New moon: In Virgo, Tuesday, March 10
Full moon: In Aries, Thursday, March 26
Astrological sign: Pisces, Feb. 19 to March 20; Aries, March 21 to April 19
Gem stone: Aquamarine
Flower: Daffodil
Harvard history snippet:
“Railroad service had been established in Harvard in the middle of the 19th century, with the expectation that the town would grow and prosper as a result. These hopes were soon disappointed, for the railroad only facilitated the movement of young people away from Harvard, accelerating the phenomenon noted by the Reverend George Fisher in his 1832 centennial sermon. The railroad, then, aggravated economic stagnation in Harvard in the latter part of the 19th century by contributing to a decline in population and industrial growth.”
—From Directions of a Town, by Robert C. Anderson
Household tips:
- After deep-frying foods in oil, strain oil through a sieve lined with a coffee filter and save oil to use again.
- If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, place the sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. It will unseal easily.
Going green:
- To aid your efforts in “buying green,” ask questions like: “Is the product produced locally to minimize energy used for transport? Does it come from readily renewable resources? Does it use recycled or reclaimed materials?”
- Give some serious thought to potential purchases before you buy. Is the item you’re thinking about buying essential? If you can’t come up with a useful and reasonable need for an item, go without.
What to do in the garden:
- Start seeds for late-season vegetables indoors.
- Sow seeds for cool-season vegetables (such as spinach, beets, peas) outdoors as soon as the ground can be worked.
Thought for the month:
Springtime is the land awakening. The March winds are the morning yawn.
—Lewis Grizzard (1946–1994), American writer
Do you have an almanac tidbit you’d like to share? E-mail to editor@harvardpress.com.