b'TRAILS REPORTBy Matt Tetreault, VAST Trails AdministratorVERMONT WINTERBushs Baked Beans family recipe.)WEATHERLORE Many of us reference the predictions outlined in this publication each year, Growing up, especially in a small town,the moment it hits the shelves.But is we all remember a local characterthere a better way to know how the that everyone knew, and probablywinter will turn out?remembers well.I say this becauseYes, there certainly is, as any old timer there are not many of them leftwill tell you.You will not need to anymore, which is a sad fact, to discusslook any further than the trees, bushes another time.Some in town wouldThose of us who are familiar withand animals that litter the landscape refer to these people as a little crazy forThe Old Farmers Almanac recognizearound us.For many, the first sign of Coco Puffs! To some they were knownthis publication as one of the mosta hard winter ahead is a bumper crop as the local storytellers, the jack of allnotable weather predictors around. of food. Pretty much any food source trades-masters of none, as the sayingFirst published in 1792, by Robert B.will do, as Mother Nature specifically goes.Among the many topics theseThomas, The Old Farmers Almanacproduces more apples, nuts, berries sorts of people knew all about, weatherhas never missed a year of printetc. to fatten up her animals to enable was at the top of their list.They werethrough multiple wars and the greatthem to survive the cold temperatures always darn sure about the weatherdepression. A secret formula developedand heavy snows ahead. This train of that was ahead for the winter, or whichby Thomas supposedly providesthought easily transfers into some of way the rain would come from thatweather accuracy an astounding 80%the other weatherlore we have all heard afternoon. The old red sky at nightof the time!Is weatherlore behindover the years. Many deer hunters will sailors delight, red sky in morning,this secret formula?We will nevertell you that extra fat on a deer, or a fat sailors take warning kind of person!know because the secret formula is stillskunk seen in the woods, is a sure sign You know the type I am talking about?locked away in an undisclosed locationof a hard winter ahead. This makes Very persuasive about their opinion onat the Almanac offices in Dublin, NHfor some good story telling, and some the matter and absolutely knew whatfor safe keeping (right next to theof it might be true, but my bet is that they were saying was going to happen, no ifs, ands, or buts about it! No need to let the meteorologist who spent four or more years studying weather, using expensive gadgetry and years of historical data to create patterns, tell you what the weather was going to be. Just look around ya they would say. Let nature clue ya in as to what shes a-doin. As off their rocker as we all thought they were, oddly, they were often correct in their predictions.In most instances, weatherlore is the basis of this infinite wisdom.Weatherlore is defined as accumulated proverbs and superstitions relative to weather, especially in its relation to man, animals, the stars, the moon, and plants. It also has multiple spellings. Since all these natural items vary fromWalts Salesregion to region, so does weatherlore. The shapes inside a persimmon seed& Servicefrom an Ozark tree in the south, a foggy morning in August here in the northeast, tight or thick husks on cornWhere Service is Part of our Namein the mid-west, variations in the size and colorations of the stripes on(802) 766-5583 a racoons tail, or something much1972 US Route 5, Derby, VTsimpler and likely unrelated to weather, create the tales that make up the DNAwaltsvt.comof weatherlore across the country.Late Winter 2021 | 11'