"Happy we who can bask in this warm September sun, which illumines
all creatures, as well when they rest as when they toil, not without
a feeling of gratitude; whose life is as blameless, how blameworthy
soever it may be, on the Lord’s Mona-day as on his Suna-day."
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)

Full Moon: September’s Full Moon has been famously-known as the Harvest Moon. It is the Full Moon that falls closest to the Autumnal Equinox. During this time, the moon would rise soon after the sun would set on several successive days, giving the farmer a few extra hours of ‘light’ and more time to finish up their daily chores. This year, the Autumnal Equinox will occur on Tuesday, September 22nd and signals the beginning of Autumn. The Full Moon closest to that date will occur on Thursday, October 1st and is therefore, the Harvest Moon of 2020.

Holidays: Labor Day falls on the first Monday of the month, which is September 7th. We must always remember those who lost their lives on September 11th, 2001 and to also honor all of the brave first-responders as well. These heroes ran into danger, some sacrificing their lives trying to minimize the loss of life and those who suffer to this day with long-term life-threatening health effects. Citizenship Day is observed on Thursday, September 17th and Rosh Hashanah begins on Friday, September 18th at sunset.

The Garden: Make a long-range plan to gradually convert your current landscape to the one you desire. Don’t forget to consider what your flower garden might need. Plant spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils, hyacinths, and tulips 6 to 8 weeks before the first frost. Don't pull out any ornamental plantings until you have the time and resources to replace them. Start taking cuttings of your annual plants to bring indoors and carry through the winter. Geranium, coleus, fuschia, and other plants do best when stem cuttings are rooted and kept in pots indoors through the winter.

Be sure to place pots where they receive plenty of light. Bring summer vacationing houseplants back indoors while the windows are still open. Inspect every plant very closely for any hitchhiking pests! Don't allow leaves to accumulate on the lawn. Rake them up regularly, and store in a pile for use as mulch in your garden next summer. If leaves accumulate on your lawn and become matted down by rain, they may kill the grass.

The Farm: Best days for planting root crops (6, 7, 8); weeding and stirring the soil (14, 15); planting above-ground crops (20, 21); harvesting all crops (4, 5); best days for setting hens and incubators (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30); the slaughtering and butchering of meat (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22); transplanting (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22); the weaning of all small animals and livestock (1, 2, 3, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30); the harvesting and storing of grains (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16).

J. Gruber’s Thought For Today’s Living

"If you are going to do a good thing, do it now; if you are going to do a mean thing, wait until tomorrow."