| Author | Content |
dave
Jacksonville, TX
(Zone 8a)
 January 30, 2006
9:50 AM Post #2010414
| There are a total of 263 votes:
| I'm guessing Phil is going to see his shadow this year
(108 votes, 41%) |  |
| I'm guessing he won't see his shadow
(100 votes, 38%) | |
| I haven't made a prediction yet
(18 votes, 6%) | |
| Who's Phil, and what's Groundhog Day?
(37 votes, 14%) | |
|
Previous Polls |
Dea
Frederick, MD
(Zone 6a)
January 30, 2006
10:01 AM Post #2010431
| We've not had enough of a winter yet, so I'm betting the little guy is gonna turn tail and run back in ;)
Dea
|
Breezymeadow
Culpeper, VA
(Zone 7a)
January 30, 2006
10:17 AM Post #2010457
| I'm guessing Phil won't see his shadow this year.
Even though I know that March weather can be cruel, this entire winter season has been wonderfully mild - predominantly in the 50's/60's daytime. Unbelievable. Plus, the Mourning Doves have begun to coo, the male sparrows are beginning to trot around with dried grass & straw in their mouths, & any evening now I fully expect to hear the Spring Peeper frogs by my stream &/or the Woodcocks in my pasture.
(Oh, not to mention that the weather prediction for Groundhog Day is currently calling for clouds & rain - lol!!!) |
mickgene
Linden, VA
(Zone 6a)
January 30, 2006
10:59 AM Post #2010540
| It's been waaaay to mild this year for it to be called winter in these parts. So unless we're due for a big swing, Phil's going to come out and start strutting his stuff for all the girls in Punxatawney to see! |
Gwendalou
Langley, WA
(Zone 7b)
January 30, 2006
2:12 PM Post #2010777
| I'm thinking spring will come early but I'll be darned if I know where the sun is going to come from to product that shadow!
Gwendalou |
Dea
Frederick, MD
(Zone 6a)
January 30, 2006
2:56 PM Post #2010847
| ***chuckling**** Camera lights ;)
Dea
|
bigcityal
Menasha, WI
(Zone 5a)
January 30, 2006
5:16 PM Post #2011021
| I can't believe Hallmark isn't behind this holiday somehow and we all should buy stuffed groundhogs and cards.
I voted for winter to be over - was that on there?
Al |
edder
Deer Lodge, MT
(Zone 4a)
January 30, 2006
5:17 PM Post #2011023
| Regardless if he sees it or not we still have about 6 weeks until spring!!! Guess that doesn't matter if the snow gods know it or not... :-) |
Ivy1
Mystic, CT
(Zone 6b)
January 30, 2006
6:32 PM Post #2011158
| Bigcityal- I can just see little singing and dancing groundhogs that light up! My 5 year old would have to get one- so far she has a Christmas carol-singing mouse, a chicken that does the chicken dance, and maybe a bunny?? can't remember! |
Karrie20x
Spokane, WA
(Zone 6a)
January 30, 2006
6:46 PM Post #2011190
| I think shy Phil will see his shadow. We got our hardest part of winter in early December - all the snow and cold was gone by Christmas, and it hasn't seemed to change much since. Right now it's a beautiful sunny day - if only it were as warm as it looks! BUT, it's still January so I can't complain. |
lourspolaire
Lauderhill,, FL
(Zone 10b)
January 30, 2006
9:39 PM Post #2011550
| I voted Who's Phil. More to the point, how many Phils are there? How long does a groundhog live? Why is the poor animal so pudgy? Why do Phil's handlers dress like they're going to a funeral? Doesn't anybody work where Phil and his family live? Have they nothing better to do than track down groundhogs at the beginning of February? Don't get me started, I could go on until the groundhogs come home.
Now, if it were Dr. Phil, I could certify he never saw his own shadow, seeing as the man considers himself such a luminary that he doesn't have a shadow. Come to think of it, don't get me started on Dr. Phil either.
At any rate, I strongly believe that spring will happen some time around March 21st, Phil or Dr. Phil notwithstanding.
Take care, all.
