Peter Geiger holds a copy July 31 of the Farmers’ Almanac for 2025, which calls for a “wet winter whirlwind,” as he stands in the rain outside his company’s headquarters on Mt. Hope Avenue in Lewiston. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Yes, we are going to talk about the weather, but first, did you know dogs have a third eyelid that acts as both armor and a sort of windshield wiper? 

Did you know that you should never say “thank you” when someone gives you a plant, lest you end up with bad luck? 

Ever hear of a “bugnado,” which is exactly what it sounds like, or wonder why you should never, ever plant peppers when you are mad? 

The Farmers’ Almanac for 2025. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

The Farmers’ Almanac for 2025 is expected to hit the shelves this week and, as always, it provides a near-endless supply of tips on everything from gardening by the moon to grating cheese and being prepared for the next power outage. 

Not to mention, all those things that make you go, “Hmmm. …”

Who else, for instance, is going to inform you that each of your cat’s ears has 32 muscles, or give you the best days of the year to potty train your kid? 

But, of course, the Farmers’ Almanac’s bailiwick has always been the weather and, this year, it has plenty to say about what is to come. 

“Brace yourself for a wet winter whirlwind,” is the thrust of this year’s prognostication. 

And when they say “whirlwind,” they really mean it. With the help of La Niña, the latter part of January is expected to see the arrival of “a very active storm track that we expect will deliver frequent bouts of heavy precipitation, as well as strong and gusty winds.” 

Sound familiar? 

“It’s the worst of the worst,” Farmers’ Almanac Editor Emeritus Peter Geiger says. “And it immediately makes us think about last year when we had storms like this, with trees toppling and flooding and so forth.” 

And also like last year, according to the Farmers’ Almanac predictions, some portions of the winter will be marked by heavy rains instead of snow. 

“It’s going to be more wet than white,” says Sandi Duncan, who was recently named editor of the Farmers’ Almanac 31 years after she started as a corporate writer with the company. “There are going to be a lot of storms and not a lot of downtime in between.” 

La Niña, which refers to the periodic cooling of ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean, is expected to develop and have an impact on winter weather. 

Unsettled weather is in the Almanac’s forecast as early as Halloween. We may be looking at a stormy Thanksgiving followed by a wet Christmas. And when we do see snow, we may see it longer than we would like. 

Which should also sound familiar. 

“We’re calling for the snow to hang on into March,” Duncan says, “just as it did last year.” 

The Farmers’ Almanac’s full forecast breaks it down further with predictions for cold spells and a list of dates to remember. It also takes a swing at forecasting weather for some popular springtime events, such as the Masters Tournament, Boston Marathon and Kentucky Derby. 

The Farmers’ Almanac for 2025 features all you need to know about the coming weather and a little bit more. But if weather was all that the Farmers’ Almanac had to offer, it would not take solid days for the average person to read it. 

“People think of the Farmers’ Almanac first and foremost for the weather,” Duncan says. “And we do offer 16 months of forecasts. But it’s also a mixture of entertaining information, advice, gardening tips, sky-watching events. … It’s something that you can read throughout the entire year, because you’ll find something new every time you pick it up.” 

And speaking of skywatching events, there are dates and names of all the super moons coming in 2025, along with dates and details about eclipses of the sun and moon. That includes to-the-second breakdowns of a pair of total lunar eclipses: One in March, the other in September. 

Skywatching, according to Geiger, has become increasingly popular among Farmers’ Almanac readers, so the publication has added a “Full Moon Rising” table for different parts of the country. This alerts readers to the exact moment when a full moon rises, allowing them to plan their photographs or full-moon hikes accordingly. 

By the way, did you know that a moon is only officially full for a brief moment?

“Astronomers identify the exact moment that a moon becomes full as when it is directly opposite the sun in the sky,” according to “Full Moon Fun Facts.” “This is when the moon is facing the sun head-on, “causing the entire surface of the moon to be brightly lit up.”

Meanwhile, on Page 95, readers will find a section called “Long Life Health Hints,” culled from the pages of the 1930 edition of the Farmers’ Almanac.  

“Take a walk every day,” advised the people of that long-ago age. “Rust attacks unused machinery and sends it to the scrap heap long before its time.” 

Flip back to Page 12 and you will find tips to get a person through the next power outage, including directions for making a candle-powered stove and transforming your washing machine into a makeshift cooler. 

On Page 34 begins a piece on “companion planting,” which describes which plants thrive when planted together along with explanations for why it is so. 

Thumb forward a few pages and you will find “Enchanting Garden Lore,” which includes awesome advice, including, “It’s time to plant when you can sit on your garden soil without pants on and not get cold.” 

Green beans and potatoes should be planted on Good Friday. Want to know why? See Page 39. 

And, of course, the Farmers’ Almanac has its vaunted “Best Days” sections, which spell out the best times to fish, set eggs, wash windows, start a diet, quit smoking, can your vegetables and a whole lot of other things that need doing.

The way Peter Geiger sees it, the Farmers’ Almanac is as much a guide to daily living as it was 200 years ago. 

“Initially, it was obviously for farmers,” he says.  

But pretty much anybody will find something helpful inside the Farmers’ Almanac these days, he says, no matter one’s lifestyle. Each year brings new challenges, and the Farmers’ Almanac rises to meet them. 

Around 2007-08, the country was hit by a recession and the Farmers’ Almanac was there, advising people how they could cut back and save money in all aspects of their lives. 

In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic chased most people indoors, the Farmers’ Almanac offered tips on how one could survive and even thrive with the radical change in lifestyle. 

The Farmers’ Almanac is meant as a guide for people who want to simplify their lives, and to survive in times that can become tumultuous for a variety of reasons. It aims to be as helpful to people just starting their lives as it is for those who have been around a while. 

“I think this is the de facto publication that helps young people by giving them a sense of what they can do for themselves,” Geiger says. 

“It’s about connecting or reconnecting with nature,” Duncan says. “The younger generation is trying to figure out how to do things more naturally. A lot of our readers are just starting; having their own homes for the first time.

“A lot of them are moving out of the city, but even if they live in the city, they want to know how to grow basil on the patio or how they’re going to have a tomato plant in a little pot.” 

And while they are at it, those readers can learn things, including that hummingbirds have no sense of smell, while also discovering how to make a natural bug repellent and getting a refresher course on Labor Day fashion rules. 

All of that with a few bits of simple wisdom offered along the way. 

“Judge each day not by the harvest,” according to one of the Farmers’ Almanac’s Philoso-FACTS, “but by the seeds you plant.” 

And with that, we will leave you to go off and investigate your dog’s third eyelid. Now that you know about it, don’t you want to have a gander?