September Super Moon

Week 37

September 8, 2014

September 14, 2014

1.     Preamble:

Coinciding Wednesday the September 10, 2014 it was Ziqa'ad 14, 1435 of Islamic Calendar. The preceding night was the night of full moon - the final Supermoon of 2014!

"A Supermoon is so described because it appears bigger and brighter than usual due to its proximity to the earth. The phenomenon is also known as a "perigee full moon". Since this supermoon occurs in September, it is also categorised as a "harvest moon". This is because it is the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox of 22 September".

The following pictures were taken very early in the morning at our farmhouse when the sun had still not risen in the east and the moon was about to set in the west. In the absence if sun light, the moon light was sufficiently bright to show the farm land as can be seen in the picture clearly enough.

We all know that the lunar cycle creates a gravitational pull on the bodies of water causing them to pull away from land. I was however intrigued to learn about a legend, which recommends planting in the garden by the moon. The logic of the legend goes as:

"the moon's phase affects the gravitational field in which Earth permanently sits. As the gravitational pull from the moon forces water from the oceans to land in the form of high tides, so does it pull moisture out of the lesser bodies of water (lakes, rivers and streams), thus affecting the amount of moisture in the soil. Gravitational pull can also affect whether the moisture already in the soil is pulled up or down, which affects the seeds' ability to absorb moisture and nutrients out of it".

It is mid September and the monsoon has not subsided. It continues unabated. There was a heavy downpour on thursday night, turning our freshly ploughed fields into a muddy arena and pushing the sowing of garlic and other winter vegetables ahead at least by a week, provided there are no further rains. Talking of rains, there has been so much of it that all the rivers are in high spate causing so much floods and devastation that have not previously been witnessed and experienced. Here in Taxila, we are comparatively oblivious of it but the country in general is going through harrowing times, not only because of floods, but also the war in the North Waziristan and the resulting huge displacement of population, not to speak of the political chaos in the wake of unprecedented administrative and electoral mismanagement in the country. 

As the time to close this blog for the week approached, there was a very heavy rain onslaught accompanied by gusty winds, early this morning on Sunday the 14 September. It was a hurricane if there ever can be in this part of the world. Our farmhouse got flooded with rain water and several of our trees including the redoubtable Cassia Nodosa and lovely Rain Ravin bended alarmingly just short of falling to the ground, while one of the Bougainvillae actually fell to the ground. I hope all of that can be set right but sowing season can never commence now before a fortnight, I'm sure!

Read more :
http://www.ehow.com/info_8010575_guide-planting-moon-phases.html

http://www.ehow.com/about_5038199_relationship-between-moon-phases-tides.htmlhttp://www.ehow.com/list_7489350_effects-lunar-planting.html

2.     Lime Painting of Tree Trunks:

Just before the commencement of winter, in mid September, we paint the tree trunks white with a mixture of lime and water. The practice is also called 'white washing'. It is done to protect the trunks of trees from 'sun scald' and as preservative of wood against pest infection. For white washing a mixture of Calcium Carbonate in water is prepared. Small quantities of Copper Sulphate (poison) and old tobacco is added to kill and ward off the insects. Following are some snapshots showing a Bougainvillae bark (notice the sun scalding and cracking of the bark) just before applying lime stone paint, an Orange and Cassia Nodosa tree trunks respectively after having been painted.

The sun scalding manifests itself in the cracking of tree bark, which acts as host to many a pests including termite. The white washing of the tree trunk reduces sun scalding by reflecting back the sun rays. Moreover, the mixture of lime, copper sulphate and tobacco not only discourages the invading pests but also kill them readily. Although it is not the main purpose, the white paint also gives an orchard a "clean" and even appearance. It is cool, as they say in North America!

3.     Deciduous and Ever Green Trees:

3.1.  Maple Tree:

A few weeks earlier, we were talking about trees both the ever green and deciduous type but then we got strayed a bit and looked for a while at other plants, then requiring our immediate attention. Now we would like to revert back to the trees, that are and will always be our lasting love.

The Maple tree is the most well known and familiar tree especially in the North America. The five lobe palmate leaf of this tree, is the national emblem of Canada and appears on its national flag. We have a couple of Maple trees at our farmhouse. They are still however growing and are not very tall. The tallest of the two may be 10 ft, which is a way too short considering these tree acquire a height of 

60 ft or more when fully mature. 

