Sometimes I wish that I was the weather, you’d bring me up in conversation forever. And when it rained, I’d be the talk of the day. John Mayer (Source-brainyquote.com)
Oh, the weather. What would we talk about if not for the weather? This week the weather has dominated the talking. Forecasts started several days ago, maybe more than several, about the winter storm that was coming our way. One of those days, the weather was nice. The sun was shining. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, but all the talk about the weather was the storm coming our way.
Before the first snowflake fell, people were canceling events or changing the times for events. I had to wonder how things used to be before they had Doppler weather radar that can see the fronts coming and do more than just guess about the tracks of the lows and highs. They have gotten pretty good at coming up with accurate forecasts or at least nearly accurate ones. So, even while the sun was shining and the day was one to enjoy in January, the specter of the huge storm to come darkened the day and emptied the grocery store shelves.
How did it used to be when people only knew what the weather was going to do the next day or a week from now when the next day or week came along with its weather?
Still, the old timers had their ways. They used signs in nature. Squirrels gathering more nuts meant a bad winter was coming. The same if the fruit crop was abundant.
Most everybody knows the Red sky at night, sailors delight. Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning.
There are plenty of other weather sayings that must have come about by observation and passed down through the years. Some I’ve heard all my life.
If the chimney smoke comes down toward the ground, bad weather is on the way.
A halo around the moon means it’s bound to rain. Stars inside that circle indicates how many days before it rains.
If the hens suddenly head toward the henhouse, a storm is coming. (Frankie gives me that early storm warning now. He has thunder radar.)
If birds keep coming to the birdfeeder in the rain, then you can count on it raining all day. If it’s a short shower, they stay under cover and wait for the rain to end.
February thunder brings a May frost.
Hearing a rain crow crowing means rain.
You can count on rain if there is no morning dew after a clear, still night.
There’ll be one snow in the coming winter for every fog in August.
Here’s another one an older gentleman at church told me.
“If it rains on Easter Sunday, it’ll rain for seven Sundays!”
He told me that on a rainy Easter Sunday. I paid attention and it rained on the next seven Sundays. Those old folk weather forecasting signs came from years of observation and maybe reading the Farmers Almanac.
But now the weather forecasters have fancy machines to track everything to do with the weather. They don’t need to listen to the crickets in the summer to know what the temperature is, but if you want to know the old timey way, here it is. If you hear a house cricket, count how many times he chirps in 14 seconds. Then, add 40º to arrive at the temperature wherever the cricket is.
However you want to get your weather forecasts, the ones we heard this weekend didn’t promise much good. Sleet, snow, freezing rain and now zero temperatures and wind chills that make walking the dog a fast chore instead of a pleasurable stroll.
For the man sound of body and serene of mind there is no such thing as bad weather; every day has its beauty, and storms which whip the blood do but make it pulse more vigorously. ~George Gissing
So keep that pulse thumping and stay warm and safe. As you can see the ice and snow did come. Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal are taking it in stride.
What old timey weather sayings have you heard?
Oh, and when I was looking up these quotes, I clicked on the Brainy Quotes site. And this screen popped up.
www.brainyquote.com
Verifying you are human. This may take a few seconds.
It took so long, I was beginning to wonder if I was going to pass the human test.
Comments 13
When you see the cows lying down in the field, it’s going to rain.
When the underside of the leaves turn upward, a storm is on the way.
Those are two that readily come to mind. I have heard some of the ones you mentioned.
I don’t remember my parents saying any of these. Maybe because the ones they’d heard were for Georgia and we live in FL!! Florida is late to the cold, but it’s going to be here tonight and into next week, which is unusual for us. It’s usually a day or two, not a week or more! They’re saying we may get into the 20’s this weekend, which has happened before, but it’s been a really long time! The last time I remember it being that temp at my house on the Space Coast was in the early to mid 80’s, right after I bought my first car!!
Author
I hope they are wrong and you stay warmer down there in Florida, Trudy. My daughter lives in SC and they are having some really cold nights too. Cold for them anyway. Here in Kentucky it’s really cold, but that sometimes happens in January and February. Usually not for such an extended stretch. We are having frigid temps and windchills all week and through the weekend. Maybe it will kill all the ticks. But they are probably cozy down under the snow.
Stay warm.
I’ve heard a lot of these also. Blessings
Author
And most of them turn out to be right — at least most of the time, Lucy.
I’ve had the slight delay too, Ann, when the site is trying to verify me being human.
A few times it has taken long enough that I wondered if I was really Artificial Intelligence!
Author
I just thought it was funny, Nancy. But it’s good when it decides that yes, you might be a human after all. AI is making you have to doubt everything you see online these days.
Mama and Daddy told me that if you see lots of red berries on the holly bushes, that means a bad winter is coming. 🙂
Author
Must have been plenty this year, Melissa. Actually we have a holly tree that came up over in our pasture field. It was full of berries this fall.
I love the weather sayings and quotes. Another one that my grandfather would say is that if the leaves on a tree are flipped upside down, rain is expected shortly. But of course that’s a summer prediction. I pay attention to it on hot summer days and it seems to be true.
We received plenty of snow this weekend to keep me home bound, but I’m thankful we didn’t get as much as those weather forecasters predicted. They were expecting over 20″ and we received only 7-8″. But they were spot on about these temperatures… it’s COLD! I’m only venturing out long enough to fill the bird feeders that are full of birds all day.
My new dig, Honey loves the snow, but she must be getting tired of the cold. She only stayed out this morning long enough to get her business finished, then headed back inside. Now she’s curled up in my sunless sunroom napping. I’d appreciate the pretty view a lot more if there was more sun to brighten it up. But as the old timers say, “this too shall pass.”
I hope you all are staying safe and warm. 🙂
Author
I’m sure your new furry friend got to enjoy plenty of sunshine yesterday and this morning although clouds may be moving in now, Lavon. It is cold but so far not too cold to keep Frankie and me from venturing out in the morning. When the sun came up this morning, everything started glittering.
I put out some extra seed for the squirrel on the ground. That didn’t last long. The birds are happy with their feeder. Stay warm. A great time to get some writing done or maybe some sewing at your place.
Love the weather predictions I will have to check a few out. We did not get any of the nasty weather. I live in Florida. We are supposed to get a little rain which we need but not yet Stay safe and warm.
Author
I think Florida was one of the few states in the south, east, and middle part of the country that escaped the bad weather, Sharon. Plenty of people wish they were down there with you. 🙂