The Groundhog didn't see his shadow...

[3113]

Early spring!

 

[Stella_Omega]

Given the higher temperatures worldwide, (not to say 'global warming' ) I am not surprised. Nor am I real excited about the early summer and late fall we can expect.

 

[JackLuis]

Was that the official "Gobblers Knob" groundhog, Again?

 

[Stella_Omega]

Was that the official "Gobblers Knob" groundhog, Again?

Yes, of course! In front of a couple thousand people, some of whom had already begun drinking...

A grand old tradition, and heavens know we don't have many of those left.

 

[CharleyH]

Given the higher temperatures worldwide, (not to say 'global warming' ) I am not surprised. Nor am I real excited about the early summer and late fall we can expect.

Agreed.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Really! And given how little rain we've gotten this year it's a good thing I've put my yard on minimal, automatic watering. Grow more succulents!

 

[TimothyM]

Early spring sounds nice

Well, here we've had a much colder winter than normal, and early spring sounds great. And our summers are wetter as well as warmer up here in the North - though southern Europe does suffer badly from drought and heat waves.

It struck me as the private joke of the weather (climate?) Gods that on the day the Climate Conference started in Copenhagen a couple of years ago the weather turned freezing cold. Seeing all those delegates from Africa and other warm places shivering in the snow was absurdly ironical - and I saw at least one post on FB saying "Climate Change Now, Please !"

Anyway, forget climate change - the real problem of Earth is human overpopulation. But that will never be addressed due to religious and political issues making contraceptives and women's rights taboo in so many countries of the world.

 

[lovecraft68]

Global warming, what global warming?

In the last week we had two days in single digits in the morning.

We had two small snow storms (2-3 inches each)

But interspersed with those days we had a 60 degree day and a 55 degree day.

60 in January in Rhode Island.

Nope, nothing amiss.

 

[Handley_Page]

Yes, of course! In front of a couple thousand people, some of whom had already begun drinking...

A grand old tradition, and heavens know we don't have many of those left.

How old a tradtition?

 

[glynndah]

Early spring!

A haiku upon awakening.


New snow this morning.
Temperature starts to drop.
The groundhog just laughs.

 

[RedMonkeyButt]

I don't want summer to come. We've already had one large fire down the road and people were lucky it didn't take any houses with it. That was a week ago. I hate to even think about what another extremely dry summer will be like...

 

[TimothyM]

Ask the Australians - I hear it's bad down under with heat, drought and forest fires - but they also have flooding in other parts of the continent. And isn't it the third year in a row with bad stuff like that hitting Australia ?

 

[3113]

The Tradition....

How old a tradtition?

About 150-200 years in the U.S. give or take. Started maybe in the late 18th or early 19th century thanks to German immigrants in Pennsylvania who brought along the custom of a badger seeing his shadow at Candlemas (Imbolc--old pagan holiday) on Feb. 2nd. As there were no badgers, the groundhog was substituted as weather beast.

The actual tradition with the badger and such goes back farther and may relate to the clash of calendars. Old Pagan (New Year starts 1st of April) and new Xtian (New Years starts January 1st). The question was when does spring start? Some said at Imbolc, others said not till the Equinox. So they decided to get a hedgehog/badger to arbitrate. (Hey, this makes a kind of sense. I'd certainly trust the instincts of an animal over a human on such questions. Though why a badger/hedgehog was though the most accurate beast for such a decision I don't know. Maybe they're just easy enough to capture and handle?). Which is why Spring is sometimes at Imbolc (Feb. 2nd), and sometimes at the equinox six weeks later.

I can think of worse ways to decide such things than on the supernatural (or natural?) powers of a rodent All hail the mighty groundhog.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

And a right decent carving, to boot. Well posted, 3!

 

[3113]

As a coda...

And as a punctuation mark:

 

[IlCommandante]

Too bad. Long winters, hot fires, hot cider, warm covers, hot, steamy sex, plenty of snuggling. All of these are a wonderful wintry experience and they end far too soon.

Yes, I'm married. Some good things come with that territory, too.

Even more fun when you have an open marriage and you can invite a third party of either sex to add to the warmth or heat.

 

[SEVERUSMAX]

Amen to that, man. Those are wonderful things.

 

[3113]

Too bad. Long winters, hot fires, hot cider, warm covers, hot, steamy sex, plenty of snuggling. All of these are a wonderful wintry experience and they end far too soon.

I agree wholeheartedly, but there's something to be said of heading out with a picnic basket (of toys as well as tasty treats) to run and play among the fresh green grass, babbling brooks and wildflowers

 

[SEVERUSMAX]

This is true.

 

[3113]

Groundhog Update!

The state of Ohio isn't happy with the groundhog. From here:

Apparently, Butler County prosecutor Mike Gmoser is still feeling a chill despite the Groundhog Day rodent's prediction of an early spring. The indictment (which is clearly tongue-in-cheek) reads (emphasis ours):

On or about February 02, 2013, at Gobbler's Knob, Punxsutawney Phil did purposely, and with prior calculation and design, cause the people to believe that Spring would come early. Contrary to the Groundhog day report, a snowstorm and record low temperatures have been and are predicted to continue in the near future, which constitutes the offense of MISREPRESENTATION OF EARLY SPRING, a Unclassified Felony, and against the peace and dignity of the State Of Ohio ...The people further find and specify that due to the aggravating circumstances and misrepresentation to the people that the death penalty be implemenied to the defendant, Punxsutawney Phil.

 

[TxRad]

It ain't PP's fault them fools live so far north.

78 degrees and sunny here.

 

[Handley_Page]

I agree wholeheartedly, but there's something to be said of heading out with a picnic basket (of toys as well as tasty treats) to run and play among the fresh green grass, babbling brooks and wildflowers

Sounds wonderful.
I'll go and sweep the snow off my drive and enjoy the warm, then.

 

[slyc_willie]

It ain't PP's fault them fools live so far north.

78 degrees and sunny here.

Even warmer here. Perfect top-down weather.

 

[TxRad]

Even warmer here. Perfect top-down weather.

On the car or the wife?

Inquiring minds and all that.

 

[slyc_willie]

On the car or the wife?

Inquiring minds and all that.

Both. At the same time.