Backcountry Almanac
August 1, 2007
Time of fruition and harvest Manifestation
Tree: Mesquite
Flower: Morning Glory
Gem: Peridot
Lughnasadh/ Lammas-Celtic feast of Sustenance & Light, mid-summer feasts of the
grain harvest in all northern hemisphere cultures
Enjoy a feast
Wendell Berry b. 1934
Druid feast of the Sun/ Robert Mitchum b.1917 / day to mourn victims of the atomic bombs, 1945, Japan
Gaia Consciousness Day-Mother Earth as a living planet
Northern Delta Aquarid meteor showers / Emiliano Zapata b.1880
Deep calls to deep
Claire of Assisi d. 1253
New Moon in Leo @ 4:02 p.m./ Green Corn Ceremony, Zuni & Iroquois
Diana’s Day / Perseid Meteor Showers
Feast of Flowers
Feast of Father Sky: Thor, Taranis, Ouranos, Haokah, An, El, Svarog
Feast of the Furies- Greek goddess Nemisis, Erinyes
Equality Day, 1920, U.S. Women win right to vote
1968 – police attach demonstrators at the Dem. Nat’l Convention in Chicago
Full Moon/Thunder moon in Pisces @ 3:35 a.m. / Total Lunar Eclipse
Day of Thoth, Egypt’s god of wisdom & magic
St. Fiacre, Irish monk d. 670, patron saint of gardeners
Apache Sunrise Dance
Summer Storms & Ripening
Planets visible in the morning sky- Mars, Mercury thru the 8th, Venus from the 22nd
Planets visible in the evening sky – Jupiter, Saturn to the 4th, Venus thru the 13th, Mercury from the 25th
Perseid meteor showers – 12,13
Best days in August:
Plant above ground crops: 16,17,18,19,20,23,24,25
Plant root crops & perennials: 1,2,5,6,9,10,28,29
Cultivate, destroy weeds & pests: 3,4,7,8,11,12
Brew: 1,9,10 Can: 1,5,6,9,10
Local forage in August: prickly pear fruit, mesquite beans, AZ Black walnut, acorns,
juniper berries, talinum or flame flower leaves, amaranth, tumbleweed, goosefoot
Let the rain kiss you. – Langston Hughes
I can barely wait to go out on my walk first thing in the morning. Chores are done quickly so I don’t miss my time ‘out in the fields’. Heat rises fast in the summer so I must get going while the air is soft and fresh and the birds are still singing their sunrise chorus. Walking early in the morning is the finest way I know to feel entirely alive and well. The dog, Annie, is waiting for me. She jumps up as I start for the barn and I have to tell her, “just a few minutes, girl, the others want to be fed”. When it is at last time to go she darts out ahead, away from our mesquite bosque home, looking back to be sure that this is the direction I intend to go in. It is full summer now and a light breeze carries the fresh breath of cool air to caress my skin and the scent of new greenery to awaken my nose. Birds are singing and chirping to each other while the buzzards lift off on the early thermals for the first cruise of the day. A full waterhole is a joy to see with numerous cloven tracks telling of visitors since the last rain. A water-fat spiny cholla cactus near the path holds a nest of sticks in its embrace so I check to see who is the current tenant. On my last pass I found 2 very blue little eggs and a third one of tan. This morning there is a curve-billed thrasher hunkered down pretending to be part of the cholla, rolling her shiny black eyes to watch me pass. Off to my right I spot a very small mule deer frozen in place among the sacaton while it judges the relative danger I pose to herself, and when she spots the dog she is gone in a blink. Blessings for this lovely verdant world flow across my lips as I walk and when I site Baboquivari to the west with his wide shoulders of mountains I hold up my hand in salute to the ‘Keeper of the Western Door’ of our valley and watershed. Gratitude wells up in me for the great gifts of abundant pure water, clean air, open space, peace and quiet (at least in this moment), rich soil, loving friends and associates, health & vitality…the litany of gifts flows on as I walk until all the surrounding mountains come into view. I feel as though I’m held tenderly in the lap of the Mother in this grassy valley with Cobre Ridge, la Mesa, Las Adascosas, Bartolo, Jalisco ridge, and Los Cerro Colorados all around. A large rattlesnake laid out across the path takes my attention and my breath as I stop short. It is a fine creature and I admire it for a few minutes before choosing a way around it. The dog understands instinctively to make a wide arch. Snake reminds me of my own inner strength and to not dwell upon conflicts and troubles too long, but to focus on where I am in this moment and on where I want to go in this life. As I swing back toward home in the bosque, I survey the mesquite bean crop on the trees in the flat, hoping to harvest some dry ones before they are blown to the ground in a thunderstorm - tricky timing at best. Our first summer storm came with swirling winds and drenching rain. I can still feel the heavy drops pelting me as I paused in opening my gate long enough to get thoroughly and joyfully wet. Those were passionate rain kisses indeed. Now, on the road to home, the dung beetles are busy in their work as part of the clean up crew, rolling up waste into balls. Imagine a world without beetles and buzzards! I can see why the Egyptians admired them as associated with the god Khepri, pushing the sun ceaselessly. Indeed, our sun appears ceaseless – and powerful- now that it is high in the east on this summer day.
Day length begins to wane now and many beans and squashes take the signal to bloom and set fruit. There is time yet for plantings of green beans, squash, some corn, cilantro, radish, lettuce, beets, carrots, various greens, etc. Plant growth will slow somewhat as the days grow shorter but the first frost is not due until Halloween. Bugs will be the biggest challenge for gardeners now. Be vigilant and deal with corn ear worms, cucumber beetles, Japanese beetles, and the great nemesis, grasshoppers.
Copyright 2007 Meg Keoppen
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