Hey Wojak? Shadow or No?

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Welcome February today. It's Super Bowl Sunday and much of the nation is getting some severe winter weather. In northwestern Pennsylvania, we are staring eyeball to eyeball with some severe weather conditions as well,  beginning late this afternoon and into Monday. It promises to be very snowy, blustery and cold. Perfect conditions for many winter sports. For some information on snowmobiles, see the post below, Motor Toboggan.

Appropriately, the February Full Moon, called the Full Snow Moon, will be February 3. The storm brewing for the next several days could see another foot of snow or more on the ground to welcome the Full Snow Moon!

February will bring us our first Friday the 13 of 2015. And on the 14 are two popular events; the Canadohta Lake Ice Fishing Tournament and the Pymatuning Winter Fun Days.

More information on the Canadohta Ice Fishing Tournament at 10^th Annual. An update will be posted next weekend here.

More information on Winter Fun Days, Pymatuning.

Then things get even more hectic.

President's Day is the 16; followed by Mardi Gras on the 17th, Ash Wednesday on the 18th and on the 19th Chinese New Years. It is the Year 4713!

Celebrate Wojak Tuesday, February 2nd 

Pictured Ground Hog Day snowstorm last year 2014.

Monday, February 2 is Groundhog Day, 2015. It's a day rich, maybe not in correct long term weather forecasts, but rich in history and mid-winter celebration.

The Native American people in the the Punxsutawney area had a lot lot of respect for the groundhog They held the animal in high esteem. The First People considered the groundhog as the reincarnation of their ancient ancestors.

Even the name Punxsutawney comes from the Deleware word “ponksad-uteny” meaning the land of many sandflies. Even the very word woodchuck comes the Delaware word “Wojak” or ancestral grandfather.

When the German settlers arrived in the region during colonization, they brought their traditions. One of those was Candlemas Day, a day early Christians celebrated as the day when Jesus was presented to the temple and the purification of his mother Mary. (Luke 2:22-39). February 2 was also viewed as the close of the Christmas season (forty days).

It was a mid-winter day to light candles in hopes of an early spring and good planting weather. As with many Christian holidays, there were pagan roots as well. One was the Imbolc Festival when people would see if any animals, such as serpents or badgers, came out of their dens on the day, a sign taken to be an indication of spring's soon-to-be or not-to-be arrival. Centuries later, the Germans looked for hedgehogs on the day to predict the upcoming arrival of spring.

Now when the settlers arrived in the New Land, they needed an animal for their traditions and customs. They found the respected Wojak who was easier to deal with more so than wolves, bears or badgers.

The first official record of the day in America was written by James Morris, a shopkeeper in western Pennsylvania. From his journal entry written on February 4, 1841: “Last Tuesday, the 2^nd, was Candlemas Day, the day on which, according to the Germans, the Groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters, and if he sees his shadow he pops back in for another six weeks nap, but if the day be cloudy he remains out, as the weather is to be moderate.”

The first official celebration of Ground Hog Day was held on February 2, 1886. The editor of the Punxsutawney Spirit, Clymer Frees wrote: “Today is groundhog day and up to the time of going to press the beast has not seen its shadow.”

Happy Wojak Day!

 

Chess and the Coyote

Most every night, one of my closest and best friends, will stop after second shift work. We'll play a few games of chess and have a few beers. One day last week, Ryan went to leave as it was about 3 a.m.. He quickly walked back in the door and simply said, “Put your coat and get out here!”

It was vey cold that night, near zero, and very starry. I heard the coyotes as soon as I shut the door.

We must have stood there for five minutes listening to them, perhaps five or six yelping. They were hardly 100 feet away behind a small pond we call the frog bog.

The next morning I went to see what I could discover. The pack seems to have been chasing rabbits which have been living in brush piles we had build over the years. It reminded me about a story I wrote on “subnivia” several years ago. 

“ At first glance, a woodland winter landscape can have the appearance of a desolate and lifeless place; a dull, cold and somewhat foreboding woods. Sure, the black and white with shades of gray scene may be picturesque, but there are very few signs of life in the colorless woods at first glimpse.

But as a general rule of thumb, first appearances can be very deceiving. In reality, a snow covered woods is a brisk hub of life, much of it hidden from view. But the seemingly empty winter woods is a door to a wide range of discovery opportunities, all free, educational and fun.

Certainly, in most cases, a casual woodland observation will find the tell-tale tracks of life on the snow, squirrels, turkey and deer, for example. Birds are also a common sight in the winter woods as they forage for feed. What are they eating? Where are the deer going? Where are the turkey roosting? Did the squirrel lose the winter food cache?

There is also a hidden world under the snow cover, particularly near fallen snags (dead trees), rocks, and man-made brush piles. This hidden kingdom is inhabited by various insects, spiders and mites, searching for food, as are smaller animals, such as mice and voles, and in certain conditions, larger animals, like the fox or the coyote. This kingdom is officially known as “Subnivia”.

I guess on cold January nights, chess is even played in a cold, dark woods. Enjoy February!