New moon: In Capricorn, Jan. 4
Full moon: In Cancer, Jan. 19 (Wolf Moon )
Visible constellations: Orion, the Hunter, named after the mythological Greek hero who was killed by Scorpius (the scorpion); Taurus, the Bull, home to the Crab Nebula—the remnants of a massive supernova explosion, and the star cluster known as the Pleiades
Astrological sign: Capricorn, Dec. 22 to Jan. 19; Aquarius, Jan. 20 to Feb. 18
Astrological element: Earth
Gem stone: Garnet
Flower: Carnation
Born this month: Patriot Paul Revere (1735), poet Carl Sandburg (1878), scientist Isaac Asimov (1920)
Harvard history snippet:
“The increased institutionalization of tax collection and the movement toward more permanent fire, police, and highway departments were “but chapters in the long story of the decrease in town reliance on voluntarism and the increase in differentiated institutions and minor bureaucracies.”
—from Directions of a Town, by Robert C. Anderson (1976)
Household tips:
- Instead of using a hand-held brush to scrub the bathtub, use a toilet bowl brush. You will find it much easier to use.
- Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup white vinegar to the rinse cycle in your washing machine in place of fabric softener. Vinegar will soften the water and help reduce lint.
- To whiten teeth, make a paste of baking soda and a few drops of hydrogen peroxide instead of purchasing expensive commercial tooth whiteners. Use the paste on your toothbrush and brush gently to remove stains; rinse well.
Going green:
- Exchange DVDs, CDs, and books with friends and neighbors instead of buying your own.
- Instead of discarding worn, torn towels and facecloths, save them to use as rags for cleaning and polishing.
- Vow to order your life so that for one day a week you don’t drive anywhere.
What to do in the garden:
- Walk your property and inspect trees for storm damage; remove broken limbs.
- Resolve to start a garden journal..
Trivia tidbit: In 1982, a blizzard in Fargo, N.D., produced a windchill factor of -98°F.
According to folklore: If grass grows in January, it will grow badly all year long.
Thought for the month:
“January is here,
with eyes that keenly glow,
A frost-mailed warrior
striding a shadowy steed of snow.”
—Edgar Fawcett, American novelist and poet, (1847–1904)
Do you have an almanac tidbit you’d like to share? E-mail to editor@harvardpress.com.