Through An 'Old Timer's' Eyes
By Howard 'Mac' McDonald

This weekend, just a sliver of the moon appears in the eastern sky. The new moon will progress through its phases and be full again on April 2.

The moon has been the topic of several love songs. When Kate Smith sang, "When the Moon Comes Over The Mountain," we could picture that big silver disk topping the horizon. Life was so much simpler then. Now, most romantic songs are about someone who is backdooring or on the way to Divorce Court.

From Lovers Lane, as the only light available, the moon is responsible for more marriage proposals than any other body in our galaxy.

The Farmers Almanac still gives the signs when certain things are to be planted by the phases of the moon. My father was a firm believer in planting by the signs and usually his vegetable garden was a great success.

The moon has a great influence on the oceans. Its gravity pulls on the waters, causing tides. Since ancient times, man has watched these tides along the seashores.

We have all come in contact with someone who's not wrapped too tightly. We might call him a "lunatic."

Everyone remembers Neil Armstrong's famous declaration when he was the first man to set foot on the lunar surface in 1969. I was at the Federal Building in Pittsburgh and saw the moon rocks on display. They looked like rocks from Mother Earth to me.

The Apollo 13 astronauts just about made history by being the first NASA space crew to be lost in space. Cool heads and the knowledge of their equipment brought them

home safely. They

proved that Murphy's Law was made to be broken.

St. Patrick's Day again brought out a multitude of things that are Irish: shamrocks, leprechauns, green beer, corned beef and cabbage.

Speaking of green, the garden departments in the stores all have their displays of packaged seeds on display. If you have a greenhouse, now is the time to get your seeds started.

My dad had a hotbed. That's a wooden frame with good soil in it, covered with windows. The glass lets the sunlight in and keeps old Jack Frost from nipping these fragile new plants.

The mourning doves are cooing every morning. Old Man Winter is a tough old bird and, even though it's spring, he does not want to give up just yet.