Daylight Savings Time

Well, no, not really. I mean, that is not really the subject of this post, although I have come to like DST. No, the real subject of this post is what DST has done to Sundown. As I have told you several times, Sundown is so named because she comes around right after sundown. Well, with sundown now coming later each evening -- an event made even more dramatic by DST -- Sundown has seemingly decided that she no longer wants to wait that long for dinner. The last two days she has appeared in broad daylight. And, this last time, I even managed to get a good picture of her. So, without blury shadows and light-spot eyes, I present -- Sundown.














If she looks a little grumpy here, well, you would probably look grumpy too if someone kept snapping your picture during dinner!

Spring -- Finally

It always seems like an eternity, waiting for Spring. And then, in the blink of an eye, it happens. Spring arrives, at least meteorologically, and the long winter is finally over, even though its annoying remnants may still linger on for a few more weeks. Just minutes ago I heard that the NWS is calling for a winter storm watch tonight with three to four inches of snow possible. But I take heart, the end surely must be near.

This Spring brings the convergence of several events, some more universal and some more personal. Tomorrow, Friday, is also Good Friday. And, it is a full moon. Sunday is Easter Sunday Did you ever wonder how they determine the date for Easter? Well, if you did, it is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring equinox. Therefore, the timing of events makes this Easter a bit unique in that it is the earliest date that it can possibly be.

The first day of Spring is also my son’s wedding anniversary. And, that is not exactly a coincidence. When the opportunity to get married on the first day of Spring presented itself a few years ago, he and his bride to be jumped at the chance. That is a sentiment with which I totally concur. He must have had some good raising somewhere.

It has also been a while since I have posted anything on this blog. Interestingly, it has been a slow time for bloggers in general, or at least for the ones that I follow. A couple of them have been VERY slow and another has just posted a bunch of drivel. Of course, I fully realize that the same could be said for me, but at least I recognize the utter insignificance of what I am about here. One of the blogs I follow, and one that can be accessed from this site, just recently posted a beautiful and touching piece. So, perhaps things are looking up.

Lastly, I should give you an update on the critters I have been feeding. And, I am happy to report that both Sundown (the cat) and Porky (the opossum) are alive and well, fat and happy and eating heartily and regularly. Despite some extended absences, both made it through the winter just fine. Sundown (pictured here) continues to come around early in the evening, eat a bit, and then move on. Porky comes later and cleans up EVERYTHING that is left over, which is usually quite a lot. If I put an apple core out early enough, the squirrels will occasionally get it. But if it is after dusk, it is all Porky’s. I have not seen the raccoon, so I do not know if he is still around or not. His eating habits are the latest of the three, and I am usually in dreamland before he comes to feed.

Now, let’s try just to enjoy this season, with cool, clear days before the onset of Summer

Groundhog Day -- A Time of Hope

Anyone who knows me knows that Groundhog Day is my favorite holiday. The rebel in me likes it because, to a large degree, I can claim it as my own. Long before it was fashionable to do so – if indeed it has ever become fashionable to do so – I used to send out Groundhog Day cards. At first, I would make my own cards with simple little sayings – “Thought I’d just pop up to say / Have a happy Groundhog Day.” But, as my mailing list grew, it was no longer practical to produce my own cards and so I would substitute any sort of blank card with a springtime scene on the front. And now, on this Groundhog Day 2008, I find myself with a blog that allows me to comment to my heart’s desire without ever sending a single card or email message.

Focus becomes the biggest challenge. There are so many things I could write about. There is the lovable rodent’s weather prognostication, astrological significance of the day, psychological implications, the fabulous, if often misunderstood movie, and works of literature. Let me try to focus on just a few, excluding the weather forecast, which is the least important of all.

GHD is anchored in the calendar because it is a cross-quarter day. Basically, this is a day that is half way between the equinoxes and solstices. In essence, it is the halfway point of one of the four seasons. So, whether or not the Groundhog sees his shadow, we are half way through winter. That in itself is reason for celebration. Cross quarter days have changed through the centuries and different dates and days are celebrated in different cultures. The ones we most commonly recognize, in addition to GHD, are May Day, Lammas Day (OK, that one is obscure!) and Halloween.

