Have you wondered about the saying “in like a lion and out like a lamb”? After our unusually cold winter, we are more than ready for spring melting. But can the weather on March 1 predict the weather at the end of the month?
March “comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb” means that the weather is very cold at the beginning part of the month of March but the weather is warmer at the end of the month. That make sense but March weather is highly unpredictable. According to the Farmers’ Almanac, March weather folklore stems from ancestral beliefs in balance, meaning if the weather at the start of March was bad (roaring, like a roaring lion), the month should end with good
weather (gentle, like a lamb).
The Paris Review website discussed the origins of the lion/lamb saying. Some say it’s written in the stars. At this time of year, Leo is the rising sign; by April, it’s Aries. (The sign for aries is a goat but lambs make a better alliterative saying.)
One of the earliest citations is in Thomas Fuller’s 1732 compendium, Gnomologia: Adagies and Proverbs; Wise Sentences and Witty Sayings, Ancient and Modern, Foreign and British. The authors give the wording as “Comes in like a Lion, goes out like a Lamb.”
Besides being cold, we have seen a huge accumulation of snow this winter. According to Environment Canada, on March 4, Prince Albert had 54 cm of accumulated snow on the ground, but it has diminished since then due to sun, wind and rain. By comparison, on March 19, 1956, there was 71 cm accumulation … a winter with record snowfall.
While you are waiting for the snow to melt, test yourself on these Canadian cold facts gleaned from the Canadian Geographic website:

1. Which is colder, Russia or Canada?
2. What is the lowest temperature recorded in North America?
3. Canada is deadly cold. More Canadians die each year from exposure to extreme cold temperatures than from other natural events, according to Statistics Canada. How many die from the cold?
4. What was the greatest single-day snowfall recorded in Canada?
5. Which is Canada’s coldest city?
   ANSWERS:
6. Canada is pretty cool, but it ties with Russia with an average daily annual temperature of -5.6ºC.
7. The village of Snag, Yukon, registered -63ºC on Feb. 3, 1947.
8. An average of 108 people die annually from the cold, while only 17 succumb to
   other nature-related events.
9. On Feb.11, 1999, Tahtsa, B.C., was blanketed with nearly a metre and a half of the white stuff (145 cm). That broke a record of 118.1 cm of snow that fell on Lakelse Lake, B.C., on Jan. 17, 1974.
   The world record of 192 cm was set at Silver Lake, Colorado, on April 15, 1921.
10. As so often happens, Saskatoon and Regina, are tied with -50ºC recorded on Feb. 1, 1893, and Jan. 1, 1885, respectively.
    There’s a saying in Canada that if you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes. Never could that have been more true than in Pincher Creek, Alta., where Canada’s most extreme temperature change was recorded. The mercury soared from -19ºC to 22ºC in just one hour

