OPH

ARI ARI

12 24 93 12 56

3^ 3 43

VIR LIB

12 1 23 1 J 1

1.3

VIR VIR LIB

10 3 6 39 10 i 111 7 44 93 12* Hi li 8 39 1 23 31

D

Age

VIR

12 09 12 27 12 47

93 9

22 03 21 55 121 21 47 1 \ 2 3 33 41 20 58 51 20 47 61 20 36 8 20 24 9 20 13 10 20 00 101 111 19 47 12^ 19 35 19 21 19 08 18 54 18 40 18 25 18N.10

D Rises h. m.

LEO

10 13 10 31 10 50

Get local rise, set, and tide times . OUJ ttl. W' guages Act adopted, 1969 * \ 10.6 the mowing the grass, getting out on FullRnrk C~\ •m (^ (7 LOW RUNS •• 44(h Wyoming 9.0 Full Buck {J statCi became ,890 • |f 1LQ the water, traveling: The activities beach that summer permits us, and those A hedge between keeps friendship green. • Tides ornscateous i Cornscateous air Potter Josiah WedgTV1 J 11.3 and it demands of us, are now pereverywhere. wood born, 1730 "aes 1 9.7 fectly familiar and become the Armadillos mate now. Al meaning of the season as much as . af. J3. • Truth is the daughter of time. • j gj WeilSt. Ignatius of Loyola • SiS, • w { JJ point. purposes, over. (>///• 113 The Old Farmer's Almanac

Come up! come up! for the world is fair Where the merry leaves dance in the summer air. -m. Howi

■> Sa. A M. Tu. W. Th. Fr. Sa. A M. Tu. W. Th. Fr. Sa. A M. Tu. W. Th. Fr. Sa. A M. Tu. W. Th. Fr. Sa. A M. 2006

a

The

Eighth

Month

•

2006

SKY WATCH if The Moon hovers above lone Jupiter on the 1st and the 29th. Saturn has its conjunction with the Sun on the 7th. Neptune's opposition on the 11th is hard to see, even with a telescope. The Perseid meteors are dimmed by a nearly full Moon on the 11th. In the predawn sky, Mercury and Venus in Gemini stay fairly close together during the first two weeks. Binoculars may show the conjunction of Mercury and Saturn on the 20th and 2 1st; fading Venus is just above them. The Moon joins them on the 22nd. Saturn and Venus are very close together on the 26th but difficult to view in the brightening dawn.

D 0

a

• D

2nd 9th 15th 23rd 31st

First Quarter Full Moon Last Quarter New Moon First Quarter

day day day day day

4th 6th 21st 15th 18th

46th 54th 5 1st 10th 56th

hour hour hour hour hour

minute minute minute minute minute

To use this page, see p. 92; for Key Letters, see p. 237; for Tide Corrections, see p. 234. All times are given in Eastern Daylight Time. v& Bold = p.m. b^ Light = a.m.

m

Rises h. m.

213 214 215 216

217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 114

of Day Length Sets h. m.

8 8 8 8

Sun Fast

tion of DeclinaSun

17N.55 40 25

04 03 01 00

09

High Tide Times Boston

41 5\ 61 7 \

81 53 36 9\ 02 19 10 45 11 27

5 55

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

53 51 48 46 43 41 38 36 33 31 28 25 23

ni

12 10 121 II 52 2\ 15 34 3i 57 19 5* 38 59 6^ 73 40 81 20 1091i 00 19 11 I 40 12 59 12 38 17 121 11 56 2 35 23 9 14 3 \ 8 52 4 8N.30 44

D

D

D

Rises

Sets h. m

Place

11 11 11 37

VIR

51 5l\ 12 61 2 S\ 3 91 4 5 10 1 6 11 J 7 7 11 121 8 2\ 8 9 41 9 3 10 451 10 el 10 11

55 01

VIR LIB

12 09 12 47 52

SCO OPH SAG

13 55 24 51 14 37 00 27 57 35

8 12 21 91 9 10 3 111 41: 121 ll 11 21 31 3 10 4i 11 12 5 2

3 Age

45 50 56 04

36 59 8 19 9 38 10 55 12 12 1 29 44 53

SAG CAP CAP AQU AQU PSC PSC PSC ARI TAU TAU AUR

6 6 7 7

45 54 25 56 22 43

8 8 8 8

02 20 37 55

AUR GEM CAN CAN LEO LEO LEO VIR VIR VIR VIR

10 07 10 44

Get local rise, set, and tide times at Almanac.com/astronomy.

LIB SCO

2006

'Tis the middle watch of a summer 's night — The Earth is dark, but the heavens are bright.

2006

Weather

Dates, Feasts, Fasts, Aspects, Tide Heights

aS

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Rodman Drake

Tu. W. Th. Fr. Sa. A M. Tu. W. Th. Fr. Sa. A M. Tu. W. Th. Fr. Sa. A M. Tu. W. Th. Fr. Sa. A M. Tu. W. Th.

I amnion n«w « Astronomer Helen Battles m _,. .

Hot enough

f

Lammas Day • Sawyer Hogg born 1903 • T,deS { ho knows

Tides w\ U4v, (T • not wherefarthe he isstsoil He goes ril( going. American Canoe Association Gray squirrels have formed. Lake George. N. Y., 1 880 second litters now.

Farmer's Calendar ■ You have seen, during yard sale season, the forlorn little collections ofarticles piled at the roadsides with a crude sign propped against them: FREE. These are the unsold remainders

boil of the long day's effort at household commerce. They are the lowto Little Orphan Annie comic strip debuted, 1924 • Tides I g est, poorest bottom of the unwanted. You might find a ratty Granaf ipration • (X low • $ 5MKS5J bunions; recliner that doesn't recline (or unA \-\ (7\ • Le Griff°n- first shiP t0 sail uPPer • J 8-8 hpnn ur yo recline); an old vacuum tube radio O 9 \V * Great Lakes, entered Lake Erie, 1679 * \ 10.8 "e"F that was last heard from in 1957; ^ nftm:n:«. Performer G. A. Farini's stilts got caught as he fhnvp 31. VUIIIIIIll • walked the rapids above Niagara Falls, 1864 "*^e a single bicycle tire, flat; a box of Fu,.Sturgeon Q . ^ %. KJffiSSl bur&rS old National Geographies, milfctamw^C^oa- KsjE^r {115 w/r/z dewed. Days will pass, the rain St. Clare • Dog Days end. • Q™ Q>»d§(l»^ AT £ /™^ will fall, and the Free pile will sit there, undiminished. At last the > ■^•CATpa«dcrd* ™- {'S:! r? ON -/OT-» • Twentieth Century Fox offered Vi EQ. * O V V 11 i« fl. ,f m

Norma Jcane Baker her first studio contract, 194 _ Edwin Drake struck oil. _ f 9.6

12 tf) ft. at. $. • TitusvUlc, Pa., 1859

# \ 9.5

St.An^tineofHippo.grKS^i^-t? St.^tatheBaptiSt.dlfG'Be^Snl.mS Thurgood Marshall became first African- # '|-K|CS American Supreme Court justice, 1967 Hummingbirds First Neutrality Act signed, 1935

migrate south.

