Next was November; he
full gross and fat
As fed with lard, and that
right well might seem;
For he had been a fatting hogs of late,
That yet his brows with sweat did reek and steam,
And yet the season was full sharp and breem;
In planting eke he took no small delight,
Whereon he rode, not easy was to deem
For it a dreadful Centaur was in sight,
For he had been a fatting hogs of late,
That yet his brows with sweat did reek and steam,
And yet the season was full sharp and breem;
In planting eke he took no small delight,
Whereon he rode, not easy was to deem
For it a dreadful Centaur was in sight,
The seed of Saturn and
fair Nais, Chiron hight.
Spenser
"This name signifies
the ninth month, which position it
occupied in the ten-month calendar ascribed to Romulus. The name was
retained when two additional months were added. The Emperor Tiberius was
born in this month. Hence the Senate wished to give it his name,
following the precedent set by Augustus, but he declined the honor, saying,
“What will you do, conscript fathers, when you have thirteen Caesars?"
“It was the Windmonath or Wind Month, of the Saxons,
who knew it also as Blotmonath, for
this was the month when cattle, pigs, and sheep were slaughtered and preserved
for the winter's meals.” Now begin the days of salting, smoking, and
pickling the larger cuts of meat, while the scrapings go into sausages and
head-cheese.
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Astronomy for November
Fall Back! Daylight
Saving Time ends at 2:00 AM on Sunday, the 4th, for those
who follow it. Put your clocks
back one hour before you go to bed.
Meteor Showers
The South Taurid Meteor Shower peaks after midnight on November 4th and
5th. The waning moon will be with you all night, so seeing these
slow-moving shooting stars won’t be easy.
The moon, what
there is of it, rises between 3:00 and 4:00 am on November 11th and
between 4:00 and 5:00 am on November 12th, so dress warmly and watch
the North Taurid
Meteor Shower after midnight on both days.
The almost half-moon
sets in the evening and only rises for elevenses the next morning, so this
should be a good viewing of the Leonid Meteor Shower on November 17th
- 18th, (barring any clouds, of course).
Best time to watch is (brrrrrr) pre-dawn on both days.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Novenas for November
This month is dedicated to
the Holy Souls in Purgatory. EWTN has a novena
for them
and for us. It takes nine days (nov = nine), so I start over again on the
10th, and again on the 19th, making the entire month one of prayer. On the
28th, I triple the prayers, so that that the nine prayers are again said on the
final three days.
And if that is too much, try
to find time each day to say Saint Gertrude's Prayer:
"Eternal Father, I
offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the
Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory,
for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the Universal Church, those in my own
home and within my family. Amen."
Holy Souls in Purgatory continues
from 24 October
Saint Martin de Porres
continues from 25 October
Christ the King (General) begins
16 November
Saint Francis Xavier
begins 24 November
Saint Nicholas
begins 27 November
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dull November brings the
blast
Then the leaves are whirling
fast.
Weather for November
Based on the 12 Days of Christmas:
Mostly sunny and very, very cold.
Based on the first 12 Days
of January: Mostly sunny and mild.
Based on the Ember Days:
Cloudy in the morning, clearing to
a lovely, golden day.
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Weather Lore for November:
If the latter end of October
and the beginning of November be for the most part warm and rainy, then January
and February are likely to be frosty and cold. [A pretty safe bet, no matter what the weather of October and November]
And vice versa:
If October and November are
cold, then the following January and February will be mild and dry.
If the robin becomes more
familiar than usual at the fall of the year, a severe winter may be expected.
Ice in November brings mud
in December.
If there's ice in November
that will bear a duck, there will be nothing at Christmas but mud and muck.
Flowers in bloom late in
autumn indicate a bad winter [even if the
bad winter won’t show up until the following year]
As in November, so the
following March.
A heavy November snow will
last until April.
Thunder in November, a
fertile year to come.
A wet November, a plentiful
year.
11/1 - If All Saints' Day
will bring out the winter, Saint Martin's Day will bring out Indian Summer (and
vice versa)
All Saints’ Day has a little summer of three days. When it is warm at this time
of year, it is called “All Saints’ Rest”.
If on All Saints’ Day the beechnut be found dry, we shall have a hard winter; but
if the nut be wet and not light, we may expect a wet winter.
