“My idea of absolute happiness is to be in bed on a rainy day, with my blankie, my cat, and my dog.”
~ Anne Lamott
How did we live without Google ??
Spencer’s college roommate arrived yesterday for a week at the villa, to celebrate his 50th birthday.
And since the moment he arrived its been “Raining cats & dogs”.
Where in the world did that phrase come from … ?
It seems more accurate than the weather forecast which talked about surface cutoff lows, whatever that means …
The first recording of the phrase is found in a 1651 collection of poems by a British author.
Most likely, the saying originated as a a denunciation of contemporary London society in that time, and poor sanitation … streets littered with animals who would die in the rains.
Other theories of the phrase include …
Odin, the Norse god of storms, was often pictured with dogs and wolves, which were symbols of wind. Witches, who supposedly rode their brooms during storms, were often pictured with black cats, which became signs of heavy rain for sailors. Therefore, “raining cats and dogs” may refer to a storm with wind (dogs) and heavy rain (cats).
“Cats and dogs” may come from the Greek expression cata doxa, which means “contrary to experience or belief.” If it is raining cats and dogs, it is raining unusually or unbelievably hard.
“Cats and dogs” may be a perversion of the now obsolete word catadupe. In old English, catadupe meant a cataract or waterfall. So, to say it’s raining “cats and dogs” might be to say it’s raining waterfalls.
I’m hoping it will clear up for our friend’s stay. But if not, I suppose we’ll just stay home – on the sofa with our cats – and watch some more football today …
Anyone else catch the Alabama / Auburn game last night ?? We tuned in with 1 second on the clock, to watch one of the greatest plays in history …
“Push yourself again and again. Don’t give an inch until the final buzzer sounds.”
~ Larry Bird
Happy Sunday friends. Enjoy … Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain …
