New moon: In Virgo, Sept. 8
Full moon: In Aries, Sept. 23 (Harvest Moon)
Visible constellations: Aquila, the Eagle, is visible in the northern hemisphere, along with Capricornus, the fish-tailed goat, and Cygnus, the Swan.
Astrological sign: Virgo, Aug. 23 to Sept. 22; Libra, Sept. 23 to Oct. 22
Astrological element: Earth
Gem stone: Sapphire
Flower: Aster
Born this month: Sprinter Jesse Owens, Bill Monroe (considered the father of bluegrass music), and mystery writer Agatha Christie
Harvard history snippet:
“In 1790 Harvard was carved up into eight school districts of approximately equal size. A school committee of eight (one from each district) was elected annually thereafter; a schoolhouse was provided in each district (the center and one or two other districts already had schoolhouses; new structures were built in the remaining districts), and each district had its schoolteacher. Every year at the April meeting each school committeeman reported on receipts and expenditures in his district. The method of apportioning funds to each is not certain, but it was definitely not proportional to the number of students, for an attempt to institute this method of financing the schools was rejected.”
—from Directions of a Town, by Robert C. Anderson (1976)
Household tips:
- Cut steel wool soap pads or scouring pads in half to extend their usefulness.
- To liquefy crystallized honey, set the jar in a pot of hot water.
- Before measuring molasses or honey for cooking, oil the measuring cup/spoon; the sticky liquid will pour off easily
Going green:
- Pay as many bills as possible online
- Before buying anything new, check online at Craigslist.com or Freecycle.com.
- Support local restaurants that use food produced less than 100 miles away,.
What to do in the garden:
- Divide and transplant perennials.
- If you have any houseplants that need repotting, do it now, before the weather turns cold.
- Dig and store potatoes (on a dry day).
- Plant bushes and shrubs.
Trivia tidbit: In 1922, the thermometer at El Azizian, Libya, reached 136.4 degrees F., the highest surface temperature ever recorded on the planet.
According to folklore: If there is a warm autumn, there will be a long winter.
Thought for the month:
“There comes a time when autumn asks, 'What have you been doing all summer?'” —Unknown.
Do you have an almanac tidbit you’d like to share? E-mail to editor@harvardpress.com.