I May Be Crazy, but…
As I sit here writing my Memories, the rain pours down, the weatherman calls for me to be alert for a possible tornado, and the lightening creaks at my window. Well, isn’t this fun? Now that my brain is inundated with weather, I can think of nothing else. This, along with everyone asking if we are having an early fall and/or harsh winter, has clogged my memory channel, thus I MUST write what my brain dictates, no matter how crazy it may seem.
I have no idea if fall will be early or late, even though my burning bush is beginning to turn red, nor do I know what winter will bring. But… I do know what The Farmers’ Almanac reported, in its’ 1978 edition, as signs to look for of a hard winter approaching. In a latter blog, they reported that the signs had not changed for todays’ prediction of harsh winters. Now, I know it’s “hot” but, here is a “heads up” to help you make your own prediction (with a few comments from me).
- Thicker than normal corn husks
- Woodpeckers sharing a tree
- Early arrival of the Snowy owl
- Early departure of geese and ducks
- Early migration of the Monarch butterfly
- Thick hair on the nape (back) of the cow’s neck
- Heavy and numerous fogs during August (you have to get up early to spot these)
- Raccoons with thick tails and bright bands (I’ll have to inspect the little rascal that likes my garbage)
- Mice eating ravenously into the home (I hope not)
- Early arrival of crickets on the hearth
- Spiders spinning larger than usual webs and entering the house in great numbers
- Pigs gathering sticks (what???)
- Insects marching a bee line rather than meandering
- Early seclusion of bees within the hive
- Unusual abundance of acorns
- Muskrats burrowing holes high on the river hank
- “See how high the hornet’s nest, ‘twill tell how high the snow will rest”
- Narrow orange band in the middle of the Woolly bear caterpillar warns of heavy snow; fat and fuzzy caterpillars presage bitter cold
- The squirrel gathers nuts early to fortify against a hard winter
- Frequent halos or rings around sun or moon forecast numerous snow falls
