The groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, did not see his shadow on February 2, 2011. This gives hope to many of an early spring, which is good news to those who can’t abide a big dose of cold weather or multiple snowfalls, such as has fallen on Pontotoc this winter. However, it has been my considerable experience that it’s far easier to put on enough clothes in winter to keep warm than it is to remove enough clothes in summer to stay cool. My wife, though, prefers to neither shiver nor sweat. I call her penchant for fair weather, the Goldilocks’ Syndrome. She likes it just right, and for her, the ideal year-round environment is 70 degrees.The ancients marked the change of winter to spring by calculating the day of the year when nighttime and daytime hours are nearly balanced as 12 hours each. In our northern hemisphere, it is called the vernal equinox or the March equinox. We also call it the first day of spring, annually occurring around March 20 or March 21.
While we herald the coming of spring based on the position of the sun relative to earth, farmers have long used the moon as a guide to planting crops. See Charles Wood’s article on Planting By The Signs in this issue.
And, speaking of planting, Carl Wayne Hardeman is ecstatic with the successes of the Collierville Victory Garden, a volunteer maintained vegetable garden with all the bounty going to the needy. Additionally, others have been inspired by the success of the Collierville Victory garden and Carl Wayne is helping several victory gardens get off on the right foot, including one in New Albany, MS sponsored by the Union County MS Master Gardeners Association. Contact Carl Wayne if you need more information.
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Copyright 2011 The Bodock
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