On this day in 1975, the beaver became an official symbol of Canada. The Act to provide for the recognition of the beaver (Castor canadensis) as a symbol of the sovereignty of Canada received Royal Assent on March 24, 1975.
The beaver, or rather its luxurious fur, was a primary motive for the colonization of Canada. In the late 1600s and early 1700s, felted-fur hats became the fashion must-have for European men. The King of France looked to North America for beaver pelts, establishing a thriving fur trade. England granted The Hudson’s Bay Company with the rights to the fur trade in much of what would become northern and western Canada. There were an estimated six million beavers in Canada before the start of the fur trade. By the mid-19th century the beavers were trapped out in many areas. During the peak of the fur trade, 100,000 pelts were being shipped to Europe each year, where they sold for 20 times the purchase price. The beaver was saved from extinction by another change in fashion … the introduction of the silk top hat at the end of the 1830s.
Around the world, the red maple leaf, proudly displayed on our flag, is one of the most popular symbols of Canada. The maple leaf has been an unofficial emblem of Canada since before confederation but it wasn’t until our maple leaf flag took effect February 15, 1965 that the maple leaf became official.
In 1860, the maple leaf was incorporated into the badge of the 100th Regiment (Royal Canadians) and was used extensively in decorations for the visit of the Prince of Wales that year.
Alexander Muir wrote The Maple Leaf Forever as Canada’s confederation song in 1867. The coats of arms created the next year for Ontario and Quebec both included the maple leaf. The maple leaf appeared on the penny. Still, according to the Government of Canada website, the maple leaf by itself, is not an official symbol of Canada. The maple tree, however was proclaimed Canada’s arboreal emblem in 1996.
Some might think that the moose, the Canada goose or the Common loon might be symbols of Canada, but they are not official symbols. We do however have a national horse. While the Canadian horse was declared by Parliament to be Canada’s national breed in 1909, it was not until May 2002 that it was recognized as the national horse of Canada by Act of Parliament.
The Gray jay,also known as the whiskey jack or Canada jay, is Canadian Geographic’s official choice for National Bird of Canada. The Gray jay (Perisoreus canadensis) lives in all 13 provinces and territories. Most Canadians recognize this friendly spirit in Canada’s northern boreal and mountain areas.
The Common loon is the provincial bird of Ontario and is depicted on the Canadian one-dollar coin, commonly known as the ”loonie”.
Other official Canadian symbols are:
⁃ The Coat of Arms proclaimed Nov. 21, 1921.
⁃ The Maple Leaf Tartan, March 9, 2011,
⁃ The national anthem.July 1, 1980,
⁃ The national sports hockey, lacrosse.
⁃ The national colours Red and white became Canada’s official colours as a result of the proclamation of the Canada Coat of Arms by King George V in 1921.

Wearing the green; kiss me I’m Irish; dancing a jig ….  all are ways to celebrate a bishop who lived 1,500 years ago in Great Britain. How much do you know about Saint Patrick?

1. Why is St. Patrick’s Day on March 17?
2. Of which country is St. Patrick the patron saint?
3. Did Patrick banish the snakes from Ireland?
4. Why is it customary to wear shamrocks or green clothing on St. Patrick’s Day?
5. What are the odds of finding a four-leaf clover?
6. Patrick was born in Roman-occupied Britain. At age 16 he was captured by Irish pirates and taken to Ireland where he worked for six years. What type of work did he do?
7. How was Patrick changed by his years of slavery?
8. Why did Patrick return to Ireland?
9. How do leprechauns earn their gold?
10. 10. Green beer is not an Irish tradition. Green beer was created in New York in 1914.
11. Why do we continue to drink green beer on St. Patrick’s Day?

ANSWERS:

1. Saint Patrick’s Day is a cultural and religious celebration held on March 17, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick ( c. AD 385–461).

2. Ireland

3. The absence of snakes in Ireland gave rise to the legend that they had been banished by Patrick chasing them into the sea after they attacked him during a 40-day fast.

4. St Patrick is said to have used the shamrock, a three-leaved green plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the Irish.

5. One in 10,000

6. He cared for farm animals … some say swine, some say sheep.

7. Patrick’s family were Christian, however Patrick was not an active believer. According to The Confessions of St. Patrick, while he was a captive in Ireland he converted to Christianity. He returned to Britain and studied to become a priest.

8. Acting on a vision, Patrick returned to Ireland as a Christian missionary. He is considered to be the first bishop of Ireland. He is said to have baptized thousands.