Sylvain. |
bookroller
Avis, PA
(Zone 5a)
January 30, 2006
10:05 PM Post #2011627
| I'm with the folks in VA. It's been a mild winter, but there you have it. Here in PA, and northern PA, my pussy willows are beginning to fatten up, and the shrubs have a bit of a reddish cast to them. It's about one month early for that kind of action. Last Saturday, I began to do the early Spring trimming, pruning. I expect snow, but late winter, fast melting stuff -- not below zero, snow you live with forever. |
Spider07
Lilburn, GA
January 30, 2006
10:09 PM Post #2011634
| Who is Phil and what is groundhog day? (sorry. i come from England) |
Indy
Alexandria, IN
(Zone 5b)
January 30, 2006
10:23 PM Post #2011681
| [HYPERLINK@www.gojp.com]
Here is a site to learn up on about Phil. |
NatureWalker
New York & Terrell, TX
(Zone 9b)
January 30, 2006
10:24 PM Post #2011684
| If I only knew Punxatawney Phil better; I'd help him make a couple of protest signs saying:
Paparazzi Go Home!!!
Help me Dr. Phil...!!!!
I've become Rabid, and I wanna chunk outta You!!
Where's the Park Ranger when you really need 'em?
Can't a guy go out for a bite to eat after a long winter's nap?
~* Robin |
Joan
Belfield, ND
(Zone 4a)
 January 30, 2006
11:28 PM Post #2012070
| LOL Robin.
I voted that he will see his shadow and run and hide for 6 more weeks. It's been a pretty mild winter all over, even here! I am not brave enough to say that winter is over. I think we will get hit, and hit hard, sometime soon. We've had very severe winter weather for Easter, so that may happen too. |
flyingfeather
Days Creek, OR
January 30, 2006
11:48 PM Post #2012121
| I voted Phil will not see his shadow, because my dog is shedding buckets of fur, real fast. It is happening earlier than normal.
Terry
This message was edited Jan 31, 2006 8:11 PM |
gliz
Tyrone, GA
(Zone 7b)
January 31, 2006
7:34 AM Post #2012438
| My daylilies are starting to come up so Phil better not see his shadow! |
orchidfancy
College Park, MD
(Zone 7a)
January 31, 2006
9:29 AM Post #2012572
| Poor Phil waken up out of his winter nap so he can more or less predict the weather. If it was up to him , I am sure that he would not come out until it is nice and toasty outside. or when he is absolutly sure that winter is over.
I don't remember the last time that I saw a groundhog prancing across the USDA fields in February... But I saw them in March on a warm day. It has been very pleasant this year and we have not had hardly any winter here in Maryland , my daffodils are 3" out and my anemones are leafing out. I hope that we dont' have winter in March or April, that would be a disaster for all the spring flowers...
|
FlowrLady
Olive Branch, MS
(Zone 7b)
January 31, 2006
11:48 AM Post #2012753
| I'm -HOPING- he won't see his shadow. With this mild winter, I'm ready to get busy. It's a long way to April 15, our last frost date. My daffs have great big buds on them, my flowering almond is blooming, etc., etc.
I don't want the freeze to come... I'm HOPING for NO SHADOW!!
P.S. -- They're mentioning possibility of "winter precipitation" for Friday night...
This message was edited Jan 31, 2006 10:50 AM |
danak
Olympia, WA
(Zone 7b)
January 31, 2006
1:32 PM Post #2012956
| I don't remember where Phil is, but if he's anywhere around here he won't see any kind of shadow! We've had clouds all winter-- along with record-breaking rain! I don't think I've ever been more ready for spring. |
Sashagirl
by the Muddy Miss., IA
(Zone 5a)
January 31, 2006
7:35 PM Post #2013750
| I voted for "Who's Phil"... HA HA
Just kidding, but seems like it's always bad news for us "winter-weary" gardeners. I need dirt and lots of it , under these perfectly groomed nails.
If choosing between the two..hmmmm, let me think.. gimme dirty nails, filthy knees, ruddy cheeks, messy wind blown hair, muddy shoes(guess that's more than two! Ha.).. any day. All together! WE want spring, We Want spring, WE WANT SPRING. maybe we can "cut" Phil a deal...ya think?!! |
paste592
Westminster, MD
(Zone 6b)
January 31, 2006
9:13 PM Post #2014099
| Phil and his brethren are not high on my list this winter -- and as for coming out of his den, the groundhog who lives on my land will have a heckuva time.
I was clearing some fallen branches at the edge of the front woods last week when suddenly my right leg went into the ground at an angle, almost up to the knee. I was REALLY lucky not to have broken a leg or an ankle in that groundhog hole. Currently there's a log jammed in it -- reckon he'll dig his way up in another spot. or perhaps he has a back way in.
