| Author | Content |
dave
Jacksonville, TX
(Zone 8a)
 January 31, 2005
9:50 AM Post #1267024
| There are a total of 204 votes:
| I predict Punxsutawney Phil will see his shadow (more winter ahead!)
(83 votes, 40%) |  |
| I predict Phill won't see his shadow (c'mon spring!)
(79 votes, 38%) | |
| I don't have any idea who (or what) Phil is!
(14 votes, 6%) | |
| It's not winter here (no smirking allowed)
(28 votes, 13%) | |
|
Previous Polls |
OldFlowerGirl
Castlegar, BC
(Zone 6b)
January 31, 2005
9:54 AM Post #1267033
| It's an El Nino year. Cloudy and mild. Bring on Spring! 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
Terry
Murfreesboro, TN
(Zone 7a)
January 31, 2005
10:03 AM Post #1267050
| I know the odds are against him predicitng an early spring (statistically, it's a long-shot). But a girl can hope, right? |
heycharlie
San Jacinto County, TX
(Zone 8a)
January 31, 2005
10:11 AM Post #1267061
| Now 'ol Punxsutawney Phil may be right sometime but what's he know about Tejas weather, being a yankee and all!
My peach trees know as much as him and my gut feelings.
Tha poor trees some years, start to sprout only to freeze later.
That's my guts average too!
One thing I do know, I need to get some taters in tha ground.
Corn too! If the growth point isn't hurt it recovers nicely from a freeze burn. |
Lettuceman
Dayton, WA
January 31, 2005
10:13 AM Post #1267065
| Haven't had much of a Winter out here in the wilds of Washington State, and the weather forecast for my neck of the woods doesn't give Phil much of a chance to see his shadow...Spring's coming early, folks! |
notmartha
Bay City, MI
(Zone 6a)
January 31, 2005
11:14 AM Post #1267192
| i just want to see a HOT summer so i can thaw out! |
okus
New York(UK!)Lincoln
(United Kingdom)
(Zone 8b)
January 31, 2005
11:15 AM Post #1267194
| Who is this guy anyway and what does he know about weather! |
ncgardenaddict
Kannapolis, NC
(Zone 7b)
January 31, 2005
12:56 PM Post #1267312
| Terry I hope you're right and I'm wrong! Course down here it's summer one day/spring/winter/ good grief!!!! No wonder I can't shake this cold!!! |
roxroe
Winchester, VA
(Zone 6b)
January 31, 2005
1:16 PM Post #1267347
| well we haven't had that much winter - hope we don't |
ACsAgapePlants
Mesa, AZ
(Zone 9a)
January 31, 2005
2:02 PM Post #1267427
| What's winter:-).
Blessings,
Awanda |
bagpypr
Redlands, CA
(Zone 10a)
January 31, 2005
2:09 PM Post #1267438
| I refuse to trust the predictions of a rodent. As far as I'm concerned Ol' Phil is just an emergency source of protein. Weather reporters go to college to learn how to screw up. The best person to listen to is an old farmer. Will a groundhog make a decent haggis???-Bagpypr |
WillowWasp
Jones Creek, TX
(Zone 9a)
January 31, 2005
2:27 PM Post #1267469
| Well I know he won't see his shadow in Brazoria so I am getting ready to plant...yippeeee spring is on it's way and we will soon have lots of flowers and stuff to do...
Dee |
Sequee
Carmel, NY
(Zone 6b)
January 31, 2005
3:04 PM Post #1267527
| I dare say, we've only just begun!!! |
sylvi74
East Bethel, MN
(Zone 4a)
January 31, 2005
3:07 PM Post #1267535
| I want an early spring. My favorite part of the movie: when Bill Murray has the groundhog in the pickup truck and tells him never to drive angry! |
jester
San Antonio, TX
(Zone 8b)
January 31, 2005
4:22 PM Post #1267635
| SPRING!!!! come on Spring! |
Xenomorf
Valley of the Sun, AZ
(Zone 9b)
 January 31, 2005
5:17 PM Post #1267709
| I already have buds on my citrus tree and new growth on a few other plants, that's what I call spring. |
MG99
Victoria, BC
(Zone 8b)
January 31, 2005
5:28 PM Post #1267729
| I've got buds on my daffodils, snowdrops in bloom, new growth and some buds on my roses, the lawn needs a cutting... I think spring will be early as well. |
merigold
Sioux City, IA
(Zone 4b)
January 31, 2005
6:24 PM Post #1267817
| Fairly mild winter here so far...thinking it has not had its full time yet. |
htop
San Antonio, TX
(Zone 8b)
January 31, 2005
6:37 PM Post #1267836
| When the mesquite trees put out leaves, I know it is truly spring here. |
Dea
Frederick, MD
(Zone 6a)
January 31, 2005
6:50 PM Post #1267853
| They're calling for morning sun in Punxsatawney :(
|
se_eds
Millersburg, PA
(Zone 6b)
January 31, 2005
7:20 PM Post #1267903
| Phil is a Yankee rodent. He may see his shadow as our weather up here is supposed to be mild and sunny!. Phil is not always right.
