A cloudy week will offer few peeks of the sun
The Sun: On November 23, the Sun enters the Early Winter sign of Sagittarius. At the end of November, sunset has reached to within just a few minutes of its earliest time in the Miami Valley. The latest sunrise, however, is still about half an hour away.
The Planets: Venus is the Morning Star, rising before dawn near the time that the Moon is setting in the west.
The Stars: Perseus, who saved Andromeda from the monster, Cetus (according to the myth), lies overhead, keeping watch over Andromeda, who precedes him through the Milky Way.
The Shooting Stars:
No major meteor showers occur this week.
Weather Trends: The fourth week of November, the third week of Late Fall, is the stark and windy week that marks the fall of average highs below 50 degrees throughout the region, and the end to any chance of a day above 70. Nights below zero even become possible now. The sixth cold front of the month, usually arrives on the 24th, and Full Moon on the 23 will ensure that that weather system is strong. The seventh high pressure system generally arrives on November 28, preceded by rain 80 percent of the time on the 27th. November 28, 29, and 30 have the best odds of the month for snow. The 28th is the gloomiest day of the whole month, carrying just a 20 percent chance of a peek of the sun. Most of the other days are cloudy too!
The Natural Calendar: The fallen leaves become darker now as they gradually decay. Measure the progress of the new year in their continuing changes. The breakdown of the Osage fruit through the months ahead will also time the winter.
Leaves of decorative pear trees fall near this date, creating a major change in the urban landscapes that favor these hardy ornamental trees. Most of the lilac and forsythia leaves are down. Only the Japanese honeysuckle and the bamboo leaves remain green. Hydrangea flowers are pale and brittle. Remnants of garden hostas have dissolved into the mulch. Artichoke leaves are twisted and stiff. Some Osage fruit is developing blackish patches, a sign of the approach of December. Throughout the weeks ahead, the landscape becomes browner as fallen foliage settles and comes apart. Compensating for the lack of blooming flowers and green leaves are the pale champagnes of the field grass and goldenrod, the russets of the Japanese knotweed, the red honeysuckle berries and red rose hips, the white sycamore bark, and the purple raspberry stalks.
Fish, Insects, Livestock and Birds: Sandhill cranes fly over the region between now and the first week of January. Listen for their shill cries high above you. Ducks and gulls complete their flights south, marking the close of most migratory activity for the year. Overwintering robins work the honeysuckles. Juncos, and sometimes bands of flickers, work beside them. Once in a while, a worm gets stranded on the sidewalk in the rain or snow. The Moon will be overhead before midnight this week, and lunar lore suggests you search for game and fish at that time (or the second-best time, before noon), especially at the approach of the November 24 cold front.
In the Field and Garden: Parsley and thyme can grow inside in pots for winter seasonings. Outside, wrap young transplants to protect them against frost cracking. Work gypsum into the soil where salt, used to melt winter’s ice, may damage plantings. Feed the lawn - fall is a better time than in the spring: the winter’s rain and snow, freezing and thawing, will gently work the fertilizer through the soil.
Marketing Notes: The Christmas tree harvest has begun in northeast Ohio, and the last poinsettias from Ohio Valley farms have come north. After your morning chores, calculate taxable income for the first three quarters of the year and plan your expenditures and sales for the remaining weeks of 2018.
The Almanack Horoscope: Even if the weather is damp outside, the humidity in your home may be excessively low, especially if you have forced air heat. Heated air, combined with low humidity, can dry out your nasal passages and lungs – increasing your susceptibility to colds and flu. Keep your home cool, consider purchasing a humidifier, and spend as much time out of doors as you can.
Journal
2000: The rain is slow and soft. At the base of my apple tree, fallen fruit decayed. The yellow jackets and the bumblebees that loved them are gone. Hostas in the apple garden are tawny, seedpods brittle and empty.
To my right, the locust and the box elder are bare, and the white mulberry is yellowing. On my left, the Osage is gold, fruits down on the woodpile. Honeysuckles are weakening all around the yard, showing their red berries
A squirrel is chattering. Crows come to the woodlot west of my back door. I think about the long flock of blackbirds that flew over yesterday morning. Last night, I heard just one whistling cricket. “Poor Will’s Almanack for 2019” and “Horoscope in Nature” is now available. And follow the days of December with “Bill Felker’s A Daybook for December” that contains all of his daily almanack notes for that month are available on Amazon.com.