I'd just as soon his shadow scares him out of the state!! |
Toxicodendron
Piedmont, MO
(Zone 6a)
February 1, 2006
8:20 AM Post #2014878
| I think spring will be early...since it seems to be here now!
Heard spring peeper frogs yesterday...have crocus, hellebores, and creeping phlox blooming and daffodils almost ready to pop open.
Saw a big spider running around in the yard, and one of our cats caught a baby field mouse the other day.
It's kind of scary to see things blooming several weeks early. No doubt, there will be some freeze/frost damage coming up in the next 2 or 3 months. But it has been so wonderful to have day after day of mild weather!
|
brazosdedios
Chapel Hill, NC
February 1, 2006
11:27 AM Post #2015133
| Sure! Why not, sum'thin's gota go rite sum'time. ---8b, Dave!!! Wow!! Que pasa? |
IndaShade
Kylertown, PA
(Zone 5b)
February 1, 2006
2:34 PM Post #2015585
| For what it's worth, Punxsutawney Phil lives better than most people's pets. He has a climate controlled hutch in the Punxsutawney Library.
Punxsutawney is located in southern Jefferson County, PA, and has celebrated Groundhog Day in the exact same way for around 100 years, plus or minus a couple of years. It's a traditional ritual based on old Scotts weather folklore. It only became a "big deal" when Bill Murray put out that movie "Groundhog Day", parts of which WERE filmed in Punxsy.
[HYPERLINK@www.punxsutawneyspirit.com]
My daughter attends college in Indiana, PA (Hometown of Jimmy Stewart!) and I have to drive through Punxsy on my way to get her. Thankfully, she is getting a ride home this Friday, and I won't have to wade through that mess down there. :-)
This message was edited Feb 1, 2006 2:43 PM |
woodthrush
Albrightsville, PA
(Zone 4a)
February 1, 2006
2:56 PM Post #2015624
| I don't know whether Phil see's a shadow or not. I know he will run.
There you are, all cuddled up nice and warm in your little cozy home. Dreaming the winter away and thinking about all the wonderful plant life that will soon be awakening. Suddenly a big guy in a top hat burst through your front door, grabs you by the scruff of your neck and holds you up for all the world to see your chubby under belly! Who wouldn't run?? |
ginnylynn
Blyth, ON
(Zone 5b)
February 1, 2006
3:02 PM Post #2015639
| ROTFLOL!!!!! If it was my chubby under belly they were showing off I'd probably bite 'em! |
carrielamont
Milton, MA
(Zone 6a)
February 1, 2006
3:51 PM Post #2015731
| Gee, I loved the movie Grounghog Day, and maybe Punxsutawney, PA has changed since the movie, but around here it's the same old same old. I can never remember if he's supposed to see his shadow or not!
xxxx, Carrie |
Spider07
Lilburn, GA
February 1, 2006
7:02 PM Post #2016121
| Thank you Indy but I could not understand anything. How do people find out if he sees his shadow??? Is he a REAL groundhog?
yours completely confused
Anna |
Lilypon
Moose Jaw, SK
(Zone 3b)
February 1, 2006
7:50 PM Post #2016194
| Given the balmy weather across Canada, there could be a few people quietly hoping that Shubenacadie Sam (Nova Scotia) and his prognosticating kin, Wiarton Willie in Ontario and Alberta's Balzac Billy, will see their shadows Thursday.
Groundhog Day usually adds a bit of levity in a stretch of barren frigidity.
"Most winters we'd be anxious to hear what Wiarton Willie or all of the groundhogs across the country have to say because, by this time, we'd have had enough," said Phillips.
"To think that we're about to get these groundhogs' predictions about winter when we haven't had winter is a certain bit of irony. It's certainly something I can't remember ever happening before."
And there's no end in sight, no matter what the rodents say. Even the long-range forecasts predict a relatively toasty February.
This message was edited Feb 1, 2006 7:02 PM |
IndaShade
Kylertown, PA
(Zone 5b)
February 1, 2006
8:34 PM Post #2016288
| He is a real groundhog, and when he takes a look and decides whether or not he sees his shadow, he "whispers" his prognostication in the handler's ear, who in turn tells the crowd what Phil has said!