Of the many species of maple existing worldwide, 13 are native to North America. Some non-native species, such as the Japanese Maple, are cultivated as ornamentals. While a dizzying array of varieties, most come from a few basic stock species. These are:

• Sugar Maple, Acer saccharum
• Red Maple, Acer rubrum
• Silver Maple, Acer saccharinum
• Box Elder, Acer negundo
• Norway Maple, Acer platanoides
• Japanese Maple, Acer palmatum
• Paperbark Maple, Acer griseum

Our's, most certainly do not belong to any of the above except the Silver Maple (Acer Saccharinum) as the leaves have a soft white coating on the underside, which characterise this Maple type. It is not to be confused with Acer Saccharum, the Sugar Maple. Silver Maple is also called Soft Maple, or 
White Maple. It is a deciduous, large spreading tree of the soapberry family (Sapindaceae), popular as a rapid-growing shade tree. The leaves are palmate, with deep angular notches between the five lobes. The autumn color is less pronounced than in many maples, generally ending up a pale yellow, although some specimens can produce a more brilliant yellow and even orange and red colorations. The tree has a tendency to color and drop its leaves slightly earlier in autumn than other maples.

Read more
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_Maple
http://pk.search.yahoo.com/search?p=Silver+Maple&fr=ipad

4.     Seasonal Fruit(s) at the Farm:
4.1.  Quince:

A Quince is a fruit resembling a pear. The tree at our farm was planted two and half years ago. It produced some fruit last year but this year the crop has increased to be about a dozen pieces but still not large enough to be called a sizeable crop. This fruit cannot be eaten like pears or apples.

Once ripened, the yellowish fruit still has a hard exterior, much like a winter squash. The seeds can be poisonous in large quantities, so many people discard them. The core of the quince is very hard, but using a sharp paring knife will divest it of both the unusable core and the seeds.

Though the interior of the quince is white when raw, cooking turns it deep red. Like apples, this fruit contains a lot of pectin, so it is frequently used for jams and jellies. Quince preserve is of beautiful  orange colour. It is served with cheese and enjoyed in pastries. The quince preserves are excellent in savory dishes, such as a cheese tart, or in desserts, especially pies. Anjum's Quince preserves above, look just as great!

Read more:
http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-quince.htm

5.     Flowering Plants of Season:
5.1   Belladonna (Stargazer) Lily:

The Belladonna lily blooms at the fag end of summer and almost at the start of autumn.  It is a bulbous plant, with each bulb being 5–10 cm in diameter. It has several strap-shaped, green leaves, about 50 cm long and 2–3 cm broad, arranged in two rows.  The bulb is dormant until late summer. It is also known as Stargazer Lily and even the Naked Ladies. I don't see them looking skywards  and wonder why they are called Stargazers? Even though it is a beautiful plant with attractive flowers, I don't see any thing in them suggesting profile ashamedly of an undressed lady! It originates from South Africa. The Belladonna lily produces one or two stems topped by flowers in different colours white, purple, pink etc. The Belladonna Lilies at our farmhouse are white in colour with pink streaks flowing from centre out wards. 

5.2.  Bangkok/Thai Lily?

The bulb of this Lily type was gifted to us by a very dear and highly respectable family elder (Sadaf's Nani Amman) who alas! is now no more in this world. Allah may bless her soul (Amen). It's name was mentioned by her to be the Bangkok/Thai Lily, which unfortunately is not listed in the Lily Almanac. Even though it is slightly smaller yet it is very similar to the Belladonna Lily described above. It's leaves are however of entirely different Omani or Yemeni dagger shape. While the leaves of Belladonna are strap shaped and more often than not ~ 50 cm or more in length, the leaves of this so called Thai Lily are much shorter about 30 cm maximum in length. The images of both the flowers and the leaves are as follows:

Next week we will have an occasion to celebrate and that would be the birthday of our youngest grand daughter Ne'ma, who was born on 15 September 2010. That would be the first day of next week's blog. Until then, it's my privilege to wish well to all the readers. Have a happy and joyful Sunday. Bye!