2011-02-01

Dare we Dream of Spring? Happy Imbolc (Groundhog Day) 2011

Update 2011-02-02: Flatbush Fluffy didn't see his shadow this morning. He did see his reflection in the sheet of ice that covers everything. Not sure what that means.

The snow in the backyard - undisturbed by shoveling, snowblowers, drifts, and pedestrian traffic, save for a few small, furry quadrupeds - is above my knees, about two feet. As I write this on the eve of the last day of January 2011, there is yet another Winter Storm Watch in effect, the billionth this Winter.

For the first day of February, the National Weather Service predicts snow, snow and sleet, freezing rain, sleet and snow, ice, freezing rain, snow and sleet, snow, then freezing rain, in that order. That's just Tuesday. It continues into Wednesday, Groundhog Day, with much the same result. The sole consolation is that come Imbolc morn, Flatbush Fluffy, the resident Marmota monax, will not see his shadow. Dare we dream of Spring?

Flatbush Fluffy

The groundhog, Marmota monax, also known as a woodchuck, groundhog, or whistlepig, is the largest species of marmot in the world.
Groundhog Day, celebrated on February 2, has its roots in an ancient Celtic celebration called Imbolog [Wikipedia: Imbolc]. The date is one of the four cross-quarter days of the year, the midpoints between the spring and fall equinoxes and the summer and winter solstice.
- NOBLE Web: Groundhog Day
The other cross-quarter days are Beltane, Lughnasadh, and Samhain, associated with All Hallow's eve, Halloween. The quarter days are the equinoxes and solstices, dates I also like to observe on this blog. The cross-quarter days fall between the quarter days. At the Spring equinox, day-length is at its mid-point, but the rate of change in day-length is near its peak. At Imbolc, day-length acceleration is near its peak; we are rushing toward Spring and Summer.

This is my fifth annual Groundhog Day post.This May will be the fifth anniversary of this blog. I am grateful for all the grace and privileges that have allowed me to continue doing this, and grateful for all my readers, friends, and community this endeavor has brought me over the years.

Regardless of the weather.

Related posts

2010
2009
2008
2007

Links

Wikipedia: Imbolc

3 comments:

meemsnyc said...

There is so much snow on the ground that I could barely reach the compost. I am so ready for spring!

Brenda from Flatbush said...

And we are grateful for the amazing reach and craft you bring to your endeavor. Your interests and skills have grown in so many directions--tree tours, community gardens, etc.--since you started this enterprise, and it's widened to be a genuine Force for Good. Congrats on a sustained and creative vision.

Cindy, MCOK said...

Kris, I am so grateful that the icy topping to the NYC snow waited to arrive until after MY departure! It was a rare treat for this Southern girl to experience real winter weather. What's really funny is that we've had colder temperatures this week than any I endured in NYC!