We’ve been talking a lot , hubby and me, about the signs of a early winter. I remember as a child hearing my parents and grandparents talking about the signs of a early or bad winter. One such saying was “If the bees build their nest high in the trees we would have a lot of snow in the coming winter. The bees are bad at the farm right now and they’ve built nest everywhere. Some high in the maple trees, some in the buildings, and some in my flower beds.
I posted earlier in the week that the leaves are changing here and the hummingbirds are slowly leaving. We had around 30 in July and this morning there were only seven at the feeder when I left for work. This morning there are only three left. Should we be worried since they usually don’t leave until mid to late September?
We have the woodshed full and the last hay is baled and in the barn. The equipment has been looked over and put away. We need to get the calves to market but holding off because “pinkeye” has touched about 10 head and we want them well before they’re shipped out.
The chicken molt is coming to a close and the katydids are screaming every night. They’re usually not this loud until it about to frost. The praying mantis are all over the flowers and in the gardens. We heard coyotes night before last and from the sound of it they had caught something for supper. Now we worry about the fall calves that will start coming in mid-September. The whitetail deer have started losing their velvet and I thought this also happened in late September.
I’ve been watching for the ring around the moon that predicts snow but haven’t seen it “yet”! Some other weather sayings I heard growing up are if yellow jackets are building their nests above ground, then it will be a wet winter. If the woolly worm has a lot of wool, it will be a bad winter. If the squirrels and birds are feeding in the winter, expect a bad snow storm. For every foggy morning in August, it will snow that many days that following winter. It has been foggy about 20 days this August and that doesn’t bode well for us. I’m glad the wood house is full and I’d better get that kindling gathered soon.
Wood house 1/2 full
Have you heard these?
Go by the persimmon seed for the weather of each year, Let the seed ripen then open the seed with a pair of pliers, Inside the seed will be a spoon, and it tells you that there will be a plenty of snow to shovel for the first of the winter.
When wind comes from the east, It’s not fit for man nor beast.
When squirrels lay in a big store of nuts, look for a hard winter.
Ice in November to bury a duck, the rest of the winter is slush and muck.
Ring around the sun, time for fun. Ring around the moon, storm coming soon.
For every fog in august, you get a snow; the heavier the fog, the more snow you get.
Oh well, I guess time will tell but the way this year has flown by, I predict that winter is “soon” up us!! Get your chores done and get your winter reading prepared 🙂
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