July 26, Monday -- St. James. Till St. James Day be come and gone, You may have hops and you may have none.
July 27, Tuesday -- H.J. Heinz Co. incorporated, 1900. Boston's worst traffic jam in 30 years, 1988. Korean War Armistice, 1953.July 28, Wednesday -- Full Thunder Moon. Earthquake, Tientsin, China, 1976.
July 29, Thursday -- Sts. Mary and Martha. 8-foot high jump, Sotomayer, 1989.
July 30, Friday -- Medicare established, 1965. Henry Ford born, 1863.
July 31, Saturday -- 12 inches of hail fell, Scituate, Mass., 1769. Oxygen discovered, 1774.
August 1, Sunday -- Lammas Day. "Handfast" marriages, Scotland.
Ask the Old Farmer's Almanac: Why is it we often see fog over land but not at the bordering sea, or vice versa? -- G.T., Rockland, Maine
Answer: Fog comes in several varieties, most notably radiation fog (the high-fallutin' name for ground fog) and advection fog. Radiation fog generally occurs on windless, clear nights from midsummer to autumn.
The earth radiates its daytime heat, encounters cooler air above, and fog is formed at the dew point. Rarely is radiation fog found more than 10 miles out to sea. Like the early morning dew in the summertime, radiation fog is one indication that fair weather is likely to continue for a bit.
Advection fog is the seagoing variety, tending to be dense and long-lasting. It forms when warm, moist air flows over a cooler surface -- such as oceans, ponds or lakes -- and the air is cooled to the dew point. Advection fog is also common in the winter when warm, moist air hangs over a colder surface, such as snowbanks or a frozen lake. In this case, it may indicate rainy weather on its way.
The weatherlore rhyme commonly used is, "A summer fog for fair, A winter fog for rain; A fact most everywhere, In valley and on plain." New Englanders used to say, "Fog on the hills, More water for the mills." As the warmish air travels up a mountainside, the foggy air cools and may eventually condense into a rain-causing cloud.
Ask the Old Farmer's Almanac: Have you heard the expression, "money for old rope," and if so, what does it mean? -- V.B., Chicago
Answer: "Money for old rope" is very similar to the expression "it's a piece of cake" and means a job that comes easily or a reward that comes with little effort. Some say "it takes the cake," others say "money for jam." In any case, it's as easy as pie.
Ropes often indicate some sort of trickery or artifice. Someone who "knows the ropes" is a pro or experienced worker. In old London, the low-lifes were called ropes and they knew all the dodges of the street-wise. To say someone is on their "high ropes" indicates a quick-temper or spirited nature, while someone who fights back to the ropes will continue to the bitter end. Similarly, someone who fights "with a rope around his neck" will fight to the death, for he has nothing to lose. Card players may know the French superstition of carrying a bit of rope in their pockets, for luck. The belief comes from the days of gallows, when a hangman's rope (preferably used) was thought to carry luck.
Ask the Old Farmer's Almanac: I'm not allergic to bee stings, but I have a strong phobia about bees. What can I do? -- H.Y., Wareham, Mass.
Answer: Afraid of bees? Try these tricks for avoiding being stung. Foremost, keep in mind that bees are flower-lovers and are attracted to floral scents. Don't picnic in a meadow of flowers or directly under fruit trees and don't wear strong perfumes, hair sprays, or brightly colored clothing. Don't go barefoot through the clover patch. Cover sweet drinks, cakes and fruits.
If a bee does approach you, sit still. If it lands on you, blow it away rather than swat it. If you find that bees are in your yard frequently, look for the beeline. That is, remember that bees do, indeed, seek the shortest distance between two points. If you can find their hive, or their point of destination -- a flowerbed, vegetable patch, apple tree or other pollen source -- you may have the solution. Perhaps you can persuade the bees to relocate, by removing the hive or providing an alternate source of sustenance that does not intersect your habitat.
Aromatic plants attract bees, as do open, colorful flowers with lots of nectar. Besides pollen or nectar, bees also need a source of fresh water, some shelter, and they prefer open sunny areas. Herb gardens attract bees, as do the large flowers of squash plants or other vegetables. It might comfort you to closely observe bees at work along a perennial border. You'll notice that the bees tend to be very methodical, starting at the base of one stalk and working their way upward in a spiral, climbing from bloom to bloom, then dropping down to the next flower stalk and resuming their job. Unless you intrude into their flowerbed, they'll pay you no mind. Perhaps planting an attractant at one corner of your property would help to contain bees to an out-of-the-way area, leaving the rest of your property relatively bee free, assuming there are not other aromatics to draw them in.
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 Web, the address is http://www.almanac.com. 1999 Yankee Publishing Inc., Dist. by United Feature Syndicate Inc.