Clearly, Groundhog Day the day received a boost in popularity with the release of Groundhog Day the movie. This is a flick that irritates many with its constantly repeating scenes that bring nothing but frustration to dim-witted viewers. After several viewings – and isn’t that ironic in itself – one begins to see some of the deeper themes running through the story. The implications of actions without consequences, the importance of treating people well, the possibilities of what we can become, and the awesome, unimaginable responsibilities and burdens of being a “god,” the thanklessness that playing that role entails and finally, with the death of the old man, the limitations of even god-like power. Even if you have seen the movie before, see it again. That is what I plan to do this evening.

If you want a good book – no, a GREAT book - on Groundhog Day for your son or daughter, niece or nephew, or adult-child friend, I highly recommend Judy Cox’s wonderful book Go To Sleep, Groundhog! It is a children’s book in which the Groundhog settles down for his annual hibernation only to encounter chronic insomnia. His many attempts at sleep prove fruitless and so he gets up and walks around outside time and again. In the process, he experiences Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas all for the very first time. He is full of wonderment at all the amazing things he witnesses that he has never known existed. Check it out – it will be worth your while.

But finally, Groundhog Day is important because it embodies that most essential of all human qualities – hope. In the midst of the year’s most chilling and numbing season, we all stop, if only for a moment, and look forward to the inevitable coming of Spring. It is a time when we come together as a species and formally acknowledge our disdain for this dreadful season that we are forced to endure and express our collective hope for better days ahead. It is not New Years Day that marks a fresh start in our lives, but rather it is Groundhog Day. As I wrote in one of my earliest Groundhog Day cards:

Some folks think the new year starts
Whenever the old one ends.
But in the midst of winter’s cold
Our thinking often bends.
The year begins when life begins
And nothing grows in snow
Until the Groundhog brings some hope
From deep within his hole.

Finally, let me leave you with another of my early verses:

When snow and ice are all around
And cold winds blow your way
You best think twice before you frown
It’s time for Groundhog Day!

The final message of Groundhog Day is this – no matter what form that cold chill in your life may be taking, it will get better.

Here’s hoping your Groundhog Day is a joyous one indeed.

The Blizzard of '78

Well, in a way, this is kind of a dangerous post. I mean, the more astute of you will put pencil to paper and one of my most closely-guarded non-secrets will be exposed. But, in the interest of responsible journalism, that is a risk I have decided to accept.

I will spare you the details of the infamous blizzard. Most likely you were either there or you have heard about it. The executive summary is that on the morning of January 26, 1978 it started to snow . And it just never stopped. Estimates of the snowfall range from 36 inches to 42 inches. I have heard that the storm produced one of the lowest barometric pressures ever recorded in these parts. Some say it was like a mid-winter, inland hurricane. What follows is an account of how I rode out the storm.

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The Blizzard of ’78 brought both bad news and good news for me. The bad news is that, like so many others, I was stuck at work for several days. How many days, I cannot remember. I suspect that thirty years blurs some parts of everyone’s memory. But I know it was at least three days and maybe as many as four or five. The good news is that at the time I was managing a motel, the old Howard Johnson on the corner of Cleveland Rd and then US 31 on the space presently occupied by the Comfort Suites. If one had to be snowed in at work they would be hard-pressed to find a better place to be marooned. I had a bed, a hot shower, a color TV and a restaurant and bar were right next door.

A grand total of five employees managed to make it in the day that the snow started falling. Actually, I think two of us – the night auditor and I – were simply unable to leave, but the net effect was the same. As luck would have it, three of us were able to run the front desk, and so we took turns in the office on 8-hour shifts. In addition, two high school boys who lived nearby swam through the chest-high drifts to come in as well. They kept the laundry going and performed whatever menial tasks had to be done. About the second day, one of them braved the drifts to reach a drug store in the North Village Mall where he bought toothbrushes and shaving supplies and whatever else we absolutely needed that we could not find in our storerooms. (In the spirit of hospitality, the young man informed the girl at the register that there would be a party in his room at the motel later that evening and that she was invited. She nearly accepted, but when she asked who would be there, he replied, "So far, just you.")