As on November 1st, so is the winter.
11/4 – If it storms on the
first Sunday of the month, it will storm every Sunday.
11/10 – The weather on
Martinmas Eve is supposed to indicate the weather for the winter, and where the
wind is, there it will be for the coming winter.
If there is a frost before Martinmas, the winter will be mild.
11/11 – Around St. Martin’s
day, we can expect some warm weather. This is called St. Martin’s Summer.
However,
At St. Martin’s Day, winter is on his way.
If ducks do slide at Martintide, at Christmas they will swim;
If ducks do swim at Martintide, at Christmas they will slide.
If the geese stand on ice, they will walk in mud at Christmas.
If Martinmas is fair, dry, and cold, the cold in winter will not last long.
If the wind is in the south-west at Martinmas, it remains there until after
Christmas (Candlemas for the optimists), and we shall have a mild winter up to
then and no snow to speak of.
Wind north-west at Martinmas, severe winter to come.
If the leaves of the trees and grape vines do not fall before Martin’s Day, a
cold winter may be expected.
If
this day be fair, the next winter will bring but little rain and snow along
with it; but if the first half of the day be clear and the other half cloudy,
the beginning of winter will accordingly be fair, but its end and spring will
turn out rigorous and disagreeable.
11/21 - As November 21st, so
is the winter.
11/25 - As at Catherine foul
or fair, so will be next February.
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November take flail,
Let no more
ships sail.
Gardening
"The business of the
garden this month is principally in preparing manure, making all clean and
neat, and defending plants against the coming frosts."
Thunder in November, a
fertile year to come.
A wet November, a plentiful
year.
When in November the water
rises, it will show itself the whole winter.
11/1 - Set trees at
Allhallowtide, and command them to prosper; Set them after Candlemas, and
entreat them to grow.
If the weather holds clear on the first of November, sow the last of your wheat
for the year.
Begin making cider today
11/5 – Tulips should be
planted today. In fact, if the weather holds, and you have not already
done so, now is a good time to dig up, separate, and replant any
spring-flowering bulbs – tulips, daffodils, narcissus, hyacinths, etc.
11/9 – Plant raspberry canes
today.
The 1817 Almanac advises the
gardener: "If the season proves mild, you may continue to prune Apple
Trees, be they Standards, Wall Fruit, or Espaliers; but you should not prune
them later, lest Rains and Frosts should hurt the Trees, when the Wounds are
fresh.”
“Trench your Ground, by
laying it up in Ridges to mellow. Set Crab-Tree Stocks to graft on;
continue to plant Suckers and Cuttings of Gooseberries, Currants and
Raspberries; make Hot-beds for Asparagus; fell Coppices, and lop Trees, plant
Timber and Fruit-Trees, if the Weather be open."
Cassell’s
Illustrated Almanac 1871 for November
Flowers —Plant hyacinths early in the month, and tulips should also be in the
first week, if possible. Climbing plants and flowering shrubs may now be
obtained and planted. Take up dahlias; watch any plants you may have in pits,
giving them light and air freely on the few milder days of the month, and
carefully covering them again as soon as the sun goes down.
Vegetables —A sowing of early beans may now be made, at a depth of about two
inches, and when they rise they must be well protected with litter. Clear away
all decayed leaves from your young crops, and keep the ground well cleaned
between the plants. Cover over the crowns of rhubarb and seakale with dry dung,
sand, or some similar material.
Fruit —The
pruning and transplanting of fruit trees should now be completed. Newly-planted
trees of a tender kind should be well protected against frost, and fruit trees
on walls may now be freely pruned, and their training attended to.
… Mushrooms and the Fungus
race,
That grow as Allhallowtide
takes place. (Nov 1)
Soon the evergreen Laurel
alone is seen,
When Catherine crowns all
learned men. (Nov 25)
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Health
"The best Physic this
Month is good Exercise, warm Clothes, and wholesome Diet. But if any
Distemper afflict you, finish your Physic this Month, and so rest till
March."
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Artwork:
November. Engraving by Samuel Williams. William Hone, The Everyday Book and Table Book, (1838), p. 1418
November – Group Around a Fire. Engraving based on an 11th century
manuscript. William Walsh, Curiosities of
Popular Customs (1898), p. 755
