2012, A Leap of Faith?

Kevin Coolidge

Where did the summer go? Already skeletal limbs scratch at the sky, proclaiming that Halloween is lurking in the shadows, and that means somewhere a fat, jolly dwarf is planning a felony, and will once again attempt to violate my chimney. Then it’s time for too much champagne, too many regrets, and too many of those damn little sausages on a toothpick, and then I get to wake up with a hangover, a bad taste in my mouth, and a fresh start in a New Year. My very last year. Don’t laugh. It’s your last year too…

Yep, in case you didn’t know, 2012 is it, the end, fini, kaputz, the final curtain call. The fat lady isn’t just singing. She’s whistling Dixie, and she’s got a mouthful of crackers. It’s all over folks. It’s an election year, but I’m not talking politics here. The universe is completely bipartisan, or maybe not. Doesn’t matter. It’s the end of the Mayan calendar, and according to the doomsayers, we all have first class tickets off this mortal coil. I’m packing light, because I hate trying to cram my baggage into those overhead bins, but I will be sure to bring along some good books, and my favorite almanac.

Take a deep breath and relax, because according to Baer’s 2012 Almanac, on December 21st, there will be light snow from Pennsylvania and New York to Maine, then fair and very cold. I think I can live with that. After all, it will be December. So, just what is an almanac?

An almanac is an annual publication that includes a calendar with long-range weather forecasts, astronomical information, home and garden advice, trivia, and articles on topics ranging from home remedies to history. You may already be familiar The Farmer’s Almanac.

These useful agricultural almanacs started publishing about two hundred years ago. At that time, printed material was scarce. Most farms possessed only two books—a Bible and a farmer’s almanac. A farmer’s almanac would tell him the best time to plant, when to expect the first frost, and if he planned to take a day off from farming, he could find out the best day to drown worms, and throw a hook in the water. Why, there would even be some great recipes for his wife.

I prefer Baer’s Almanac, because it’s calculated for the Meridian of Pennsylvania and the adjoining states, and it’s published right here in Pennsylvania – published in Lancaster by John Baer’s Sons. It contains the standard charts, weather predictions, anecdotes, and “things worth knowing”, as well as at least one feature article and small informational tidbits scattered through the pages.

John Baer founded the company in 1817. He was an early publisher of Mennonite writings, and printed his first almanac in 1825. In 1831, he added an edition printed in German called Neuer Gemeinnutziger Pennsylvanischer Calender. His almanac is among America’s oldest, but that distinction belongs to The Old Farmer’s Almanac founded in 1792.

Baer’s Almanac has not only survived, but thrives in our modern age thanks to its purchase in 1948 by Gerard Lestz, a Lancaster newspaperman and lover of all things Lancaster. He saved it when it was near extinction and today has a circulation of close to 10,000 copies annually, and is sold as far away as California. Its loyal readers love the lack of advertising as well as the abundance of good reading material.

Today, his daughter Linda continues the publication and she fills the pages with information both interesting and useful. So if want to know how to make a rhubarb sorbet, or you don’t know the origin of the “Ides of March”, you will want pick yourself up a copy. Still worried about the end of days? The great news is that 2012 is a leap year. So, you’ll have an extra day to get caught up on your reading…

End of days? Or days without end? Drop me an email at from_my_shelf@yahoo.com and let me know. Miss a past column? You can check the chart on our blog at http//frommyshelf.blogspot.com. Our cat Hobo was a farm cat, but he left the farm and the scratchy hay. You can read all about his adventures in “Hobo Finds A Home” a children’s book about a cat who wanted more…