Hope
everyone had a happy Grundsautag. Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow so it’s
another six weeks of winter. Phil has been getting a little soft as of late.
Instead of living in a burrow and coming out to check the weather, he now lives
in the Punxsutawney library and is taken up to Gobbler’s Knob for the shadow
test. Michigan’s lame upstart version of Phil, Woody the Woodchuck, saw her
shadow too, validating Phil’s prediction. Given the uncertainties in long range
weather prediction this is likely as good a prediction as any.
Lise had her
annual Groundhog’s Day party last Sunday. Social event of the year. Around 30
people showed up for eating and socializing.
The past week
or so we haven’t gotten in much birding, photography, or any other outdoor. Partially
our daily routines have been keeping us tied down a bit. The weather has been a
larger factor though. Lately the weather just hasn’t been very conducive for
outdoor fun. Winters here can be described in a couple of words; cold and gray.
Cold weather is quite tolerable under the right circumstances. Like, if we had
enough snow for outdoor sports. Here, we get just enough snow and ice to make
driving miserable. The gray would be a lot more tolerable if we had some
scenery to go with it. We have corn fields and subdivisions with very little
public land. So, when the sun does come out it makes for a celebration. Unless
it means the groundhog sees his shadow and we have another six weeks of blah.
Lake Lansing North on a rare sunny day. The trail was mostly ice.
Lake Lansing North on a rare sunny day.
Ed's and Lise's Biggish Years 