A Note from 'Mad Doc'
Between 13 and 15 years of age I got to spend a couple of summers working with my Uncle Harper and Aunt Roni on the ranch they managed outside of Prescott. My second summer, I was an actual ranch hand during roundup; getting up at 4 AM, slamming down a huge breakfast, saddling up, collecting, penning, holding down, dehorning, and immunizing cattle, and making steers out of the boys. As we were preparing to head out the first morning, I watched Uncle Harper pull out a well used Old Farmers Almanac to make sure the Moon Signs were appropriate for the job we were about to do. They were, and off we went. I was amazed and intrigued by the tattered old Almanac and have bought one (and a variety of others) pretty much every year since.
My Father was an inveterate observer and commenter on the weather. “There are only two types of people who predict weather in Arizona,” he would say. “Fools and Newcomers!” My grandmother, a long-time nurse, intrigued me with tales about old time doctoring, nursing, and herbal remedies. Since I left my childhood home, I have almost always maintained a kitchen garden, cooked local cuisine, and enhanced hikes by botanizing local plant remedies.
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Since 2013, I have regularly posted stories about the Full Moon, astronomy, and the weather on social media. At some point it occurred to me to put together my own almanac based in Tucson, the Old Pueblo. It’s taken awhile, but with the help of my daughter Cassidy, we are happy to present it here. It’s a fair bit of work to compile all this detail, but I’m retired, and it is a labor of love for my hometown. We’ll see how it goes. Hope you enjoy it!
Please feel free to send comments or suggestions to oneherbal@msn.com Cheers!
Lane “Mad Doc” Johnson
