ANN EDALL-ROBSON

Fog 90

8/28/2023

4 Comments

 

99 WORDS...AND A LITTLE BIT MORE

Looking out the window at the lazy snow flakes settling in the grass; at this time of year it might be snow or rain. Glancing at the calendar, she wasn’t surprised to see the moisture. A note written on today’s square told her precipitation was expected. Sure enough, the old ways her grandmother had ingrained in her held true once again. No need to listen to the radio, TV, or check an app to know if moisture should happen. Her weather report: record the foggy days, count out 90 days, make the note FOG90 in the appropriate calendar square. 
Picture
Picture
Picture

Carrying the history and traditions forward from previous generations is a passion of mine. The old way of making notes like Fog or Feb Fog on the calendar continues, at least in our family. In generations past, and current, the knowledge there will be some form of precipitation, be it  snow or rain, at certain times of the year, can be a bonus.

Think about it, those who lived before radio, television, and cell phones needed a way to tell them what was going to happen in the weather department. Who did they turn to? Nature and keeping information in journals &/or notes on calendars. These notes included the weather patterns and paying attention to animals and birds. I talked about this in articles I wrote in 2016 - Old Timers Prediction, and again in 2018 - The Weather Forecaster. 

For example, consider the month of May as the time to plant the garden; however, if there was a lot of fog during the month of February, your planting strategy might need to be reviewed. You will most likely want to put seeds in the ground before the 90-day note on the calendar.  This gives the seeds the needed moisture to germinate; you are less likely to have to plant them in mud, or have to wait until the ground dries out some, so you can actually put the seeds in the ground.

It is my experience that the lack of fog in the first quarter of the year can affect the moisture expected during the growing season. Of course, fog in the second quarter could mean that moisture might affect the harvest season. 

Does this form of telling the weather hold true 100% of the time? No; but it’s close enough to make me record the foggy days on my calendar. Besides, it makes for interesting conversation and it’s surprising how many people I have told this to, now do it. 

This is not the first time I have written about the old ways. The funny thing is, that I mention the old timers thinking about my parents and their parents when I do. In a recent conversation, I mentioned old-timers, stopped, laughed, and proudly said, “I guess now I would be considered one of the old-timers.”  
​
How do you keep track of weather happenings?

Ann Edall-Robson​
Author, Photographer, Lover of Life
"Capturing moments others may never get to experience.”
Be the first to get all our latest news and updates. Join our mailing list.

#AnnEdallRobson #FromWhereICome #99WordStories #FlashFiction #weatherstation #ranchtradition #engrained #familytradition #CapturingMomentsOthersMayNeverGetToExperience #TheOldWays #RuralLiving #WhoaBackUpStop #AnnEdallRobsonPhotography ​

August 22, 2023, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about the arrival of the weather. It can mean any kind of weather event meteorological or mythological. Is the weather personified, random, or calculating? Where does it arrive? Is it typical or epoch-changing? Who is involved? And if the Womam Who Doesn’t Want Red Hair shows up, well, ask her what’s happening. Go where the prompt leads!
4 Comments

Write a 5 word story

8/24/2023

0 Comments

 
In five words, write a story about this photograph.
Picture
Ann Edall-Robson​
Author, Photographer, Lover of Life
"Capturing moments others may never get to experience.”
Be the first to get all our latest news and updates. Join our mailing list.
#AnnEdallRobson #FromWhereICome #fivewordstory #CapturingMomentsOthersMayNeverGetToExperience  #RuralLiving #WhoaBackUpStop #AnnEdallRobsonPhotography #annedallrobsonbooks
0 Comments

Going Home

8/20/2023

2 Comments

 

99 WORDS...AND A LITTLE BIT MORE

Picture
The familiar turn off welcomes me not far from where I want to be. Singing to old favourites coming through the airwaves, the anticipation of my destination bounces through me as I navigate the ruts and pot holes. Two more cattle guard crossings before I continue northwest on the road flanked with aspens and evergreens. I can see the place in my mind. I’ll be greeted by the fenced pasture. In the distance, the hills will dance with colour on their journey to the mountains. This road never fails me. I can count on it to take me home.

