Jeudi: Weather-Wise

Superstions die harder in some areas than in others.  In a place like New Orleans and the bayous that surround it, weather signs are so engrained as to be almost second nature.  Here are just a few summertime weather signals and superstitions from that wonderful catalogue of all things Louisianan, Gumbo Ya~Ya; Lyle Saxon, editor.

Bullfrogs sing when rain is coming (the old Cajun saying is Laplie tombe ouaouaron chante.)

Killing a cat or a reptile will bring hard rain.

Good weather is coming in summer only if the night before was clear.

Heavy dew is a sign of fair weather.

A whirlwind in the dust of the street heralds dry weather.

Rain or tears at a wedding brings bad luck.

“If the oak is out before the ash, it will be a summer of wet and splash.  If the ash is out before the oak, it will be a summer of fire and smoke.”

All of these may work anywhere, although the one I wish most for is the first.  We’ve no bullfrogs here, and I remember their singing fondly…  Bonne chance ~

Header: The Old Absinthe House by Louis Oscar Griffith via American Gallery