From Commander Zero:
"The notion that you can forecast how severe a winter will be seems akin to telling the future by squeezing the goat’s scrotum or something."
Er . . . well . . . yes, quite! I've never tried that particular method of forecasting, but our neighbor keeps goats . . .
Peter
No goat scrotum here, but our horses haired over early and heavier than usual, and the geese and buzzards flocked up early and left early. I listen to them. They're never wrong. Extra fodder in barn, expecting hard winter.
ReplyDeleteIf you grab a goat scrotum I forecast 98% chance of headache due to getting kicked in the head.
ReplyDeleteDo you remember the Future Farmers of America? I joined that group in my freshman year of High School - around 1964 or so - and was told that the final exam would include castrating sheep - by biting off their testicles.
ReplyDeleteCall me a coward, but I un-joined that organization before the final exam.
But...but... when these weather people forecast a harsher winter, it's Science! (tm) They're using computer models and everyone knows computers are never wrong. Science denier! Squeezing a goat scrotum... sheesh.
ReplyDeleteYet over decades and centuries farmers and others have shown reliable ability in accurately forcasting wet/dry, cold/cool winters.
ReplyDeleteI had a big,long haired dog. Watching how much he shed and how his coat came back allowed me to have a dependable idea about the coming winter. Worked every time.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about goats, but there is supposedly a caterpillar that gets fuzzier before a bad winter.
ReplyDeleteI put more faith in Jen's comment, frankly.
You all be safe and God bless.
Chicken entrails - that's where it's at :)
ReplyDeleteThe geese! Yup, they're already clogging all the roads leading down t' Florida n' y' kin hear their honking down here from all the way up in the Carolinas.
ReplyDeleteNothing to do with the forecasting of weather, but an interesting way to tell time.
ReplyDeleteA group of city folk were at a farm doing a tour.
A couple girls were in the barn where an old gentleman of Mexican ancestry was working while sitting on a stool by a stall containing a large donkey.
One asked the other, “Do you know what time it is?”.
The second replied that she didn’t wear a watch that day.
They turned to the old gentleman and asked, “Sir, do you know what time it is?”.
The old gent reached out and lifted the donkey’s scrotum and replied, “Si Senorita, it’s 12:45.”.
The girls were amazed.
At lunch, they mentioned the seemingly magical feat to some of their fellow city folk visitors.
Of course, a couple of the guys immediately cast doubt on this unscientific method of telling the time.
After lunch the four of them went back to the barn and observed the old gent still sitting on the stool by the donkey.
“Sir,” began one of the girls, “could you please show our friends how you can tell time?”.
“Si Senorita”, he said as he reached out and again lifted the donkey’s sack.
“It’s 1:25”, he said, lowering the donkey’s parts gently.
“Amazing!”, exclaimed one of the guys, “He’s exactly right!”.
The second girl squatted down by the old guy and asked “Sir? Can you show me how you do that?”.
“Si Senorita,” he replied.
“You take the donkey’s escroto like theese you see,
Then you get very low and look at the escroto,
Then you lift very gently like these,
And now you can see the clock on the wall over there?”.
whatever scroats your goat...
ReplyDeleteCZ can entertaining at times for sure...
ReplyDeleteYou go right ahead with that...I'll be over here watching...
ReplyDeleteI might be inclined to prophesy if an attractive young lady is willing to gently squeeze it. I don't guarantee results. However, it's worth a try. If you want to hear pleasant results, it is better if her hands are warm...
ReplyDeleteThe easiest and most accurate (50-50 or so, depending on where you live) method I've found for weather prognosticating is 'The Old Farmers Almanac.' Hints, Tips, Recipes, and lots of interesting trivia type stuff WITHOUT the need to handle farm animal scrota.
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