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Grandma Says (pb): Weather Lore From Meteorologist Cindy Day
Discover the meaning behind 80 weather-related sayings from one of Canada’s top meteorologists.
On Cindy Day’s grandmother’s farm, the weather wasn’t predicted with a computer or official forecast but by accumulated wisdom and careful observation. Cindy’s grandma was a constant prognosticator, making predictions about the weather that more often than not, proved correct!
Grandma Says is a collection of 80 weather-related sayings that Cindy recalls from her grandmother. Now CTV Atlantic’s meteorologist, Cindy explains the science behind this traditional weather lore, and over 40 accent illustrations complement the text.
On Cindy Day’s grandmother’s farm, the weather wasn’t predicted with a computer or official forecast but by accumulated wisdom and careful observation. Cindy’s grandma was a constant prognosticator, making predictions about the weather that more often than not, proved correct!
Grandma Says is a collection of 80 weather-related sayings that Cindy recalls from her grandmother. Now CTV Atlantic’s meteorologist, Cindy explains the science behind this traditional weather lore, and over 40 accent illustrations complement the text.
- GenresScienceNonfiction
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 7, 2014
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will go to the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada.
Wisdom comes with experience and observation, so it is said.
Weather prognosticating has been known as many things over the years, but in the modern world much of it’s mystery has diminished as we learn every detail.
Why then does weather still fascinate us so?
Is it because it affects every part of our lives? Seems likely.
But how did people forecast the weather before technology?
The same way they did with many things, observation, testing, and sharing of information. grandma2People noticed that a red sky at night meant that it was going to be fair weather the next day, but a red sky in the morning meant the opposite. They didn’t know it had to do with the sunlight (white light) being divided into all the colours of the spectrum as it goes through the atmosphere, then reflecting off water particles and vapour. They just knew that most times, it was true.
This book, Grandma Says by Canadian meteorologist Cindy Day caught my attention and kept it.
I love weather. It fascinates me.
So I plunged into this delightful and insightful book with glee. Inside are 80 weather-related treasures imparted by her Grandma, from the well-know to more obscure:
The turkey’s breastbone gives hints for the winter.
Mackerel sky, mackerel sky, never long wet, never long dry.
When it comes to the wind, East is the least.
Ring around the sun or moon, rain or snow upon us soon.
When a rooster goes crowing to bed, he will rise with a watery head.
And can you really find out how far away a thunderstorm is by counting?
Can you do with out a thermometer by counting cricket chirps?
Is the old adage, In like a lion, out like a lamb true?
What happens when you plant crops by the light of the moon?
Is a robin really a sign Springs has arrived?
Does sugar snow make sap grow?
If you step on a spider will it really make it rain and why?grandma4And what about that groundhog, does seeing his shadow really mean 6 more weeks of winter?
And do you need a cat to tell how many times it will snow each winter?
All these questions and more answered in this charming book. A good read for a good cause.
Wisdom comes with experience and observation, so it is said.
Weather prognosticating has been known as many things over the years, but in the modern world much of it’s mystery has diminished as we learn every detail.
Why then does weather still fascinate us so?
Is it because it affects every part of our lives? Seems likely.
But how did people forecast the weather before technology?
The same way they did with many things, observation, testing, and sharing of information. grandma2People noticed that a red sky at night meant that it was going to be fair weather the next day, but a red sky in the morning meant the opposite. They didn’t know it had to do with the sunlight (white light) being divided into all the colours of the spectrum as it goes through the atmosphere, then reflecting off water particles and vapour. They just knew that most times, it was true.
This book, Grandma Says by Canadian meteorologist Cindy Day caught my attention and kept it.
I love weather. It fascinates me.
So I plunged into this delightful and insightful book with glee. Inside are 80 weather-related treasures imparted by her Grandma, from the well-know to more obscure:
The turkey’s breastbone gives hints for the winter.
Mackerel sky, mackerel sky, never long wet, never long dry.
When it comes to the wind, East is the least.
Ring around the sun or moon, rain or snow upon us soon.
When a rooster goes crowing to bed, he will rise with a watery head.
And can you really find out how far away a thunderstorm is by counting?
Can you do with out a thermometer by counting cricket chirps?
Is the old adage, In like a lion, out like a lamb true?
What happens when you plant crops by the light of the moon?
Is a robin really a sign Springs has arrived?
Does sugar snow make sap grow?
If you step on a spider will it really make it rain and why?grandma4And what about that groundhog, does seeing his shadow really mean 6 more weeks of winter?
