Weather Lore: Whether or Not?

 

Yesterday, March came in like a lion. The wind was blowing strong all day and even lifting the ceiling tiles in the classroom when someone opened the door. Remember the old adage? In like a lion, out like a lamb. It’s a very old saying. According to The Paris Review it is attributed to Thomas Fuller’s compendium, Gnomologia in 1732. I’m not sure how accurate it is. I guess we will have to see.

My grandson has been talking about the ground hog and his shadow. He thinks it’s all ridiculous. And I kind of agree. According to the ground hog, we are supposed to have 6 more weeks of winter.  It is supposed to be 80 here next week. Ya, so much for Punxsutawney Phil.

There are many wisdoms of weather lore that float in and out of our consciousness as we go about our daily activities. These come from Weather Lore Sayings - www.nps.gov. How many of these do you remember hearing? What is your favorite? Most of these have some merit, but I think I’ll still consult The Weather Channel as to when to have my picnic.

·         “When the dew is on the grass, Rain will never come to pass. When grass is dry at morning light, Look for rain before the night.”   if there is no dew on the grass, it means the sky is cloudy or the breeze is strong, both of which may mean rain.

 

·         “If a circle forms ‘round the moon,‘Twill rain soon.” The circle that forms around the sun or moon is called a halo. Halos are formed by the light from the sun or moon refracting (bending) as they pass through the ice crystals that form high-level cirrus and cirrostratus clouds. These clouds do not produce rain or snow, but they often precede an advancing low pressure system which may bring bad weather.

 

·         “When leaves turn their back ‘tis a sign it’s going to rain.” Some trees, such as oak and maple, have leaves that will curl when the humidity is very high and the wind is blowing strongly. Both these conditions indicate an approaching storm.

 

·         “I know ladies by the score Whose hair foretells the storm; Long before it begins to pour Their curls take a drooping form.” Human hair, especially blond hair, has a tendency expand in length as the humidity rises. This may cause naturally-curly hair to droop. Or it may cause straight hair to curl up a little. The higher the humidity, the more likely it is to rain.

 

·         “When sounds travel far and wide, A stormy day will betide.” Sound travels at different speeds through different substances. It travels faster through a solid substance than it does through air, for instance. Sound travels better in air that is heavily laden with moisture than it does in dry air.

 

·         “If birds fly low Expect rain and a blow.” When the air pressure is high, it is easier for birds to fly at a higher altitude. If the air pressure is low, indicating bad weather, birds can’t fly as high because the air is less dense.

 

“Red sky in morning, sailors give warning. Red sky at night, sailors delight.” The weather patterns in North America generally move from west to east, when clouds arrive overhead at sunrise the sky will appear red, signaling a storm "moving in".

 

“Pale moon rains; Red moon blows.” ” White moon neither rains nor snows.” The more dust particles there are in the air, the greater the chance that moisture will have something on which to form raindrops

 

“You can tell the temperature by counting a cricket's chirps.” Crickets - Crickets are accurate thermometers; they chirp faster when warm and slower when cold.

 

“Flies bite more before a rain.” This rule does not always apply, but insects do calling more during moist weather, as flying is more difficult.

 

"The higher the clouds, the better the weather". Higher clouds indicate both dryness of air and higher atmospheric pressure. Both these qualities are present with fair weather.

If you would like more interesting weather lore quotes try The Farmer’s Almanac at https://www.almanac.com/facts-behind-weather-folklore

 

Who Killed John F Kennedy?

 

I often ask my grandchildren what they would like me to write about. Usually it various cool animals like capybaras , snakes, and sharks. This time one of my grandsons, Dylan, who’s a history buff ask about who killed JFK. Not bad for a middle schooler eh? Since he’s all game for a good conspiracy theory also, I figured I’d try to give him the gambit. So this week, my Notes from Papaw will also be my weekly Musing. Hold on, here it goes.

A basic Google search will usually outline six or seven main theories.

1. The Lone Gunman

• ·       The Theory: Lee Harvey Oswald fired three shots from the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository, killing President Kennedy and wounding Governor John Connally. Jack Ruby killed Oswald two days later on his own initiative.  Source: The Warren Commission (1964).
• ·       It is interesting to note that a majority of the American public reject this theory.

2. The Mafia Theory

• ·       The Theory: Organized crime orchestrated the assassination as retaliation against Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy’s aggressive crusade against the Mafia.
• ·       Jack Ruby may have had ties to the Mafia.

 

3. The CIA/Deep State Theory

• ·       The Theory: Elements within the CIA or the broader "military-industrial complex" killed Kennedy because they believed he was soft on communism, planned to withdraw from Vietnam, or was going to "splinter the CIA into a thousand pieces" after the Bay of Pigs failure.
• ·       The CIA did withhold evidence that they had Oswald under surveillance.

4. The Cuban Involvement Theories (Two Sides)

• ·       Pro-Castro: Castro retaliated after the CIA made multiple attempts to assassinate him. Oswald’s trip to the Cuban and Soviet embassies in Mexico City shortly before the shooting fuels this theory.
• ·       Anti-Castro: Cuban exiles, enraged by Kennedy’s refusal to provide air support during the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, killed him for "betraying" them.
• ·       It would be hard to prove it if only individuals were involved.

5. The Second Gunman on the "Grassy Knoll"

• ·       The Theory: Oswald was not the only shooter. A second gunman fired from a,knoll in front of the limousine, supported by analysis of the Zapruder film showing Kennedy's head moving backward and to the left.
• ·       Source: The 1979 House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA). The HSCA concluded that a "probable conspiracy" existed based on acoustic evidence suggesting four shots were fired, though that evidence has since been challenged.

6. The Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) Theory

• ·       The Theory: Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson conspired to kill Kennedy to take the presidency and avoid being dropped from the 1964 ticket due to impending corruption scandals.

7. “Friendly Fire” Theory

• ·       The theory that a Secret Service agent accidentally killed President John F. Kennedy posits that in the chaos immediately following the first shots fired by Lee Harvey Oswald.
• ·       Agent George Hickey accidentally discharged his own weapon, firing the fatal headshot from the follow-up car.
• ·       There was a subsequent cover-up to protect the reputation of the Secret Service.
• ·       Source: JFK: The Smoking Gun: A 2013 documentary based on the work of Colin McLaren, an Australian detective, which popularized the theory.

To be honest, I do not think we will ever know the whole truth. I kind of lean toward the Friendly Fire Theory, but mostly because I really don’t want to believe that our government would be so brutal as to plan something like this. We do know they are good at cover-ups.

It kind of comes down to something one of my sons said. If the government can do all thses things, there not a lot that any one individual can do about it. So my advice to you is:

1. Trust God’s plan.

2. Be the best person that you can be.

3. Shine the light of truth to everyone you know.

4. Try to leave everyone who meets you better that they were before you came into their life.

That’s all I have this week. Later!

Stoplight Games

If you have ever commuted, you know how boredom can get the better of you. When we lived in Arizona, I drove from a city on the west side to central Phoenix and back. Much of the ride was a straight rode with multiple stoplights. When you travel during rush hour, there is little time to get bored. You are busy dodging Louie Lane Changers, Speed Demons, and grandma on her way to knitting circle. (She’s way early so she’s in no real hurry.) But if I was returning later in the evening when the traffic was light, I had a game to help pass the time.

I actually learned it from my grandfather. When I was in junior high & high school I would often go bowling with him. He was on two different senior league teams and enjoyed having me along as he practiced and showed me some of his tricks. I did not grow up in a huge town, but the bowling alley was clear out on the other side of town. One big long 4 lane road with lots of stoplights. He loved trying to get all the way there without having to stop at a light. Now you might think it would lead to running lights or slowing down traffic, but there were rules to help keep people safe and traffic flowing. I’m not sure who made up the rules, but never the less, there are rules.