It is all good fun and silliness, but it has brought REAL tourist dollars to a small town in PA. You wouldn't believe how many people come to Punxsy just to see Phil on February 2. |
roxroe
Winchester, VA
(Zone 6b)
February 1, 2006
8:52 PM Post #2016323
| mild and rainy here so I guess that phil will not see his shadow |
2pugdogs
(Linda) Winfield, KS
(Zone 6a)
February 2, 2006
8:14 AM Post #2016990
| HE SAW IT... Darn 6 more weeks of winter |
Spider07
Lilburn, GA
February 2, 2006
11:29 AM Post #2017370
| WHAT ARE YOU ALL TALKING ABOUT?!?!?!?! |
MiniSchnuz
New Iberia, LA
(Zone 9a)
February 2, 2006
4:27 PM Post #2017973
| Few days I voted here not see the shadow... but didn't posted it.. Our hometown groundhog named Pierre C. Shadeaux didn't see the shadow. It means we are having longer spring and shorter summer here in Louisiana! :o) Right now, it feels like spring!!! I am wearing t shirt, short and barefeet
Here the website: [HYPERLINK@www.iberianet.com] |
scutler
Charleston, SC
(Zone 8b)
February 2, 2006
6:01 PM Post #2018187
| Spider07,
Today is the day when we forgo all of our hi-tech solutions and ask a groundhog named "Phil" (in Philadelphia, I think) to predict the weather for us. There is some kind of "old wives tale" (or something like that) that indicates that if the (generic) groundhog sees his shadow today (when he comes out of his winter hiding place), then we will have 6 more weeks of winter; otherwise we will have an early spring. Phil is just the most famous groundhog. You should rent the movie "Ground Hog Day". It's cute or silly depending on your perspective, but it will also help you understand Groundhog Day. Phil is a real groundhog - although I suspect that there are and have been a number of "Phil's". Apparently they keep him in a cage of some kind and pull him out on Feb 2 each year during a big ceremony. He "talks" to his handler who then forwards the info to the rest of us. This morning they showed part of the ceremony and reading of the results on CNN. I hope this will help to clear up the confusion.
That said, I must tell all of you that I'm convinced that Phil has missed the mark this year. Spring bulbs (anemone and hyacinth) are blooming in my yard. The GoldFinches have shown up. Each year, usually in early March, they stop over for a few weeks on their way North. This year they are early; surely they must know something. The forsythia is blooming. The spirea is leafing out and getting ready to bloom. The birds are gathering nesting materials. The hydrangeas and roses are breaking dormancy. Can they all be wrong? |
sugarweed
Jacksonville, FL
(Zone 9a)
February 2, 2006
7:03 PM Post #2018307
| Well Me and Henry just drove from Jacksonville, Fl. to Charlotte, NC and ner a time could you see a shadow of any kind except UNDER the cars ahead. So being more familiar with Prarie dogs than Ground hogs, I don't think Phil saw his shadow.
Reared in Texas I always thought the two critters were one in the same. Wrong I was! It also was in the sixties most of the way up and the red buds and forsynthia are popping.
Sidney |
Lilypon
Moose Jaw, SK
(Zone 3b)
February 2, 2006
7:10 PM Post #2018322
| The Canadian ones saw their shadow
WIARTON, Ont. (CP) - The winter that for many Canadians never was is poised to give way to an early spring - at least according to the country's leading four-legged forecasters.
Shubenacadie Sam and Wiarton Willie scampered out of hibernation Thursday to declare to a nation normally chilled to the bone on Groundhog Day that, having failed to see their shadows, winter's days are numbered. Further west, a lesser-known rodent by the name of Manitoba Merv emerged from his den at Oak Hammock Marsh shortly after dawn, looked around, and then retreated before issuing an "official prediction" that Manitoba would have an early spring.
|
wallaby1
Lincoln
(United Kingdom)
(Zone 8a)
February 2, 2006
7:28 PM Post #2018363
| OK so I cheated, I didn't know who Phil was either, so I read the link above, and hey we don't have ground hogs here in England! But my lawn is a mass of Melissa mole hills, it has to be Melissa because they are huge mounds and everywhere, they are taking all my worms for their babies! If I had seen her today, (oh it is now yesterday!) I would have maybe tried to do something nasty to her. She also digs up all my beds.
I can in retrospect vote that our Melissa didn't see the sun on the 2nd, it was the coldest day we had in our month early winter, -2C and a heavy blanket of cloud. So perhaps I should be thanking Melissa! Spring roll on! Not yet, Friday expected to be freezing, I am waiting... |
linjasar
Sarver, PA
(Zone 5a)
February 2, 2006
9:46 PM Post #2018703
| How about Phil and the "Terrible Towel" this year!!! Go Steelers!!! Not all of us in PA understand this ritual! Frankly, I'd rather not think of groundhogs as I battle them every year in my garden. They are quite a challenge. For instance, mine eat purple and pink yarrow, but not yellow or white. I cannot get a cone flower to grow to save my life. They actually pick them and leave them beside the plant. They mow down tall garden phlox, poppies and anything in the hollyhock family. There are days I truly feel like Elmer Fud looking for a groundhog. Groundhogs of PA should be glad I'm not a gun owner. Happy Groundhog day to all! |
georgiagarden3
Arlington, GA
(Zone 8a)
February 2, 2006
9:56 PM Post #2018720
| “Put away your parkas, y'all, and unpack the petunias. Beau did not see his shadow. IT’S AN EARLY SPRING!”
Well here in the South we have good ole General Beau Lee, Ph.D., Georgia’s Official Weather Prognosticator and internationally recognized furry forecaster, roused by the din of the morning "flydown cackle" and legions of "Beau Boosters," squeezed through the recently-widened door of his Southern Mansion at 7:36 AM EST in 39-degree weather at The Yellow River Game Ranch in Lilburn, Georgia, a 24-acre animal preserve.
This message was edited Feb 2, 2006 9:57 PM |
Jazzpunkin
Springfield, OH
(Zone 5b)
February 3, 2006
8:57 AM Post #2019320
| well sheesh..is Pennsylvania the only place that is going to stay in winterland?? |
flowerpower54
Windsor, QC
(Zone 4b)
February 3, 2006
4:49 PM Post #2020213
| Spring is definitely on it's way - and it'll be EARLY too. Drove to Montreal yesterday and was amazed at the number of trees that are already starting to show buds we don't normally see till late March (Willows, Dogwod, and forgive me can't recal English names of others).
Certainly lifted the spirits to see the reddish-orange hues covering the branches of weeping willows.
Now that Groundhog Day is past, I can confirm that in my area, Mr (or MS...haha) GRoundhog did NOT see his/her shadow.
I can already imagine the smell the sunwarmed earth and see the brightly coloured tulips popping out of the ground. |
tootsiepotts
Harmony, PA
(Zone 5b)
February 3, 2006
7:53 PM Post #2020631
| Are you kidding? Phil sees his shadow every year! Who in the world would believe that winter is over on February 2nd! This is coming from a gal who lives about 90 minutes away from Phil. It's a ton of hoopla to break up the winter doldrums, and that's not necessarily bad. But to think spring is here? Anything that starts budding now is in for a sure freeze. |
NatureWalker
New York & Terrell, TX
(Zone 9b)
February 3, 2006
11:23 PM Post #2021293
| tootsiepotts,
I agree with ya... 100%!!!
~* Robin |
imway2dumb
Gordonville, TX
(Zone 7b)
February 4, 2006
5:34 PM Post #2022749
| Wutza groundhog? |
bigcityal
Menasha, WI
(Zone 5a)
February 4, 2006
5:48 PM Post #2022781
| Pork sausage? |
NatureWalker
New York & Terrell, TX
(Zone 9b)
February 4, 2006
7:03 PM Post #2023025
| Roadkill...!!
'Cause every year I see more & more up here decorating the white and yellow road lines!
~* Robin
This message was edited Feb 4, 2006 7:05 PM |
imway2dumb
Gordonville, TX
(Zone 7b)
February 4, 2006
9:02 PM Post #2023331
| Ha, ha, ha! |
kooger
Oostburg, WI
(Zone 5b)
February 5, 2006
4:12 PM Post #2024776
| We actually saw a family of groundhogs here in NW IA about10 years ago! They are quite rare here, only found near the rivers. Back home in S. Ontario, it's a whole different story. I remember my Dad and Opa trying to get rid of them by various methods. Once they tried to smoke them out with a hose on the exhaust pipe of the pickup. That wasn't very successful because they had so many holes, it was impossible to plug them all!
We had two dogs that would 'tag team' and catch quite a few. Nicki would bark at the hole with his head close to the top and those ornery groundhogs would take the bait and snarl and growl at him, just out of his range, or so they thought... then Nicki would move over and Smokey, a Collie/German Shephard mix, would dart in with his long nose and grab the critters by the nose, pull them out and finish them off! After bringing too many carcasses home to proudly display, Dad taught him to bury them out in the field. Whew! They were nasty!! |
