"Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky in morning, sailor’s warning"

At one time in the world that adage was an aid to memory for sailors and those people who lined the coasts of the old world. Sailors, back in the day, knew that red skies in the morning meant that the water content in the atmosphere was high, reflecting the sun's rays. Rain and possibly a storm was on its way. Folklore bound up the wisdom of the world. Much of that folklore remains today but we are forgetting the wisdom behind it.

My mother has this type of wisdom inside of her. I keep trying to convince her that she should write it down. However, she is ESL and still shy about her skill as a speller, so I doubt she has gotten around to it. I will have to keep after her.

My mother was the youngest of 5 girls with only one brother. She was, therefore, expected to help on the farm as well as in the house. This life granted her a thorough schooling in cultivation/harvesting/animal husbandery/gardening/etc in addition to old-world hand skills such as sewing, knitting and needlework. Even her own sisters call her "Mother Nature". Those of you who have sampled the fruits of her harvest will agree she must be some sort of botanical witch.

Unfortunately, much "old world" knowledge is just that...old, nearly obsolete. Who needs to know which plant's tea will help ease a headache or how to card and skein raw wool in this age of synthesized medications and South Asian sweat shops?

I think we do. This type of information is not required but somehow it is still necessary.

I'm not suggesting we all become neo-luddites. Don't start burying school buses full of survival rations just yet. All I am saying is that when embodied, lived understanding of how the earth works is lost, the world is going to seem colder. My mom is a warm, cozy spot away from the draftiness of life.

Happy Mother's Day Momma. xox