# J I

pile than the junk that has been successfully sold around and beside it? Not much more. 1 suggest The astute seller, rather than Hyflya ing to give away his remnants, kite: would put up a sign advertising them for, say, one dollar: he would Zeus assign them not much value, hut and value nonetheless. M\ guess is, Thor they'd move. Unaccountably, peo pie 9 will accept for a price what arc they disdain for nothing. In the sea {8 ina of the Free pile and the yard sale, the ship of Suppl) and Demand sails into shoal waters.

night to

fight!

The Old Farmer's At man \


Dates, Feasts, Fasts, Aspects, Tide Heights

oS

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Fr. Sa. A M. Tu. W. Th. Fr. Sa. A M. Tu. W. Th. Fr. Sa. A M. Tu. W. Th. Fr. Sa.

Weather

.x, o,,„ .-/ ~ Orchestra conductor m „. . f 8.1 IN SUR O • Seiji Ozawa born, 1935 # Tldes { 9.3 RUNS Vice President Theodore Roosevelt advised,

• 2006

Farmer 's Calendai ■ They tell you that cutting your own firewood warms you twice. It's but lies it's that a witty lie. It's one aoflie, those has truth in

its pocket; it's a lie because it's more than true, not less. TheregI onnbae fore, in reflecting on its decepa tion, you can not only avoid error, Labor Day • Blow not against the hurricane. • I |q'^ It's sauna. you can also learn. c5tJJrl.gsTAT..$AT(?.TIdes{1902 Cal Ripken Jr. played his 2, 13 1st consecutive #f 9.9 ^.r-hnnl As anybody who has done it baseball game, surpassing Lou Gehrig's record, 1995 returns, knows too well, cutting your own Full Corn O * EcliPse G • G PERIG. • 6 &G wood warms you not twice, but (7 0N m (7 t O Genesis return capsule, with solat but three, four, ten, twenty times. The ^ EQ. • VI AT 66 • wind samples, crashed, 2004 kids implication that you work up a Ompr • Canadian swimmer Marilyn Bell became first Si vlllcl 31. person t0 swjm across Lake Ontario, 1 954 11.5 New leader for Jamesmild and pleasing heat in procur10 11.7 14th &. at. $. town colony, Va., 1608 Up ing a year's worth of fuel and then 11 wanna. forget Sts. Protus & Hyacinth . SSSsSSffl • about firewood until you Poet Elizabeth Barrett eloped Singer Johnny Hurricane t kindle a blaze to cheer a cold win12 with Robert Browning, 1846 Cash died, 2003 don' 13 a ter night is fanciful. The woodcut10 8 e ic \i threat, ous h r H t h m a t e l h t ter each year pits himself against 6 s f 9.2 Am1 in Nor lln yUtVik * Fir onlig t, we 14 t i h 7 2 , s s g . U t I 10 wa li 1 Li • Bo H a level of mass, weight, and inerrr RIDES Ai~*Y\ m. Landscape architect J 8 15 bet. tia that is truly gigantic. Indeed, VI HIGH * O O V * Andre Le Notre died, 1700 \ 9 Many reported appearance of lake monster _. , I 8.4 16 Ogopogo in Lake Okanagan in B.C., 1926 ll0es \ 9.6 north, assuming that you own a chain89 wf. saw, cutting your wood is the least 17 l5rtft.at.f.-^r?;?7u,ion*^{S:J of the job. The real work of get18 (5^? CX • First nighttime skywriting in U.S., 1937 • { g ting your fuel is in moving the 8 19 . ..,.,. ,r .. » Frogs' eggs fell from the {9 stuff from one place to another. A good soil yields good fruit. • sky6Berlin, Conn., 2003 * \ 9.7 20 Cool You will lift and shift every stick. St. C. LUStaCe E..(..«Aa •~ Ember r- t. Day r» "Adirondack •- The trave|ed 2?5 mj,estornado" ,845 and And again. And again. And then 21 dry again. The wanning you get from s combustion of all this matter 22 it'the Ember Day • New ^ • Eclipse (•) • CX EQ. * CX APO. comes as an anticlimax. 23 Ember Day . Rosh Hashanah . »UZT • EqUlTxal • { 9.8 ^d Therefore, when an advocate 24 A providential; of antique ways tries to float this 16th & at. $.• K^-dSC 25 M. Never tickle the nose of a sleeping bear. • Tides | (y^ tnCH warms-you-twice canard In you, 26 Tu. lh reflect. Not all lies arc untrue. LOW

• "Speak softly and carry a big stick," 1901 . Abolitionist Frederick Douglass escaped slavery, 1838

9f 3ft fi. 1^*li lOlU S>. ttl. ip*

tf W • ESpA^ • ™- { 9* pOtentiu W. St. Vincent de Paul • cyclist ciara Hughes born. 1972 torrential! Explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo dis- # tsj.. 28 Th. covered 9.5 San Diego Bay in Calif., 1542 \\ Raincoats 8.3 29 Fr. wind gusts up to 140 niph St. Michael • iSS^SSftSteif* * ™" I'ssential! 30 Sa. 27

St. Sophia • G u)wS • Woodchucks hibernate Good teaching is one-fourth preparation (and I,ill (three-fourths iodw iii, Americantheate writt

2006

Here, the lie isn't in what he's telling you.from but a ingreat whatheight he's not. If you fall into

a vat of vegetable soup, you'll gel amore carrotthanin your that. ear. But you'll gel

The Old Farmer's Almanac

117

The

Tenth

Month

•

2006

SKY WATCH t^* This is the year's worst month for planets. Mars finally reaches conjunction and slips behind the Sun on the 23rd. By month 's end, Jupiter will be difficult to view as it vanishes into the Sun 's glare, as does Venus. Mercury is barely visible above the horizon, making its meeting with Venus from the 20th through the 31st challenging to view. The Moon is so far south that, when one day old on the 23rd, it sets before the Sun; the two-day-old Moon is equally impossible to see. These are the lowest, hardest-to-see crescent Moons in 18 years. Only Saturn is easily visible, but it doesn 't rise until 2:30 a.m. The medium-intensity Orionid meteors add some sparkle to the sky on the 21st.

