New moon: In Capricorn, Jan. 15

Full moon: In Leo, Jan. 30

Visible planets (mornings): Venus, Jan. 1 to 10; Saturn, Jan. 1 to March 20; Mercury, Jan. 4 to March 13; Mars, Jan. 21 to 28

Astrological sign: Capricorn, Dec. 22 to Jan. 19; Aquarius, Jan. 20 to Feb. 18

Gem stone: Garnet

Flower: Carnation

Harvard history snippet:

“For a quarter of a century the inhabitants of Harvard had been besieged by a wide range of issues crying for attention—they had made their contribution to the fighting of the Revolution and had offered suggestions for the framing of state and federal constitutions; they had built a new meetinghouse and twice had sought out and obtained new ministers; they had dealt repeatedly with the recurring details of small-town life. ... The people of Harvard witnessed in 1787 the ratification of a new federal system of government, and in 1788 they voted for the first time for presidential electors and for a representative in the national government.”
—from Directions of a Town, by Robert C. Anderson (1976)

Household tips:

• To prevent ice trays from sticking to freezer shelves, sprinkle some salt on your dampened palm and rub it on the bottom of the trays before putting them into the freezer.
• How often have you used a pre-soaped stainless steel scour pad once, only to have it rust before you use it again? To make better use of the pads, cut in half before using and store the other half in a plastic bag in the freezer.

Going green:

• Prepare your Christmas tree for recycling: make sure all tinsel is removed, along with anything else that wasn’t on the original tree. Instead of taking it to the transfer station, consider having it chipped into mulch.
• Instead of taking unwanted items to the transfer station to be disposed of, leave them at the take-it-or leave it table, or offer them for free on www.freecycle.com.
• Reduce your speed on the highway from 70 mph to 55 mph, and increase your fuel efficiency by up to 23 percent.

What to do in the garden:

• The seed catalogues are arriving! Start planning your garden, and take advantage of free online software to help with your layout.
• Get your seed-starting supplies ready; make sure all equipment is clean.
•  Start collecting plastic bottles to use as cloches around tender seedlings this spring.

Thought for the month:

“January, month of empty pockets! … let us endure this evil month, anxious as a theatrical producer’s forehead.”
—Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, French novelist (1873–1954)

Do you have an almanac tidbit you’d like to share? E-mail to editor@harvardpress.com.