New moon: In Leo, Thursday, Aug. 20
Full moon: Lunar eclipse in Aquarius, Wednesday, Aug. 5
Astrological sign: Leo, July 23 to Aug. 22; Virgo, Aug. 23 to Sept. 22
Gem stone: Peridot
Flower: Gladiola
Harvard history snippet:
“Train service had been on the decline since the beginning of the century, and in 1933 the Still River and Harvard station agents were dismissed, but the Boston and Maine Railroad ran a bus between Ayer and Clinton for the convenience of Harvard rail passengers. The new state highway, Route 110, had been built from Clinton through the Harvard Common, making the center of town a crossroads, but the anticipated rush of commercial activity did not ensue.”
—from Directions of a Town, by Robert C. Anderson
Household tips:
- Save a pot lid that has lost its knob by pushing a sharp, pointed screw up through the hole and twist a cork onto it.
- Put old curtain rods back to work as shoe racks. Mount one on the back of a closet door, and hang shoes on it by their heels.
Going green:
- Instead of using plastic tableware at parties, use second-hand stainless tableware, found at yard sales, consignment shops, or Salvation Army stores.
- Use cloth napkins instead of paper.
- Buy in bulk to reduce demand for packaging and save money at the same time.
What to do in the garden:
- Plant more cool-season crops, such as peas and spinach, for a late harvest.
- Get cold frames and row covers ready to help extend the growing season into the fall.
- Remove diseased foliage from plants.
- Start saving seeds for next year’s garden.
Thought for the month:
“Summer’s lease hath all too short a date.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
Do you have an almanac tidbit you’d like to share? E-mail to editor@harvardpress.com.