0

6th 13th 22nd 29th

Full Moon Last Quarter New Moon First Quarter

a

• D

day day day day

23rd 20th 1st 16th

13th 26th 14th 25th

hour hour hour hour

minute minute minute minute

To use this page, see p. 92: for Key Letters, see p. 237; for Tide Corrections, see p. 234. After 2:00 a m. on October 29, Eastern Standard Time is given. v& Bold = p.m. c^ Light = a.m. ~~i (9 O

274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 118

of Day Length (9 >

Rises h. m.

Sets h. m.

6 6 6 6

6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6

41 42 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 54 55

56 57 58 6 59

7 09

26 24 23 21 19 17 16 14 12 11 09 07 06 04 03 01 59

h.

m.

Sun Fast

26 26 26

tion of DeclinaSun

High Tide Times Boston

3S.19

61 SI 1\ 91 81 1091 101

27 27 27 28

30 29 30 30 30 31 31 31 31 31 31 31 32 32 32 32 32 32

D

Rises

11 113 12^ 21 121 1 2 21 3 4 33 5 41 51 6 7 7 8 8 91 9 83 10 J 109Ji 111 103 111

u

7 7 8 8

32 54 17 39

9 9 9 10 10 10

01 23 45 07 28 49

12! 1 12 12 12 13 13 13 14s.

13 34 54 14 34 53 13

6 6 6 7 8 9 10 11

00 25 53 27 09 01 01 06

12^ li

7 33

u

8 38

4 4 61 5

3 Age

59 20 8 10 11 12 1

39 42 04 23 35 36 24 02 31 55 15 33

CAP CAP AQU AQU PSC PSC

ARI ARI TAU TAU AUR GEM GEM LEO CAN LEO LEO VIR

2\ 1 3 3i

31 4 4 5 6

D Place SAG

ni

12

D Sets

12 40 58 19

111

28 28 28 29 29 29

6i 1\

08 50 26 48 6 13 6 45

VIR VIR VIR LIB LIB SCO OPH

12 1 1 1 2

51 38 16 47 13

SAG

10 26 10 41 11 57

2J: Get local rise, set, and tide times at Almanac.com/astronomy.

SAG SAG CAP AQU

2006

Farmers Calendar le Way

re ^

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 2006

A M. Tu. W. Th. Fr. Sa. A M. Tu. W. Th. Fr. Sa. A M. Tu. W. Th. Fr. Sa. A M. Tu. W. Th. Fr. Sa. A M. Tu.

tO go:

-Harriet McEwen

Kimball

17*1, A* l/ll) S>. Yam kinnnr IUHIN|I|IM

ssf H& « First agricultural fair in the f 8 ttl. :p.* U.S., Pittsfield, Mass., 1810 \ 9 m Bob Shaw set NFL record with / 8.5 • five touchdown catches, 1950 * \ 9.9

q uJ Q£ • Never look for a worm in the apple of your eye

St. Francis of Assisi . rfSG • tSSlSi^ Marc Garneau became first

10.5

11.2 Canadian in space, 1984 AT All happiness f 11.2 Full Harvest Q • (£ PERIG. • is in the mind. \ 11.4 The rose became the official _ „,._,_ f 11 floral emblem of U.S., 1986 11.4 12.0

Sukk0th • JoXmbkmof uZ'i986 # Tides , l8tftft.af.S.-^i™2!,f7r55on-^ Washington, D.C., had its earliest

„. .

f 10.7

measurable snow of the century, 1979 liaes t 11.7 Premiere of first radio quiz show Timber rattlesnakes in the U.S., Professor Quiz, 1936 move to winter dens.

■ For all their richness and variety, the autumn colors have a profound stillness. They are frozen, unmoving. On the brilliant hillsides, under the high blue sky, the colors change but they hardly stir. out The effect is to bring a certain fineIt'sgravity to the season, a solemnity, like a single note long held, out. sounded on a great organ. The spectacle of the autumn A for' leaves is therefore a tableau, not a little dry in dance. Until they fall. Then, for a more few days, the fixed and stately show of leaf color gives way to a

Weather

Dates, Feasts, Fasts, Aspects, Tide Heights

no shimmering ballet. You're walking down a road in the woods rain 's when, suddenly, the air all around (X highS • 100 mph winds in Oreg., 1962 •9.0j ^ strain — you fills with falling yellow What? Copyright for "Happy Birthday -., 10.0 to You" melody registered, 1893 liaes Another leaves, golden leaves, cascading The pumpkin vine never bears watermelons. • j q'^ down like weightless doubloons. hurricane! They flicker in the soft autumn ia.. a t«f 2» . U.S. Dept. ofTransportalytl) §5>. al. 3p. • tion established, 1966 Autumn s light as they slip to earth through dbd* 71 Hector Mine earthquake, Calif., 1999 stirring 8.7 9.2 the air, numberless as raindrops. SU^natiusofAntioch. $ f250EEA°sNT?I am always reminded of one ^ Luke . KtSSSSSfe . T,des { g cariUoii of those famous ticker tape paON . /7 4_ OQ /7 at _ Cornwallis surrendered rades down Broadway with EQ. • liAT O • U. apo. • at Yorktown, Va., 1781 * 9.6 The Town Clock in Halifax, Nova which New York City receives colors Tides 9.5 Scotia, began keeping time, 1803 9.9 swells, (£3 »/ the nation's greatest heroes. The A smart mouse has more than one hole. • Tide hero and the city fathers proceed Artist N. C. while down the avenue while people in 20th &. at. $.»New Wyethborn, . 9.41882 9.3 the tall buildings to either side let 10.1 (^Cf 0 • BrynMawr College opened, 1885 • Rain at seven, _ — . / 9.2 fall a vast shower of ribbon, contrickat eleven. * T,des \ 10.1 fetti, and paper. The air, the whole carry tr eaters (5 If $ • Poet G. Chaucer died, 1400 • Tides | ^ world, turns into a glittering Little brown bats Minimum wage raised f 8.8 dome as the parade passes, just hibernate now. to 75tf per hour, 1949 l 9.9 ring as in a moment of leaf fall on t7 RUNS ^ O J - Red Sox won the _ / 8 (X LOW • V IN SUP. (5 • Wor|d Serjcs 2(X)4 • | 9 on rand o a country road — with the differSts. Simon & Jude • d% § • $ stat. • Tides j ^ ence that, to enjoy the latter

All Hallows' Eve •SI, Wolfing

Nevada became 36th state. 1864

10.1 11.2

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show, you don't need to ha\ e done great deeds. All you need to do is be there.

