Is it true?

The world is filled with myths, old wives' tales, folklore and superstitions.  Some of these are based on fact while others are merely based on fears.  Throughout the years, I have been warned, chided and otherwise advised about so many things that would fall in any one (or more) of the above categories.  At the moment with onset of what appears to be a severe winter for most of the country, I pondered a few of these folklore predictions. There is the superstition that for every foggy morning in August, there will be a snowy day in winter. Now there is a interesting idea.  I wish I would have counted the foggy days in August if there were any.  Our most memorable fogs are usually when the weather is a bit cooler than August which is perhaps our hottest part of summer.  Since I do not recall any foggy August morns, I am supposing we should not look for snow.  I do remember August as being a particularly wet month which was great for the garden!  Then we move on to the old wives' tale about pine cones.  Supposedly, the larger the cone...the colder the winter.  This is another one that we will have to chalk up as a dud.  The squirrels gnawed all of the pine cones before they were mature.  How in the world am I supposed to predict my winter without pine cones?  Early geese migration is another sign of a cold winter.  I do recall seeing a large flock of geese flying into the Bay area way back in the month of August.  At that time, it struck me as being odd.  As a rule, we do not see geese until late November but there they were!  

Now comes the tried and true method of predicting the severity of the coming winter.  Persimmon seeds!  There is a bit of folklore that mentions the cutting of seeds and the type of cutlery found within.  No, I do not mean that you will actually be able to supply your kitchen with all the silverware you need by simply chopping up some seeds but you may be able to decide if you need another blanket or two.  It seems that if you slice a persimmon seed open, there will be an image similar to a fork, knife or spoon found inside.  I decided to test at least that part.  I gathered a dozen or so seeds from under the wild persimmon tree.  With great care, I took out my sharpest knife and proceeded to carve away at that seed.  I would you to know that this was no easy task!  For you folks who have never seen a persimmon seed, they are flat.  Actually, they are about the size of a penny and I do believe they are just as hard!  Now just go try to slice a penny and you will see what I mean.  Anyway, it took several tries before I got the bright idea to trim the edge of the seed case.  Using my kitchen sheers, I snipped at the edge of the seed.  Once that was off, I was able to use the knife to slice the inner portion of the seed.  It was still quite hard so I really had to force the knife.  Finally after ruining six seeds beyond any use, I sliced one quite nicely in half!  Uh, oh.  Not good if I was expecting to be greeted with tidings of a mild winter.  This thing had a spoon shape inside.  That does not bode well for my garden!  You see, the different utensil shapes found inside the seed are supposed to indicate the weather for the upcoming winter.  A fork shows that the winter will be mild.  A knife represents a bitterly cold winter with winds that stab like knives.  A spoon represents the shovel..the kind used in scooping up lots of snow.  I cut three more seeds and found two knives and another spoon.  So, will we have a cold, snowy winter this year?  According to the persimmon seeds we had better gather more firewood!  The cold is coming!

Persimmon seed with the clear image of a spoon inside that indicates a snowy winter!

Actually, if you talk to anyone around here, they will tell you that I have been harping that we are going to have just such a winter.  How did I come up with this idea?  Earlier in the fall, I searched for Woolly Bears.  Those fuzzy red and black caterpillars that are supposed to be able to predict the severity of the winter.  These caterpillars have black bands on either end with a reddish band in the middle.  If that red colored band is narrow, the winter will be harsh.  Every Woolly Bear I found had a very thin band of red. Interestingly enough, the Woolly Bear predictions have proved to be around eighty percent accurate over the past fifty years or so. 

Superstition or Common Sense?

Why is "common sense" so rare? This was a question posed to me by Son earlier today. At first, I thought he was just making a play on words but in retrospect, what he asked is indeed a valid question. Common sense these days is a rare commodity..this has been proven to me time and time again. It is just not there with some folks. Take the economy, for instance. It stands to reason that if the economy is so bad, then stock up on nonperishable foodstuffs. I am not touting stockpiling of enough to last forever, simply enough to pull you through a hard time..a skipped paycheck..or just a bout of overspending (think Christmas spending). This in itself would be "common sense". Still, that is not bound to happen with most folks so I am beating my head against a brick wall just blathering about it. All of this got me pondering about some of the old superstitions that I have heard since I was a child. A couple stood out as being far more practical than not. There is one that states.."The New Year must not be seen in with bare cupboards." This is not a superstition! This is common sense! Why let the cupboards ever get bare in the first place? It just makes more sense to have at least a bit of food on hand. My goodness! What if you get hungry and need a midnight snack? According to folklore though, this "topping off the larder" is done as an assurance of prosperity in the coming year and of warding off want. Just to be on the safe side, I shelled out a bunch of pecans. These are to be canned tomorrow and added to the "larder"! Another superstition states.."Make sure to accomplish a task as that will set the pace for the coming year." There is another that says.."Limit your workload on the first day of the New Year." It seems that a heavy task filled day will be highly unlucky! Something tells me that these two contradict each other but who am I to question. I pondered this while deciding what chores to accomplish today. Aha! The shelling of pecans is both a leisurely yet productive task! I've got those two superstitions covered!

Some of the shelled pecans that are drying in preparation for canning!

Then there are a few that well..just can't be followed. One in particular stands as highly impractical! "Nothing goes out..let nothing leave the house before something else comes into the door." This is to make sure that it will be a year of pluses. It goes back to that prosperity thing..that the more you have, the better off you are. (hmmm? I am not sure if that stands to reason as I have far too much stuff already! I do not need more!) Regardless, this superstition just cannot be obeyed! Why may you ask? Remember..I have a dog. A very large dog and when Ms. Ez says she has to go..the door will be opened! Of all mornings, this "I gotta go" occurred just about daybreak and I could not figure out just how to get something inside before she had to go. So...I suppose that superstition has just "gotta go"!

Ms. Ez posing for the camera!

Anyway, I seem to have followed some of these today even if I tend to look upon them as more common sense than superstitions. I did accomplish a pending task but at a leisurely pace. I did stock the larder to ward off any want. Son and I did eat the "lucky" blackeyed peas and a bit of the "money-bringing" cabbage but we also ate the "unlucky" chicken! Did you know that you were not supposed to eat poultry on New Year's Day? This belief holds that to do so will bring you to poverty because like the bird in question, you will always be scratching in the dirt for your dinner. Another hmmmmm? I garden..don't I always scratch in the dirt for my dinner? And without scratching in the dirt, would I be able to fully stock my larder? Just asking....superstition or common sense?