The following is a list of sayings that we often
heard while we were young. Some of them
were said in German. There seem to be
four themes - rain, weather, crops, or living issues.
RAIN
If it
is raining bubbles, it will rain tomorrow.
If it
rains bubbles, it will rain for three days.
If a
dog lies on his back, it is going to rain.
When
the cows lie down in the field, it is going to rain.
If the
cows are lying down in the field, the fishing is not good.
When
the corn leaves curl, it is going to rain.
When
the maple leaves turn inside out, it is going to rain.
If you
see a ring around the moon, it will rain within 24 hours.
If you
see the quarter moon tipped down, it will rain.
It
will rain if you kill a spider in the house.
Rain
before 7 will stop before 11.
If
Mary goes over the mountain, on August 15th, and she needs her
umbrella,
there
will be a wet fall.
Thunder
and lightening never strikes a chicken coop,
so sit
on a pillow during a storm.
If
there are no leftovers after a meal
there
will be good weather tomorrow.
It
will be six weeks until frost
when
you hear the first song of the cicada.
Heavy
dew on the grass in the morning
means
no rain that day.
Whatever
day the first snowfall occurs,
there
will be that many snowfalls that winter.
Thunder
and lightening in January
means
it will be cold in February.
If
thunder and lightening occurs on the first day of
spring,
it
will be six months till the first frost.
If it
rains on your Easter bonnet,
it
will rain for the next seven Sundays.
On hot
summer nights you can lie in bed and hear the corn grow.
Corn
needs to be knee-high by the 4th of July.
A
white Christmas means a good crop the next year.
Plant
grass seed only in months with an “r”.
LIVING
Paint
only during a full moon.
Children
should be seen and not heard.
Dr. Fledderjohann would say that he could give you medicine
that would make you better in seven days - or you could take nothing and get
better in a week.
(I
also remember a little poem that Dr. Fledderjohann
recited about Chlorophyll.
Of
course, he said it in German.
“Why
reeks the goat on yonder hill, when he feeds all day on Chlorophyll.”)
Eating
pumpkin seeds kills parasitic worms in people.
Chewing
tobacco is a good cure for pyorrhea.
Escort
visitors out the same door they came in or you will get more company.
Eat
prunes and noodles on Good Friday.
Eat
pork and sauerkraut on New Year’s Day for good luck.
If the
man and woman go out different doors, they will have a spat.
If two
persons hold a towel at the same time, they will fight.
Happy
the bride that the sun shines on.
Happy
the corpse that the rain falls on.
red sky at night,
sailor's delight; red sky in morning, sailor's warning.
Plant
rocks with the phase of the moon that is getting smaller.
If the
moon is getting larger, the rocks will come back up.
The
woman emptying the serving dish will remain an old maid.
When
visiting, leave by the same door that you entered
if you
want to come back to this person’s house.
If you
spill salt, throw some of it over your shoulder for good luck.
If you
butter your bread to the very edges, you will be an old maid.
vvvvv
Drop a fork and expect a female visitor. [Die Gabel, die Frau.]
Drop a knife and expect a child visitor. [Das Messer, das Kind.]
Drop a spoon and expect a male visitor. [Der Loffel, der Mann.]
(And
the visitors will be coming from the direction that the utensil is pointing.)
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