Cold, breezy, more weather folk lore and How to make Chocolate Syrup

Good morning Augusta

This morning we have a mix of clouds and sun with a high of 28ºF. Winds from the WNW at 10 to 20 mph.

Tonight we’ll have some clouds that will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. The low will be 13ºF with WNW winds at 10 to 15 mph.

The readings from my weather instruments in the North field are:

Humidity is 61%, the dew point is 15ºF, outside it’s -3.0ºC and 26.5ºF.

The wind direction is South Southwest between 6.5 MPH and  10.3 MPH, generating a wind chill of 16.5ºF.

The Barometric pressure is 29.83 / HPA 1010.1 and falling with a weather graphic indicating clouds.

The UV rating is 0.0 out of 16, Sunrise is at 7:03 a.m. Sunset is 3:59 P.M. Moon rise is at 1:22 p.m., Moon set is 1:20 p.m. and the moon phase is waxing crescent.  

The RAW METAR reading from the airport in Augusta, Maine is:

METAR KAUG 091053Z AUTO 27009G16KT 10SM SCT042 SCT050 M03/M09 A2975 RMK AO2 SLP078 T10281094

Visibility is 10.0 miles / 16.1 Kilometers with scattered Clouds to 4,200 ft / 1,280 m., and another layer of scattered clouds 5,000 ft / 1,524 m.

We didn’t receive any new snowfall here over the past 24 hours.

Below is another Farmer’s almanac article and my wife’s personal recipe on how to make your own batch of chocolate syrup.

First, the Farmer’s Almanac article:

Although weather lore exists for every part of the year, and for nearly every type of weather phenomenon, much of the body of traditional lore surrounds snow. How do you know how much snow we’re going to get this year? How long will the snow stay on the ground once it arrives? Does a snowy year mean anything for the coming growing season?

Because of snow’s starring role in the lore or yore, many of the old weather sayings that have come down to us through the years are about December, the month when many of us expect to see the first snows of the year, and Christmas, the one day many of us hope to see snow, even if we don’t want it on any other day of the year. Here’s a look at a small sampling of the weather lore surrounding the month of December in general, and Christmas in particular:

·         On St. Thomas’s Day (December 21) the winter takes its full power.

·         When Christmas Eve is clear, our Lord will give us an abundance of wine and corn.

·         White Christmas, green Easter. Green Christmas, white Easter.

·         If December is rainy, mild and unsettled, the winter will not be harsh.

·         If December is cold and the earth is covered with snow, next year’s rye will be in abundance.

·         If there’s thunder during Christmas week, the winter will be anything but meek.

·         The nearer the New Moon to Christmas Day, the harder the winter.

·         If Christmas day be bright and clear, there’ll be two winters in the year.

·         A green Christmas brings a heavy harvest.

·         A green Christmas makes a fat churchyard.

·         So many hours of sun on Christmas Day, so many frosts in the month of May.

·         If the sun shines through an apple tree on Christmas, there will be an abundant crop of apples in the coming year.

·         If it rains on Christmas, there will be four weeks with no sun.

·         The wind at the end of Midnight Mass will be the dominant wind in the coming year.

·         A windy Christmas is a sign of a good year to come.

·         If there is much wind on Christmas Day, trees will bear much fruit.

·         If the wind grows stormy before sunset on Christmas, expect sickness in the coming spring and autumn.

·         If it snows on Christmas night, there will be a good crop of hops next year.

·         If at Christmas, ice hangs on the willow, then clover may be cut at Easter.

·         Light Christmas, light wheatsheaf; Dark Christmas, heavy wheatsheaf.

·         A bright Christmas foretells that hens will lay well.

·         A dark Christmas foretells that cows will give much milk.

·         If St. Lucy’s day be bright, Christmas day will be dark with snow;
but if the snow falls on St. Lucy, Christmas will be clear and sunny.

·         If ice will bear a man at Christmas, it will not bear a mouse afterward.

And for use on desserts:

HOME-MADE CHOCOLATE SYRUP (beats Hershey’s any day!)

1 cup strained unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cups cold water (or cold black coffee)

2 cups granulated sugar

¼ tsp. salt

1 ½ tsp. vanilla

In a heavy 2-quart saucepan off the heat, stir with a wire whisk the cocoa and water (or coffee) until smooth.  Place over moderate heat, change to a rubber spatula, and stir, scraping the bottom constantly until the mixture comes to a low boil.  Add the sugar and salt and stir until dissolved.  Bring to a low boil again and let simmer slowly for 3 minutes.  Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.  Stir in the vanilla.

Store in airtight jars in the refrigerator.