• No running red lights. That was an automatic disqualification.
• You cannot impede the flow of traffic by going really slow
• As long as your wheels are turning, you haven’t stopped.
• Stop signs stop the run so you have to choose your route wisely. (Hint: find ones with right-hand “yield” signs.)
• The only prize it the satisfaction of a job well done

I only got all the way home – from the first stop to my drive way once. Once in seven years. And no trophy. But it did keep me from yelling out the window at people. I often wonder, when I see people slowing down way early for stop lights. Are the just conserving gas? Are they trying to keep that life-time warranty on their brake pads? Or are they playing my grandpa’s stoplight game? Ya, it’s weird enough I’m never gonna ask. But I still wonder… 

At Our House, We Call That Lying…

 

My summer gig at the local state park is a great job. I get much needed exercise, lots of natural wonder, and enjoyable interactions with the public. That is probably the most fun part. Sometimes too fun. Although most of our time is spent educating, sometimes we just like to have fun, often at another’s expense. My trail buddy has a knack for teasing children. “Make sure you stay on the beach area. We keep the alligators down river beyond the bend. ” It’s 4:45. If you are going to float the river again, you’d better hurry. We turn the river off at 5:00 PM.” And the never gets old, “Did you see the elephant at the end of the trail?”

Now to be honest, no one really believes it for long. I mean, who would let people swim in a river with alligators around the bend? One time it backfired. My friend’s grandkids were out hiking the trails one afternoon and he mentioned the elephant. Then he said he was just kidding. His 7-year-old granddaughter look him straight in the eyes and said, “Pop-Pop, at our house, we call that lying.” Most people don't put kidding in the lying department since it is really just a form of joking. The kids at school call it pranking. Joking or pranking is usually not intended to deceive, just to get a reaction. The truth is made clear shortly afterward. Well, at least it should be.

Lying is something different. It is an intent to deceive. It is often used to cover up the real truth, either because it's damaging or embarrassing. We don’t even have to speak to deceive. I have students who, when they get called out, say “What?”. We both know what, but it is an intentional distractor, like pointing at something else and saying “Look at that”. We can tell only part of the truth. If we leave out important facts to shade the event away from what really happen, we are still practicing deception. Then there is the bold-faced lie, the no holds barred, denial of wrong doing. We can go all the way down to what people call “a little white lie”.

The Bible is pretty clear, It is one of the ten commandments. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. Exodus 20:12 We are supposed to tell the truth, even when it might not be convenient for us. Honest builds a bridge of trust in a relationship; Lying builds a wall between others. It can be so easy to tell just one little white lie, but it usually leads to a web of lies to cover the very first one. Frankly, I'm with Honest Abe. I don't have a good enough memory to be a good liar. It wouldn't pay off anyway. Remember: What you sow, you reap. 

If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.

A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes. – Both often attributed to Mark Twain.

No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar. – Abraham Lincoln

Until Next Time!

 

Fog

 

Six o’clock in the morning, It’s still dark and I’m driving to my Saturday shift at the local State Park. Today the fog looks to be the worst it has been this winter. This is the kind of fog where you are half waiting to see monstrous beasts or ghostly creatures jump out in front of you. While there are no creatures, there are people about, mostly the homeless on bicycles or pushing carts or strollers filled with their belongings. This is normally not unusual, but a lone cyclist suddenly  appearing out of the mist becomes almost surreal. As I drive down a long stretch of highway straining to see the intersection stop lights, I notice something. About half of us are slowing down, carefully crossing the intersections, mindful of everything going on around us. The other half are mindlessly cruising by like it’s a bright, sunny, summer day. It’s no wonder that one of the major freeways running through the central valley has had major 10 and 60 car pile ups in dense fog just within the last two weeks.

Now I don’t know about you, but when I get into fog like this, I try to do three things.

•  Slow down and be vigilant.
•  Keep the lights on the low beam setting to see the area right in front of me.
• Keep my eyes in the road lines.

