Ophélie, Our Weather Girl
Ophelia
On Friday night, I was to go to the ballet. Given the unpredictability of our weather, before deciding what to wear, I did as any savvy Parisian would. I consulted Ophélie.
August in Paris is known to be quiet. For those few of us who have remained in place, it is a vacation of sorts. A calm in the streets and a slower pace afford the opportunity to notice things that may have gone unremarked in the frantic pace of daily life. Thus I discovered Ophélie.
In the window of a pharmacy on rue de Sèvres sits a large vessel, filled to the top with water. The other day, I took the time to inspect it. In the jar resides Ophélie, a sangsue. It sounds so much nicer in French: Ophélie is a leech.
I’ll admit I knew little about the species, other than some vague notion of medical applications. I learned from a poster in the window that Ophélie is the resident meteorologist — she predicts the weather. It seems that when Ophélie is at the top of her jar, we can count on fair weather. When the barometer is falling, so she descends.
I must tell you I searched in vain for an image to illustrate this post and could find nothing I would impose on you. Dare I say it? While another leech might find Mademoiselle Ophélie rather comely, by human standards she is just plain ugly. And so instead, here is a picture of her namesake, in a 1910 painting by John William Waterhouse. I am passionate about the pre-Raphaelites.
Now, when I pass the pharmacy, I always check on Ophélie. The other day, she was, of course, in her jar, curled up at the bottom in what might best be described as a fetal leech position. The weather was glorious. Then, a few hours later, the skies opened up, dumping buckets of rain. Once again, Ophélie was right on the money. Don’t try to fool Mère Nature.
Jan del Monte, blogging from the rue du Cherche-Midi, Paris, France
© 2008 Jan del Monte
∞
Hi Jan , I have tried 3 times to post so – cross fingers , this works.
I think some of the TV Weather stations could do with a leach / Ophelie !!!
I thought you might like to know that among doctors who currently employ leaches are plastic surgeons. And they, out of consideration for their patients’ queeziness in observing the leaches, provide their patients with Elizabethan collars (you know, like the ones vets provide recently operated dogs and cats with) so they don’t have to gaze upon the leeches at work. Perhaps they could also add Ophelia to their walls. Ah, the poor hardworking yet unattractive leech. I’m sure Ophelie feels that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that a fellow leech might find him/her most attractive.
Thanks for the information, anniemousette. I’m picturing the patient with an Elizabethan collar!
ladyjicky, I’m not sure what the problem was. For some reason, they ended up in the spam queue. I de-spammed you, so hopefully it won’t happen again.
I don’t want to clog up your blog with information about leeches, but if anyone might wonder why plastic surgeons would use them in today’s world — and they well might wonder — the following is the explanation: Leeches do have modern uses, however, especially in plastic surgery. Accumulated blood under a wound lifts the tissue and prevents it from attaching. In most cases, we insert surgical drains to allow this old blood to come out. However, surgical drains, themselves, can leave unsightly scars.
But not being interested in plastic surgery for myself or the attendant leech therapy, I should come to Paris and watch the local weather reporter, Ophelie!
I know they use leeches for the removal of infection after some operaations where a infection has taken place. They clean out the site and help healing very well.
I am not sure Jan why that happened either! Maybe I need a leech for my computer to “de – bug” anything coming in or out! LOL
I think I saw that on “Nip/Tuck.”