The Old Farmer's Almanac

119

The

Eleventh

Month

•

2006

SKY WATCH # The evening sky is now nearly empty of planets, with Jupiter reaching conjunction with the Sun on the 21st. Venus is technically back, but it is actually too low to be easily observed. One bright spot this month is Saturn, which now rises by 11:00 p.m. at midmonth in Leo. However, the real highlight this month is the first transit of Mercury visible throughout North America in decades. Specially equipped solar telescopes or binoculars with strong appropriate filters (always use eye protection when viewing solar events) will show the innermost planet march across the Sun sface on the 8th. Orion and the brilliant winter stars return this month, rising well before midnight. 5th day 7th hour 58th minute 0 Full Moon 12th day 12th hour 45th minute Last Quarter 20th day 18th minute • New Moon 17th hour 28th day 29th minute 1st hour D First Quarter

Th. Fr. Sa. A M. Tu. W. Th. Fr. Sa. A M. Tu. W. Th. Fr. Sa. A M. Tu. W. Th. Fr. Sa. A M. Tu. W. Th.

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• 2006

Farmer's Calendar ■ With the painful and protesting reluctance of a rusty hinge, the lazy householder turns again to his seasonal tasks. Procrastination ends at last. The leaves, the storm windows, the outdoor furniture, the tangled garden hose, the halffrozen garden itself — all these and many more must be attended to. Stiffly, slowly, not without creaks and ogroans, the work begins. f As it proceeds, however, the ordeal of the fall chores reveals a

curious dynamic, a kind of automatic acceleration that lightens record-breaking low pressure, 1998 "aes \ 10.3 the whole job — maybe too much so. First, you do the things that St. Martin of Tours • veterans Day • j>**Jins Day < sample must be done (the storm win23rtft.af.f.«SSSw-c5T?C-{5:3 dows); then you do the things that The Wall of Vietnam Veterans Memorial dedicated, 1982 might as well be done (the leaves); •. Tides Journalist Nellie Bly left N.Y.C. for nj_ \ 8.5 tour around the world in 72 days, 18 to then those that it's nice to have f? ON • (7 ax 99 • (7 AT m Lobsters move to I 8. done (the garden). You might call Vk EQ. • V^AT O • Vi APO. • offshore waters. # \ 8 come! at's it a day at this point, but by now wh Louis Riel, leader of Metis resist- After black clouds, # f ' Mild, ance vs. Canada, hanged, 1 885 clear weather. \ ! you're hooked. Your former inerStJ#ofOneolB-xsTAT..^^.{^ tia overcome — indeed, annihibut William Tell shot apple off son's head, 1307 • Tides { g9 lated— you plunge on. You do jobs that never needed to be done and Edsel cardis24th ^.a(.i.-d0C- continued, 1959 Photos required for progress to others that, frankly, 6 U.S. passports, 1914 glum. should have been omitted. enough t*\ r (~\ _ Truman became first U.S. president to {'Ji Just O l\ \£J ride underwater in a submarine, 1946 We have in action here a fun8.9 fQ Eat at pleasure, Humpback whales mi_., {1(^3 snowr drink by measure. grate to Hawaii now. damental principle of beha\ lot, RUNS • Tides hitherto little understood. Its alSt. Clement • Thanksgiving • (£ LOW Suspected JFK assassin Lee T. . expression might be B = Jur .3 10 tracking — 1/t, wheregebraic Harvey Oswald murdered, 1963 "a B is the benefit of w ork j. m Robert S. Ledley granted 9 (20° we si > # patent for CAT scan, 1975 * Ti"aes. \/ 10.28.8 nr and t is the time a worker has been in America, 1716 it away at his tasks. The idea is thai bene25th g>. af. . •dWO P™kin8 The "Portland storm"$brought 27 inches ESa^mf~. . I 8.9 fit isinversely proportional to time of snow to New London, Conn., 1 898 c \ 9.9 on spent. It's a formula as rigorous, as AX(7 m U.S. bill signed allowing stales „ . I 9.2 Turkey O 0Vi # to set own speed limits, 1995 - "dts I 9.8 inexorable, as Universal Cira\ ita•7 o » Pong coin-operated video / 9.0 d EQ, •((>&• tion, and in this humble space it ^LAI 66 # game game * \ l> .7 peed debuted, 1972 / until April I)av! has found its Newton. 1 call it the AndrfW • ^ heavy November snow Iron Lavs of Puttering. Life is a combination of magic and pasta,

Ck HIGH • A fox should not be of the jury at a goose 's trial Mammoth storm in Minnesota produced _. , f 9.2

now

-Federico Fellini, Italian film director

2006

The Old Farmer's Almanac

121

^F^F^h^B^HZl^E^E^HI^H The

Month

Twelfth

•

2006

SKY WATCH tc There !s lots to see this month: A wonderfully tight Mercury/Mars/Jupiter conjunction stands low in the predawn twilight on the 9th. The next morning, Mercury and Jupiter are extremely close together, and Mercury remains visible during the whole first half of the month. Jupiter emerges from the solar glare as a morning star and crosses into Scorpius. Venus appears in the evening sky, although it is still low during twilight. Saturn rises by 9:30 p.m. at midmonth and is near the Moon on the 9th. The Geminid meteor showers should be visible before midnight on both the 13th and 14th. Winter officially arrives with the solstice on the 21st, at 7:22 p.m. 0 G # 2)

Full Moon Last Quarter New Moon First Quarter

4th 12th 20th 27th

day day day day

19th 9th 9th 9th

hour hour hour hour

25th 32nd 1 st 48th

minute minute minute minute

To use this page, see p. 92; for Key Letters, see p. 237; for Tide Corrections, see p. 234. All times are given in Eastern Standard Time. f& Bold = p.m. cs5 Light = a.m. of Day Length Rises h. m.

a 2 re o

335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 364 365

122

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Fr. Sa. A M. Tu. W. Th. Fr. Sa. A M. Tu. W. Th. Fr. Sa. A M. Tu. W. Th. Fr. Sa. A M. Tu. W. Th. Fr. Sa. A

6 6 6 6 6 6 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7

54 55 56 57 58 59 00 01 02 02 03 04 05 06 07 07 08 09 09 10 11 11 11 12 12 12 13 13 13 13 13

Sets h. m. E E E E E E E E 1. E 1 1. 1. E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E I. i f

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

13 13 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 13 13 13 14 14 14 15 15 16 17 17 18 19 19 20 21 22

A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A

h.

m.

