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.
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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