9. By making and mending shoes. 

10. Why not?

Daydreaming is a great way to fight stress. In fact, living with your head in the clouds can help you keep your feet on the ground.
Do you remember how it felt to be stuck in a stuffy classroom on a beautiful June afternoon? Perhaps the teacher was explaining the intricacies of the Peloponnesian Wars but your mind was a million miles away. All you had to do was glance out the window and stare at the clouds to be transported into a realm where anything was possible.
As we grow up we train ourselves not to let the mind wander. We need to stick to the task. You can’t be scatter-brained if you are working with heavy machinery. You certainly want to pay attention if you are driving a vehicle. (Although there are times when I have been on “autopilot” and can’t remember how I got from Point A to Point B. Frightening!)
But when it is safe to do so, daydreaming can be a great way to take a mini-vacation in your mind. Like a vacation, daydreaming might help to keep you healthy.
You might start by remembering something pleasant from your childhood. Where did you feel the happiest? What made you feel excited and alive?
I have a wonderful memory of playing with my brother and sister on the grassy banks of a creek on our farm. We stamped down brome grass to make “rooms” beneath the willows. It was a great place to read and nap on a warm afternoon. Until this day, the memory of sunlight flickering through the leaves … golden and green…instantly erases the furrows in my forehead. When I think of that space I can smell the trees and grass, hear the buzzing of insects and experience the comfort of an experience shared with my siblings. Although the phrase has become trite… that memory is my “special place” in my mind.
Daydreaming can be more than memories; it can be a new story you tell yourself. Perhaps you see shapes in the clouds. Then the clouds shift and your mind concocts a story about what you are seeing. Soon the clouds carry your mind away and your body is totally relaxed.
Children are masters of daydreaming. They appear to be less rooted in “reality” than adults. But are dreams less real than the world we can quantify? If daydreaming helps us cope with the stresses of the real world, isn’t it real too?

Today is National Cabbage Day in the United States. This inexpensive vegetable is packed with nutrients yet lacks the glamour of its cruciferous cousins such as broccoli, cauliflower and kale.

Cabbage is available year round but you won’t find many recipes for it beyond coleslaw, borscht or cabbage rolls. Many people grew up with the sulphurous smell of boiled cabbage permeating the house. It can cause flatulence and bloating when some people eat it. It is just so common that we take it for granted when we should be embracing its simple wholesomeness.

Archaeologists have shown that cabbages have been cultivated for over 4,000 years. Theophrastus (37-287 BCE), who is considered “father of botany”, mentions cabbage in his texts, so we know that Greeks knew about cabbage at least 2,400 years ago.

Ancient Egyptians ate cooked cabbage at the beginning of meals to reduce the intoxicating effects of wine. (Some believe that certain chemicals in cabbage help the liver to clear toxins from the body.) This traditional use of cabbage appears in European literature until the mid-20th century.

Cabbage has become a vital source of nutrients and an instrumental ingredient in many dishes from around the world: German sauerkraut, Korean kimchi and Chinese pork and cabbage dumplings, Japanese okonomiyaki, Russian shchi stew, American coleslaw, Kenyan sukumawiki.

Cabbage was introduced to North America in 1541-42 by Jacques Cartier, who planted it in Canada on his third voyage. Because of its popularity among Europeans, it was doubtless planted in what is now the United States by some of the earliest colonists, although there is no written record of it until 1669.

Half a cup of cooked cabbage has about a third the vitamin C you need for the day. It also gives you doses of fibre, folate, potassium, magnesium, vitamins A and K. Red cabbage may contain more antioxidants than green cabbage. Despite its valuable nutrients, cabbage is often shunned as a ”gassy” food. Cabbage contains significant quantities of riffinose, an indigestible sugar. This sugar is a type of complex carbohydrate that passes through your intestines undigested and can cause flatulence.

Cabbage rears its “head” in folklore. Legends of babies coming from cabbage patches have been told to children for ages.That may have been the idea behind the famous cabbage patch dolls of the 1980s..

In Irish folklore, cabbage is used to predict characteristics of a future spouse. Girls would pull the first cabbage they could find and the taste would reveal whether their spouse would be sweet or sour.

Some people eat cabbage on New Year’s Day to have luck in the coming year. Wrapped coins are put in the cooked cabbage to assure there will be plenty of money in the coming year.

Naval explorer, Captain James Cook, swore by the medicinal value of sauerkraut (cabbage preserved in brine) back in 1769. His ship doctor used it for compresses on soldiers who were wounded during a severe storm and thus prevented the development of gangrene.

So perhaps instead of preventing illness with “an apple a day”, we could substitute some cabbage. But I don’t think the idea will catch on.