We have hardly had winter here in Central Pa. A few cold temps, but very little snow. I don't feel an early spring this year - just average. |
QueenB
Shepherd, TX
(Zone 8b)
January 31, 2005
8:14 PM Post #1268001
| Bagpypr--LOL!
It's been wet and miserable here, but not too terribly cold. The maples here are putting off blossoms, my little fig tree is starting to sprout leaves, and my chickens are laying at full tilt. I dare him to see his shadow! |
danak
Olympia, WA
(Zone 7b)
January 31, 2005
11:28 PM Post #1268322
| We've had an incredibly mild winter here, with very warm temperatures and little rain fall. All the ski areas in the state had to close! We need some winter so we don't have a drought this summer. |
philomel
Termes d'Armagnac
(France)
(Zone 8a)
February 2, 2005
3:48 AM Post #1269096
| Not heard of him this side of the pond!
More on this Yankee rodent please? |
momof2d
Des Moines, IA
(Zone 5a)
February 2, 2005
5:47 AM Post #1269130
| Ok Philomel! Here goes ---- you asked for it! ;)
Groundhog Day History
European Roots
(Adapted from "Groundhog Day: 1886 to 1992" by Bill Anderson)
Groundhog Day, February 2nd, is a popular tradition in the United States. It is also a legend that traverses centuries, its origins clouded in the mists of time with ethnic cultures and animals awakening on specific dates. Myths such as this tie our present to the distant past when nature did, indeed, influence our lives. It is the day that the Groundhog comes out of his hole after a long winter sleep to look for his shadow.
If he sees it, he regards it as an omen of six more weeks of bad weather and returns to his hole.
If the day is cloudy and, hence, shadowless, he takes it as a sign of spring and stays above ground.
The groundhog tradition stems from similar beliefs associated with Candlemas Day and the days of early Christians in Europe, and for centuries the custom was to have the clergy bless candles and distribute them to the people. Even then, it marked a milestone in the winter and the weather that day was important.
According to an old English song:
If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Come, Winter, have another flight;
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Go Winter, and come not again.
According to an old Scotch couplet:
If Candlemas Day is bright and clear,
There'll be twa (two) winters in the year.
Another variation of the Scottish rhyme:
If Candlemas day be dry and fair,
The half o' winter to come and mair,
If Candlemas day be wet and foul,
The half of winter's gone at Yule.
The Roman legions, during the conquest of the northern country, supposedly brought this tradition to the Teutons, or Germans, who picked it up and concluded that if the sun made an appearance on Candlemas Day, an animal, the hedgehog, would cast a shadow, thus predicting six more weeks of bad weather, which they interpolated as the length of the "Second Winter."
Pennsylvania's earliest settlers were Germans and they found groundhogs to in profusion in many parts of the state. They determined that the groundhog, resembling the European hedgehog, was a most intelligent and sensible animal and therefore decided that if the sun did appear on February 2nd, so wise an animal as the groundhog would see its shadow and hurry back into its underground home for another six weeks of winter.
The Germans recited:
For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day,
So far will the snow swirl until the May.
This passage may be the one most closely represented by the first Punxsutawney Groundhog Day observances because there were references to the length of shadows in early Groundhog Day predictions.
Another February 2nd belief, used by American 19th century farmers, was:
Groundhog Day - Half your hay.
New England farmers knew that we were not close to the end of winter, no matter how cloudy February 2nd was. Indeed, February 2nd is often the heart of winter. If the farmer didn't have half his hay remaining, there may have been lean times for the cows before spring and fresh grass arrived.
The ancient Candlemas legend and similar belief continue to be recognized annually on February 2nd due to the efforts of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club.
|
sugarweed
Jacksonville, FL
(Zone 9a)
February 2, 2005
7:47 AM Post #1269193
| For some reason growing up in the Panhandle of Texas, I thought Prarie Dogs were the source of this. Well, that's what we had and we just didn't need to look any further for a prediction.
Any rodent poking it's head out of a hole today here will not see a shadow.
We're saving our sunshine for the Superbowl.
Sidney |
MaryEv
Columbus, OH
(Zone 5b)
February 2, 2005
9:40 AM Post #1269367
| That is great info momof2d! Thank you!
And since it's all over but the crying, Mr. Phil did see his shadow... :( 6 more weeks of winter - UGH!
This message was edited Feb 2, 2005 9:42 AM |
ceedub
Whitby, ON
(Zone 5b)
February 2, 2005
9:51 AM Post #1269468
| Deleted message.
This message was edited Feb 2, 2005 2:38 PM |
philomel
Termes d'Armagnac
(France)
(Zone 8a)
February 2, 2005
9:58 AM Post #1269477
| Thanks, thanks, thanks momof2d!!!
What a lot of time you must have spent to pass on all that info.
So interesting.
