One my new favorite online haunts is The Old Farmer’s Almanac web site. Growing up, almost every adult I knew bought one every year, and we all paged through them until the corners were worn and the paper dirtied. I’d been thinking of buying one myself, and when I went searching on Google, I came across the official web site. It has all the data, even for free users. The only difference is free users only get the daily data daily and can’t look up things at will. Still, a great site, even for free users.

Though I am thinking of giving them some money. I can’t decide if I want to buy the digital version of the almanac, which is just like the paper version with all the articles, folklore, and other goodies only in PDF form, or if I want to get the long range weather forecasts for my location. The price is the same either way (within pennies = the same) … about $5. They have all sorts of individual packages and charts you can buy for either online use or as PDF files. So, I could, conceivably customize the information personally to what I want and use for very little money.

But, it won’t really be the same as holding the almanac in my hands and wearing it out from use, and buying fully digital –therefore ephemeral– data, is usually not my style. I love paper, and I love being able to write in my books. Yes, I am an underlining, corner-bending, scribbling-in-the-margins, doodling sort of reader. Makes my books useless for resale but valuable to me. It’s not like I ever sell a book I have bought anyway, as evidenced by the number of in books I own. I once sold a box of books when times were tight, and it made me feel ill. I vowed never to do that again and instead, if I wanted to get rid of something, to pass it on to someone else who would personally like it and use it (and then pass it on too).

Tangent: My margin scribbling and “mutilating” books annoyed several of my professors in college. They asked, “Don’t you love your books? Why are you damaging them?” I do love my books, but I don’t revere or worship them. I don’t put books on pedestals. They are tools. People don’t get cranky about getting grease on a wrench, so why get cranky about some notes written in a book or a folded over corner. At least I don’t let them get wet or actually destroyed.

Back on subject: I think I’ll use the free data at the almanac web site for a while to see which option would work best for me. I think the long term weather forecasts would be great. The almanac forecasts are 80% accurate, which isn’t too bad. I’m sure there are other places to pay to get weather data, but I like the almanac web site. And, of course, I could also buy a paper version of the thing to get my margin-scribbling fix. It’s not like it’s expensive.

Also, from the almanac site, birthday lore for my birthday:

Your passions are deep, and you love and hate with intensity. You lose control of your emotions easily and act hastily when excited, but quickly regain your better judgment and make amends. You have a great deal of personal pride and like to command.

Quite spot on, except for the liking to command part. I don’t know that I like being in charge of things so much, but I am good at organizing people and things, and getting things done. When I am not being lazy, anyway. So actually, it’s not so much that I don’t like being in command, but I am too lazy to want to do it. Being in charge is hard work! :lol:

You can get your own Old Farmer’s Almanac birthday lore here.

I better get going on the housework now. I heard a rumor we are getting my new stove this weekend, and I want the house to be nice for the arrival of the shiny new appliance.