Punxatawney Phil, the ground hog, saw his shadow and proclaimed 6 more weeks of winter! But Buckeye Chuck the groundhog, did not see his shadow, and predicts an early Spring! If you don't like Phils prediction, move to OHIO!!! In the 60's the past 2 days here!
I am such a spoil sport...but no matter how you turn it, the calendar has 6 more weeks of winter scheduled before the first day of spring...no matter what the weather does.
Wiarton Willie has just proclaimed an early spring for Ontario. I'm with you Carolyn...the calendar still has 6 more weeks of winter ahead. Seems like a big waste of time to me.
I had to bang on the toolshed to wake up the groundhog that resides under it. Despite it being groundhog day the little fellow was sleeping in this morning. He did not come out. I wonder what that means? In Punxsutawney, the officials reach into Phil's hole and pull him out. He probably had not even finished his morning cup of coffee. Here the clouds would have prevented 'Chelmsford Charlie' from seeing his shadow so I'm putting the snow shovel away. If you have an official groundhog calendar and your groundhog does not see its shadow then you flip the calendar over and use the reverse side where it announces 'early spring'. I flipped my calendar over. All set.....start planting. Jerry P.S. You do have an Official Groundhog Calendar, don't you?
Thanks Captain, I'm off to my local A _ _ _ y store for some Groundhog Chow. Maybe I should call ahead and make sure there is still some in stock. After all it is Groundhog day. Jerry
The ancient Celts used a solar calendar with agricultural festivals marking the beginning of each season. The Spring festival and season began on Feb 1st, Imbolc. In the Hindu calender spring begins in mid-February. For Aboriginal Australians Spring begins September 1st but Autumn begins on March 1st. Meteorological seasons, which are reckoned by the temperatures of each quarter of the year, Spring begins on March 1st. The dates we use are Astronomical dates which begin the seasons on the Equinoxes and Solstices, having nothing to do with what the weather is like at all. The beginning of the seasons are determined by the exact times of the Sun's transit over the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn for the solstices and it's transit over the equator for the Equinoxes. The groundhog prediction of 6 more weeks of spring doesn't even match the Astronomical date of the beginning of Spring that is March 20th, almost 7 weeks from today. I'm going to go with the Celt's dates for the beginning of Spring this year (and actually most years) since our temperatures are definitely not winter.
I think we are all spoiled by this warmer then normal temps. Year ago Wed had 15 inches of snow.But I'm ready to play in the dirt-even if it MUD.
