expressions

As a country we love to talk about the weather—especially rain. Maybe that’s why there are so many rain-predicting sayings that have survived through the years.

A lot of lore is based on observations that precede a change in the weather in the next 24 to 48 hours, says David Phillips, a senior climatologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada. These include changes in humidity, barometric pressure, air temperature, wind direction and speed, and cloud cover (see “Do these old-timey cloud sayings really predict the weather?”). Sure, some sayings simply persist because they rhyme and they’re easy to remember. But others persist because they “have stood the test of time,” says Phillips. “Which usually means that there’s at least some truth to them.”

When dew is on the grass, rain won’t come to pass
Dew forms when there’s no cloud cover; no clouds = no rain.

When leaves turn on their back, ‘tis a sign it’s going to rain
Winds changing from westerly to easterly— which can bring rain— flip leaves over.

When the chairs squeak, it’s of rain they speak
High humidity causes wood to swell, and furniture gets noisy.

When boat horns sound hollow, rain will sure follow
The increased moisture in the air makes it denser, allowing sound to travel farther.

If cows are lying down, it’s going to rain
Animals seem to sense weather changes that we can’t, but cows lie down for many reasons.

Aching pain, coming rain
A change in barometric pressure can make joints ache, but stress or strain can also cause people to feel body pains.

Thunder curdles cream, lightning sours milk
Anecdotally, this used to happen, but now we have refrigeration, which negates changes in humidity or air temperature.

A ring around the sun or moon means rain (or snow) is coming soon
Cirrus clouds, which can come about 48 hours before a rain, pass in front of the sun or moon, bend its light, and create the illusion of a halo.

This story was originally published in the October 2021 issue of Cottage Life, as part of the package “Red sky at night, could be right.”

How well do you know the different types of clouds?

It has long been known that people who use Botox are unable to show their emotions on their face.

Now we learn that they have difficulty responding emotionally as well. A new study says that Botox can affect a woman’s ability to feel.

The MailOnline mentions that this reinforces the theory that facial expressions affect our mood. Thus, for example, a person is happier when she smiles. Botox smoothes out wrinkles but prevents the movement of certain muscles.

68 women participated in the research. Half received Botox and the other half Restylane (which does not affect facial muscles). None of the women knew which kind of treatment they received.

All the women were asked to watch short video clips before the treatment and their reactions were measured. They watched the same videos two to three weeks after receiving the injection. Those who had the Botox had a decreased reacted than before.

Researchers explain that anyone who has had Botox can react to a sad movie. However, since there is less facial muscle movement, the brain receives less information which reduces the strength of the reaction.