Rural Sayings

Actually, there is a rather interesting one which i heard as a boy, and which has a good deal of truth in it. It is to the effect that when the trees "turn up their leaves" a storm is approaching. Fluid pressure in branch, twig and leaf spine keep the upper surface of leaves facing the light. Trees can apparently sense changes in ionization in the air which signal the approach of a storm (i.e., the ionization resulting from the clash of cool, moist air masses with warm dry ones), and drop capillary pressure, so as to prevent damage to branch and twig from the high winds. When this occurs, the wind will "turn over the leaves" so that they show the "silver" underside, because there is insufficient fluid pressure for them to continue to present the top to the light . . .

I heard when I was little (and I don't remember where, and my folks deny saying this) that cows lying down in a field mean rain, whereas cows standing up mean a sunny day. Of course, who knows what it means if half of the cows are standing while the rest are lying down - partly cloudy?

'Course none of this works, they're just tired, is all.

We have another saying here, jespah:

when cows are 'beastering' (=running wild around, jumping up etc) there will soon be a thunderstorm.
Which really is mostly true.

Hes all vines and no taters....
Thats a rural observation cast at someone who is mostly format and no substance

jes my parents said the same thing...and would deny it today as well...must be some era thing to taint our brains.

The only expression around here thats used all the time by all the old timers...you've got to understand it can be used in any situation dealing with the weather is....

Wait a while, it will change which Ive noticed has been updated to wait 20 minutes itll change...to be with our quick times and all.

I cant remember the one about the sky though...like the red sky at night for sailors but, theres one I cant put my finger on at the moment....It ll wake me up later prolly.

hes been collecting the eggs without his hat again.

Chicken coops are generally low , so, going inside and bumping one"s head can leave one addled.

Du kann ich nicht verkaufen. Pa dutch meaning in essence , "You cannot fool me"

like farmerman, i'm gonna kidnap this thread to add a non-weather-related 'rural saying' that i just happened upon in the paper the other day - said by one of the pigfarmers meeting in the pub for the national meeting where they kinda pre-peg the prices for the upcoming markets:

"Als boeren niet meer klagen en pastoors niet meer vragen, komt het einde der dagen!" (When farmers stop complaining and priests stop asking [for things], the end of days is near!)

Ats gonna become my bumper sticker nimh.

we dont hijack a thread, we just suggest alternative routes

Cass: red sky at night, sailors' delight. Red sky in morning, sailors' take warning.

Setanta - I have always noted the leaves flipping before a storm and always figured it had to do with the way the wind blows just before a storm - low-high pressure system stuff....

Well, in a way, you're correct . . . except that the tree has reacted to the clash of the pressure systems . . .

Rain before seven, clear before eleven.

Evening red and morning gray
Send the traveller on his way.
Evening gray and moring red
Bring the rain down on his head.

Mackerel sky, mackerel sky,
Never long wet, never long dry.

Mackerel sky and mares tails
Lofty ships must doff their sails.

A sunshiny shower
Won't last for an hour.

bookmark

That's what we say in WA, but I said it in Scotland and was told that there they say ..."shepherds' delight" and "shepherds take warning."


Sun dogs, the rings around the sun, are supposed to predict rain & a change in the weather. No clever saying that goes with it... just say "Sun Dog, uh-oh."

Thanks for your responses so far.

Some more sayings about the colour of the sun:

The evening red and morning gray,
are sure signs of a fine day.
But the evening gray and the morning red,
makes the sailor shake his head.

Evening red and morning gray,
will set the traveler on his way.
But evening gray and morning red,
will bring down rain upon his head.

Evening red and morning gray: two sure signs of a fine day.
Evening grey and morning red: put on a hat or you'll wet your hat.

If the morning sky is red, the ewe and her lamb will go wet to bed.

(All the German ones are very similar, btw.)

Before you admire my knowledge of
"Folk Lore Weather Forecast",
have a look at that website yourself :wink:

While sipping my morning tea I remembered:

When sea birds fly to land,
Storm is at hand.

I'm not sure how this applies to the herring gulls who haunt the parking lot of a mall 120 miles inland (but near a river which meets the sea in a major estuary).

Just came across this Irish saying (more a proverb, I think):

If the cuckoo calls from a tree without leaves,
sell your cow and buy corn.

if it rains on St Swithins day it will rain for 40 days - but if it is fine it will be fine for 40 days.


... never known it to be right!

Well, at least in northern Germany it is about 80% correct. In southern Germany it's only 70%.