Needless to say, the guests staying at the motel were also unable to leave. Amazingly, they were very good sports about the hardships. The weather definitely brought out the best in them and in us. We were unable to provide maid service, but we did manage to keep them stocked with clean towels, soap and other basic necessities. A pot of coffee perked around the clock in our office, and several of our guests sat in the lobby drinking coffee and passing the time. About the third day, some of them even decided to try to dig out despite the fact that there was nowhere to go even if they did manage to escape the parking lot. We gave them what shovels we had and they gladly we nt to work. However, that operation was suspended when one of them hit something hard while digging only to discover that he was standing on top of a compact car that had been completely buried by the blizzard.

The snow on US 31 was completely impassable. Only snowmobiles and skiers were able to negotiate the depth of the snow. There were no 4-wheel drives and no plows. Just snow. Word got out that the Ramada Inn across the street had opened up a huge buffet at a very low price. My memory is failing me once again here, but it may have even been free. I am not sure about that. Because Ramada Inn was a larger and much busier place than Howard Johnson, they had a substantial inventory of food that was in danger of spoiling. They decided that virtually giving it away was preferable to simply t hrowing it out. I do know that some of us, traveling in teams as if on an Alpine adventure, made the long slow journey across the street to take advantage of their generous offer.

Finally, like the ever-repeating day in the movie “Groundhog Day,” it just ended. The snow stopped, plows cleared parts of 31, people found their cars, others trickled back to work and life eventually returned to near normal. The blizzard was over, but the legend had just begun.

Winter Lies

When folks who live up North fantasize about moving somewhere warmer, they frequently come up with the lame excuse, “but I would miss the changing seasons.” Do not count me in that group. I have never been much of a fan of winter. In fact, I really, really dislike it. Always have. I often have told the story of being about 5 years old and going outside to shovel snow with my Dad. When I found out we were only going to do the sidewalks, I got mad and went inside. I thought we were going to get rid of ALL the snow. No such luck. In fact, my favorite thing to do during the winter is to wait for spring. John Donne would be proud of me.

As I drove into my garage this morning it occurred to me that winter is a great time to deceive ourselves with grandiose plans for Spring. I looked around the garage and quickly took note of some of the things I would do “when things warm up a bit.” It is a brand new garage, in need of some homey touches, like a whole string of old Kentucky flags hanging from the first rafter near the rear wall. I can do that. And, maybe that will even get done. Other plans are on shakier ground.

Winter lies are not exactly like New Year’s Resolutions. The resolutions are more ritualistic than simple winter lies. Resolutions are more like goals that we will TRY to attain. Winter lies are self-deceptions that we really believe, almost. Here are some of mine.

This spring, I am going to fill in some of the holes and indentations made in my yard by burrowing animals. It is almost dangerous to mow my grass in certain areas because of the holes that lurk in the yard waiting to grab an unsuspecting ankle. So, this spring, I will take care of that.

And, I might start running again. I used to run a lot and was actually quite good at it. Sure, I am 30 pounds heavier now and every time I have tried running in the past 10 years I have either torn or pulled a calf muscle. But, if I work out this winter – and I have been – and stretch my calf muscles everyday – I started today – maybe I can get back into running. And, if I somehow fail at that, at least I can bike more. Biking will improve my health, tone my body, save money on gas and reduce the size of my carbon footprint. Plus, since I do not currently own a working bicycle, buying one will also help bolster the sagging economy.

My golf game also needs attention. On the cold, cold days I watch golf on TV and suddenly I gain all sorts of insights into my problems. I now KNOW why I cannot hit a decent 6-iron on a par-3 with any degree of consistency. So, if I can devote just one hour a week to practice, I think I can shave enough strokes off of my game to be consistently mediocre. And that would be a very nice improvement indeed.

You know, it might just be easier to move to a warmer climate. Then, I would not have all this time to think about what I will do when it warms up a little. But then, I’d miss the seasons.