I Love Farmers (Almanac)

Old Farmer's Almanac

I couldn't really say how I became familiar with The Old Farmer's Almanac. It must be attributable to my parents in some way - probably in line with how I came to love A Prairie Home Companion and old time radio shows. I surely skew the demographics on all of these outlets, but I'm proud of it!

I was flipping through our 2011 Farmer's Almanac tonight and thought I just had to share all of the wonderful, random tidbits you can find in this handy little publication:

• The Almanac contains daily history, like on Aug. 2, 1876 Wild Bill Hickock died; and on this date in 1980 Olivia Newton John's "Magic" topped the charts (awesome)
• Wondering what the best fishing days are? Look no further - and don't bother pulling out your fishing pole again until Aug. 28...
• Are you a fan of astronomy? The Almanac will tell you about the phases of the moon, including what time it rises and sets each day.
• If you like to garden, the Almanac even provides you with a customized (by zip code) overview of the best dates to plant various seeds.

Intrigued yet? I gave my husband a copy of the Almanac for Christmas last year and I highly recommend it as a random but useful and entertaining stocking stuffer. Entirely possible he now knows what to expect in his stocking again this year!