And do you need a cat to tell how many times it will snow each winter?
All these questions and more answered in this charming book. A good read for a good cause.
January 13, 2014
I was so excited to have the opportunity to read and review this little book. Besides the wonderful old sayings our grandparents and great-grandparents had about the weather, Cindy Day is a 25-year veteran of meteorology must recently seen on CTV.
Many of us have heard the saying "Red sky at night, Sailors delight; Red sky at morning, Sailors take warning" but the one my Grandma used to say, especially if we were on a car trip, was "If there's enough blue sky to mend a pair of Dutchman's breeches, the weather will be fine." Now, please take no offence to this, in Grandma's day the men and boys in Holland wore very wide-legged pants that came in at the ankle, hence if there were clouds in the sky but a big blue patch among them, the day would turn out fine. I was happy about seeing this one because I'd never heard anyone other than Grandma (and myself) say it!
This little treasure, divided by seasonal weather sayings, gives us the sayings of the past, but the added bonus is the meteorological science connecting the dots. We are given the how and why these sayings would come about and how true or not they were. I enjoyed this book tremendously, and now I know how so many of these weather 'wisdoms' came about, Groundhog's spring predictions aside, many are much more realistic. This is a remarkable opportunity to learn why these sayings were so often on the mark and what science tells us how they worked. For me, this was a happy trip down memory lane, but put it all together and it's a cohesive book of lore and science, which don't clash at all. A Globe and Mail year-end top 20 Bestseller. Recommended for any age.
Many of us have heard the saying "Red sky at night, Sailors delight; Red sky at morning, Sailors take warning" but the one my Grandma used to say, especially if we were on a car trip, was "If there's enough blue sky to mend a pair of Dutchman's breeches, the weather will be fine." Now, please take no offence to this, in Grandma's day the men and boys in Holland wore very wide-legged pants that came in at the ankle, hence if there were clouds in the sky but a big blue patch among them, the day would turn out fine. I was happy about seeing this one because I'd never heard anyone other than Grandma (and myself) say it!
This little treasure, divided by seasonal weather sayings, gives us the sayings of the past, but the added bonus is the meteorological science connecting the dots. We are given the how and why these sayings would come about and how true or not they were. I enjoyed this book tremendously, and now I know how so many of these weather 'wisdoms' came about, Groundhog's spring predictions aside, many are much more realistic. This is a remarkable opportunity to learn why these sayings were so often on the mark and what science tells us how they worked. For me, this was a happy trip down memory lane, but put it all together and it's a cohesive book of lore and science, which don't clash at all. A Globe and Mail year-end top 20 Bestseller. Recommended for any age.
January 23, 2022
The author grew up on a farm in Quebec with a Grandmother who predicted the weather based on years of careful observation of nature. Cindy Day went on to become a Meteorologist, and in this book has brought together many of her Grandmother's weather sayings to look at the science behind them. There are some we've all heard, like counting the seconds to see how far away the thunderstorm is and snow being the poor man's fertilizer, and many that were new to me: Flies bite before it rains; Rain before seven, fine by eleven; When ladybugs swarm, expect a day that's warm; Mackerel sky, mackerel sky, never long wet, never long dry; and many more. She explains the history behind them and looks at the science to see how valid they are. It turns out the older generations were pretty good forecasters long before they could turn on a tv to watch a weather report.
July 14, 2018
Good layout. Great information and explanation of the science behind the sayings.
September 3, 2026
Fun to learn a bunch of new weather sayings & whether they have any scientific basis or not.
August 2, 2021
This pretty little book, written by a meteorologist, is full of interesting weather lore. The author claims her grandma could predict the weather through wisely observing the signs of nature. In this book are eighty sayings and prognostications - very many of them proven to be true, others superstitions, some hit and miss. Fun illustrations all the way through.
I used this book for the52bookclub challenge, prompt #50 - "Re-do one of the 51 categories from this 2021 challenge", choosing prompt #29 - "featuring the environment."
I used this book for the52bookclub challenge, prompt #50 - "Re-do one of the 51 categories from this 2021 challenge", choosing prompt #29 - "featuring the environment."
December 26, 2012
It was a good book. A very informative book about sayings that Cindy Days grandmother said about weather.
February 16, 2013
A quick fun read on Weather Lore
April 28, 2014
I love the illustrations in this book (in fact that the main reason I bought it) I love the stories and anecdotes! I learned about the weather and loved reading it out loud to my kiddo!!!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews