Beware the Ides of Woodstock Willie

[altivo]

Yes, tomorrow is Marmota monax Day in Woodstock as elsewhere. It's a good day to avoid Woodstock, though. Ever since the film Ground Hog Day was released, it has become the town's sole claim to fame I guess. No longer the home of Chester Gould (creator of Dick Tracy) or the town whose jail held the likes of Dillinger and Debs, instead Woodstock seems to prefer to commemorate the fact that Bill Murray stepped in a puddle just here (with little brass plaques, new one added each year.)

As for their prognosticating rodent, Willie, I say he's been wrong every single year for as long as I've lived in the vicinity.

Of course, there's another way of looking at ground hog weather reports: if the critter sees his shadow, we get six more weeks of winter, and if he doesn't see his shadow, we get six more weeks of winter. That seems more accurate than any other interpretation in my experience.

Art supplies arrived today, but I can't play until I finish copy editing that darned manuscript and submit it. Hopefully, before the end of tomorrow. Won't pay to do it sleepy, I'll miss something crucial I fear. At least so far, after lying dormant for over two years, I can say I still think it's quite good and has a chance.

Head cold, if that's what it is, remains the same, neither climaxing nor fading.

Comments

[hrrunka]

I'm amused (and a mite troubled, too) that folks like to transfer such weather folklore from place to place. This particular bit even got a locally-applied mention on BBC Radio 4 this morning, and we don't have Marmota monax or any obvious equivalent native to these shores...

Today is several degrees warmer, and noticably cloudier, wetter and windier than yesterday. I guess the high pressure area that's been keeping things chilly and dry has finally faded away.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Well, it's snowing here, and the "scientific" forecast says it will continue all day. That should take care of the fat little rodent and his predictions. He'll have to say winter ends soon, at least here in McHenry County. (Not that I expect him to be right about it.)

[hrrunka]

Heh. He'd just get a wet nose (and come to the same conclusion) if he were here.

[songdogmi.livejournal.com]

It's excessively cloudy here, so any groundhogs might be only burrowing deeper into their den today.

Although a few years ago I saw media coverage of poor Punxsutawny Phil, who was dragged forcibly from his sleeping place so his shadow could be seen or not seen. There were so many lights and flashes from cameras that I'm not sure they could tell if he could see his shadow naturally or not.

... Speaking of which, when I Googled to check the spelling of "Punxsutawny," I learned that ol' Phil (who's probably Phil the 23rd by now) saw his shadow this morning (or it was seen for him, he probably not caring much), so there'll be six more weeks of winter in Pennsylvania, at least.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Yup, no shadows here this morning, but plenty of snow. Forecast called for "possibly an inch" overnight. There were over 2 inches when I left home, and at work there were 3 inches of new snow. It continued to snow pretty heavily most of the morning, so I wouldn't be surprised if we had 4 inches by now.

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

Are you saying you didn't like groundhog day? :D

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Groundhog day the celebration is a sham. The movie was funny once, and incredibly stupid the second time. The fact that Woodstock, IL makes a cult of it just shows that they have a great lack of imagination for things to promote their town.