I shall reread lots of times :oD |
Sequee
Carmel, NY
(Zone 6b)
February 2, 2005
11:32 AM Post #1269587
| Wow! What a wonderful History Lesson! Thank you for sharing - now I can impress everyone with my knowledge! (Dang, I'm good!) |
Kelli
Los Angeles (Canoga , CA
(Zone 10a)
February 2, 2005
4:38 PM Post #1269947
| I lived in Pennsylvania for 23 years and never once did winter end until at least 6 weeks after Feb. 2, regardless of what mister groundhog had to say. Personally, I think it is a totally worthless tradition. |
MiniSchnuz
New Iberia, LA
(Zone 9a)
February 2, 2005
6:24 PM Post #1270169
| The nutria here in Louisiana didn't see his shadow.. It mean we have long... spring.. and short of humid hot summer! |
crimsontsavo
Crossville, TN
(Zone 7a)
February 4, 2005
4:25 PM Post #1273121
| If Phil predicts more winter to come I will smack him with a shovel and put his stuffed carcass on my wall. Grrr. Is sick of the coooooooooold. :-(( |
Lilypon
Moose Jaw, SK
(Zone 3b)
February 4, 2005
4:38 PM Post #1273128
| Oh tsavo you *have* to come here! ;) |
crimsontsavo
Crossville, TN
(Zone 7a)
February 4, 2005
4:42 PM Post #1273136
| Noooo- there was a time I wanted to live in Canada- then I realised..it gets FRIGID there! LOL Maybe I'll visit in the summer sometime, hehe. |
Lilypon
Moose Jaw, SK
(Zone 3b)
February 4, 2005
4:50 PM Post #1273157
| LOLOL...and here I was getting a room ready for you, I'd even put some logs in the fireplace. |
crimsontsavo
Crossville, TN
(Zone 7a)
February 5, 2005
12:22 AM Post #1273551
| :-( no fireplace- we have the flu and have been forced to kill our fire until were well (woodsmoke). :-(( Thanks though- hehe. |
Dyson
Rocky Mount, VA
(Zone 7a)
February 5, 2005
3:19 AM Post #1273678
| Have any of you heard of the groundhog recipe? |
woodspirit1
Lake Toxaway, NC
(Zone 7a)
February 5, 2005
7:45 AM Post #1273788
| Here's a picture of a groundhog, a/k/a wood chuck and whistlepig. They can get to about 20 pounds as an adult. 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
crimsontsavo
Crossville, TN
(Zone 7a)
February 5, 2005
10:55 AM Post #1273915
| Awe so cute- look at him plotting- plotting away at making the weather stay cold for us silly humans- I'll fix him!! |
Sequee
Carmel, NY
(Zone 6b)
February 5, 2005
11:29 AM Post #1273959
| Now, now...put away the gun! LOL! |
crimsontsavo
Crossville, TN
(Zone 7a)
February 5, 2005
1:14 PM Post #1274094
| :-)) LOL |
Karrie20x
Spokane, WA
(Zone 6a)
February 5, 2005
2:48 PM Post #1274246
| Being the optimist that I am, along with unseasonably warm weather, I just have this feeling that winter is already pretty much over with here. We'll have a few cold days, maybe a few flurries, but it's always like that here in the Spring. I already have bulbs coming up! Ouch! |
Kelli
Los Angeles (Canoga , CA
(Zone 10a)
February 5, 2005
5:06 PM Post #1274371
| Winter? What winter? (Ducking and running for cover...) 
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
woodspirit1
Lake Toxaway, NC
(Zone 7a)
February 5, 2005
5:21 PM Post #1274385
| Kelli, I think it's a stupid tradition too. Phil is probably a captive groundhog and they drag him out and hold him high (the town officials are dressed in top hats, no less). This has to be the only way to predictably have a groundhog around on Feb 2. I mean, imagine trying to find a wild one just as he's coming out of his burrow where he's hibernating on a specified time and day just for this silly celebration. |
Lilypon
Moose Jaw, SK
(Zone 3b)
February 5, 2005
5:41 PM Post #1274407
| Kelli we will turn our fans on outside and face them towards your direction!! :b |
bagpypr
Redlands, CA
(Zone 10a)
February 5, 2005
9:40 PM Post #1274632
| I hear they taste like chicken.-Bagpypr |
crimsontsavo
Crossville, TN
(Zone 7a)
February 5, 2005
10:04 PM Post #1274663
| MMm chicken. Buhaha
Kicks Kelli. :-| Sends her some cold weather, buhahahhahaha.
Look on the bright side Kelli- least it isnt Canadian cold!!! Brrrrrr :-)) |
Kelli
Los Angeles (Canoga , CA
(Zone 10a)
February 6, 2005
1:11 PM Post #1275684
| Maybe we don't have any real winter in southern CA because we don't have any groundhogs. ;-) |
crimsontsavo
Crossville, TN
(Zone 7a)
February 6, 2005
1:30 PM Post #1275735
| lol |
