Just turned another page on the calendar — time to talk about the upcoming month.
“And the dead leaves lie huddled and still,
No longer blown hither and thither;
The last lone aster is gone;
The flowers of the witch-hazel wither….”
Well, that’s how Robert Frost described November — sounds kind of depressing, and I guess it is a little bit. I’m always sorry to see the weather turn cold, but November marks the beginning of the winter holiday season for most people so the colder weather doesn’t seem so bad until the beginning of next year.
All sorts of activities pick up this month — like All Saints’ Day, Will Rogers Day, Sadie Hawkins Day, Election Day, Veterans Day and Thanksgiving. And on top of all that, Daylight Saving Time ends and November 28 is the first Sunday of Advent. If that’s not enough, three fourths of our grandkids have birthdays this month and it’s Dave and Chassie’s anniversary.
November comes from the Latin word novem, “nine,” because this had been the ninth month of the early Roman Calendar.
The moon this month is traditionally called the Beaver Moon — in Colonial times, this was the month to set beaver traps before the swamps froze and beavers retired for the winter, so they’d have a supply of warm winter furs. This month’s full moon occurs on November 8 — and —a total lunar eclipse will be visible early in the morning, supposedly to much of North America.
And like every month, November has it’s share of “folklore” about the weather…
If trees show buds in November, the winter will last until May, There is no better month in the year to cut wood than November and ice in November brings mud in December are some examples.
I usually don’t mention a month’s birthstone, but November’s birthstone is the topaz. The ancient Greeks believed that topaz could make a wearer invisible. I think that’s pretty cool.
So buckle up — it’s going to be a busy month.
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