Rain, Rain, Go Away...

Several conversations with co-workers and neighbors lately have led them to think I studied meteorology in college, but I didn't. I learned from my grandfather some common sense things that "predict" rain. He passed on to me what he learned because I grew up hunting, camping, and working outside a lot. The key point is that you have to look around at the big picture. Look at the sky, trees, and watch nature's animals...they will all indicate that something is "in the air" and coming your way. So, I thought I'd share some things that I've been working with my son on understanding. I would be remiss as a father if I didn't pass on to him some very basic concepts about life and what happens all around you.

In looking at the sky, here are a couple of points to look for, and some of the analogies that still apply:

Rain on the horizon...

• Thin and wispy clouds, up where the planes fly, mean it will be dry.
• Flat bottomed and rounded top clouds in the morning or early afternoon hint at wetness in your near future.
• When the clouds are growing like the cauliflower in your garden, you will be steamed before they are. Meaning that something is going on inside the clouds that will impact you. Especially if they go grey.
• Spying a rainbow in the morning may lead you to the gold, but you will be wet when you find it. Because, a rainbow in the morning means that the storm is west of us, and most storms in the U.S. move from the west to the east.
• If the moon is engaged, so will be you. Meaning that if there is a ring around the moon, the fronts are shifting and reflecting light differently due to the moisture content of the air.
• Red at night, sailor's delight...red in the morning, sailor's warning. Since storms tend to travel from the west to east, a red sky at night indicates that fair weather is heading our way, in the morning, it indicates that dry air has already passed over and wetness may be on the way.

Okay, so now you have looked up at the clouds that bring the rain. NOW look around at a tree. We hate when they turn brown and fall on the lawn to rake up, but from the spring through summer, they are better indicators than the local news to SHOW us the weather. There is only one phrase that my grandfather passed on that can be shared about the leaves of a maple, poplar or other deciduous tree/shrub:

Leaf showing her bloomer...

• When they show their bloomers, expect them to be washed. Meaning, the leaves are all "dancing in the wind," to show the lighter colored bottom side, they are reacting to the barometric pressure and temperature are acting, which means different weather fronts are impacting each other. When that happens, rain is on the way. This is one of the KEY indicators if you don't happen to look up or around. Leaves are a huge sign about what is going on around you. Open your eyes.

You've looked up and maybe glanced around. But have you SEEN the animals around you? Here are some things you can observe by watching how they interact with the senses they have:

Howling...

• If dogs eat grass, cats purr & wash their paws, they are preparing for rain.
• When sheep and cows herd up and turn their noses into the wind, they can smell it coming.
• If a bull leads the cows to fields, it will be dry, when the cows coax the bull, he needs teased.
• Cows laying in a field says they want dry bellies because a shower is coming.
• Bats flying overhead in the evening means that they can fly all night in a dry sky.
• When a horse sniffs the air and shudders, water will come from above.
• Wolves always howl more before a storm.

Bottom line, pay attention to what nature shows you. It indicates what is coming better than sonar, radar, storm watch, etc. You never know when you might need to be in touch with the earth, regardless of what you are doing....

Summer and the Flag

As May progresses rapidly towards Memorial Day and the Fourth of July celebrations, I've seen a lot of flag decorations appearing in honor of those days. I had a conversation with my teenage son about what he has learned about the US flag. "They've never talked about it in school." That floored me. I promptly scooted his chair next to my laptop, and began guiding him to understand the flag. I recommend USFlag.org (United States Title 36 Chapter 10 codes), Wikipedia,  and Flags On Cars (if you want a more basic explanation) about respecting the flag. Most people today have LOST their respect for the flag because the history of it isn't taught much.

The discussion with my son reminded me of what I learned about our flag when I was in elementary school, Boy Scouts, my grandfather, and when I had it on my right shoulder. The reason I started guiding him to learn something was because I was getting frustrated with the way a lot of people display the stars and stripes.

When I was young, we were always taught how to display a flag. Always with the union (blue field) to the upper left of the OBSERVER of the flag when horizontal, upper left when vertical. My suggestion? If you are going to hang a flag in the front window of your house, go outside and look at it from the view of people that go past it. Hang it the right way. Might be reversed if you look at it from inside your house, but it is more respectful to hang it the way MORE people see it.

So, why does the Army use a reversed patch on the right shoulder? Part of the respect is because the union is always supposed to be moving forward. This concept stems from when the US flag first appeared with the cavalry attached it to a pole and had a flag bearer to carry it into battle, even in a windstorm. A modern understanding of that is to look where and how the flags are affixed to diplomatic vehicles while driving. As it passes you, the flag on the fender of the passenger sides shows it. This is also in the code mentioned above. Seeing stickers on the passenger side of cars and semis that aren't reversed, has bugged me a lot. Is a little bit of disrespect.

Okay, on another note. I did learn something as an adult because I didn't pay attention in class when I was young. Many roller derby refs have the flag patch on their uniform, as did I for a week before it was ripped off by a random Velcro event with a skater. As I was reading the two websites listed above, I "learned" that:

No part of the flag should be used as an element of a costume or athletic uniform.

Okay, that made me feel guilty, because a lot of referees in derby have a sticker on their helmets or patches on their shirts. I'm not sure if it "applies" to refs (I can't confirm it), but because I view it as an athletic uniform, I will not be putting a patch on my shoulder again, and have peeled the sticker from my helmet.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all about supporting the US and the flag that represents it, but it is my responsibility to be respectful. My final suggestion? Check out the websites above, and nudge others to learn maybe just a little more about the flag.