9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9

19 18 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 10 09 08 07 06 06 06 05 05 05 04 04 04 05 05 05 06 06 06 07 08 09

Sun Fast m.

27 26 26 26 25 25 24 24 24 23 23 22 22 21 21 20 20 19 19 18 18 17 17 16 16 15 15 14 14 13 13

tion of DeclinaSun O

High Tide Times Boston

1

21s.51 22 00 22 09 22 17 22 25 22 32 22 39 22 45 22 51 22 57 23 02 23 06 23 10 23 14 23 17 23 20 23 22 23 24 23 25 23 26 23 26 23 26 23 26 23 25 23 23 23 22 23 19 23 16 23 12 23 08 23 s. 04

8 1\ 95 81 9 101 1091

in

101 121 ni —11 12 1

ll 2 21 4i 31 51 61 7 75 8^ 91 10 105 11 \ 12 11 125 21 31 4 5 6 7 8

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E 2 31 8 58 B 3 10 03 C 11 22 D 45 55 11 06 C 11 42 D — - 12 00 D 6i 1\ 12 07 D 12 17 C 85 1 07 D 12 35 B 91 2 09 E 12 55 B 3 13 E 1 17 B 4 19 E 1 45 A 10 101 5 27 E 2 19 A 111 6 35 E 3 04 A 7 37 E 4 00 A — 8 31 E 5 06 A 12 12155 9 16 E 6 20 B 2\ 9 51 E 7 36 B 31 10 20 E 8 52 c 4i 10 45 D 10 07 D 5\ 11 07 D 11 21 D — 11 28 C 61 75 11 51 B 12 35 E 12 17 B 1 51 1 85 12 47 A 3 08 1 1 26 A 4 25 E

Get local rise, set, and tide times arAlmanac.com/astronomy.

GEM

15 14 17 16 18 19

CAN LEO CAN LEO LEO VIR VIR VIR VIR LIB

20 21 23 22 25 24 26 27 29 28

LIB SCO SAG SAG SAG CAP CAP AQU AQU PSC PSC PSC ARI TAU

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

2006

The icicles now fringe the trees That swayed in summer 's gentle breeze. -Dora Read Goodaie

Fr. Sa. A M. Tu. W. Th. Fr. Sa. A M. Tu. W. Th. Fr. Sa. A M. Tu. W. Th. Fr. Sa. A M. Tu. W. Th. Fr. Sa. A 2006

Weather

Dates, Feasts, Fasts, Aspects, Tide Heights

qS /? VX St 81.

AT PERIG. Vtviana VlVldlld

Rosa Parks arrested for not giving h |-,us seat t0 a wnjte passenger, 1955 m Touro Synagogue, oldest in U.S., J 11.1 • dedicated. Newport, R.I.. 1763 9 \ 9.9

•Jl lightly Snow

Farmer 's Calendar ■ In recent times, as the season for building and other outdoor projects draws to an end, a last flurry of construction has come to mark

the dwindling year — an access of shelter-making that is dedicated, 1st i£>. of &bbent • ^S5i!S^im busy, and, at first, a little odd. I reoutside r- n / i j r~\ «. New Haven. Conn., received _ f 11.6 fer to the rearing of elaborate Full Cold (J • 2Q mches ^ 1?86 • { 9>9 11.6 falls the houses to protect the shrubs, A good example is the best sermon. • Tides 9.8 malls hedges, and other plantings that adorn our dwellings. St. Nicholas • d Ks • T? stat. . Tides {'lion st AmlllW •• National Pearl Harbor j 9.6 SLAOIUFUSe Remembrance Day * \ 11.1 We are not talking here about K shoppers making flimsy shelters thrown up just any9.1 how. The preferred form in these 10.2 parts is a sturdy A-frame made of 2nb&. of&bbent •d%%*d^d cellphone 2x4 stringers and ties of 1x4 stock Arf~S( m Cold air stopped Winterberry fruits esf 8.7 rn]]K-The at the lightest. Such a structure big OO ^4- * Big Ben clock. 1981 Specially showy now. \ 9.1 cufMenough to keep snow and ice from (£ AT Q • Pa. became second state in Union, 1787 AT A /nerry host cold out; breaking down a good-size yew or St. Lucia • State

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warm, damp air. Though it signals ideal climatic conditions for growing corn, it also poses a danger to those affected by asthma, pneumonia, and other respiratory problems. Dog Days (July 3-August 11): These are the hottest and most unhealthy days of the year. Also known as Canicular Days, their name derives from the Dog Star, Sirius. The traditional period of Dog Days is the 40 days beginning July 3 and ending August 11, coinciding with the heliacal (at sunrise) rising of Sirius. Lammas Day (August 1): From the Old English "hlaf maesse," meaning "loaf mass," Lammas Day marked the beginning of the harvest. Traditionally, loaves of bread were baked from the first-ripened grain and brought to the churches to be consecrated. Eventually, "loafmass" became "Lammas." In Scotland, Lammastide fairs became famous as the time when trial marriages could be made. These marriages could end after a year with no strings attached. Cat Nights Begin (August 17): This term harks back to the days when people believed inwitches. An old Irish legend says that a witch could turn into a cat and regain herself eight times, but on the ninth time, August 17, she couldn't change back, hence the saying: "A cat has nine lives." Because August is a "yowly" time for cats, this may have prompted the speculation about witches on the prowl in the first place. Harvest Home (September): In Europe and Britain, the conclusion of the harvest each autumn was once marked by festivals of fun, feasting, and thanksgiving known as "Harvest Home." It was also a time to hold elections, pay workers, and collect rents. These festivals usually took 126

place around the time of the autumnal equinox. Certain groups in this country, particularly the Pennsylvania Dutch, have kept the tradition alive. St. Luke's Little Summer (October): A spell of warm weather that occurs about the time of the saint's feast day, October 1 8, this period is sometimes referred to as Indian summer. Indian Summer (November): A period of warm weather following a cold spell or a hard frost, Indian summer can occur between St. Martin's Day (November 11) and November 20. Although there are differing dates for its occurrence, for more than 200 years the Almanac has adhered to the saying "If All Saints' brings out winter, St. Martin's brings out Indian summer." As for the origin of the term, some say that it comes from the early Native Americans, who believed that the condition was caused by a warm wind sent from the court of their southwestern god, Cautantowwit. Halcyon Days (December): About 14 days of calm weather follow the blustery winds of autumn's end. The ancient Greeks and Romans believed them to occur around the time of the winter solstice, when the halcyon, or kingfisher, was brooding. In a nest floating on the sea, the bird was said to have charmed the wind and waves so that the waters were especially calm during this period. Beware the Pogonip (December): The word pogonip is a meteorological term used to describe an uncommon occurrence— frozen fog. The word was coined by Native Americans to describe the frozen fogs of fine ice needles that occur in the mountain valleys of the western United States and Canada. According to their tradition, breathing the fog is injurious to the lungs. □ □

