Something to howl about all year long
By BILL DUNCAN My 2009 Old Farmer’s Almanac calendar arrived in the mail the other day, so I found myself looking at next year, first to discover what day my birthday would be. Unexpectedly I learned all the days I could join my fellow bay-at the-moon howlers. Lately, I have noticed that many calendars no longer indicate the phases of the moon, so the Old Farmer’s Almanac calendar will come in handy each month when it’s time to bay at the moon. I belong to an exclusive organization started by Liz Carpenter, Lady Bird Johnson’s press secretary. To join, you have to be old enough to want to embarrass your children by howling at the moon when it is full. We take turns hosting and sharing nibbles, good conversation, good books and even some parlor games before the moon is at its brightest. Then we all go outside and release our inhibitions. The first full moon on Jan. 10, 2009 is appropriately labeled the Wolf Moon. For all us farmers, the calendar also notes that when oak trees bend with snow in January, it is an omen that good crops may be expected. The first full moon on Feb. 9 is a Snow Moon because in my section of Oregon, February is always the coldest month. The Almanac predicts violent north winds, but says that will herald a fertile year. The March calendar says if the crocuses are open warm weather will follow, but if they are closed, more cold weather is ahead. The full moon comes on March 10 in 2009 and is called, strangely enough, the Worm Moon, because in Indian lore when earthworm casts begin to appear, they herald the return of the robins. April’s full moon comes on the 9th and is called the Pink Moon indicating spring flowers will be in full bloom. In May, the full moon appears on May 9 and is called the Flower Moon because this is the month when everything, even weeds, bloom. The area where I live often gets some thunderstorms and the Almanac say lightning in the spring indicates a good fruit year. The full moon on June 7 is called the Strawberry Moon not so much for its color, but for June itself that is the short season for the strawberry harvest. However, in Europe it is called the Rose Moon. July’s full moon is on the 7th is called a Buck Moon because traditionally that is when the new antlers of male deer push out of their foreheads in coatings of velvety fur. It is also called the Hay Moon. The Aug. 5 full moon is called the Sturgeon Moon because it’s good fishing season. It is also sometimes called the Red Moon because as it rises, it appears reddish through the sultry summer haze. Some also called it the Grain Moon. A year from now in September, the full moon will be on Sept. 4, and is designated as the Corn Moon, but the full moon that occurs closest to the autumn equinox is also called the Harvest Moon. On two years out of three, the harvest moon comes in September, but in some years it occurs in October. Interestingly, it is called the Harvest Moon because farmers can work late into the night by the light of the moon. Usually, according to the Almanac, the moon rises 50 minutes later each night, but for the few nights around the Harvest Moon, the moon seems to rise at nearly the same time each night. In October of 2009, the moon is called the Harvest Moon and occurs on Oct. 4th. November and December have the earliest full moons. The Nov. 2 full moon is called the Beaver Moon dating back to a time when trappers set their beaver traps before the ponds froze. The December full moon on the 2nd and is simply designated as the Cold Moon because, as the Almanac says, it is a time when winter fastens its grip and the nights are the longest and the darkest. Not the worry though, because the Almanac for 2009 predicts if the snow sticks to the trees, it foretells a bountiful harvest and after the 2008 disastrous garden I grew, I’m ready. (Bill Duncan can be reached by writing to P.O. Box 812, Roseburg, OR 97470)
The View From Here