This morning, I woke to the most beautiful sunrise over my husband's family barn, built circa 1800. My son asked, "why is the sky so red?" My immediate, natural response was, "we are going to get some rain or snow later today."
The Pennsylvania Dutch have long looked to nature to predict the weather. Such attunement to our environment is beneficial for farming, powwowing, community tasks, family outings, and other business-related endeavors. I trust the mantra I grew up with, "Red sky at night, a sailor's delight; red sky in the morning, a sailor's warning," more than I trust the local weatherman, or any fancy weather app on my phone.
I did not look at the weather forecast for the day, but judging from the dropping temperatures and the red fire rising in the morning sky, I felt as though snow was coming; and so it did. Our first snowfall of the season. The first picture featured here, I took this morning before 6:30 AM. The second picture I took of myself this afternoon at 4:30 PM as I walked home from the Farmer's Market across from my house after I picked up a few items for dinner, and this yummy pumpkin pie for dessert.
As a person of Pennsylvania Dutch lineage, and a Braucher, who grew up in Central Pennsylvania, immersed in the culture, and with a true connection to nature, I can't imagine living a life any less connected to God, the cycles of the earth, and the many ways He communicates with us through His creations.
To learn more about Pennsylvania Dutch divination techniques such as weather predictions, check out my book, "Earth Below, Heaven Above, God Everywhere; The Lifestyle of a Pennsylvania Dutch Powwow, Past & Present," available now on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Earth-Below-Heaven-Above-Everywhere/dp/B0BJYGB4L6/ref=sr_1_1?crid=Z129PC69KKJO&keywords=gretchen+swank&qid=1668560096&sprefix=gretchen+swank%2Caps%2C174&sr=8-1
by Gretchen Swank; written Tuesday, November 15, 2022
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