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2006

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Black Listed Cancer Treatment Could Save Your Life As unbelievable as it seems, the key to stopping many cancers has been around for over 30 years. Yet it has been banned. Blocked. And kept out of your medicine cabinet by the very agency designed to protect your health — the FDA. In 1966, the senior oncologist at a prominent New York hospital rocked the medical world when he developed a serum that "shrank cancer tumors in 45 minutes!" 90 minutes later they were gone... Headlines hit every major paper around the world. Time and again this life saving treatment worked miracles, but the FDA ignored the research and hope he brought and shut him down. You read that right. He was not only shut down — but also forced out of the country where others benefited from his discovery. How many other treatments have they been allowed to hide? Decades ago, European research scientist Dr. Johanna Budwig, a six-time Nobel Award nominee, discovered a totally natural formula that not only protects against the development of cancer, but has helped people all over the world diagnosed with incurable cancer — now lead normal lives. After 30 years of study, Dr. Budwig discovered that the blood of seriously ill cancer patients was deficient in certain substances and nutrients. Yet, healthy blood always contained these ingredients. It was the lack of these nutrients that allowed cancer cells to grow wild and out of control. It has been shown that by simply eating a combination oftwo natural and delicious foods (found on page 134) not only can cancer be prevented — but in some cases it was actually healed!

cancer when the immune system is weakened by disease, stress, or poor nutrition. Worst of all, the microbes secrete a special hormone protector that short-circuits our body's immune system — allowing the microbes to grow undetected for years. No wonder so many patients are riddled with cancer by the time it is detected. But there is hope even for them. . . Throughout the pages of How to Fight Cancer & Win you'll meet real people who were diagnosed with cancer — suffered through harsh conventional treatments — turned their backs on so called modem medicine — only to be miraculously healed by natural means! Here is just a sampling of what others have to say about the book. "We purchased How to Fight Cancer & Win, and immediately my husband started following the recommended diet for his just diagnosed colon cancer. He refused the surgery that our doctors advised. Since following the regime recommended in the book he has had no problems at all, cancerwise. If not cured, we believe the cancer has to be in remission." — Thehna B. "As a cancer patient who has been battling lymphatic cancer on and off for almost three years now, I was very pleased to stumble across How to Fight Cancer & Win. The book was inspiring, well-written and packed with useful information for any cancer patient looking to maximize his or her chances for recovery." — Romany S. "I've been incorporating Dr. Budwig 's natural remedy into my diet and have told others about it. Your book is very informative and has information I've never heard about before. Thanks for the wonderful information." — Molly G. Claim your book today and you will be one of the lucky few who no longer have to wait tor cures

"Symptoms of cancer, liver dysfunction, and diabetes were completely alleviated." Remarkably, what Dr. Budwig discovered was a totally natural way for eradicating cancer. However, when she went to publish these results that get pushed "underground" by big business and so that everyone could benefit — she was blocked money hungry giants. by manufacturers with heavy financial stakes! To get your copy of How to Fight Cancer & For over 10 years now her methods have proved Win go to www.agorahealthbooks.com/almS or effective — yet she is denied publication — blocked call 1-888-821-3609 and ask for code P6FW to by the giants who don't want you to read her words. order by credit card. Or write "Fight Cancer — What's more, the world is full of expert minds Dept. P6F92" on a plain piece of paper u ill) your like Dr. Budwig who have pursued cancer remedies name, address, phone number (in case we have a and come up with remarkable natural formulas and question about your order) and mail it with a diets that work for hundreds and thousands of check lor $19.95 plus $5.00 shipping to: Agora patients. How to Fight Cancer & Win author Health Books, Dept. P6F92, P.O. Box 92S William Fischer has studied these methods and Frederick, Ml) 21705-9838 revealed their secrets for you — so that you or someIf you are not complclcl\ satisfied, return the one you love may be spared the horrors of conventional cancer treatments. book within one year for ;i complete and total refund— no questions asked Phis will probabl} be As early as 1947, Virginia Livingston, M.D., the most important information you ami your isolated a cancer-causing microbe. She noted that loved ones receive so onler Uxla\ ! every cancer sample analyzed contained it. This microbe — a bacteria that is actually in each ID#P6F92 of us from birth to death — multiplies and promotes 2006 127 The Old Farmer's Ai.m.w u

Holidays aii( I Observances For Movable Religious CObservances, see page 95. Jan. 17 Jan. 19

L E N D A R

Feb. 2 Feb. 12 Feb. 14 Feb. 15 Feb. 28 Mar. Mar. Mar. Mar.

2 7 15 17

Mar. 27 Apr. 2 Apr. 17 Apr. 21 Apr. 22 Apr. 28 Mayl May 5 May 8 May May May May

14 16 20 22

June 5 June 11 June 14

Benjamin Franklin's Birthday Robert E.Lee Day (Ark., Flu., Ky., La., S.C.) Groundhog Day Guadalupe-Hidalgo Treaty Day (N.Mex.) Abraham Lincoln's Birthday Valentine's Day Susan B. Anthony's Birthday (F la.. Wis.) Mardi Gras (Baldwin & Mobile counties, Ala.; La.) Texas Independence Day Town Meeting Day (Vt.) Andrew Jackson Day (Tenn.) St. Patrick's Day Evacuation Mass.) Day (Suffolk Co., Seward's Day (Alaska) Pascua Florida Day Patriots Day (Maine, Mass.) San Jacinto Day (Tex.) Earth Day

June 17

Bunker Hill Day (Suffolk Co., Mass.)

