Up Front with Sara Parker Pauley

In the late summer evenings at Granny Elma’s house, as the whip-poor-wills commenced their sunset sonnets and the end of a day’s work in the garden meant a reprieve until dawn, I’d often leaf through outdated copies of the Old Farmer’s Almanac for entertainment. Chock full of tidbits about the weather, moon phases, gardening tips, and much more, I was drawn to the nuggets of wisdom about nature, her bounty, rhythms, and signs.

Founded in 1792 by Robert B. Thomas, the Old Farmer’s Almanac stakes its claim as the oldest continuously published periodical in North America. There are plenty of other published almanacs, and most by their content paint a picture of the coming year, of the predictability and yet elaborateness that Mother Nature offers to those who hunger to know her better. MDC’s Natural Events calendar, magnetized to my refrigerator, serves as another type of almanac, reminding me that the flowers I see blooming outside — wild bergamot, butterfly weed, and purple prairie flower — will be center stage same time next year, as will robins, bluebirds, warblers, and monarchs.

The beauty of these treatises is that they also inspire us to get out and enjoy nature’s mysteries upfront and personally. This month’s issue helps us transition to fall and all the magic that awaits us there (read more on the Fall and Winter Hunter’s Almanac on Page 23). It will take our lifetimes to even begin to comprehend the cyclical mysteries of nature, so get your favorite outdoor almanac and head for the great outdoors. Class is in session!

Sara Parker Pauley, Director

SARA.PAULEY@MDC.MO.GOV