calling any one from missouri

[SueT]

I was thinking that @OhZark Biddies might know the significance of finding a white mole or other albino animal. Is there anything in your folklore trove regarding the above? I felt like we found a magical
creature.

 

[OhZark Biddies]

That’s really cool, Sue!

And oh yeah there’s lots of magic in abnormally white critters… both good and bad.

In the old times when you’d see a white critter you were to “stamp” your palm and make a wish. You did this by licking your thumb and pressing it into the palm of your other hand. Children were allowed to stamp white mules, because they were not common. But there was no magic in mules for adults, it had to be a wild critter that was not usually white.

The good fortune to be had by stamping a white critter was expected to arrive at Christmastime or on a birthday.

White night critters were bad luck. Hounds-men when they treed a white coon at night, stamped their hands, made a wish asking for forgiveness for disturbing it, and gathered the dogs and went home for the night.

One of my uncles had a white bat that would fly around their house one summer, it worried him so much that he wouldn’t go out after dark and chance seeing it again. For years he would tell of all the bad luck he had that summer, multiple flat tires, his well pump got struck by lightning, pink eye in the cattle, his future ex-wife stuck around, and on and on.

Killing or harming a white critter would bring ruin to the family or death to the person who harmed it. When I was a kid we had a couple of white deer in our area. One was taken by a local logger during deer season who died within the year in a logging accident. The other was taken the next deer season and I can’t remember how, but that fella got dead too.

My grandad once saw a white squirrel in a big post oak, and that became the “lucky tree” where we’d touch the tree and make a wish. I think my cousins must have used up all the magic that squirrel left behind though, because I never had any of those wishes work out.

 

[OhZark Biddies]

Orioles are here!!!

Yeah they showed up here too… I’m sending them your way though, they’ve already eaten a whole jar of grape jelly, and inflation is high and jelly ain’t free!

 

[SueT]

That’s really cool, Sue!

And oh yeah there’s lots of magic in abnormally white critters… both good and bad.

In the old times when you’d see a white critter you were to “stamp” your palm and make a wish. You did this by licking your thumb and pressing it into the palm of your other hand. Children were allowed to stamp white mules, because they were not common. But there was no magic in mules for adults, it had to be a wild critter that was not usually white.

The good fortune to be had by stamping a white critter was expected to arrive at Christmastime or on a birthday.

White night critters were bad luck. Hounds-men when they treed a white coon at night, stamped their hands, made a wish asking for forgiveness for disturbing it, and gathered the dogs and went home for the night.

One of my uncles had a white bat that would fly around their house one summer, it worried him so much that he wouldn’t go out after dark and chance seeing it again. For years he would tell of all the bad luck he had that summer, multiple flat tires, his well pump got struck by lightning, pink eye in the cattle, his future ex-wife stuck around, and on and on.

Killing or harming a white critter would bring ruin to the family or death to the person who harmed it. When I was a kid we had a couple of white deer in our area. One was taken by a local logger during deer season who died within the year in a logging accident. The other was taken the next deer season and I can’t remember how, but that fella got dead too.

My grandad once saw a white squirrel in a big post oak, and that became the “lucky tree” where we’d touch the tree and make a wish. I think my cousins must have used up all the magic that squirrel left behind though, because I never had any of those wishes work out.

Thank you! I’m going to put out my mini pepper plants today in the area where the mole had been making tunnels under a row cover now removed. I think they’ll have good luck!

 

[shawluvsbirds]

One of my uncles had a white bat that would fly around their house one summer, it worried him so much that he wouldn’t go out after dark and chance seeing it again. For years he would tell of all the bad luck he had that summer, multiple flat tires, his well pump got struck by lightning, pink eye in the cattle, his future ex-wife stuck around, and on and on.

Is this part true?
I mean not that I believe the white bat caused bad luck just that your uncle may have believed it.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

Yeah they showed up here too… I’m sending them your way though, they’ve already eaten a whole jar of grape jelly, and inflation is high and jelly ain’t free!

The one I saw just did a fly by. Hasn't been back yet so I probably wasted the dab of jelly I put out on the ants.
I greeeezzed up the shepherd hook with vasaline real good. That will slow the ants down until it rains and washes it all off.

Left that tub of Vaseline sitting on the kitchen counter and that night my husband put up the leftovers after dinner.
The next day when I got in the fridge for something there sat that tub of Vaseline in the fridge.

What the. Who does that?
I don't know what his plans are for chilled Vaseline but I don't think i like the thought of that.

 

[OhZark Biddies]

Is this part true?
I mean not that I believe the white bat caused bad luck just that your uncle may have believed it.

Yep he really had a white bat around that year… I don’t know that he believed in the luck part of it, but I heard that list of bad luck it brought him repeatedly over the years, lol He was a character.

Growing up, most of my people talked about the old folklore all the time just mixed into normal conversation, kinda just for fun. It was usually in reference to what my great grandparents and their generation believed and did.

but I have one aunt that’s serious about it, or at least about some of it. I saw her a couple of weeks ago and she was telling me that since the weather was nice she was finally able to open the windows and burn some sage to get rid of the spook that had come in over the winter. I must have showed interest, because I got 45 minutes of schooling on potions and preventions to keep ghosts away, lol

 

[shawluvsbirds]

Yep he really had a white bat around that year… I don’t know that he believed in the luck part of it, but I heard that list of bad luck it brought him repeatedly over the years, lol He was a character.

Growing up, most of my people talked about the old folklore all the time just mixed into normal conversation, kinda just for fun. It was usually in reference to what my great grandparents and their generation believed and did.

but I have one aunt that’s serious about it, or at least about some of it. I saw her a couple of weeks ago and she was telling me that since the weather was nice she was finally able to open the windows and burn some sage to get rid of the spook that had come in over the winter. I must have showed interest, because I got 45 minutes of schooling on potions and preventions to keep ghosts away, lol

Well I don't believe in superstition type stuff.
But I do kind of believe in spooks and spirits.
Now I don't really believe that they can harm you,
Because if that was the case there would be a whole lot of murder victims coming back for revenge I would think.
And I don't believe that it's as common as people think it is 99% of the time there's a reasonable explanation for weird stuff.
But there's always that one percent that cannot be explained.

 

[SueT]

BYC’s spring flower contest has started....
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/bycs-splendid-spring-flowers-photo-contest.1523912/
@OhZark Biddies @shawluvsbirds and anyone else, you might want to take some pics for it!

 

[jthornton]

We just got back from a nice ride to Eminence for hot dogs, cheese fries (they were out of tator tots) and a waffle cone coated with chocolate.

Eminence attracts a wide variety of folks, a few need to be told not to wear skin tight stretch pants... might make someone ill if they accidentally look.

JT