Winter Forecast

There are always a lot of predictions about the weather for the coming winter season. One of my annual rituals is to check the persimmon seeds. The above photo show 12 seeds that I cut open. Seven of these are spoons, one is a fork and the other four are not clearly distinguishable. The farmers almanac explains what the different shapes mean.

My prediction is that we will have bad luck this winter because when I cut the 13th seed I sliced my thumb open with the utility knife. I normally hold the seeds with needle nose pliers and cut them open, but this year I was in a hurry and just held them between my thumb and index finger. Another fact about persimmon seeds are that they are very slippery. It's another case of I know better but just didn't do better. You would think at my age I would learn.

If you don't trust the Farmer's Almanac forecast here is another forecast from a local "barnyard scientist" about 10 miles down the road.

Tobacco

When I was growing up, tobacco hanging in the barn was a common sight this time of the year. It was a scene repeated on every farm across the state. It was part of the livelihood and culture of the whole society. They even included cigarettes in "C" rations, back when military service was compulsory for us young males. All the economic and societal pressures were constantly reinforced by TV commercials like the one below. I smoked more than 2 packs a day for well over 40 years, but haven't smoked in over 4 years now.




[I'd give anything for a cigarette right now].

Autumn Equinox

The autumnal equinox is a very special time of the year. Autumn, Fall or Mabon signals the transition from summer to the cooler seasons. It is resplendent with all the earthy red, yellow, gold and brown colors of the changing leaves. It is a time to harvest and celebrate the bounty the earth has provided throughout the warm season. Equinox means equal daylight and darkness. After today the nights will be longer than the days until the Vernal Equinox.

Here are a couple of "corn husk" dolls that I made for the autumn equinox. Consistent with Iroquois legend and practice the dolls have no face.

Brother Skunk

Brother Skunk and I have been dancing around each other all week when I go get the paper. Now that the days are getting shorter, it is not quite sunrise when I walk out to the the mailbox and Brother Skunk is still out foraging. Since there was no paper today, I grabbed my video camera and caught Brother Skunk still out and about. The video is not very good because of the low light, but you can see him scampering around.



Skunks are generally nocturnal and begin foraging at sunset. Skunks are omnivorous and help keep the rodent population in check. They often travel five to ten miles within their territory at night looking for field mice and other small rodents as well as lizards, frogs, birds, eggs, garbage, acorns, and fallen fruit. They also dig for insects, especially beetles, larvae, and earthworms. Their diet includes black widow spiders and scorpions. Being carrion eaters, they help keep roadways and neighborhoods clean. An estimated 70 percent of a skunk's diet consists of insects considered harmful to humans.

Some of the best advice that I ever received was "... never wrestle a skunk. You come out smelling bad even when you win." Fortunately, Brother Skunk hasn't made me smell bad - yet, but I'm not inclined to wrestle with him either!

Getting ready for fall

The Autumnal Equinox is in a little over a week away. As noted the bullbats and other birds are starting to move, and Mr Squirrel is down at the walnut trees getting ready for the coming seasons. I guess we need to get in the fall mood also.

Bullbats

This evening I noticed Bullbats were migrating. I have always referred to "common nighthawks" as bullbats. You can see them migrating around the first of September when dove season opens. They winter in South America. Their migration is like Labor Day signaling the end of summer and the beginning of fall. The weather still says its summer, but as the days grow shorter you know that fall is getting close.