Winter doesn’t officially start until very early, the morning on Dec. 22 but we had our dress rehearsal yesterday.
I love winter, but I know not everyone shares my enthusiasm for the frozen season. With fingers crossed – and perhaps in an effort to soften the blow – people have been asking me what Grandma has to say about the upcoming winter. Well, thanks to you and your photo contributions, I can check out some of Grandma’s favourite fall signs for winter forecasting.
Last month I told you about the turkey breast forecast. Did you think to have a look before it went from the soup pot to the compost? Well, Shelly DeViller did and she sent along this photo of a local homegrown turkey from North River, N.S. “… as for the colour, it appears to be dark on the top. Let me know your prediction on this bird.”
As far as I can tell, the breastbone seems to be dark and mottled. According to Grandma, if the breastbone is mottled, darkish or has a blue tint, the winter will be severe. A plain, white bone points to a mild winter and purple tips are a sure sign of a cold spring. Mottled it is!
This lovely photo came in from Terry Amos of Blissfiel, N.B. He tells me the trees are heavy with apples this fall.
Grandma Says: If fruit and nut trees are heavily laden, late in the season, we should expect a bad winter. Yikes…
We can’t forget about our beloved woolly bear caterpillar. Carl Collins came across this fuzzy fella in Hampton, N.B.
According to our ancestors, the longer the woolly bear’s black bands, the longer, colder and snowier the winter will be. Similarly, the wider the middle brown/rust band, the milder the upcoming spring.
Last but not least, Grandma’s favourite was the wasp’s nest: The higher the nest, the more snow.
Look up, wayyyyy up. Sally Forbes from Clifton, N.S., submitted this photo that makes me want to rush out and buy a snowblower.
Well, the wasps, the turkey and the fruit trees all seem to point to a snowy winter. I think most of you will be cheering on our fuzzy friend, the woolly bear caterpillar.
Read more from Grandma Says here.
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Cindy Day is the chief meteorologist for SaltWire Network.
