As winter looms, prepare for a later sunset
week, entering its second quarter at 6:49 a.m. on December 12, and reaching apogee (its position farthest from Earth) at 7:25 a.m. the same day.
The Sun: Sunset remains at its earliest time of the entire year through most of the week, but then as December’s second half approaches, sunset actually starts to occur later in the day, a shift which starts the end of winter before it even officially starts.
The Planets: Mars, in Aquarius, lies against the western horizon after dark. Venus, in Libra, followed by Jupiter in Ophiuchus, rises from the east before dawn.
The Stars: Overhead in the night sky, the constellation Cassiopeia – looking like a very small dipper – lies a little south and west of the North Star in the Milky Way. According to mythology, Cassiopeia was the mother of the Princess Andromeda, and the god Poseidon placed Cassiopeia, her husband Cepheus, along with Andromeda, in the sky as a punishment for their pride.
The Shooting Stars: The Geminid meteor show will peak on December 13 – 14 near Gemini, with the crescent moon interfering only a little with meteor viewing.
Weather Trends: At the arrival of the first and second December cold fronts, leaves often fall overnight from the silver maple, pear and beech. Early Winter, the first period of consistently cold temperatures before solstice, often begins about this time. Tomorrow’s new moon increases the chances that the entry of that season will be strong.
The Natural Calendar: Except along the Gulf Coast, nearly every deciduous tree is ordinarily bare. Milkweed pods are open, their disheveled seeds drifting in the wind. Osage fruits are yellowing, broken and scattered by squirrels or opossums. Even though this is one more week of endings, it is not a week of stagnation. Spruces are growing new needles in the parks. Caraway and henbit can be flowering in the sun, and a dandelion or a periwinkle will open in scattered fields and lawns. Fresh chickweed, which sprouted at the end of the summer, is blossoming here and there. Catnip grows back beside thistles, moneywort, chickweed, wild geranium, leafcup, henbit and yarrow.
Fish, Wild Game and Birds: In the woods, whitetail deer enter their secondary rutting period, which lasts approximately two weeks. Crows flock to winter roosts. The new moon, rising in the morning and setting in the evening, passes above fish and game in the middle of the day, making that time a fine lunar time to seek those creatures, especially as the cold fronts of December 8 and 15 approach.
In the Field and Garden: Feed trees and bushes after leafdrop is complete. Fertilize the fields after harvest with organic matter, phosphorus and potassium to reduce soil compaction. Prune fruit bearing bushes.
Bring in oregano, rosemary, parsley and thyme for winter seasonings. Stake weaker shrubs and trees. Mulch strawberries with straw. Prepare to transport goat and sheep cheese, Christmas cacti, dried flowers and grasses, poinsettias, mistletoe and ginseng to market.
Take care of winter maintenance before full moon (on December 22). The week is also excellent for all livestock maintenance activities, especially worming, vaccinations, crutching and facing ewes, dipping for parasites and trimming feet.
Marketing Notes: December 2 – 10: Hanukkah: Festival of Light: This festival is eight days long and offers many possibilities for marketing.
The Almanack Horoscope: When you get home from work around suppertime, your energy level could be lower than it was after work during the summer. That’s because your mind-body clock says that it’s time to go to bed and conserve energy against the dark and the cold. And the early sunset time will be starting your melatonin flow as the sky darkens. If you schedule a balanced snack between 3:00 and 4:00 p.m. and then do some form of exercise before or after dinner, you may be able to reset your physical and mental clocks, and get a second wind. Of course, if you can sneak in a nap after your snack, that’s even better. Best of all, go to bed early!
Journal
December 8, 2001: After a warm November, in soft rain, the grass outside my door is lush and bright, the last Osage leaves golden above the shed. Along the west wall of the house, Shasta daisies are still in bloom. Wild onions are getting lanky, motherwort is bushy, one Queen Anne’s lace plant has grown back two-feet tall.
Inside the garden: fresh rosemary, thyme, oregano, fat chard still good for picking. Strawberry leaves are turning red and orange. Dry pumpkin-brown heads of marigold quiver in the wind. By the front door, Lamium purpureum, dead nettle, is full of new growth and purple flowers, dusky forsythia is still blocking the street, and pink azalea leaves forecast their spring blossoms.
There is new chickweed under the rhododendrons, new clover, two new dandelions, henbit deep summer green. Under the apple tree, one wild strawberry flower. To one side of the woodpile, very late blue forgetme-nots. Along the north hedge, orange euonymus berries pushing out from their white pods, late honeysuckle berries, strong sweet William growth, tawny leaves of the goosefoot, feathery achillea returning, butterfly bush and comfrey, dock, garlic mustard all vigorous, two deep yellow roses surrounded by mint, three pale violet sweet rocket flowers nestling against the old stone wall. Order your autographed copy of the Almanack from www.poorwillsalmanack. com. Orders are sent priority mail, and they usually arrive in two to three days. Or you can purchase your Almanack through Amazon.com.