June 18 June 19

Father's Day Emancipation Day (Tex.) West Virginia Day Canada Day

June 20 Julyl July 24 Aug. 7

Pioneer Day (Utah) Colorado Day Civic Holiday (Canada)

Aug. 16

Bennington Battle Day (Vt.) National Aviation Day

Aug. 19 Aug. 26 Sept. 9

Women's Equality Day Admission Day (Calif.)

Sept. 10 Sept. 17 Oct. 2

Grandparents Day Citizenship Day

Oct. 9

Oct. 18 Oct. 24

Child Health Day Leif Eriksson Day Native Americans Day (S.Dak.) Thanksgiving Day (Canada) Alaska Day

Oct. 31

United Nations Day Halloween Nevada Day

National Arbor Day May Day

Nov. 4 Nov. 7

Will Rogers Day (Okla .) Election Day

Cinco de Mayo Truman Day (Mo.)

Nov. 11 Nov. 19

Mother's Day Census Day (Canada) Armed Forces Day National Maritime Day Victoria Day (Canada) World Environment Day King Kamehameha I Day (Hawaii) Flag Day

Nov. 24 Nov. 26 Dec. 7

Remembrance Day (Canada) Discovery Day (Puerto Rico) Acadian Day (La.) John F. Kennedy Day (Mass.) National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

Dec. 15

Bill of Rights Day

Dec. 17 Dec. 26

Wright Brothers Day Boxing Day (Canada) First day of Kwanzaa

Federal Holidays Jan. 1 Jan. 16 Feb. 20 May 29

128

New Year's Day

July 4

Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday (observed)

Sept. 4 Oct. 9

George Washington's Birthday (observed)

Nov. 11 Nov. 23 Dec. 25

Memorial Day (observed)

Independence Day Labor Day Columbus Day (observed) Veterans Day Thanksgiving Day Christmas Day

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2006

M

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2 3 4 5 6 1 9 10 11 12 13 14 16 17 IS 19 20 2! 23 24 25 26 27 2S 30 31 May 1 2 8 9 15 1 6 22 23 29 30

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2005

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2006

February

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1 6 7 8 3 4 5 10 11 12 13 14 15 17 18 19 20 21 22 24 25 26 27 28 29

2 3 4 5 6 7 9 11 26 12 13 14 25 16 17 21 22 10 23 24 29 27

IS 19 20 30 August 1 2 3 1 1 2 103 8 6 7 8 239 2 3 4 5 136 7 4 5 6 7 8 169 20 17 o 17 15 17 10 15 13 14 15 II 12 13 10 14 22 23 24 23 IS 21 22 24 19 21 21 II 26 12 29 14 22 18 26 25 27 28 27 28 30 25 19 20 30 24 10 31 16 31 27 20 October November 29 2S December 29 30 1 2 3 4 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 13 11 3 4 5 6 7 9 11 12 13 5 136 7 8 9 8 9 16 15 16 17 IS 23 14 11 12 14 14 17 18 21 12 15 16 20 23 10 28 19 27 28 25 17 IS 20 21 25 26 23 22 24 10 24 25 27 28 29 20 27 30 30 22 24 20 21 31 20 19 10 31 March February 10 20 \Y 30 ,1/ April \Y 5 U T F T W T S T F s S S ,1/ T 12 5 ] 4 1 2 3 L51 2 1 2 3 6 16 8 9 11 4 5 136 1 158 9 13 4 5 136 1 158 9 23 17 10 11 12 14 20 II 12 10 10 10 17 21 21 22 23 27 14 22 23 24 22 10 17 25 18 28 29 30 24 25 IS 27 25 10 20 20 July 24 .v 20 27 20 IS 31 30 2S 26 10 June August 19 i 7 151 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 5 13 12 5 6 7 s 11 12 13 14 9 9 3 4 5 6 147 8 o 158 17 15 11 12 13 10 17 27 25 10 2} 10 21 22 23 IS 10 25 20 21 12 20 21 14 29 10 IS 20 26 28 10 29 30 22 30 20 27 28 19 11 24 20 31 24 20 2S 10 30 2l> Novembe r October 27 December

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2006

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2007

January

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Scaring Up Bring forth the raisins and the nutsJomght All-Hallows' Spectre struts Along the moonlit way.

-John Kendrick Bangs,

American humorist (1862-1922)

'Halloween"? Why Is It Called' Hall oween and

many origin of Bhe of its customs can be traced to

Samhain (pronounced sow-in, which rhymes with cow-in), an ancient pagan Celtic festival that was celebrated in what is now Great Britain to mark the end of harvesttime and the beginning of the new year. The two-day celebration began at sundown on October 3 1 . The ancient Celts believed that the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead was at its thinnest during Samhain, thereby making it a good time to communicate with the deceased and to divine the future.

Following the triumph of the Holy Roman Empire over Celt-occupied lands in the 1st century a.d., the Romans incorporated many of the Celtic traditions, including Samhain, with their own. Eight hundred years later, the Roman Catholic Church further modified Samhain, HAPPY HALLOWKEN!

designating November 1 as All

For seasonal advice and . craft and recipe ideas, plus Saints a Halloween puzzle, go honor to Almanac.com/extras. 130

,

Day, in of all

Catholic saints. It was celebrated with a mass, bonfires, and people costumed as angels and saints parading through the villages. November 1 was also known as All Hallows' Day ("hallow" means to sanctify or make holy). October 31 was called All Hallows' Eve. Over time, All Hallows' Eve was shortened to Hallows' Eve, which became Hallows Evening, which became Hallowe'en and, eventually, Halloween.

Witches on Broomsticks Ages, women labeled Onas the hesle(from the Anglo-Saxon witcMidd word wicce, ortion."wise one") pracSuch a woman ticed divina d woul curl up near a fireplace and go into a trancelike state by chanting, meditating, or using hallucinogenic herbs. When she came out of the trance, she would reveal her dreams or predictions. Superstitious people believed that these women flew out of their chimneys on broomsticks and terrorized the countryside with their magical deeds.

Bobbing for Apples val for Pomona, the Bhe essanof festi fruit and orchards, was goddRom celebrated around November 1. Romans believed that the first person to

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the Ancient Traditions of Halloween catch a bobbing apple with his or her teeth would be the first to marry in the new year. They also believed that apple peels held the secret to true love. The lovelorn would peel an apple in one long, unbroken piece and throw it over his or her shoulder while being spun around. The shape of the peel on the ground represented the first initial of the peeler's true love.

