If the twenty-fourth of August
be fair and clear,
then hope for a prosperous autumn that year.
The English proverb is one that people of old times trusted for a look ahead at weather and fortunes to come. But what about this year's Aug. 24? What will the fourth Wednesday of August tell about the fall season that arrives on Sept. 22?
Here could be a telling omen: Aug. 24 is apt to be a poor time to go fishing, according to the Farmer's Almanac. Common belief is that fish bite the most just ahead of a storm. Fish that won't bite portend that Aug. 24 will be fair and clear -- a bright day of good casting for positive proverbs.
Untangle the line, and it seems things look good for a prosperous autumn.
But Aug. 24 has a record of being a bummer. The British burned the White House on Aug. 24, 1814; and Aug. 24 is Vesuvius Day, remembering the volcano that buried the ancient city of Pompeii in 79 A.D.
Only one forecast is safe to say about the season to come: Fall is better than August -- unless Pinnacle Mountain erupts.
-- Ron Wolfe
Style on 08/09/2016