Do you read the Farmer’s Almanac?
If you don’t do you know anything about it?
Starting at the beginning of my 2018 Harris Farmer’s Almanac, the first line to its readers:
“Truth is indeed stranger than fiction” –Harris Almanac 2018
And in reading the Almanac, you find this to ring true. On the one hand, annual almanac is like the Reader’s Digest – with short articles about the weather, gardening, recipes and the like. Who doesn’t want to know about weather patterns in southern Iowa or bugs in South Carolina or how to make bread without a bread machine. Some are articles about wisdom from bygone days. Others are just trivia. Intelligent conversation starters that can be brought up while waiting in line somewhere.
But the articles are just window dressing. The real nitty gritty of an Almanac is the calendar. Especially before the Internet, sources were needed for people to be able to track cycles and events throughout the year. You have your calendar on the wall. The Almanac told you about what happens each day.
Is there a Holiday or special observance?
What is the phase of the moon?
How long is each day? Sunset? Sunrise?
What kind of weather are we expecting this month? (Can’t be any less accurate than the evening news here)
In American Culture, the most well-known Almanac was Poor Richard’s Almanac – published, written and sold by Benjamin Franklin. It is known as the place where he offered pithy, meaningful quotes. I will share them from time to time on this blog, as they often have great advice, and are funny as well. The quote for today:
“Lost Time is never found again.”
― Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard’s Almanack
Reminds me that I have not written enough for this blog and need to get to it.