Community Chat

[threecees]

Not sure about this one,

Step on a crack, break your mothers back.

As a kid, I always thought about that and was always careful walking

around on old sidewalks. 

Also the not opening an umbrella one always had me thinking and nervous too.

[RedTop]

A green Christmas, a white Easter; a warm October, a cold February were ones I heard from my farm grandpa, who planted everything by the farmers almanac.   

[blackhole99]

My Mother loved to sing and whistle, her Mother would tell her not to whistle because it makes the Blessed Mother cry. Can you imagine telling a kid that! My Grandmothers Mother must have pulled that on her, those old Germans were tough stuff.

[Jackhound Mom]

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@happycat wrote:

@Jackhound Mom , did your mom can things by the farmers almanac? I'm not even sure the almanac has when to can veggies in it, but I know both my grandparents and my dh's grandparents planted the garden stuff according the almanac and they seemed to have better luck than my dh and I ever did.

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@happycat  Great question but I'm sorry to say I don't know.  I just remember one whole batch of tomatoes the lids all popped up and that's what she blamed it on.

[lovesrecess]

Now they call them “urban legends”

[lovesrecess]

Tart cherries cure the gout

[RedTop]

@Jackhound Mom, @happycat ,

The old wives tale was that women absolutely did not do any gardening, canning, or pickling when they were on their period.   The chemical changes during menstruation were believed to kill plants and vines that were touched in the garden, as well as spoil the processing of all canned food. 

I grew up knowing this, and seeing it practiced by every female in my family.   My mother never wavered from this belief, which introduced me to canning and pickling pretty early in my life.  I am quite familiar with skimming the brine off pickles and kraut fermenting in the crocks.  The first thing I ever canned was tomatoes; they couldn’t wait, and Mom couldn’t touch them.   She washed jars and then talked me thru the process of packing and sealing the jars, but she handled the canner.  

Canning at certain times of the month was strictly adhered to by the women in my family.   

[Jackhound Mom]

This might just be a tip.  Parsley gives you great breath.

[candys mine]

@SilleeMee  I Never did understand that one til my Grand Dad explained it. A red sky meant a storm was building.   It was the sailors delight because they were safe in Port at night. They needed to take warning in the morning because they were usually setting sail.   He pointed it out one evening when the sun was setting an unusually dark red. 

I told a friend of mine one evening when that dark sun was setting it was going to rain even though the weather reports said nothing about rain.  She went out later and took her umbrella. She was the only one NOT caught out in the rain.  So, yup, I believe that one.