Adumbration

February 1. Sunshine through the clouds, stray snowflakes in the air, chickadees perching on branches above the bird feeders and Jane upstairs in the office, dressed in layers topped by an old black shawl, cold fingers moving across the keys on the laptop. Perhaps the frosty smoothie this morning wasn't the best idea!

Tomorrow is Ground Hog Day.... again.

"Groundhog Day. If the pesky rodent saw his shadow, or did not see it, I will give you a written guaranty that we'll have six or more weeks of winter weather after February 2 – this year or any other."  so said Golly* one of the many times he wrote of the 'holiday'.

"Not that it means one darned thing we'll be checking Ground Hog Day tomorrow to note if the pesky little cuss sees his shadow when he peeps out of his hole. If he does he goes back into hibernation for six weeks; if not we'll have summer weather right off the bat.

Horse feathers!

The Almanac tells us spring will not come until March 20. Ground Hog in or out of his hole, we will have snow and plenty of cold weather in the coming six weeks." (1968)

"The groundhog saw his shadow Monday – if he was fool enough to creep out of his burrow – so what! Daily papers wasted a lots of ink on the little rodent." (1953)

"Yeah, he saw his shadow or did he?

From Punxsutawney, National Groundhog Headquarters, came word that the sunlight was so dazzlingly brilliant that the old rodent was blinded by it and retreated to his comfortable hole in the ground and continued his nap.

Regardless of the wisdom(?) of groundhogs, I am always willing to bet shillings we'll have at least six weeks of winter following February 2, and before the peepers begin their spring chorus." (1957)

This was written in 1941:

"A Kane writer, in commenting on the groundhog seeing – or not seeing – his shadow says the "'chuck cast an adumbration here,"

By golly, we'd never waste a two-shilling word like 'adumbration' on a pesky woodchuck.

Such prodigality is excruciating."

However, here's his own 1966 Ground Hog Day take:

"Ground Hog Day – February 2.

The old lingo is that is the pesky herbivorous quadruped rodent recovers from hibernation on this date, ventures from his burrow, sees his shadow –

O, horror –

He disappears in his hole and takes another period of six weeks of somnolency and winter!

I will make a small wager on any February 2 that winter will last at least that long, ground hog or no ground hog.

... and until press time, there has been no sunshine and the groundhog has seen no shadow but do not expect to pick any roses before March 15."

 

* "Golly' is my grandfather, W.D. Fish (1875-1969) who spent much of his life as a small town newspaper editor & publisher. His weekly column in the newspaper here was published under the heading "Golly."