Thursday, February 2, 2012
Groundhog Day!!
ROSEMARY HARRIS: I never thought much about GroundHog day until I saw the movie (yikes it was 1993) with Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell. Still hysterical and at the risk of sounding like a goody-goody - which we all know I'm not - it still has some lessons which every year I get a huge kick out of watching Bill Murray learn.
So.. the deal is if he sees his shadow, he's afraid and runs back into his whatever and we have another six weeks of winter. But - uh - isn't it a good thing if it's sunny instead of cloudy?
Today it was sunny and 60 degrees in New York. I intend to not see my shadow tomorrow - even if it's there. It hasn't been a horrible winter but I wouldn't mind if it ended soon. Anyone else feeling the rumblings of spring?
I can't wait to move all of my container plants back outside. And I won't mind not having to remember where I put my gloves.
What will you do first and what will you miss the least when winter finally ends?
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January went on forever, so I'll be happy if no shadows are seen today. Interestingly enough, Puxsutawney Phil is a literate groundhog. He lives in the Puxsutawney public library when he isn't forcasting the weather. That got me to thinking, and I'm writing a short about our astute and erudite groundhog--and of course there's murder afoot. Library cats have nothing on Phil!
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't feel like we've had much of a winter here in Virginia. In fact some of my outdoor plants have little buds on them already. One of my favorite spring ventures is going to the local plant store and choosing which herbs to plant and enjoy all summer long. Thanks for the great post Rosemary!
ReplyDeleteJust saying in Key West, it's the chicken who sees its shadow...
ReplyDeletePlant at least one more apple tree, of course. And then figure out what to put in my raised-bed garden, which lay fallow last year when I had a broken ankle.
ReplyDeleteWhat will I miss least? The darkness. I think better when there's sunshine.
I am terrified at how quickly the time is going by...my outdoor rosemary in a container-- which i haven't had time to bring inside-- is still thriving outside. That's just--weird.
ReplyDeleteI'll be happy to walk without wearing four or five layers of clothes. I'll miss Fox's NFL pre-game show. (Terry Bradshaw always makes me smile.)
ReplyDeleteYour outdoor rosemary is still thriving?? so jealous. I am the kiss of death to rosemary. You'd think I'd have a special knack for it given my name but it seems like my rosemary starts to fade even before the credit card is back in my hand!
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of apple tree, Sheila? Do you really get apples from them or are they only from grafted trees?
Molly, must decide whether to start herb seeds in kitchen or buy flats later. DH says kitcehn looks like a laboratory for months when I start them from seed.
Of course, Lucy. The famous Groundchicken. It crows on February 2 if the weather is going to be fabulous for another six weeks.
ReplyDeleteBy the time spring rolls around in Maine, I will be happy about the end of hat-head.
I will be glad not to worry about the weather/icy road conditions disrupting travel plans.
And like a cat in a sunny window, I will luxuriate in the spring light.
Lucy, what does the chicken predict, more sunshine? Ro, tonight Annette and I will keep up our tradition of watching Ground Hog Day. I think the message is good. Nothing changes until Bill Murray changes his attitude.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE that movie. Ned?? Ned Ryerson?? Bruce and I should try to get our hands on a copy.
ReplyDeleteYes...a great message! so cool to see you and Annette at the workshop Saturday!
Lucy, the CHICKEN? That cracks me up! What happens if the chicken sees his shadow?
ReplyDeleteIt was foggy here in North Texas this morning (and it's 70 degrees today), but whether it's the ground hog or the chicken, we have six more weeks of winter. Our average last freeze is March 15th.
I can't wait to see green and tulips and the fruit trees blooming. Starting in March we have about three months of gorgeous weather. Then you should be somewhere else between July 4th and mid-September...
I'm waiting to see if the four new little trees I planted made it through the winter. Three Pink Velour crape myrtles and one desert Willow.
Ground Hog Day means it's time to fertilize the orange tree. I need to get someone to build a little boardwalk over to the tree from the patio. Last year the flag stones sunk into the ground. My cell phone was still on my bedside table, so I waited about an hour and a half before I remembered Kendall could go "alert Dad!"
ReplyDeleteIt's unlikely that the boardwalk will happen, though, because the one who would build it - not mentioning any names - is the very same one who doesn't like the tree. Somebody tell me, please, how can anyone not like a tree?
I may have left out a critical piece to my comment above: My wheelchair slid off the flag stones as they sank into the ground and the wheels got stuck in the mud. Très fun!
ReplyDeleteI, too, am in Virginia, specifcally the middle of the Shenandoah Valley. It's been a very strange winter. Our first snow was at Halloween! It was a very small snow "storm," but it created a bit of havoc and cancelled some events. Tiny dusting after Christmas, but it's been in the 40s, 50s, 60s most of January. Friend of mine keeps saying: "It's all up there somewhere, and at some point, it will come down -- rain, sleet, snow -- whatever, but the moisture will appear." Quite honestly, I don't care if it never snows heavily again. White Christmas? Fine. After that, I'm over it! Let's just slide gently into spring with no major snow dumpings. Of course, my school age nieces are totally on the other side of that argument. They do forget that they will get out earlier for summer break if they don't use the built-in snow days. Doesn't matter to me, because I'm only a two-minute drive from work, and could walk there if I had to. NO snow days for me!!
ReplyDeleteOh, and I always think of Groundhog Day as a bit special, as it was my parents' wedding day. (Wasn't there some comic who said men should always push to get married on some sort of holiday/memorable day so it would be easier to remember their anniversary?)
ReplyDeleteSo a friend's dad works at Penn State, and he published an article about groundhogs. To sum it up, Puxatawny Phil isn't looking for his shadow; he is looking for a little action! http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/National-Wildlife/Animals/Archives/2006/Groundhogs.aspx
ReplyDeleteThis was NOT covered in the movie...:)