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| George 'Buster' Singleton |
(For decades, local historian and paranormal investigator
George “Buster” Singleton published a weekly newspaper column called “Somewhere
in Time.” The column below, which was titled “Signs of the seasons: Are they
still important?,” was originally published in the Feb. 23, 1995 edition of The
Monroe Journal in Monroeville, Ala.)
Almost every day, I am amazed at how little our society has
remembered certain rules and practices that brought use through the lean, rough
times of the Civil War and the days of the Great Depression.
Today, we rely on our computers and televisions for
decisions that used to be made by reading the signs and signals put here by the
Almighty for man to live and govern our everyday lives by.
For example, this past Friday, the 17th day of February, was
a hectic day as far as the local weather was concerned; at 8:30 a.m., it
thundered. And as the clouds gathered overhead for the downpour that was to
follow, this old saying came to mind. I assumed that everyone in the South knew
the saying that if it thundered during the month of February, on that same day
in the coming month of April, there would be a heavy frost.
I won’t call any names, but as we sat in a local coffee shop
this past Friday discussing the weather. I casually mentioned this old
prediction. Several in the group stared at me wide-eyed and in total disbelief.
None of this group of middle-aged men had ever heard this, although most had
grown up on a country farm just as I had.
Predicting the weather
Upon seeing that this group had a lot to learn about
predicting the weather and the observance of the many other signs, I decided to
kinda test their knowledge.
None had any knowledge of the old home remedies practiced
among the country families during the past decades. None knew that red oak bark
tea was good in the prevention of boils and skin soils. They had never heard
that a spoonful of apple cider vinegar mixed in a glass of water and taken once
a day was good for what ails you.
They had no idea that this same apple cider vinegar when
applied was good for blistered skin and sunburn and poison ivy. All stared in
disbelief when told that wet tobacco was a good cure for wasp and bee stings.
And that the severed head of a poisonous snake when placed on a snake bite
would draw all the poisonous venom from the wound of the victim.
I couldn’t believe that these men before me, who said that
they all grew up on a farm, didn’t know to never plant a crop during the time
of a full moon. None knew that only during certain times of the moon should
anyone butcher their hogs for meat. And, that under certain signs of the moon,
more lard or grease would come from the hog meat than at other times.
Not enough dirt
Not one in the group knew that at certain times of the moon,
you could dig a hole in the ground and the same dirt when placed back in the
hole would not fill it up. And, during other times of the moon, a hole could be
dug. When this same dirt was returned to fill the hole, there would be an
excess amount of dirt; there would always be some left over after the hole was
filled.
I found it amusing that none had ever heard that a horse or
mule colt born during the month of May had a greater desire to be around water
than those born during the other months of the year.
I remember my father telling me this when I was given a
young horse for a present. I was told to be careful when I was crossing a
stream on my horse because he was a May colt and he just might lay down in the
cool waters. Much to my surprise, my horse did just that. One Sunday afternoon,
on my way to visit a friend, I stopped at a stream to let my horse drink. Much
to my surprise, my pride and joy calmly lay down in the cool waters with total
disregard of me, my good clothes and my newly acquired army saddle that had been
ordered from Sears Roebuck & Co.
In looking back to the days of my early youth, I realize
that I was more fortunate than many, due to the fact that that my darling
grandmother took the time to explain and point out the many signs and
predictions that might aide in my existence.
I remember sitting wide-eyed by the fireplace and listening
to the stories passed on to her young grandson by this tall, dark-haired woman.
I know what it is like to drink hot sassafras tea while sitting around a
glowing fire on a crisp, cold winter morning. Drinking the hot tea was the
remedy to clean and purify your blood for the coming spring. This was always a
must during the closing days of February. This tea would be made from dried
sassafras roots gathered during the past fall months.
I remember hearing the stories of how the wood smoke from
the chimney or a campfire reacts due to the changes of the moon. On certain
phases of the moon, the smoke will rise upward, slowly in a straight line.
Then, at other times, the smoke will twist upward in a corkscrew fashion after
leaving the chimney or fire.
The elderly people of the farm community placed a lot of
emphasis on the signs for the coming spring. They put a lot of faith in the
observance of these predicting signs for the coming seasons.
No home was without a current copy of the almanac. These
always came from the Raleigh or Watkins salesmen or The Ladies Birthday
Almanac. Black Draught, Cardui and various salves and flavors were always
advertised on the front of the almanac. These almanacs first appeared around
the year 1806, but the signs of the heavens have been observed since man first
appeared on this earth.
An almanac was more important in a country home than the
Sears Roebuck catalog. By referring to this important book, you always knew the
exact changes of the moon; the time of the full moon, and also the exact time
of the sunrise on a given day or the time of the sunset.
This didn’t matter that much to the people; they always got
up at sunrise and went to bed shortly after dark. But having access to this
information was nice to have around just in case you needed it.
With the coming of this next month, the Ides of March will
be upon us. Much emphasis has been placed on this month during man’s history.
On the 21st, the vernal equinox will appear. This is the time when the sun
rises directly in the east and sets directly in the west. So, the length of the
day is exactly the same as the length of the night.
During this month, many plants and animals come to life
again. There are many superstitions about the month of March. We sometimes hear
that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. But, one thing for
sure, March is the time when the beauty of the coming spring first appears on
the scene.
This verse might say it better:
And the Spring arose on the garden fair,
Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;
And each flower and herb on Earth’s dark breast,
Rose from the dreams of its wintry rest.
(Singleton, the author of the 1991 book “Of Foxfire and
Phantom Soldiers,” passed away at the age of 79 on July 19, 2007. A longtime
resident of Monroeville, he was born on Dec. 14, 1927 in Marengo County. He is
buried in Pineville Cemetery in Monroeville. The column above and all of
Singleton’s other columns are available to the public through the microfilm
records at the Monroe County Public Library in Monroeville. Singleton’s columns
are presented here each week for research and scholarship purposes and as part
of an effort to keep his work and memory alive.)
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