Living Folklore

Yesterday when I pulled a fork from the spooner, a spoon dropped out on the floor.

One of my dozen or so actual spooners. These were part of "table sets" that included sugar, creamer, butter dish and spooner. This one is by Cambridge Glass, made before 1906 (no. 2579). Almost all pattern glass has either a pattern name or a number. 

I should clarify--we use an antique sugar bowl that's missing its lid on the table to hold silverware. The old sugar bowls were larger than you might think because sugar used to come in lumps, not granulated like today. So this bowl is large enough to hold 8 each of forks, spoons and knives.

Now, according to folklore, dropping a spoon means money is coming your way. A good sign! And since I had a storytelling performance last night, I knew that it was indeed true.

My left palm was itchy later in the day, which means I'll be spending money, so I rubbed it on oak in an attempt to cancel out the bad omen. Why take chances?

At Spencer, where I was presenting, I was talking with a friend when I realized that I had my top on backwards. It's one of those that looks the same either side, but the neck felt funny, and when I felt inside the neck, there was the tag. I went to the ladies' room to turn it around, an easy fix.

But wearing clothes inside out or wrong way round also means money coming your way. So, was this just predicting what I already knew, or is there more money in my future (I hope)?

We had a severe storm the other day that tore branches out of trees, like this one in my garden.

The weather has been difficult and conflicted as far as folklore goes: last night the sun set with a pinkish glow, a hopeful sign because that means no rain, right? And yet it rained overnight. Today is supposed to be clear after morning fog, and as most folklorists know, if the morning is foggy there will be no rain that day.

Can we trust it? Our gardens surely need a chance to dry out, and the farmers need the hay they cut--because we were supposed to have three dry days last week, but only had a day and a half before the rains came back--to dry out too. Many may have lost this first cutting to the rain; others who waited to cut are probably anxious to get the first cut down. It's June 1, and most farmers around here try to have the first cutting in the barn before June.

At any rate, be sure to say "rabbit, rabbit, rabbit" this morning to bring good luck your way this coming month!

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.