Tonight is the full moon for September 2024. Known as the Harvest Moon. It's the last full moon before the Autumn Equinox , which is a holy day known by many Pagans as Mabon.
The name Harvest Moon refers to the season of harvest for those who forage in the woods and those who grow their own fruits, herbs, and veggies. As with any full moon it's a great time for making moon water, which I wrote about here. It's an opportunity for giving your crystals and stones a moon bath to recharge. This is an excellent time for setting your intentions for the coming autumn, and for considering your plans for Samhain next month.
If you grow herbs for cooking, medicinal, and ritual/spellcraft purposes, it's time for harvesting herbs for drying.
I grow almost all the herbs I use regularly at home. The soil is fairly poor here so most of what I grow is in planters and raised beds. Container gardening is also more efficient when it comes to watering. And these days, I simply find them easier to manage; there's very much less bending over and no trying to squat/kneel.
Back in the spring I bought three Buff Orpington chicks; I'd kept Buff Orpingtons before and liked them very much. I'd wanted more for years and finally had a chance to buy some.
Baby chicks are of course adorable. But like all babies they're very messy. A day came when I needed to clean the brooder again, however Patty, Nugget, and Biscuit were just too big to wait comfortably in the cat carrier anymore. But it was a beautiful sunny day, and I had an idea.
I have a raised bed full of sage and chives, that I'd surrounded with chicken wire against marauding rabbits. I cut a little more chicken wire to cover the top (we have lots of hawks here), added dishes of water and food, and established what became a day spa for pullets. I ended up putting them out there almost every day, bringing them back indoors at dusk, for a few weeks.
I also discovered that in addition to all the greens, veggie scraps, and weeds I fed them, chickens really enjoy fresh herbs. It was incredible how much sage and chives those little monsters inhaled. Good thing sage is pretty tough and eventually it grew back. The daily sunshine and fresh air seemed to speed their growth; the daily handling kept them manageable and friendly.
Possibly a little too friendly.
Wishing a beautiful and blessed full Harvest Moon to all.
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Thank you for reading. This is an open thread, all topics are welcome.