April Showers: Ignore The Cat, But Not The Peacock

	You can be fairly sure that April showers will bring May flowers, but is there any way to tell when the showers are going to come? 
	Probably not but there are a lot of superstitions that try to predict them. Here are some:

* A cat washing herself while looking out the window, forecasts rain. 
	This is supposed to be a favorite saying in the state of Maine. But sources say it is false. Seems Maine cats -- and really all cats -- are always looking out the window and grooming themselves. Sadly, it doesn't always rain.

* Be it dry or be it wet, the weather'll always pay its debt.
	Not much comfort here.  Years with droughts don't always pay their rain debt, according to the National Weather Service. But, on a happier note, statistically rain and sunshine tend to average out during a typical year.

* St. Swithin's Day if thou dost rain,
  For Forty days it will remain;
  St. Swithin's Day, if thou be fair,
  For forty days, 'twill rain nae mair.
	This superstitious ditty was created in response to an odd event involving Swithin (also written Swithun), who was the Bishop of Winchester, England, from 852 to 862. His last request was that he be buried outside the north wall of the cathedral where the rain and the steps of passersby would fall on his grave. This was done. However, a century later he was exhumed and his remains moved inside the cathedral to be reburied. On that date, July 15, 971, a fearsome storm ensued and continued for 40 days. St. Swithin's Day is celebrated July 15 and he is considered the saint to whom prayers for rain should be directed.

* When a peacock loudly bawls, soon we'll have rain and squalls.
	If you've ever been around peacocks you know that they always loudly bawl. However, across many cultures, peacocks are said to bawl more loudly than usual to predict rain. On the other hand, they mate in the spring when it rains a lot and they bawl and strut with their feathers spread to attract a mate. And they even do it while it is raining. Some say all birds chatter before rain, possibly due to a drop in atmospheric pressure.