My homeland is about ten hours away by car, on the West side of the Rocky Mountains. The option to fly, when available, shortens the travel time by about eight hours. Travel is always weather and road dependent, even when it isn't winter. Needless to say, I am more likely to refer to the place I grew up as ‘where I am from’. It’s not home any more, although my roots sink deep into that part of the country, because it’s where I am from that continually guides me to where I go. 

I consider my home to be on the East side of the Rockies. Probably because I have lived here for over four decades. That doesn’t take the way I feel, or how I do things, out of my life. I found new avenues to give me ways to remind me of my growing up years and the towns and people that molded me to who I am today. I can honestly say that going home does not have to be your homeland, or where you grew up. I have no regrets that I no longer call the place I grew up home. Yet, I recognize those places as being an important part of me, and they will always have a place in my heart and a vault full of memories. 

Home, as they say, is where you hang your hat and your heart. What I now call home enables me to embrace the lifestyle in which I was raised. Not because it’s how I live, but because I can. I have met and been welcomed by people who I know are life-long friends. Doors are always open (I even have my own key to one or two) and the welcome mat is there to invite me in. When I hear the words, “Welcome home,” my heart sings because I know it to be so. 

The photograph in this post is taken from one of those gravel roads that truly makes me feel like I am going home. It gives me a feeling of calm, euphoria, and love, along with a chastising word or two for not going more often. 

Ann Edall-Robson​
Author, Photographer, Lover of Life
"Capturing moments others may never get to experience.”
Be the first to get all our latest news and updates. Join our mailing list.

#AnnEdallRobson #FromWhereICome #99WordStories #FlashFiction #goinghome #ranchtradition #albertafall #graveltravel #CapturingMomentsOthersMayNeverGetToExperience #TheOldWays #RuralLiving #WhoaBackUpStop #AnnEdallRobsonPhotography 

​August 15, 2023, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about the journey home. Who is going home? Or are they in search of a future home or ancestral roots? Think of home as a life lived — adventures, relationships, accumulations. What makes home worth the journey? Go where the prompt leads!
2 Comments
<<Previous

    Archives

    September 2023
    August 2023
    March 2022
    June 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    November 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    January 2019
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015

    RSS Feed

    Ann Edall-Robson is an author and award-winning photographer ​
    All
    99 Words
    Abandon
    Advertising
    Airdrie Public Library
    Alberta
    Am Writing
    Animals Teach Lessons
    Ann Edall Robson Photography
    Anthology
    Author
    Barn Cat Buttons Series
    Birds In My Canadian Backyard
    Blank Pages
    Blogging
    Books
    Book Signing
    Budding Trees
    Canadian
    Capturing Moments Others May Never Get To Experience.
    CarrotRanch Flash Fiction Challenge
    Children's Books
    Classic
    Contest
    Cozy Mystery
    Etiquette
    Fine Art America
    Free Shipping
    From Our Home To Yours
    Guest Columnist
    #hashtags
    Inspiration
    Interview
    Longfellow
    Manners
    Marketing
    Migrating Birds
    Moon Rising
    NaNoWriMo
    New Born Calves
    Please
    Poetry
    Press Release
    Procrastination
    Quiet Spirits Column
    Quote
    Recipe
    Remington Portable Typewriter
    Sharing The Moment
    Social Media
    Spring
    Stories
    Sunrise
    Thank You
    Theodore Roosevelt
    The Quiet Spirits
    The Ranch
    Thoughts On Life
    Tradition
    Warm Spring Rain
    Wellness
    Western Heritage
    Where Memories Are Made
    Winner
    Writer's Block
    Writer's Tips
    Writing Inspiration​
Home
Contact
About the Author
Purchase
Blog
Wordsmith Collection
Affilate Links
Information
© Ann Edall-Robson 2023