Nov. 29, Monday -- Last quarter moon. Lack of pep is often mistaken for patience. C.S. Lewis born, 1898.
Nov. 30, Tuesday -- St. Andrew. Winston Churchill born, 1874. Mark Twain born, 1835.Dec. 1, Wednesday -- Rosa Parks kept her bus seat in Montgomery, Ala., 1955.
Dec. 2, Thursday -- Napoleon crowned emperor of France, 1804. Model A Ford, 1927.
Dec. 3, Friday -- First coed college opened, Oberlin, 1833.
Dec. 4, Saturday -- First day of Hanukkah. Rain today brings rain for a week.
Dec. 5, Sunday -- Second Sunday in Advent. Prohibition ended, 1933.
Ask the Old Farmer's Almanac:Can you recall that wonderful story of Lady Astor and Winston Churchill trading barbs? -- H.W., Chester Springs, Pa.
Answer:No doubt there are several. The U.S. born Viscountess Nancy Witcher Astor (born Langhorne, 1879-1964) was elected to the British House of Commons when she was 40, in 1919. Voted in as a Conservative, and succeeding her husband (William Waldorf, Third Viscount Astor) as the Conservative representative for Plymouth, Lady Astor was the first woman to take a seat in Parliament. Her husband later moved to the House of Lords.
Sometime later, probably in the 1950s, it is told that she and Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) were seated together, when she observed to him, "My dear Winston, if I were your wife, I'd put poison in your tea." (What prompted her remark isn't clear.) Churchill evidently replied, with his trademark wit, "My dear Nancy, if I were your husband, I'd drink it."
Lady Astor's most frequently quoted remark was, "I married beneath me. All women do." Nevertheless, she became one of the richest women in England upon her marriage. Somewhat of an early feminist, Lady Astor noted, "In passing, also, I would like to say that the first time Adam had a chance, he laid the blame on woman."
Churchill evidently enjoyed poking fun at women. Of his own chosen companion he remarked, "My wife and I tried to breakfast together, but we had to stop or our marriage would have been wrecked." He had no worries, however, about how he would be remembered. He once observed, "History will be kind to me for I intend to write it."
Ask the Old Farmer's Almanac: What can you tell me about the dried orange flowers called Chinese lanterns? -- M.E., Durham, N.H.
Answer:Otherwise known as ground cherry or the husk tomato, and related to the tomatillo, Chinese lanterns (Physalis alkekengi or P. franchetii) are a spreading perennial sometimes found along roadsides and in fields. Their distinctive seed pods, the bright orange "lanterns" that dry so decoratively, encase small seeds inside. Anyone familiar with the papery tomatillos (Physalis ixocarpa), small green tomatoes with papery husks that are the main ingredient in green salsas, will note the similarity. Both the tomatillo and the Chinese lanterns thrive in New England and will self-seed, sending out volunteer plants beyond where you might wish them.
Chinese lanterns, especially, grow in virtually any soil and can become more dominant than you might care for, so be careful where you choose to plant them. The orange paper lanterns will gradually lose color and release the red seeds within. In summer months, a white flower can be found, often hidden within the largish leaves. Children love to play with the orange lanterns once they have dried and dropped the foliage from their stems. The dried plants make very attractive arrangements, bringing their bright color indoors just when the autumn foliage is changing (and falling!) outside and the woods turning to wintery green and gray.
Ask the Old Farmer's Almanac: Is it true that the word "posh" comes from "Port out, starboard home" for steamship accommodations? -- N.K., Albertson, N.Y.
Answer:Probably not, but the story is a much-told one. The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co., which ran a line between England and India from 1842 to 1970, is often indicated in these tales. Called the P&O, for short, this line ran through the Suez Canal and Red Sea. On the way to India, the starboard side cabins caught the afternoon sun and were apt to be unbearably hot by bedtime, while the port side cabins were cooler. Just the reverse was true on the way home. Some well-heeled travelers say they remember a violet-lettered "P.O.S.H." stamped on their tickets, indicating the posh (and cooler) cabins, but we wonder whether it wasn't P.O.S.N. for the name of the line.
In any case, while the port out, starboard home cabins might have been desirable, it is likely the word posh predated the advent of the ticket sales. A 1903 P.G. Wodehouse story describes a waistcoat as "quite the most push thing of the sort" and the word was later changed to posh, being taken as an earlier typographical error, or error in Wodehouse's hearing of Oxford or Cambridge University slang. Other conjectures are that the word was used in place of "swish" or "swell" or even "dandy." In current definition, however, it has come to assume an indication of fashion or riches.
Send your questions to: Ask the Almanac, The Old Farmer's Almanac, Main St., Dublin, NH 03444. Every day the editors of The Old Farmer's Almanac answer a question on the Internet. All questions are archived there as well. On the World Wide Web, the address is www.almanac.comYankee Publishing, Inc. Dist. by United Feature Syndicate Inc.