Modern Moons

There is an old saying: The south wind warms the aged. October is a blending month of northern cold air with southern warm breezes. The Beaufort scale denotes a breeze as starting at four miles an hour. A fresh breeze is between nineteen and twenty-four miles an hour. A very light wind is also referred to as a breeze. What does it mean for a person? A breeze is a very light wind (about four mph.) that has a gentle, soothing feeling. Couple that breeze with full sunshine and dry air and a perfect October day is at hand. Cool to begin with, warm by noon and cool to end the day.

Ancient October full moons were Moon of Falling Leaves, Yellow Moon or Hunter’s Moon. This full moon was also referred to as Feasting Moon, for wild grapes and overly ripe fruits were abundant for man and animal to forage on.

Today’s full October moon might be Pumpkin Moon or Migrating Moon. By October’s end, pumpkins are ripe, orange dots in fields and birds are serious in their urge to head south for winter.

Fishing/Gardening

Two farms over, machinery is out cutting corn for silage. It just hasn’t been a good year for many crops. Too little rain, too high heat, then too much rain. As we watch the chopped material shoot through the air from harvester to truck, we are reminded that we too have a clean-up underway, however small it may be. The garden is finished. All plant material is chopped up with a spade. Layered in the compost bin, it will get turned frequently until snow covers the area and all is in the waiting for spring. Fall greens, onions, radishes, carrots are up and benefiting from the cooler October air.

Mr. Greengate is resolved to attend bait shop seminars on cool weather fishing techniques. As if it was any different from spring or summer, he carries home the latest in angler’s wisdom. He’ll be out on his favorite lake come the predicted best fishing days-October 12-16. Home each evening means we’ll have fried fish for meals along with fresh apples from the orchard down the road and perhaps the first of many baked butternut squash. This year might have been poor on large field crops but the garden’s steady source of water helped maintain optimum conditions for a bumper crop of the large, tan squash.

Outside the Yard

Gourds are an intriguing item to grow. All sorts of shapes and sizes lend themselves to all sorts of crafts. No better place to highlight this old-fashioned fruit/vegetable is the 54th annual Ohio Gourd Show, Delaware, Ohio. Held this year on October 7-9 at the Delaware County Fairgrounds, hours are noon to 5 pm. Friday, Saturday-9 to 5pm and Sunday 10 to 5 pm. Admission charge of $5.oo for 13 years and older. Free parking. Gourds are featured in arts and crafts, demonstrations of cleaning, carving, wood burning and painting. Make and Take activities, festival food and gourd music (Yes there are gourd instruments.) are all weekend. For more information go to www.ohiogourdsociety.com or call 740-965-4661. Keeping with Ohio’s new slogan, Find It Here, this festival may just be the heart of it all this autumn.

Word of the Month

Copasetic: fine, completely satisfactory. Everything about this October day is copasetic.

Quote of the Month

“October gave a party; the leaves by hundreds came-...” from October’s Party, by George Cooper, Poet, 1840-1927