Blossom of the almond trees, April's gift to April's Bees. --Edwin Arnold

Containing, besides the large number of Astronomical Calculations and the Farmer's Calendar for ever month in the year; a variety of New, Useful, and Entertaining Matter.

This morning I plopped myself down outside, sweating in the typical places after mowing a too-wet lawn and caging my tomatoes, to read The Old Farmer's Almanac 2008, Southern Edition.

How many people still read these, I wonder? This one is No. CCXVI, and somehow still is authored by its founder from 1792, Robert B. Thompsom, according to the cover. He's even gone all internet savvy, this guy.

Today's sunrise was at 6:55 a.m., and sunset is to be at 8:17 p.m., he says. There's a sweet though bizarre verse that goes down the side of the table that lists dates, feasts, fasts, aspects and tide heights.

Friday, April 25: St. Mark• United Negro College Fund incorporated 1944•{5.8

Solar
then
doler;
must
this
month
be
so
bipolar?
Wondrously
warm,
followed
by
thunderousy
storms:
Boom!
Rain's
a-fallin',
streams
a-risin',
but
there's
hope
on
the
horizon.
Daffodils
garland
the
hills.