March 31st

Yesterday, when I woke up it looked like this outside: \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
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Today, it looks like this:
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I think Punxsutawney Phil was wrong.

Sharp Days, March 1-3

The first three days of March are called "Sharp Days" in Greek tradition. When I first read about this, I thought it was in reference to perhaps the sharpness of the air, despite the fact that it seems like there is more sun, and therefore more warm... but, no. The first three days of August are also "Sharp Days." Sharp Days are considered a transitional time of year. The Sharp Days in March are the beginning of warmer weather, and the Sharp Days in August are the beginning of cooler weather.

During the first three days of March you should not wash any clothes or they will wear out too quickly, or chop wood or because it will rot before it's time, or bathe because your hair will fall out. If you must do laundry, you must put a nail in the water to take the sharpness out. I haven't found a solution for chopping wood or bathing. Maybe stick a nail in your shampoo bottle.

Wind and Weather, October 12th

According to The Perpetual Almanack of Folklore, a west wind on October 12th means that there will be a mild winter.

Currently in Provo, the wind conditions are: Wind Speed: 5 mph / 7 km/h / 2.1 m/s Wind Dir: 50° (NE), but Pleasant Grove's wind conditions are: Wind Speed: 0.1 mph / 0.1 km/h / 0.0 m/s Wind Dir: 201° (SSW). So, with both north-east and south-south-west winds, I'm guessing that the jury is still out about this winter's weather in Utah County.

I am putting my life in danger...

blogging about the weather, but I must note that since it is currently snowing, in September, and since it did snow in May, it seems that the bit of weather folklore that I blogged about previously, might have a ring of truth to it. So, if it thunders in May, we all should be prepared for a short summer.

Although, I would also like to note that, while short, the Summer of 2007 also boasted the hottest month ever on record for Salt Lake City. So, here in Utah, if we have a short summer, it will be an intense summer, apparently.

I don't really like that. I am a mild weather sort of girl. Even though I prefer cooler weather, I have been shocked by the snow today. I mean, I thought I was okay knowing that the weather was going to be cooler today, even though it was 80 degrees yesterday. I was prepared for cold this morning when I left for the day. I was outside all morning cheering at soccer games and helping dig holes for trees through wind and rain. But, now it's snowing.

Snowing. In September. And everything about it seems wrong.

But, it's not my fault.

Yes, We Have a Banana!

Today at work I saw something that I have never seen before. Yes, that banana up there, someone left it as a present for me and my coworkers. Well, probably not really for us; they probably just didn't know what to do with a giant banana.

Anyway, now we have a big banana. A very big banana. And this is not a Photoshopped banana, because as you can see, there is a reflection of the banana in the water on the pavement, which also proves that the photo was taken today because it is very wet in Utah today. (Sorry Edgy).

Anyway, if you get forwarded an email with that photo, and the words:

For lunch I only had a little pasta with olive oil and parmesan, and a salad, and perhaps a banana.

just you know that email was created at the desk of the Absent-minded Secretary!

Birds Stop Singing, June 5th

Birds Stop Singing

Yesterday, when I was researching Birds Stop Singing, the only information I could find about this day stated:

"In some early medieval calendars, this is listed as the date the Birds Stop Singing." (School of the Seasons)

But, Birds Stop Singing Day wasn't noted in any of my book-type resources, (the Calendar of Vanishing Vocabulary and Folklore for 2007, The Perpetual Almanack of Folklore, The Encyclopedia of Things that Never Were, The Faber Book of Useful Verse, or The Dance of Time: The Origins of the Calendar A Miscellany of History and Myth) nor on any of my online resources, which other than School of the Seasons areCalendar of the Month, Fun Holidays, Holiday Insights, Nova Roma, Old Farmer's Almanac, and Sky News, (by the way, tomorrow will be the best day to view Jupiter and its moons). So, I was about to give up on Birds Stop Singing Day. It was a nice idea, but, it seem to be a non-provable holiday.

But, this morning as I was getting ready for work, and I was listening to the news, and the weatherman said that the birds wouldn't be singing today because the wind would be blowing rather strongly over most of the state for the majority of the day.

So, apparently, the medieval calendarists knew what they were calendering.

On a personal note, today, fifteen years ago, I graduated from high school. Yep, I am really that old. So, I am wearing blue and white today, my Alma Matter's colors, and I am also wearing the pearl necklace that my grandmother gave me to wear at the graduation ceremony.

Also, this is the fifteen year anniversary of Game 2 of the NBA Playoffs, the Portland Trailblazers against the Chicago Bulls. Portland won in overtime. One of the best games ever. Everyone at my graduation, speakers included, listened to the game on their Walkmans. Anyone who didn't bring a Walkman was updated of the score at regular intervals from the podium. Clyde "the Glide" Drexler fowled out during the fourth quarter. And that is what I remember most about my high school graduation.

Frankin Days, or the Reason Not to Kill the Messenger

It seems that my life is in jeopardy since I quoted an old bit of Devonshire weather folklore.

Thunder in May
Frightens the Summer away.

In my own defense, I would like to state that it is not my fault it is snowing in Park City, Utah. It is, however, the fault of a Devonshire man named Frankin, because apparently, New England Puritans weren't the only people who frequently sold their souls to the Devil. According to The Perpetual Almanack of Folklore:

"Sharp frosts which sometimes occur about this time are the revenge of one Frankin, a beer-brewer put out of business by competition from cider. He therefore vowed his soul to the Devil in return for frost on each of the three 'Frankin's Days' around May the twenty-first, hoping that these would kill the apple-blossom and ruin the cider crop (Kightly 82).

So, Edgy, the reason why it snowed today? Because hops bloom in August.

National Cut Your Energy Costs Day, January 10th

National Cut Your Energy Costs Day

Did you know that the average PC uses two times the energy than the average Mac? Today is National Cut Your Energy Costs Day. It's a good day to know stuff like that. Of course that means that I need a new computer. You know, for the environment.

For all of us here in Utah, we are going to want to learn how to save energy durning the next cold snap... coming on Friday! This is going to be a scary one folks. Thursday's high is going to be 31 degrees and the low is to be 13 degrees, and then on Friday we are going to have a high of 18 degrees and a low of 4 degrees. I am having problems getting my brain to wrap around how it's going to get that cold so fast. And then on Friday, Zero degrees. Woo, that is cold.

5-Day Forecast for ZIP Code 84601
Wednesday
44° F | 28° F
7° C | -2° C
Mostly Cloudy

Thursday
31° F | 13° F
-1° C | -11° C
90% Chance of Snow

Friday
18° F | 4° F
-8° C | -16° C
50% Chance of Snow

Saturday
15° F | 0° F
-9° C | -18° C
Partly Cloudy

Sunday
16° F | 8° F
-9° C | -13° C
60% chance of precipitation

So how are we to prepare for this mini ice age? We could set our thermostats at 50 degrees to cut our energy costs, and then practice bundling with our friends and neighbors to keep warm enough to survive the cold snap.

This also might be a good time to wander through these sites: ( Easy Free Energy Saving Habits, Home Energy Saver, and Flex Your Power. )

Do it, read some facts about saving energy and you will be the coolest cold person around.