It was a bright yet very cold sunny
day, In January. There was a swift breeze blowing in
from the north, a warning of a an impending cold night and potential frost. I walked the the streets of the neighborhood, taking Lucky out for his last walk before evening.
After a few minutes it was time to return to the house and to enjoy a
glass or two of wine, to warm up of course. A glass of wine, some
cheese and crackers and an interesting discussion with some neighbors who had stopped by unexpectedly.
The discussion
focused on old wives tales and how true they may have been. I mean,
how many times time did your mother warn you about something....like
“stepping on crack will break your mother's back”. Was she really
that worried?
I can remember my
grandmother looking out the window and if the leaves on the trees
were turned up, she made sure she took an umbrella. Without a doubt,
it was going to rain!
There are old wives
tales about all kinds of topics. Here are just a few of my favorites.
“If
the nose itches, company is coming. If the thumb itches, it will be
unwelcome company. If your left hand itches, money is coming your
way. If your ears are ringing, someone is talking about you. The
right ear means they are saying good things. The left ear means they
are criticizing you.” No wonder there
are times that it is so noisy in my head!
“Red
sky in the morning, sailor’s warning, Red sky at night, sailor’s
delight.” But what's it mean if
there is a re sky at noon time?
“An apple a day keeps
the doctor away. “
Cat's have always held
a special place in wives tale and folklore. For example...
“If
a black cat walks towards you, it brings good fortune, but if it
walks away, it takes the good luck with it.”
“Keep cats away from babies because they "suck the breath" out of the child.”
“A cat on board a ship is considered to bring luck.” OK. Who takes a cat on a boat?
“Keep cats away from babies because they "suck the breath" out of the child.”
“A cat on board a ship is considered to bring luck.” OK. Who takes a cat on a boat?
I have spent years on
my hands and knees looking for that lucky four leaf clover. Perhaps I
would have better spent my time buying lottery tickets. The result would probably have been the same.
This is one I had not
heard before, but maybe does explain a thing or two.
“To
drop a comb while you are combing your hair is a sign of a coming
disappointment.”
And my disappointment,
not having much hair to comb anymore!!
I will often heat up a
bit of milk on a cold winter night to make some hot chocolate. I can
still remember my grandmother warning me to not let the milk boil
over. It's
bad luck.
Really?
This
is one I am not too sure about either.
“You
sleep best with your head to the north and your feet to the south.”
Truth
is I can sleep regardless of which direction my head is pointing,
whether it be north, south, east or west.
Stars
also seem to be a big topic for wives tales and folklore. What child
has not been told that... “all wishes on shooting stars come true.”
I'm, still waiting! Or, “star light, star bright. first star I see
tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might have the wish I wish tonight.”
Unfortunately,
it didn't work for me last night. Maybe for a wish to come true it
needs to be both the first star and a shooting star. And the chances
of that happening?
It
was time for another glass of wine and that was a 'wish' I could make
come true. My hope was that when I got back from pouring myself
another glass the discussion would have changed... and it did. But
now everyone was talking about the Patriots and Tom Brady. I
wonder if Tom has any old wives tales he would like to share?
No comments:
Post a Comment