Do you ever find yourself surrounded by the “fog”? I don’t mean the weather kind of fog, or even brain fog, but the kind where you are not able to see very far ahead because everything is muddled around you. It may be an impending move, a job transfer, or some other life-changing event where everything is in flux, but more importantly out of your control. It might be helpful to use the same steps as in real fog.

•  Slow down and be vigilant. – Step back and take things slower. Be deliberate with decisions and pay attention to detail. It will help you to make wiser decisions.

•  Keep the lights on the low beam setting to see the area right in front of you. Quit stressing about all the “what ifs”. Do what is needed today. Take each day as it comes and do your best.

•  Keep your eyes in the road lines. Ok, here’s where I get spiritual. (Hey, you knew it was coming.) Follow the things you know that you are supposed to do. Don’t compromise - Don’t take short cuts. Do things the right way, like you know you should. Pray over every situation and follow God’s principles. ( I would say follow your heart, but you know that can sometimes get you in trouble.)

I hope this helps. Drive safe, both on the road and in life!

What Do You Work For?

Have you ever done something for someone that you really put a lot of work into, and then it just didn’t seem appreciated? You plan, work, and do your best. They said thank you, but they didn’t get excited about your effort like you thought they should. You walk away feeling “unappreciated” and unfulfilled. You might even nurse these “hurt” feelings to the point where you become mopey and sullen. And still no one knows why or anything about it.

But what really caused the problem in the first place? It is usually stems from a mixture of miscommunication and unreal expectations. Maybe they appreciated it more than you think but they just didn’t share that sentiment with you. Maybe you are such good friends that they sometimes take it for granted that you understand how they feel. If you asked, you might find that they really appreciated your gesture. Yet even if they didn’t, you need to ask yourself why you did whatever you did in the first place. Realistically, if you do things just for peoples praise or gratitude, you are setting yourself up for disappointment.

So how can we avoid putting ourselves in these predicaments? Yes I said putting ourselves. In most cases it starts with us.

1. Communicate – this includes listening as well as talking. Many times we may think someone wants a certain event to happen, but if we just asked, we would find they may think differently. If your disappointed, talk to them about it. Good communication solves many issues.

2. Refocus – When you do something good, work first as you are working to the Lord. Sure you can do things for others, but really we sound do things regardless of being noticed or rewarded. If we are working for the Lord, our best will never be disappointing or unseen.

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. Colossians 3:23-24 ESV

Never stop doing good. Just be sure you are doing it for the right reason. 

Things That Don’t Exist but We Still Name: A Vacuum

 

The vacuum. It’s that little area of nothing once we pump out all the air. We can measure it as a drop in air pressure, but like the other things we have visited, it’s a name for something that is essentially, nothing. The idea of a vacuum has been controversial since Aristotle’s days. To be clear, I mean the actual “lack of matter” vacuum. (This is not to to be confused with the commonly used short name of the vacuum cleaner, a vacuum.) Oxford defines a vacuum as a space entirely devoid of matter. Aristotle was quoted as saying “Nature abhors a vacuum”. This thinking was agreeable to the religious leaders because they said, Since God is everywhere, it made sense. Torricelli was proposing that a vacuum was devoid of matter. This idea did bothered most the church leaders at the time, but Torricelli did his best to walk carefully around them instead of challenging them, unlike his mentor Galileo. Galileo had just dropped the bomb of “the Earth was not the center of the universe because it orbits the Sun and used it to challenge the Church’s authority. Torricelli did end up in hot water at times, but it usually wasn’t about his science.

Torricelli’s experiment used a glass tube filled with mercury inverted in another pool of mercury. When inverted, the weight of the mercury was pulled down by gravity and created an empty space at the top. It was the first attempt at showing air pressure or the “principle of the barometer” . He didn’t really do much else with it, although he did make some important advancements in calculus. Later, Blaise Pascal would do more experiments at different levels, ocean, mountains, and in between, to help advance the use of the barometer.

Yet another piece of nothingness that impacts our lives on a daily basis, even though it doesn’t exit. You don’t even have to understand it, just let it do its work.

Here is a short video to help explain the science.