North Coast Almanack

  May 26. Your horoscope: For a moment, upon awakening, it will seem as if the songs of birds make perfect sense. They will appear to be singing in English, and this will not seem strange at all. You will be surprised, as you listen to their conversations, at how even-handed and considerate birds are. […]

  May 19. Anyone who has raised baby chicks knows that, at the slightest touch, they let out a little squawk. Each chick’s squawk comes at a different pitch, and while it may be tempting to line them up and play them like a xylophone, this will soon tire the chicks and equip them no […]

May 12. A serif is a typographical term for the little ledge at the end of a letter’s stroke. A typeface is classified as either serif or sans serif, depending on whether these small structures are included in the construction of the letter. Times is a serif font; Arial is not. May 13. Looter, retool. […]

  May 5. The planet you are currently occupying will pass through the debris of Haley’s Comet tonight and tomorrow. This year’s Eta Aquarids meteor shower takes place across a dark sky, so up to 40 to 50 meteors will be visible per hour if conditions are ideal. May 6. Unless you own a greenhouse […]

April 28. Birthdate, in 1758, of James Monroe, the fifth President of the United States and the third to die on the Fourth of July. April 29. A punch called a glogg can be made by heating a bottle of port, a bottle of burgundy and a bottle of the caraway-flavored spirit aquavit, along with […]

April 21. Sunset 8:03 p.m. The Lyrids meteor shower will peak tonight or tomorrow night, showing at best 20 meteors per hour. Seek clear skies away from the lights of the city. This is good advice generally but particularly when viewing meteor showers. April 22. We are always surprised to learn that there are still […]

April 14. To one and a half pounds of sprats, add a pound of raisins, a pinch each of lovage and oregano, a chopped onion, two glasses of white wine, and liquamen to taste. Thicken with corn flour and serve immediately. This “dish of small fish” was a popular meal in Roman times and remains […]

April 7. Ice makers are reminded that animal and vegetable impurities may turn up in improperly processed ice; they generally make themselves known by a disagreeable taste or odor within the core of the ice. April 8. The sun rises at 6:49 a.m. April 9. The possibility has arisen of a grafted tomato. Just as […]

April 1. For mink breeders, the month of April provides a welcome respite from the state of high agitation brought on by mating season. Although it is not strictly necessary to segregate the males from the females at the conclusion of their couplings, the females greatly prefer to see the males removed to as far […]

March 24. The Sweden Solar System is the world’s largest scale model of the solar system. A spherical building representing the sun is located in Stockholm; other planets and celestial bodies are represented by sculptures and exhibits placed at appropriate distances around Stockholm or along the coast of the Baltic Sea at a scale of […]

March 17. Tobacco plants have more sensitive receptors than dogs do, making it possible that they might someday be used to sniff for drugs or explosives. Their reaction time, thus far, is too slow, as it takes hours or days for their leaves to wilt or wrinkle or discolor in the face of such a […]

March 10. The birthdate, in 1709, of Georg Wilhelm Steller, the man for whom the Steller’s Jay is named. He joined the second expedition of Vitus Jonassen Bering, which was to explore the Siberian coast and the west coast of North America. A storm and ill health forced Bering to turn back; he perished on […]