The Jack-o'-lantern

Burnip lanterns predate pumpkins as jack-o'-lanterns. In ancient Ireland, revelers would hollow out large turnips (or potatoes or beets), carve frightening designs into them, and light them from within with a candle or a piece of smoldering coal. They then placed the lanterns in the windows and doorways of their homes, in the belief that the carvings would scare off evil spirits and welcome deceased loved ones inside Irish immigrants arriving in the New World during the early 1 800s found the larger, easier-to-carve pumpkins ready substitutes for turnips.

Costumes rstitious n,d supe ng Huri try Sam coun folkhai woul disguise themselves with animal skins and masks made from sailcloth or linen. In costume they would go outdoors and make lots of noise, in an effort to fool troublesome spirits into thinking they were one of them or to scare them away.

Tricks orTreats at the table placeainwasas set extra Hnduri ng Samh an offering to deceased loved ones. In addition, food was placed outside, near the doorway, to appease bothersome spirits who might otherwise play a trick on the inhabitants, such as over containtippiersngof milk.

Today's trick-ortreating dates from the Middle Ages, when poor people collected baked goods called "soul cakes" from the wealthy — a practice also called going-aSOUling. In exchange for cakes, the poor promised to pra> for the giver's deceased loved ones. .\iin Sim the writes from the Palm Beaches in Florida

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(§mk^mto a (9 by Sonja Hakala

■ Isn't the uniqueness of handwriting remarkable? In English-speaking cultures, we all use the same 26 letters and are all taught the same basic letter shapes — the roundness of an O or the vertical rise of a T. Yet as soon as we master the alphabet, we each press our pen to paper in our own individual ways. Over the past 100 years, scientific research has proved that personality traits can be discerned through the analysis of handwriting patterns. A graphologist, someone who analyzes handwriting professionally, looks at patterns throughout a piece of writing, not just individual letters, to find indications of personality traits. Such characteristics

include slant, the use of margins, the size of a signature, and individual letters— and that's just the beginning. There are thousands of strokes, shapes, and traits, far too many to describe here, but this is a start. In order to analyze your own handwriting, grab a blank piece of paper and pen a few sentences. It doesn't matter what you write, just that you move your pen from left to right the way you normally do. When you get to the bottom of the page, sign your name. Ready? Let's see what your handwriting reveals about you. (Just remember that these are only a few of hundreds of examples and traits.)

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Inclined ■ Which way does your handwriting slant? Slant indicates your degree of emotional expression. Most people are right-handed and most handwriting is done from left to right, so the natural slant of letters on a page is slightly to the right, or inclined. The more inclined the writing, the more expressive and extroverted the writer. A leftward slant, or reclined writing, indicates emotional reserve. Vertical letters are a sign of someone who is emotionally independent and keeps "cool." What about lefties? The indications are the same. Assuming that you are able to adjust your position to the pen and writing surface, you will produce the slant that matches your emotional expression. Just for fun, try slanting your writing in the opposite direction ofwhat you normally do. It feels strange, doesn't it?

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Secrets of the Zodiac ■ Ancient astrologers believed that each astrological sign influenced a specific part of the body. The first sign of the zodiac— Aries — was attributed to the head, with the rest of the signs moving down the body, ending with Pisces at the feet. Astrology vs. Astronomy ■ Astrology is a tool we use to time events according to the astrological placements of the Sun, the Moon, and eight planets in the 12 signs of the zodiac. Astronomy, on the other hand, is the study of the actual placement of the known planets and constellations, taking into account the precession of the equinoxes. The placement of the planets in the signs of the zodiac is not the same astrologically and astronomically. The Moon's astrological place is given in Gardening bythe Moon's Sign, page 231; its astronomical place is given in the LeftHand Calendar Pages, 96-122. Modern astrology is a study of synchronicities. The planetary movements do not cause events; rather, they explain the path, or "flow," that events tend to follow. Astrologers use the current relationship of the planets and your personal birth chart to determine the best possible times for you to carry out your plans. The dates in the Astrological Timetable, page 229, are based on the astrological passage of the Moon. However, other planets also influence us, so it's best to consider all indicators before making any major decisions. When Mercury Is Retrograde ■ Sometimes from our perspective, the other planets appear to be traveling backward through the zodiac. (All heavenly bodies move forward. An optical illusion makes them seem as if they are moving backward.) We call this retrograde motion. Mercury's retrograde periods, which 230

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THE MAN OF SIGNS Aries, head . ARI Mar. 21 -Apr. Taurus, neck . . . . TAU Apr. 21 -May Gemini, arms . . . GEM May 21-June Cancer, breast . . . CAN June 21 -July Leo, heart LEO July 23-Aug. Virgo, belly VIR Aug. 23-Sept. Libra, reins LIB Sept. 23-Oct. Scorpio, secrets. . SCO Oct. 23-Nov. Sagittarius, thighs . SAG Nov. 23-Dec. Capricorn, knees . CAP Dec. 22-Jan. Aquarius, legs . . . AQU Jan. 20-Feb. Pisces, feet PSC Feb. 20-Mar.

20 20 20 22 22 22 22 22 21 19 19 20

occur three or four times a year, can cause our plans to go awry. However, this is an excellent time to reflect on the past. Intuition ishigh during these periods and coincidences can be extraordinary. When

Mercury is retrograde, astrologers advise us to be flexible, allow extra time for travel, and avoid signing con-

tracts. It's helpful to review projects and plans because we may see them in a new perspective at these times, but it's best to wait until Mercury is direct again to make any final decisions. In 2006, Mercury will be retrograde from March 2-25, July 4-29, and October 28-November 18. -Celeste Longacre

Check Moon phases at Almanac.com/astronomy.

2006

Astrology

Gardening by the Moon's Sign ■ The placement of the planets through the signs of the zodiac is not the same in astrology and astronomy. The astrological placement of the Moon, by sign, is given in the table below. Its astronomical, or actual, placement is given in the Left-Hand Calendar Pages, 96-122. For planting, the most fertile Moon signs are the three water signs: Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces. Good second choices are Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn. Weeding and plowing are best done when the Moon occupies Aries, Gemini, Leo, Sagittarius, or Aquarius. Insect pests can also be handled

at these times. Transplanting and grafting are best done under a Cancer, Scorpio, or Pisces Moon. Pruning is best done under an Aries, Leo, or Sagittarius Moon, with growth encouraged during waxing (from the day of new to the day of full Moon) and discouraged during waning (from the day after full to the day before new Moon). For the dates of the Moon's phases, see pages 96-122. Clean out the garden shed when the Moon occupies Virgo. Build or repair fences and permanent garden beds when Capricorn predominates.

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The Old Farmer s Ai mana